Wagga business women: Meet the incredible women running their own race
It’s not easy running a successful business especially during a pandemic and in regional Australia. These are the inspiring women running their own show. Full list.
The Wagga News
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Running your own business is no easy feat - especially during a global pandemic - but these women are proving it can be done.
Some have turned hobbies into businesses while other have turned jobs into long-term careers. Find out their tips and tricks as to what inspired them and how they’ve navigated the business landscape.
These are some of the Riverina’s inspiring businesswomen.
Katie Evely – KE Sweet Little Things
Baking and Cake Decorating
Katie Evely started as a hobby baker and created Katie’s Sweet Little Things.
She said she started as a hobby baker and completely taught herself based on YouTube videos and the trends developing in the food industry.
When she started baking 10 years ago, she developed a number of skills and turned her hobby into a career when she began to bake cakes for people while living in Canberra.
”I was prepared to have a business, things started off very slowly, with work trickling through with small orders, so I was really struggling at the start of it all but towards the end of the year, it picked up; around the time I had my second baby,” Ms Evely said.
“As I met more and more people, my client base grew”.
She said it was her passion for baking that drove her to finally pursue her business idea.
“I had my second child, and I knew I was going to be at home a lot when I moved to Wagga and given up my public service job.”
“I was going to be home, taking care of the children and baking cakes for people really allowed myself to meet people and demonstrate what I can bring to the community.”
She provides her baking products for weddings, engagements, baby showers, and birthday cakes.
“I really enjoy the interesting and special requests that I receive, which allows my creativity to go wild and build a cake with a story.”
Alice Murphy – Always Alice
Fashion Boutique
Always Alice is a fashion boutique located in the Sturt Mall off the main street of Waggaa.
Alice Murphy started the business in 2015 with just herself and her store manager, Nikki, who is still working for the brand.
Before launching her business, Ms Murphy was working as a case manager for homeless youth.
She developed her keen eye for fashion while she was studying at university and working part time in retail, and after spending 11 years working in Sydney, Ms Murphy made the move back to Wagga where she launched her boutique.
“Our online store, especially in the last year has really taken off as it is just growing and growing,” Ms Murphy said.
“Our focus is to continue driving the online website, as the store is already very well established here in Wagga.
“Initially Covid was difficult but it was an adjustment for everyone, we kind of had to rethink and build the online and I think that’s a way forward, and placing a large focus on our online presence has been an incredible pay-off.”
Ms Murphy said she has always had a keen interest in fashion but never thought she would have her own boutique.
“The local community has been really supportive to make Always Alice what it is today,” she said.
“If any women are looking at starting your own business then, find something that you love and work on it and build it.
“It’s great to be able to come into a job every day that I absolutely love doing and all the staff seem to enjoy the work as well, so it doesn’t even feel like a job for us.”
Always Alice currently employees six staff members but Alice has goals to continue the growth and expansion of the store.
Kylie Hewitt- RivPlan Design
Building Designer
Kylie Hewitt owns and operates RivPlan Design and has been a sole trader for 25 years.
She graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science – Architecture from the University of Newcastle and came back to Wagga while she figured out what she was going to do with her life.
She began working within the region and worked on drawings for cinemas, childcare centres and large residential homes; gaining valuable experience. These days, she works predominantly in residential housing design.
“When it comes to houses, people know what they like, and they know what feels like home to them, it’s never your place to say that you don’t think you should do that,” Ms Hewitt said.
“Some people prefer a modern, contemporary home with modern finishes, others prefer a home that feels like a weatherboard cottage.
“That’s what I love about my job. It’s that I have never done two homes the same in 25 years, and you shouldn’t as every family, every site, every design brief should be a unique combination.”
In describing what it’s been like to own a business, she said it had been very challenging from time to time, but it’s a really creative business where you get to make every part of your job unique.
Tina Bingham – Peppermint Studios
Photographer
Tina Bingham is a professional wedding and portrait photographer, who is the proud owner of Peppermint Studios.
She moved to Wagga from Deniliquin, following her husband who is a farmer.
“Being a niche industry in a regional town, the work came through very slowly over the first 12-months. But, as soon as word got around, I was flat out,” she said.
Ms Bingham said she worked with a lot of venues, florists, and stylists, and explained what it was like working in an industry where word of mouth was extremely important.
Being in an industry that was highly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms Bingham said she was frightened about how the restrictions and the virus might impact her livelihood.
“I was definitely questioning how I was going to find work and if I was going to survive,” she said.
“I was extremely lucky to have a the support network I had that helped me through, in particular my husband.”
Not having much training in photography, she had direction from a photographer she was working with locally, who introduced her to the Australian Institute of Photography (AIP).
From the institute, she met a number of photographers that mentored her from day one.
Being a jack of all trades, Ms Bingham said she developed a sense of where her strengths and weaknesses lie.
She has previously worked in administration, marketing, and even the world of politics; speechwriting for Riverina federal Nationals MP Michael McCormack.
In giving her advice to women thinking of running their own business, she explained the importance for finding something you were passionate about.
“Being in a small business, in a world that is so competitive, especially for women start-ups in the creative world, you have to have a real passion for what you’re doing,” she said.
“Sure, you’ll make some mistakes along the way, but, that’s how you learn.
“It’s never too late to discover your passion.”
Tara Rigney – The Rigney Group
Graphic Designer
Tara Rigney is a freelance graphic designer who graduated with from university in Wagga with a Bachelor of Graphic Design and moved to Melbourne to work in magazines.
“I undertook a lot of part-time work for a studio in Wagga while I studied,” she said.
“Since I was young, I always had a passion for graphic design, and how it was used to attract an audience; particularly for magazines.
“When I landed my first job in Melbourne, I was presented with a massive magazine and I was thinking about how on earth I will get this all done.
“I persisted with the job and ended up staying with the business for 14 years.”
In her time with the business, she worked on a number of magazines covering weddings and jewellery.
Ms Rigney returned to Wagga in 2015 and established her own freelance graphic design firm The Ringey Group.
Most of her work is with small, regional councils and she has picked up more work via word-of-mouth over the years.
“Being the mum of two children, I was looking for the flexibility that freelance graphic design offers,” she said.
“It’s been fantastic and lots of people have helped me, I have made a big shift going from magazine designer to corporate council documents, which is a particularly niche area.”
Ashleigh Pengelly – Little Black Duck
Artist and creator
Born in Wagga, Ashleigh Pengelly is an artist and the owner of the Little Black Duck, producing a number of pieces for the local community.
The business started just over five years ago, and is a little ‘side-hustle’ from her usual work, the biggest goal of hers is to take it up full-time.
“I started out doing teapots (her signature item), before branching out to serving boards and other, smaller hand paints pieces as a way to bolster the number of products she produces,” Ms Pengelly said.
Recently, she’s finding candles becoming popular among her clients.
“My family are Aboriginal, but only two of us are artists, so really a lot of it was self-taught and using all of the knowledge we have to be able to paint them”.
As with all small businesses, Ms Pengelly said she noticed the workload slowly coming through before she began to upscale, noting that everyone always aims for the stars, but sometimes it’s just having those smaller challenges along the way that is difficult enough.
“I think that anyone should definitely try and start a business if they believe that they have a great idea, then find a niche and go for it,” she said.
“You really get out what you put in, I would rather work 24 hours a day for myself, than eight hours a day for someone else”.
Ms Pengelly said sometimes it was difficult for regional business and the struggle to get a foothold in a smaller region.
“Metro businesses generally get a bit of a headstart because of the increased foot-traffic and population density compared to the ones in regional towns,” she said.
“Shining a light on regional businesses is really important, especially regional Aboriginal businesses as well.
“There are a lot of support for black businesses in the metro areas, but there are great, smaller ones all over regional NSW that are still doing it without as many eyes on us.”
During Covid, Littel Black Duck has flourished, giving Ms Pengelly the chance to create more and more pieces for the community.
“It really surprised me at how far I’ve gotten with my little business and I am very excited to be launching a new range towards the end of the year,” she said.
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