“After the launch, Covid became more serious, and just as I was ramping up the networking, business development and mentoring essential to getting a fledgling business off the ground, potential referral partners – hospitals, GP clinics, community service providers – began shutting their doors to external visitors. Growing the business became tricky then.”

“Fortunately, in those early days, work came through referrals from Head Office.” Despite the uncertainty, Simone continued to recruit carers and embed operations, and found ways to bring in local clients through local service partners and referral organisations.

Having been there before, Simone understood the lifecycle of new businesses, and knew it would be hard for at least 2 years. “I expected to be jumping around from task to task, often not knowing which way was up, and I also knew I would have to wear every hat– receptionist, office administrator, scheduler, business developer, marketer, recruiter, HR manager – and the rest!”

With only a small team of carers, all casual employees, Simon had to take an active role in service delivery – either assisting existing carers deliver services, provide on-the-job training to new carers, cover team absences, and often carry services until she was able to put on more carers.

Although Simone wasn’t surprised by any of this, what did take her by surprise was the additional complexity introduced by Covid – as it did most businesses – as well as the geography of the greater Albury Wodonga region. “The area we cover is vast, and so often one short shift required travelling ridiculous distances. When the team is so small, it seemed like a crazy and unsustainable way to grow, but I know this is all part of the growth pains and that when we reach scale, it will be a different story.”

"When I get caught in a loop of negative self-talk like ‘I can’t do this on my own,’ my first instinct is to push through it. “After all, you can’t just say to a client or a service partner, ‘I’m not coping,’ or ‘I can’t do this’ - because you would risk the work. So, when there’s no choice but to get on with it, I keep going, and focus on there being a light at the end of the tunnel.”

“Everything we did was new.” Operationalising a brand-new business model, setting up the operational structure and processes, and learning to use four different business systems.

“I wanted to do more business development, but Covid put much of that on the back burner, so we focussed on recruiting new carers and getting service delivery right for the clients we had.”

More local marketing is high on the agenda in 2022, the key for Simone is putting the building blocks in place so she can spend more time supporting and developing her team – rather than being bogged down in the business.

An improved induction and onboarding experience for new team members is also in the wings. “Finding and keeping employees is a huge issue so I want to give new carers an experience that makes us a desirable workplace, where they are inspired by our vision, values and the way we show up. Also in the way we prepare them be job ready and confident from day 1 with very little left to be learned that wasn’t covered in training.”

“Albury Business Connect (the local chamber of commerce) has been incredibly supportive. I’ve met some wonderful people through its networking events and other forums. This has also led to many more opportunities to present Home Instead to other community and business groups such as the Country Women’s Association and Rotary Clubs.”

“That sometimes I can be stupidly tenacious and keep on keeping on way beyond what’s sustainable. When I start making little mistakes and forgetting things, I know I’ve got to hit the brakes and be kinder to myself. It’s not always easy though.”