Dubbo’s top business women revealed: See who’s on the list
Plenty of business women in Dubbo are quietly doing amazing work and changing the lives of their customers, team members and families. SEE OUR TOP 12
Dubbo News
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From educating eager learners across Australia, to steering giant fast food ships and honouring the legacies of loved ones who inspired them to get where they are — Dubbo business women are excelling and having a huge impact on many lives.
To celebrate their achievements, The Dubbo News has compiled a list of the city’s top women in business.
NICOLE CARMICHAEL
From a young age Nicole Carmichael was clearly destined for big things. In her early 20s, she became the youngest women to run all duty free accounts for cosmetic brands in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Noumea.
After conquering cosmetics she set her sights on franchises and with her passion for coffee, there was no better fit than Gloria Jeans. Within a five-year period Nicole became the boss of six franchises in Sydney.
“My dream was to own my own McDonald’s franchise, which became a reality in 2014 when I started at the Cooma restaurant,” she said.
“I have since relocated to Dubbo, where I expanded my organisation to include four restaurants in Dubbo and Wellington. I currently employ close to 500 crew, crew trainers, managers and supervisors from the Dubbo and Wellington areas.”
Outside of running her successful business empire, Nicole serves on the Ronald McDonald House Orange board and she’s the lead and mentor for the state branch of the Australian Women’s Leadership Network which empowers, support and represents women from McDonald’s restaurants.
“Giving back to the community is incredibly important to me. I support and sponsor as many community groups as possible,” Nicole says.
“Many of my staff choose to do a salary sacrifice when they donate an amount of money each week to the Ronald McDonald House and in turn, I double the donations.”
When she finished high school Nicole had her sights set on becoming a forensic psychologist, however when she realised studying wasn’t for her she took a year off to work.
“It’s a decision I have never regretted as I fell into different industries by accident.
“While working in the cosmetics industry I was once told by my female boss that I would never become an area sales manager because I didn’t have a marketing degree. Two years later I took over her job … and became the youngest person in the industry to achieve that success and win many awards at 22-years-old.
“My motto is to never let anyone tell you that you are too young or too old to achieve anything, put your mind and hard work into it, don’t take no for an answer and you will achieve what you put into it.”
KERRIANNE NICHOLLS AND CAROLYN ROWE
“We have no hospitality background whatsoever, we have no certificates, nothing,” the always humble Carolyn Rowe says of her and business partner Kerianne Nicholls.
Before the dynamic duo became owners of the Quality Inn Dubbo in 2013 and turned the Reflections Restaurant there into a must-visit dining destination, Caz lived the corporate life as an insolvency expert and Kez was a make-up artist to the stars in Sydney.
“We decided to leave Sydney to have children,” Kez said.
“The motel has moulded Caz and I into the business women that we are today. I always say Caz is the heart beat of the businesses, she’s the one that watches everything and makes sure we have the foresight to know the direction we need to go in.
“She’s closed so many down so she knows what to do and what not to do.”
To inject new life into their business, the pair spent more than $500,000 renovating 60 bathrooms, adding airconditioning, refurbishing rooms and rebranding Reflections.
“We wanted Dubbo to experience something different, it’s about quality food and customer service,” Caz said.
“Our local following is phenomenal and we’ve got to acknowledge we have a great team of staff, without either the support from the locals and our amazing staff, we’ve got nothing.”
After taking Dubbo by storm, Caz and Kez branched out into the cafe space 12 months ago.
In the new Royal Flying Doctor Service Visitor Experience Centre, the Outback Trek Cafe is growing in popularity.
At the popular Devil’s Hollow brewery, Caz and Kez operate the onsite cafe and kitchen.
The pair also own the Dubbo City Regional Airport Cafe & Bar, and soon they will open another new cafe on the check-in side at the airport.
“Dubbo is a land of opportunity, great people, great support and we can all grow together,” Kez says.
MELISSA HODDER
Not many people start their own business, outgrow its initial location and become a city’s resident skin guru in less than two years.
MV Beauty owner Melissa Hodder is a rare find though because she’s done it all since starting her business in March 2019.
“I had really severe acne and I just had no confidence back when I was a lot younger, it’s obviously harder in your teenage years but even now I struggle with eczema on my face and rosacea,” she says.
“I want people to feel confidence because I know what it’s like to not have confidence.”
Drawing on her own personal experience to relate to her many of her clients in a way others don’t, Melissa’s approach to skin care has seen her become one of Dubbo’s most successful beauty therapists.
“I started my salon from home and got a really good response which was very overwhelming.
“It’s not just ‘come in and get a facial’, we also talk about your overall health or if you have certain issues within your hormones and what you’re eating which can affect your skin.
“Building people’s confidence is what I get excited about.”
Life as a small-business woman hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the former receptionist.
“I was working, studying, organising the children and helping my husband with his business as well.
“I see the smile on my client’s faces and the happiness they feel and that really motivates me to keep going even though I could be a bit tired.
“I’m proud of building my clientele and with their support I’m able to move into a shop which has always been a dream I never thought would happen and I’m very grateful for all that.”
In coming days MV Beauty is due to relocate to a new home in Dubbo’s CBD and Melissa hopes to grow demand for her services so she can start to employ staff.
LARISSA COOK
For 30 years Val Cook operated her own cleaning business in Dubbo and now her daughter is continuing her work.
Val tragically lost her battle with cancer last year and worked right up until she could work no more, at age 71.
Larissa Cook is following in her mother’s footsteps and running her own cleaning business in honour of Val.
“I used to help mum out in between my work hours, I knew the ropes and how to do things based on what mum taught me,” Larissa said.
“She was one of 14 siblings, she was in a drovers family. Nan and pop were drovers. All they knew, her and her siblings, was to cook and clean and look after each other.”
Independent Safe Caring at Home is the business Larissa started after Val died and now employs a small team of staff.
“I’ve built it up from the one contract mum continued.
“I want to grow my business and employ those who want to work. I love to train and support people.”
Larissa said she now plans to split her time between Sydney and Dubbo and launch a branch of the business in the big smoke.
ERRIN WILLIAMSON
After a short stint working in retail, Errin Williamson completed her chef’s apprenticeship, worked her way up to a head chef position and then became her own boss in 2013.
With support from her mum, Errin transformed an empty shop into the now iconic Church Street Cafe, also known as CSC.
“I do really love hospitality and I was just ready for a bit of a change from the fine dine aspects, I was ready to go casual,” she says.
“When we first started we got a lot of support from the rugby club because my husband plays rugby. They were coming in all the time and we quickly realised the food can be as good as it is, but people really want that connection to you.”
Seven years after opening, Errin employs 24 crew members and runs regular theme events and special initiatives like drag queen bingo with her friend Timberlina.
“We had three juniors start with us and work their way up to being supervisors which has been really nice.
“We do a lot of community events, if you ask me to sponsor your team or anything I usually just say yes, the kids sports teams need to be supported.”
Now Errin is about to open her second business — an Italian restaurant called Down the Lane.
“I was looking for a bit of a project and we love doing night service but it’s challenging to do that in the main street when we don’t have the room.
“The cafe runs itself now, they don’t need me.”
Down the Lane is due to open on December 4.
NATALIE BRAMBLE
Raised by parents who were business owners, Natalie Bramble never thought she’d go on to become one herself.
After leaving school in year 10, Natalie rolled up her sleeves and built a wealth of experience working in different organisations, positions and community groups.
From real estate, to managing major cultural heritage tourist attraction and running a range of high profile events – Natalie acquired a huge bank of knowledge and decided to make a career out of sharing it with others.
For 16 years she’s headed up her own consultancy business and travelled around Australia delivering training to help small businesses, government agencies and community groups establish better governance practices and improve the efficiency of their organisations.
“I’ve even trained someone who was on the Privacy Council for Barack Obama, who was one of the founders of Creative Commons,” she says.
After becoming frustrated with a lack of accessible training options for smaller not-for-profit organisations in regional communities, Natalie decided to move into the world of e-learning.
“There was no such thing as social media and no one was advertising websites back then.
“We’ve had a few trial starts, we’ve learnt a lot of lessons.”
Today, more than 16,000 students have benefited from courses provided by iClick2Learn, the company Natalie and her husband Glen Dunkley founded.
In the social enterprise side of the business, eight new team members have been employed this year and plans are afoot to bring in 20 more subject matter experts into the team.
“We have basically spent the last eight months rebuilding the whole business model.
“We’re still offering e-learning services but we’re putting the profits into a library.”
The library serves as a resource hub and offers low-cost easily accessible learning and development material individuals, councils, community groups, foundations, chambers of commerce and more can benefit from.
CARLY SMITH
Going from qualified early childhood teacher to social media specialist isn’t something most people would consider to be a natural transition, however Carly Smith has a knack for turning her passions into purposeful careers.
She juggles raising two young children, working as a casual trainer and assessor at TAFE and running her own business which has clients all over Australia and operates out of Carly’s lounge room.
Socially Graceful was founded 18 months ago shortly before Carly fell pregnant with her second child and although it took a while, the business started to take off in August.
“One of my friends commented that she needed a virtual assistant and the things she listed, I thought I could do,” Carly says.
“I’d built blogs and websites. She wanted someone to do all the posts on her Instagram feed, send out an email newsletter, manage Facebook community groups and respond to comments. She was my first client and she literally referred me on to everyone.”
Carly’s clients range from fashion brands to mindset coaches and personal trainers.
“I really love working on Instagram, I’ve been a community manager before and used to manage an account called Fat Mum Slim, who’s a well known blogger.
“I like seeing results, I’m essentially my clients cheerleader.”
Now demand for Carly’s services has grown she’s employed and hopes more will be needed in the future.
KRYSTEN HEDGER
Short Street Store owner Krysten Hedger carved out a successful career running pubs in Sydney before she moved back to her hometown to start her own business.
“I was just partying and having fun in Sydney and my parents thought I’d be great at Short Street,” she said.
“My parents are in business, they’ve helped me, mentored me and supported me.”
After she took over the business Krysten renovated, repainted, redid all the flooring and put shading up over the much-loved outdoor courtyard.
“We were doing like 12 kilos of coffee, but when we are busy now we can order maybe 50 to 60 kilos of coffee a week.
“When I first took over there were probably eight staff, I’ve got about 14 or 15 staff now.”
A culture of innovation, experimentation and thinking outside the box has helped Krysten succeed.
“We’re the only venue that offers coco whip, which is like a vegan friendly soft serve.
“We try and do a lot of homemade stuff and alternative options where we can, like paleo banana bread, we try to do a lot of gluten free too.”
Krysten said if she remained in Sydney six years ago, she would not have owned her own business.
“I would not be doing a cafe in Sydney, there’s a cafe every 20 metres.
“It has its highs and lows, when I’ve had my holiday I’ll be back on a high but it’s mostly highs.”
MARISSA PARKER
Business is booming for Marissa Parker and it’s all a testament to her caring nature and determination to turn peoples goals into achievements.
The former out of school hours care supervisor and in-home educator first started working with people who have disabilities two years ago and it set her on the path to owning her own business.
“After having my son in 2018 I wanted flexible working arrangements as Huxley was my number one priority,” Marissa explained.
“This is when I started working through an online platform called Hire Up and from this experience I noticed that my kindness and nurturing nature would be beneficial to those with disabilities and aid with empowering their lives.”
Marissa founded Empowered Choices Support Services earlier this year and now she’s receiving new referrals daily from people looking to have their disability support needs met in a more tailored way.
“I never anticipated for my little vision to become so successful.
“At times I feel as though I am backtracking in regards to the business side of things. My family and the team at Empowered Choices Support Services have been my biggest support and keep me grounded.
Marissa is now recruiting for more staff and although her business is growing rapidly she remains level headed about it all.
“I have always said I don’t want to be the biggest, I just want to be the best.
“There is no greater gift than seeing the smiles on peoples faces when goals are turned into achievements. This is not only clients, but also staff too as we are learning new things every day through the people we support.”
ANN-MAREE CHANDLER
To start a business which offers a holistic approach to helping Aboriginal people achieve their goals, Anne-Maree Chandler sold her own home.
The Indig Connect founder came up with the idea in June 2019 and in January 2020 the doors opened.
“Aboriginal people need the opportunity to be able to break down the barriers that are forced upon us and I believe in providing that opportunity to much that I sold my house,” Ann-Maree said.
“Before I started I did lots of consulting with community members, asked a lot of mob what they wanted and what they thought they needed to help them.
“I spoke to business people about how they run their businesses … I got financial advice, I spoke to a solicitor, I spoke to elders and I went with my heart.”
Indig Connect offers mentoring, employment support, help to access cultural activities, wellbeing yarns and programs to achieve healthy lifestyle goals. The hopes and aspirations of each individual using the service shape how it’s delivered.
“We’ve put people into their dream jobs, we’re doing social inclusion programs for NDIS recipients.
“I’m really happy with how it’s going and the positive feedback we’re getting. People are feeling better about themselves.”
Ann-Maree uses her own life experience and business history — from when she owned a photography business for 10 years — to give First Nations People the support they want.
“I’m an exact stereotype of what shouldn’t be successful.
“I’m an Aboriginal woman, I’m a single mother, I’ve had drug and alcohol impacts, I’ve been a victim of sexual assault, I’ve made a million bad choices in my life but each time I‘ve known and believed that we are all equal. We are all worthy of achieving our goals and dreams.”
KATHRYN SLAVIN
After 35 years of working for other people, Kathryn Slavin decided it was time to be her own boss.
The former Lifeline centre supervisor previously trained counsellors and worked at TAFE in admin for 25 years before creating Elegant Invitations by Kathryn.
“I’m not business trained so I have no idea what I’m doing, my best friend’s an accountant so she helps,” Kathryn said.
“When I left Lifeline I had a friend who was a psychologist and she said ‘what you need to do is find something you love doing and get someone to pay you to do it’.”
With a passion for scrapbooking, Katheryn decided to turn her love of craft into a wedding invitation and card creation business.
“This has developed from a hobby.
“It holds its head above water but it’s never going to make me a millionaire. I had to learn my worth and start charging more.”
Brides from across Australia now rely on Kathryn’s creativity to help make their weddings more unique and memorable. One was even so appreciative of Kathryn’s creativity, she invited her to the wedding.
At the moment Kathryn’s husband John provides a helping hand when the orders start piling up, but she hopes to one day bring on a staff member to help with the admin side of the business.
As well as running the business, Kathyn is also organising the construction of a unit for her daughter with disability to live independently in and writing a book about growing up as the daughter of a country cop.
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