Mildura’s top business women: Nicola Harrison, Cassandra Circosta
From hairdressers to photographers, there is no shortage of amazing business women in Mildura and surrounds. Check out our list of more than 50 high achievers.
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Mildura and surrounds is home to many women leading the way in business.
From hairdressers to photographers, women in the Mildura business landscape say they feel valued and appreciated by their communities.
Here are our top business women in the Mildura region.
Nicola Harrison – Farm Gate Nursery
Nicola Harrison, 39, owns Farm Gate Nursery in Irymple. She has always loved gardening and after years of watching Gardening Australia and Better Homes and Gardens she decided to undertake a certificate three in horticulture.
“After having our two boys I wanted to get back into work. I did the certificate in horticulture part time over two years while setting up a greenhouse, juggling two kids and hobby farm life on our 9.25 acres,” she said.
School proved to be an expense that put pressure on Nicola and her young family so while she was juggling everything else she decided she would start up a small side business to bring in some more income.
“I was potting up plants and slotting in customers so I could to pay for my schooling and buy more plants,” she said.
Nicola said she loves watching plants grow from tiny seedlings into big, healthy plants that her customers get to take home and enjoy.
“You get to know how your plant grows and your growing them to our conditions in Sunraysia. I love having a chat with all the customers and being able to pass on some knowledge to help them with their gardens,” she said.
Owning her own business has allowed Nicola to manage her life with her two young boys who both attend school.
She can set her own hours and doing this allows her to support her family financially but also allows her to be there for her children before and after school.
Nicola is also very involved in the Mildura community.
She loves to do random acts of kindness to brighten people’s days and seeing customers return time and time again reaffirms to her that she is doing something right.
“I have donated plants and vouchers for charities in Mildura so they can auction them off to raise money.
“I have also given vegie seedlings to the men‘s shed.
“Even giving people a little something extra with their orders every now and then for nothing brings more joy to them than some kindness.
“The whole nursery has been one big achievement. In almost four years we have gone from juggling customers and one greenhouse, to a whole nursery with sales area and gardens and five greenhouses. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my husband, family, friends and community,” she said.
Cassandra Circosta – Banjo’s Bakery
Cassandra (Cass) Circosta, 46, is born and bred Mildura, and for the last 14 years has owned and operated Banjo’s Bakery Cafe on the corner of Langtree Mall and Ninth St with her husband David.
Cass and David purchased the store, which was already operating as Banjo’s, 14 years ago when they had a one-year-old in tow. That one-year-old is now 15 and they also have a 12-year-old daughter.
“My husband David and myself had made the decision that we wanted to work for ourselves. “Neither of us had a back ground in baking,” she said.
But the couple was confident they could take a business with potential and build it up to be something really strong.
“We extended into the vacant building next door seven years ago, doubling our space and our staff,” she said.
Business is really Cass’ bread and butter, she loves the mundane, but essential things about it.
“I am a bit of a nerd, I love spreadsheets, systems and processes. I love the whole promotion process – plan, run, monitor and evaluate. David and I have always worked to a plan, tweaking it, and reassessing it, but we are very focused on what we need to do and when,” she said.
Cass also loves watching people enjoy what her bakers create fresh each day.
“It may seem like groundhog day to outsiders, (but) we make everything fresh every day starting at 3am, end of day product goes to seven different local charities at 6pm, then we start again at 3am the next day,” she said.
Community runs through Cass’ veins and she loves the way that her business allows her to connect with and support the Mildura community. By donating bread to local sports clubs for sausage sizzles and fostering relationships with her customers Cass and Banjo’s have become a corner stone in Mildura.
“I am very passionate about our amazing local community. We have been in awe of the support our local business has received especially over the last two years.
“I love that we can use local produce and suppliers where available in the quantities we need – we have a local tomato man, we get all our dried fruit for our hot cross buns from a local business, we use local contractors.”
“I love our regular customers, those customers that I have had the pleasure of developing a relationship with. I have been lucky enough to share parts of their lives – see them retire from their jobs, see them have babies, seen them change jobs, their children grow up and go to school, battle illnesses, console them after the loss of a loved one – so many of them come in every day.”
Cass is very proud of the journey that her and her family have been on to create the business. Surviving Covid was huge for them, and Cass said they still have a long way to go in terms of recovery but that she has no doubt they will emerge better than ever.
“I am so proud of the business that we have built and our “Banjo’s family” – our staff – 30 of them, aged 15 to 55,” she said.
Bryony Cox-Studio De Vin
Bryony Cox, 25, owns Studio De Vin in the Mildura CBD, Mildura’s first paint and sip studio, offering guided painting classes, private group bookings and other crafting workshops. You can go along, enjoy a drink and a platter with friends and at the end you have a beautiful piece of artwork to take away.
Bryony had no business experience prior to starting the studio. Her parents run a successful business in Mildura but she had some time on her hands during lockdown and she thought opening a paint and sip studio in Mildura would be a good idea.
“I decided to give it a go,” she said.
Bryony has been offering people with mental health issues free classes at the studio, as art therapy has been shown to have many benefits. She loves the community which she gets to interact with and being in a creative space is really something that Bryony loves.
“I love having something to offer people,” she said.
“All the artists that I have met and the people I get to engage with make it so fun.”
“I have been able to give the artists I employ a job doing what they love, which wasn’t really an option in Mildura before.”
Bryony wasn’t an artist prior to opening the studio so everything she has learned she has learned from her own business.
“I have never been a really big creative,” she said.
Working in the Mildura community is something really special to Bryony. She is very passionate about keeping things local. She employs local artists and collaborates with lots of other local businesses.
“The whole community is just so supportive,” she said.
“All the other women in business here just lift each other up, everyone supports one another and I don’t think you really get anything like that in the city.”
Bryony wants to thank her partner and family for getting her through the craziness of running a new business and all the artists that work for her for making this whole thing possible.
Caterina Bozzi-Collective Fitness and Yoga
Caterina Bozzi, 24, runs Collective Fitness and Yoga in Mildura. A small gym that runs personal and small group training sessions for women, one that she has kept afloat through Covid and the loss of a child.
Caterina has always been a hard worker and knew what she wanted to do from the time she was a teenager. After taking on work experience at a local gym she became a receptionist, while working towards becoming a gym floor instructor.
By 16 Caterina was fully qualified in fitness with, having gained her certificates three and four in fitness.
“Once I was fully qualified, I started taking my own group fitness classes, followed by my own PT clients at 18 years old once finishing school. From there I went on to become a yoga teacher and do numerous courses on women’s health and fitness,” she said.
Being able to embrace creativity alongside fitness and health is what Caterina loves about being in business. She has built her business to be very unique and tailored to each customer so she loves being involved in the creation of that uniqueness.
“I love being about to create. I loved creating the structure of my business: structuring classes, private sessions, and yoga practices. I love guiding people through their session and seeing the joy from what I’ve created,” she said.
One goal that Caterina wanted to achieve was to create a space for women to come and feel safe to start and continue their fitness journeys but also to incorporate a sense of mindfulness into her practice.
“I love that Collective Fitness & Yoga has become such a female friendly studio where all women from all walks of life can feel comfortable and supported. My goal and purpose of creating Collective Fitness & Yoga is that it would be full of like-minded women who get fit, strong, and incorporate mindfulness into their everyday lives. I wanted Collective Fitness & Yoga to be a place where people can come and exercise but also have access to mindfulness practices too, such as our yoga classes,” she said.
Empowering women is the centre of Collective Fitness and Yoga and Caterina says that the feeling she gets from knowing she has helped women is what makes everything worth it.
“Knowing I made them feel good about themselves, or I made them feel strong and confident or I finally encouraged them to breathe deeply and really feel into what their body is telling them. I love knowing I had an impact on someone’s life in a positive way that makes those early wake up’s worthwhile,” she said
Working in a close knit community is also special to Caterina and she treasures the close relationships she is able to create with her clients.
“It’s that smile down the street I get from one of my clients,” she said.
Caterina and her business have not run without difficulty. Last year Caterina fell pregnant with a baby girl, Valentina, just after opening the studio. Even though the pregnancy was planned, Caterina was stressed about how she was going to manage pregnancy, motherhood and running a new business.
However, when Caterina was 20 weeks pregnant she and her partner were told that their baby had a rare and lethal condition called Triploidy which resulted in her stillbirth at 21 and ½ weeks.
“Our world came crashing down,” she said.
“In a span of two weeks, I went from being pregnant to navigating post-partum while running a business with no preparation put in place for my ‘maternity leave.’ It was one of the most challenging experiences of my life, not only because we lost Valentina but also because I was trying to keep my business afloat while recovering from birth”
But Caterina said she is so thankful for everyone who has supported her and her business, some from day one.
Ash Dodd – Willow Hair
Ash Dodd, 26, is the owner and operator of Willow Hair in Mildura. Willow hair aims to give guests an ultimate salon experience, creating a sanctuary of indulgence, luxury, self care and most importantly, creating beautiful hair.
Ash has juggled the birth of her son at the beginning of Covid and being a new business owner but she said that she wouldn’t change it for the world “everyday is a memory” she said.
When Ash moved back to Mildura to be with her family, she was struggling to find work at a salon. Instead of giving up on doing what she loved, Ash decided to open her own studio, and thus Willow Hair was born.
“When I first moved home, there weren’t many salons hiring. My dad helped me start my own,” she said.
“Willow Hair is my baby.”
Working in business makes Ash feel very accomplished. It makes her feel like she is achieving great things with her life and that there will always be room for her to grow, both in the business and outside in her personal life.
“The main thing I love is working on and achieving goals, I feel like I am always doing something productive,” she said.
Much like others in the Mildura business community Ash loves the supportive nature of the town. Clients are more than just clients and the whole community really wants you to
succeed.
“Being in a small town, seeing clients that we know out and still getting to have a chat with them. They do become your friends,” she said.
Melanie Stevens-With Love & Lace photography by Melanie
Melanie Stevens, 34, is the owner of With Love & Lace, Photography by Melanie. She is a freelance photographer, focusing on newborns, families and weddings.
Capturing life’s special intimate moments is something that Melanie truly loves and because of her strong passion for photography said that it never really feels like work.
“Well maybe some of the late night editing sessions do,” she said.
Melanie’s creative nature when she was younger led her to studying photography in Melbourne after she finished high school in Mildura.
“I am a creative person, so photography very much suited me and was always going to be where I ended up,” she said.
After completing her studies Melanie gave into the pull of the Mildura community and returned, hoping to assist another photographer for work until she could find something more permanent.
However she found that there were no opportunities to pursue work in assisting so she decided to dive right in and start her own photography business.
“I am so grateful for the clients who trusted me, while I built up my style and portfolio,” she said.
Another challenge for her business was relocating. She grew up in Mildura and started the business here, then she married a South Australian. Together they lived in the Barossa for 6 years, and moved back in 2018.
“So, I pretty much had to start all over again with building up my business back here in Mildura,” she said.
Melanie is not only the owner and operator of her business but she is also a mother of four. Craziness is the normal in her house so owning her own business really fits into her lifestyle.
“I love that working for myself allows me to work from home and work around my four children,” she said.
Covid has been rough for Melanie, with events getting cancelled and restrictions stopping her from working.
“Things are back on track now, but it definitely put a hold on the wedding industry for a year or so,” she said.
Rosemaree Mattschoss – The Meraki Lounge
Rosemaree Mattschoss is the owner of the Meraki Lounge in Red Cliffs. The Meraki Lounge offers a unique luxury hair experience, personal consultations, specialist styling and incredible talent in balayage, blonde and creative colour.
Meraki is Greek and it means to do something with soul, creativity and love which is what Rosemaree strives to do everyday at her salon.
“I found over Covid clients wanted more than just a cut, they were coming to use for knowledge and skills but they also came to be cared for emotionally,” she said.
Rosemaree first purchased what is now the Meraki Lounge 16 years ago after the salon she was completing her apprenticeship at closed down.
“I was struggling to find a place to complete my apprenticeship so my parents bought a salon in our local town of Red Cliffs,” she said.
In 2015 Rosemaree married and started a family, over the coming years her direction changed and she wanted to create a space that was more flexible, enabling her to balance her many different roles.
“These were the hardest years of my life in business,” she said.
“Home life suffered if I was at work and work life suffered at home.”
Rosemaree rebranded her studio from perfect hair and beauty into the Meraki Lounge in 2021 in order to better align with her life, her values and her vision. She wanted a place where she could really take care of her staff, her clients and herself.
“The pandemic really defined my business. Hairdressers were looking for more, a better work life balance, better pay, better communication and to have their wants and needs heard,” she said.
“What I was looking for was the challenge of supporting a team.”
Rosemaree loves working in the small community of Red Cliffs because there is a huge sense of belonging and social connection.
“It is a beautiful little community we have here,” she said.
Tahlia Winton – Winton Dance Academy
Tahlia Winton, 27, owns The Winton Dance Academy in Mildura. The Winton Dance Academy is a dance studio that offers jazz, hip hop and contemporary.
Tahlia is the only teacher at the studio which she opened in 2018 and she bought back her knowledge of dance to Mildura after studying in Melbourne at Dance World Studios.
“I wanted to bring something to Mildura that was full of self-love,” she said.
The Academy currently has about 100 students and Tahlia keeps classes small to make sure that every student gets the attention that they need.
Tahlia’s goal was to create the environment that she longed for as a dancer growing up. She always wanted to own a studio and when she moved back to Mildura to be with family she acted on that dream.
“When I was growing up there wasn’t a lot available for dance in Mildura, there wasn’t a lot of hip hop which is something I showed a lot of promise in. I wanted to create a dance studio where kids could come in and be themselves. I wanted kids to have something that I didn’t have growing up,” she said.
Tahlia says that being a woman in business gives her a very “powerful” and “rewarding” feeling. I got a lot of warnings about how stressful being in business was and a lot of people told me I was going to crumble.
“I got a lot of warnings but I believe that if you are doing something you love and that you are passionate about, nothing is going to be hard. It is going to be a lot of work but if you love it, it isn’t going to feel like work to you,” she said.
The relationships that Tahlia has built with her students is what has kept her in the Mildura community.
“I have a lot of people that I have developed and maintained strong relationships with and that is what has held me down, in a good way,” she said.
“Work is my second home, they are my family.”
The showcase that Tahlia and her studio put on at the end of the year is always a highlight of owning her business.
“When I see all the kids and their achievements I think this is why I do what I do,” she said.
“There are too many memories to even name.”
Remi Jordan-Remi Jordan Photography
Remi Jordan, 25, owns Remi Jordan photography in Mildura. From the beginnings of love stories through to each special moment that follows, Remi captures couples, proposals, engagements, weddings, maternity, newborns, family sessions and more.
Remi said she is lucky to have grown up in an environment that supported and nurtured her creativity and passion for photography.
“Thankfully I grew up with parents who believed in hard work, and that if your heart was set to achieve, then anything was possible,” she said.
Her mother was a huge inspiration in starting her own business and having this role model combined with a keen interest in the arts Remi said that this was “motivation enough to start her photography business”. Even though starting a business has been a huge challenge Remi said that each day it gets a bit easier.
“Starting a business isn‘t as easy as some may think, especially at such a young age. However, with persistence to grow and the courage to learn from mistakes, eventually the journey became that little bit easier,” she said.
Covid definitely through a spanner in the works for Remi, with restrictions preventing her from running her business and events getting cancelled left, right and centre.
“As trying as the last two years have been, funnily enough they have also been two of the best years for my business and I like to put that down to the approach I have within my industry - I‘m all about client experience and creating real connections with people,” Remi said.
Remi said that the challenges of owning a business will continue long after Covid is a thing of the past. As a business owner you are working every second of every day Remi said.
“This passion and drive is what gives me purpose, and I really couldn‘t imagine doing anything else.”
“Business is ever-evolving and you have to be as well. That‘s perhaps the biggest challenge and motivator for me - how can I continue to be better, do better by others and provide a service like no other?”
Remi is a people person and the community that surround her is what she loves about working in business, especially working in business in a town like Mildura.
“I feel so lucky to know I have a community of people who appreciate what I do and share in the same joys as I do. It‘s almost surreal to me that I do what I love every day, and even more so that people care enough about what I create to want to be involved in that process,” she said.
“The community we have here in Mildura is immeasurably supportive in a way I could have never imagined or hoped for, there are so many business owners and community members willing to do what they can to help others achieve.”
Remi can’t wait for even more special moments in her business journey and with wedding season in full swing she can’t get enough of her work, something that not many people have the honour of saying.
“It‘s been a journey getting to where I am today, and although there’s still a never-ending list of things I hope to accomplish in the future, these people will forever be my biggest motivator in what’s to come next.”
Paige Woods-Botanik Floral Designs
Paige Woods, 26, is woven into the fabric of the Mildura business community. She is the owner of Botanik Floral Design, which she credits as her main business but, she also runs Poppies On Ilex, a clothing and accessories store and Karingal Gardens Pomegranates, a farming business.
Paige came to work in the floristry industry when she was in year 10 at high school. She began working at a florist as her part time job, working afternoons and weekends for a business in Red Cliffs. She kept working this job until she left Red Cliffs for university.
“I continued to come home and work the big days like valentines, mothers day et cetera In the second year of my degree, I made the decision to defer and attend Tafe in Geelong to become qualified in floristry,” she said.
While working at a florist in Ballarat, near where she was studying, and freelancing around the area. Paige completed her certificate three.
In 2017 she began her first business trading as Botanik floral designs.
“I started out just doing a few friends weddings, and in 2018 I opened my shop front in Red Cliffs in the back of my mums antique store (The Collektive). In 2019 my Partner and I purchased our own shop in Red Cliffs, and here we are today,” she said.
Paige loved the opportunity of being a small-business owner. Even though some days are tough and Covid has made being a small-business owner “turbulent”, Paige said it is all “very rewarding” at the end of the day.
For Paige the hardest part about being a small-business owner is juggling her business as well as her personal life well. She has a two year old who acts as a little helper in store most days, which she says can be a challenge, but also very rewarding.
“Being a small-business owner you also tend to miss out on your social life a little, maybe you cant go away for that event because you have weddings booked for the next 3 months, just that sort of thing. I wouldn’t change it for the world though,” she said.
“Building relationships with amazing clients and being part of their life events are something I very much enjoy.”
“I love the passion and the emotions that come from flowers. Flowers are given and received for so many different occasions, and we love to be able to help our clients send the perfect message through our flowers,” she said.
Much like other business owners in small towns, Paige enjoys the sense of community that she feels in Red Cliffs. The other shop owners and clients build a lovely community full of support.
“Locals love to support locals, and that’s one big thing in our community,” she said.
The uniqueness of a florist is that they get to be involved in so many different aspects of families personal lives. Paige loves that she gets to participate in special moments across time for families that keep coming back to their business.
“You get to see how your business is woven into a families life. As we are doing more and more weddings and events with each year, we are creating for multiple generations of clients who come from the same families, and it’s nice to be able to say you have been part of all the weddings in that household, and then you have also created for that household when they are experiencing grief, and again on happy occasions like birthdays, I think it’s just really enjoyable to be able to do that for our clients,” Paige said.
Paige wants everyone to know that they love all of their clients at Botanik and appreciate all of the business they send our way.
“We wouldn’t be here without them.”
Mildura also recognised the following women as exceptional women in the business world:
Katrina Freckelton-Frecks Vine Nursery, Coolibah Cabins and Bushmans Rest Caravan Park
Mel Sweeny- Move Well Mildura
Michaela Johnson- Skin and Beauty Room
Lyndsay-Rhae Langlake- Day Dream Glamping
Simone Brien-PRD Nationwide Mildura and Smartstix Bookkeeping
Taryn Hunt- Taz Talks Beauty and Brains
Vikki Smythe- Rouge City Tattoo
Rachel Marie-Rachel Amee Photography
Jenna Olive- The Pink Beauty Room
Shanii Scutcheon-Lasting Impressions Mildura
Chloe Maree
Krista Belle-Vybe Aesthetics
Leteesha McSwain- CandyLuxe Dessert Boxes
Kathryn Neville- Bobby and Me
Shonah Lee
Melinda Williams-Mildura Flower Studio
Mel Page
Katie Love-Thrive Fitness
Gayle Cox-Mallee Meats and More
Tarlee Dowsley- Country Way Early Learning
Cathy Marziano
Kate O’Brien- Surf Stich
Colly May Rhodes
Carmen Styepovic- Moulin Pooch Grooming Lounge
Zoe Price-Mildura First Media
Kim Alvino
Rachel Dalton- F45 Training
Pauline Carla- First Stroke Swim School
Ashley Parfey- Fitness 360
Maria Brigante-Soul Warrior Collective
Maria Frasca
Emily Bradford
Lyndsie Storer
Gin Waters- Salon one5nine
Kerryne McClelland
Ang Stutton
Eva Bolvary- Voice Activated
Lisa Horne- Harmony Haven
Lashay Kerr-Beauty by Lashay
Ash Bowden- AB Fitness
Olivia Gallo- Easel and Oak
Tanya Black-Groenen- Tanya Black Beauty
Corinna Marciano-CM Weddings and events
Josie Grace Frasca- Soul Warrior Collective
Sonia Floyd
Jen Allford- Studio 40
Caitlyn Adamson
Caitlyn Maree Grambau-Beauty on Eighth
Josie Dewyse Manzie-Hair by Josie
Elizabeth Brougham-Lizzie Jeans Hair Design
Lauren Meurant-Retro Hair
Laura Poulton-Voice Activated
Michelle Diggle Campbell
Sarah McGlashan-Stella and Smudge Boutique
Loretta Langlake- Flippin Junk
Bianca Bugeja-Enhance Abilities
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