Sunshine Coast’s most successful women in business
The Sunshine Coast’s powerhouse businesswomen have turned ideas and side hustles into major successes, with some earning seven figures. See how they created their empires.
Sunshine Coast
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From turning dirty laundry into cold hard cash to an IGA baron and restaurant owner, these female Sunshine Coast business owning powerhouses have opened up on their successes.
Susan Toft – Laundry Lady – @laundrylady_aus
Susan Toft’s inspiration for The Laundry Lady came when faced with an ever-growing laundry pile, while juggling a corporate career, and raising a family.
Mrs Toft launched her next-day, pick-up and delivery laundry service business from her Gold Coast home in 2012, growing it to a scalable independent contractor model in 2016, before moving to the Sunshine Coast in 2018.
The original Laundry Lady’s business then became a side hustle, taking a back seat while she worked full-time and raised her young boys.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic presented her an opportunity to hit the reset button on the business, as she watched it grow from eight Laundry Ladies and Lads in Queensland, to more than 200 nationally.
Based out of the Aura Business Park in Baringa, the Laundry Lady hit $3.8m in revenue in the last financial year and is continuing to almost double business every year.
The business made its international debut in New Zealand in August, courtesy of a $15,000 state government Grant.
But when it comes down to it Mrs Toft says she feels like she is most successful when she has a balance between personal and family life.
Roz White – White‘s IGA – @whitesiga
Roz White’s supermarket business has grown from a small corner shop to a group of award-winning stores.
Coming from a banking background, Mrs White and her husband Michael started what went onto become White’s IGA Group with a convenience store in Maroochydore.
Taking the opportunities that have been provided along the way, in 30 years Mrs White has gone onto own six stores across the Sunshine Coast at Baringa, Bli Bli, Forest Glen, Mooloolah, Mount Coolum, and Peregian Beach.
Employing more than 500 staff, Mrs White and her husband Michael recently took out the Large Employer of the Year title at the Queensland Training Awards.
She has also been recognised with honours such as the Sunshine Coast Business Women‘s Network Outstanding Business Woman of the Year Award in 2015, the Australian Institute of Management’s Regional Owner/Entrepreneur Leader of the Year in 2016, and was inducted into the IGA Hall of Fame in 2017.
Mrs White puts down her success to “sheer hard work, commitment to craft, and support of our community”.
Janneke Williamson – The Mumsie – @the.mumsie
Janneke Williamson has changed the face of parenting-in-style globally since launching The Mumsie on the Sunshine Coast.
The idea for the trendy baby carrier stemmed from her experience as a parent, when she was dropping her son off at kindergarten in Peregian, while carrying her baby daughter in her arms.
After significant testing and development in the basement of her home, she released the fashionable overall baby carrier for sale in 2016.
Since then, her Noosa-based business has grown rapidly, going onto to turn over more than seven digits each year, while still growing year-on-year.
Most of the sales are from overseas, with 60 per cent of the market in the United States.
The business is in the process of expanding its warehouse operations in Queensland, while setting up bases in the USA.
The Mumsie has an active following on social media, with 68.9k followers on TikTok and 46.8k followers on Instagram.
It has been worn by mothers in locations from the top of the Eiffel Tower, to the snow of Alaska, the beaches of Mexico, to the streets of New York City.
Kate Langford – Kate Langford Career Coach – @katelangfordcareercoach
Kate Langford founded her million-dollar career coaching business from the garage of her Sunshine Coast home in 2018.
After leaving a corporate career at a recruitment firm with two children under three-years-old and $0 in the bank, a small loan from her dad set Ms Langford on the path to success.
Within four weeks, she had started to pay herself and by the end of 2018, she was earning $2000 a week.
In 2019, she was earning north of $5000 per month and $30,000 in that same amount of time by the end of 2019, with her business earning over $1m the following year.
Based out of Caloundra, her two businesses Kate Langford Career Consulting and Kate Langford Business Consulting support 15 jobs Australia wide.
Ms Langford is also the author of a book titled Have Your Cake and Eat It Too: A Modern Businesswoman‘s Guide to Success.
She defines success in her life “through balance, being present, flow, being true to myself and authentic in my actions across both personal and business”.
Stacey Hollands – Lust Minerals – @lust_minerals
A beauty therapist by trade, Stacey Hollands has gone on to amass a multimillion beauty product empire from the Sunshine Coast.
Industry-leading clean beauty brand Lust Minerals is the brainchild of Ms Hollands.
She founded the business in 2014 at the young age of 25, with an initial $10,000 investment determined to prove that mineral makeup and natural skincare products have the power to change your skin and your life, while leaving the planet in a better place.
From humble beginnings with Ms Hollands stocking products in the linen cupboard of her home, Lust Minerals has now gone through two major warehouse upgrades and expanded to have more than 20 employees.
The business has achieved a turnover of $24m in the past three years alone.
To Ms Hollands, success is about “building a beautiful community, and inspiring, empowering, and educating people to adopt a more cleaner lifestyle”.
Brooke Fenwick – Fenwick Collective – @fenwick.collective
Brooke Fenwick’s accountancy firm Fenwick Collective has been hailed a game changer for businesses across the Sunshine Coast.
Ms Fenwick founded her accountancy firm after seeing a gap in the market for young and or female business owners.
She started the business in the back room of her house in July 2022, growing to a co-working space within a month and setting up a practice at Birtinya within two months.
In the first year of business, she had 12 employees, recorded a seven figure turnover and in July was awarded with a Xero platinum partner award.
In 2023, Fenwick Collective was recognised as the fastest growing practice through organic growth in South East Queensland and is currently in the top two per cent of accounting firms in Australia.
To Ms Fenwick, success is about being able to live and breathe her passion everyday, knowing she is able to help people in the process, and being able to impact her staff‘s professional careers in a positive way.
Tara McKean – Self Events Co – @selfeventsco
Tara McKean has quickly garnered a reputation as an event-management trailblazer on the Sunshine Coast.
Ms McKean is the founder and event manager of Self Events Co, a small business creating events that aims to inspire, connect, educate and support young women to be bold in going after their goals.
The Maroochydore-based businesswoman established the organisation while working from home, often alone but craving a community of like-minded women.
Ms McKean’s business specialises in hosting women’s networking events and also provides event management services for corporate and community events, both locally and internationally.
In the first year, her business made six figures in revenue.
She is also an ambassador for the Sunshine Coast Young Chamber of Commerce.
To Ms McKean, success means “having the time to do the things I love, with the people I love, while working in an industry and on a business that excites me and allows me to grow”.
Jennifer Swaine – Marketing Communications specialist – @jennifer.swaine
Jennifer Swaine is an experienced communications and public relations consultant that has made quite an impact on the Sunshine Coast.
Throughout her decorated career, Mrs Swaine has helped large corporates to small and mid-size enterprises increase their profile through strong branding and compelling story telling.
She is also a former columnist with the Sunshine Coast Daily.
Currently, she is the Interim CEO of Regional Development Australia Sunshine Coast, a Non-Executive Director of Visit Sunshine Coast, Business & Tourism Lead of Sunshine Coast 2032, and the Chair of the Sunshine Coast Business Awards.
For Mrs Swaine, success is about having the freedom to choose who she wants to work with, getting results for her clients and being able to position them in a way that increases their profile which in turn impacts their bottom line.
Saya Skin – Saya McDermott – @sayaskincare
Saya McDermott started her now million-dollar Saya Skin business as a passion project.
The mother of two grew up in Noosa and worked at a local newspaper and then the aviation field before she found her dream job.
“Eventually, the brand reached a point where it demanded my full attention — and it felt absolutely right to give it that,” Ms McDermott said.
Ms McDermott said working long hours everyday “fuelled by pure ambition and a lot of coffee” was not particularly easy.
“There were people who wondered if it was all worth it,” she said.
“But deep down, I believed in what I was creating.”
She had delved into the skincare industry, originally to help with her own skin issues, at a time where natural skincare had a reputation for not being effective with limited options.
“I wanted to bridge that gap — to make natural skincare that not only works but also looks elegant on your bathroom shelf,” Ms McDermott said.
Ms McDermott has come a long way from using her parents’ kitchen as a “makeshift lab” – now with a Noosa facility, dedicated team and shopfront, her brand shops across Australia and globally.
She recently secured a partnership to supply to hotels around the world including Shanghai, the UAE and Europe.
Sarah Nash – The Velo Project and Sole Restaurant – @theveloproject
Sarah Nash, 35, is the owner of two Sunshine Coast restaurants The Velo Project and Sole Restaurant.
Ms Nash first started taking on management roles in the hospitality industry at the age of 19, and about nine years ago, she purchased Mooloolaba cafe The Velo Project.
“Purchasing the cafe was the natural progression in our careers and we have quadrupled the sales that the business was turning over nine years ago,” she said.
The mother-of-two also recently opened a seafood restaurant in Marcoola.
“While raising two children and juggling business always has its tough times, however without the support from our team we wouldn’t be where we are today,” she said.
“Being surrounded by like minded humans and people that support and love your product and services is most important than making millions of dollars.”
Sally Hopper – Maleny Dairies – @malenydairies
Maleny Dairies is a brand you will find in many refrigerators across Queensland stores.
Born in Maleny, Sally Hopper, 40, built Maleny Dairies from the ground up with her husband Ross.
Ms Hopper said her passion was supporting the region’s farming families and keeping jobs local.
The business ships products across Queensland as well as to New South Wales.
Maleny Dairies processes about 13 million litres of milk, Ms Hopper said.
Before starting one of the Sunshine Coast’s most well-known dairy brands, Ms Hopper had been working in various roles developing people skills, Ms Hopper said.
She is also a mum of four and wife to the “most supportive and loving husband”.
Min Swan – White House International – @whitehouseinternational
Min Swan, 47, has been running her business event management company White House International since 2009.
The mum-of-two is also the president of the Sunshine Coast Business Women’s Network.
Ms Swan was working in financial services at Sydney prior to moving back to the Sunshine Coast.
She trained herself in event management and started as a home-based business, with only a team of herself and one other person through the years.
Now with six full-time staff, her business works with eight chambers of commerce, with about 20 events hosted per month.
“To me, success is freedom,” she said.
“Freedom to be able to choose who I work with, what I do, how I work.”
Her business has grown to produce a turnover in excess of $600,000, she said.
Chloe Hutchison – Havana Haus – @havana.productions
Chloe Hutchison recently took her photography and videography business to a new level by opening her own “all-in-one” production studio for hire.
She launched Havana Productions in 2017 and worked as a full-time videographer within a global media company between 2018 and 2022.
She was working during weekends and before and after full-time hours for her own business while juggling her family life, raising her children.
“I think when you are passionate about what you do, the long hours and exhaustion of running a business is definitely still present, but it’s also enjoyable,” she said.
After recently launching Havana Haus, she spends most of the time as the in-house photographer and videographer and working with fashion and swimwear companies.
“I define success by finding a job or career that gives you purpose, lights your soul on fire, and brings you joy- even through the stressful and tiring times,” Ms Hutchison said.
Ms Hutchison said her business is valued at between $750,000 to $1.2m and has more than 11,000 combined social media followers for her brands.
Her studio has been booked out since launching Havana Haus and she provides for up to 20 clients per month
Patricia Casajus – Your Brand Crew – @yourbrandcrew
From a wedding photography business in Spain, Patricia Casajus’ business journey has undergone a few changes.
The owner of Your Brand Crew opened a company with her partner Carlos Vaquero specialising in weddings shortly before moving to Australia in 2017.
“We almost had to learn how to do business again, since business in Australia is very different from Europe,” she said.
“Therefore, our business model changed a few times until we found our true uniqueness and our niche on the Coast.
“That is when we truly defined our business and became Your Brand Crew.”
Ms Casajus, 40, said revenue grew 72 per cent in the past financial year.
“I love connecting with people and we have always wanted to make an impact on people’s lives,” she said.
The business started from their home but has since expanded into a studio with a team of seven people.
Shayla Knipe – Mr Barkley – @mr.barkley_maroochydore
Shayla Knipe, 34, has created a pet care empire – having founded and managed more than 15 businesses since opening her first pet grooming venture at the age of 19.
Ms Knipe owns pet salons Stylish Canine Mr Barkley as well as other pet care and grooming businesses and is also a successful life coach.
Now in 2023, she has opened a third salon in Mooloolaba and will be welcoming her fourth child into her family in January.
Ms Knipe said her 14-year-old daughter has followed in her footsteps, opening her first two businesses and excelling in her entrepreneurial studies.
Ms Knipe placed as finalist for AusMumpruneur Awards for Best Pet Care Business in Australia and will be travelling to Europe in 2024 for the World Grooming Championships.
“Success to me isn’t money, it isn’t the materialistic things. It’s family, life, and happiness,” she said.
“Living a positive lifestyle and creating a positive ripple effect to make a difference in someone else’s life each day.”
Ms Knipe has about 5500 clients and a combined social media following of 12,647.
Her businesses turnover between $1m and $1.5m per annum, much of which is reinvested.
Sarah Quinn – Bluebird Co Jewellery – @bluebird_co
Sarah Quinn, 40, was a teacher at Suncoast Christian College before she dived full-time into her keepsake jewellery label.
“Once I started making (my daughter) jewellery and jewellery for friends I kept following this new passion of mine which has now turned into my full time job,” she said.
Ms Quinn said she did not receive an income from Bluebird Co for its first four years, as she continued to reinvest in her stock.
“I was teaching casually while raising my two young children and my business was something I did in the evenings or any spare time I could find,” Ms Quinn said.
When her third child was born five years ago, she did not return to teaching and Bluebird Co grew into an established company and her full-time job.
“I really wanted personalised jewellery that could be high quality and that children and adults could wear every day,” Ms Quinn said.
Now with a team of five at her Coolum Beach studio, she ships to thousands of customers worldwide and has 62,000 social media followers.
The mum-of-three likes to spend time on the beach or tackling home renovation projects with her husband, Ms Quinn said.
Sheridan Austin – Foraged for You – @foragedforyou_
Sheridan Austin spent two years developing her ultimate supplement formula while raising her family to build her multimillion-dollar business.
Her brand Foraged for You is best known for its prenatal supplement for mums and more recently for its Children’s Blend.
She also worked until very recently as a nutritionist and gut and psychology syndrome practitioner while sharing her own recipes on her blog and to her joint 71,300 social media followers.
Her product derived from a passion project and a personal need during her first pregnancy.
Mrs Austin said she was spending a fortune buying superfoods and supplements and felt dismayed at the lack of quality.
Realising other mums were looking for prenatal options, Mrs Austin’s idea was born to “slap it into an all-in-one” using some of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet, she said.
In 2020, she finally launched her first batch and sold out within 24 hours.
See Ms Austin’s tips on setting up a small business.
“The benefits people feel, the endless reviews in all inboxes and on the website is what lights me up at my core,” she said.
Brigid Woolnough – Kokopod Chocolate – @kokopod_chocolate
Kokopod Chocolate can be found in hotels and gift stores nationwide, even in select IGAs and Woolworths.
Brigid Woolnough, 36, started selling her chocolate at a Brisbane market in 2013 as a side hobby while working as a schoolteacher.
“In the early stages I wasn’t really operating as a ’business’ perse – when I look back, I realise I just loved to be around people and share my craft,” she said.
The side hustle became too big to manage from home so she moved to the Sunshine Coast and opened up her chocolate factory.
Now the mother-of-three’s seven-figure business has more than 250 stockists.
“They say when you do something you love you never work a day in your life, and I wholeheartedly agree with that statement,” she said.
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Originally published as Sunshine Coast’s most successful women in business
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