When Kirstie had her third child, she thought it was time to seek part-time employment to help support her family. Going from full-time mum to working mum seemed daunting at first – how would Kirstie support and raise her children but also work?
After expressing frustration with friends, Kirstie was told about Community Solutions’ ParentsNext program. Soon after, Kirstie volunteered for the ParentsNext program with the goal of developing her business development and admin skills. “I volunteered for the ParentsNext Program to help with some business structures.”
Kirstie says her ParentsNext Case Manager, Melissa, supports her goals, “Melissa shows me where I could access information for developing my business or accessing grants. I was able to increase my services by purchasing new equipment.”
Melissa supports Kirstie with her business goals, keeping her on track. Kirstie says Melissa is quite honest, “Melissa is very good in saying whether something is a good idea, she guides me in the right direction.”
Kirstie’s goal was to find employment that was fulfilling and flexible. She knew she had transferable skills she developed as a mother including being organised, and making her home sparkle, so she took matters into her own hands and leveraged her capabilities as both a mum, organisation queen, and cleaning extraordinaire and decided that she would like to create her own business, and that’s when First Bay Abodes was born.
Starting her own business, Kirstie was able to set her own hours. Starting with domestic cleaning, she quickly moved into short-stay rental cleaning and then property management.
Kirstie is able to financially support her children and be present, “I really do like doing what I do, because it’s very flexible. Most because it’s within school hours.”
Kirstie’s dream for her business is to grow her business and support other mums. “I am trying to build a business that helps people who have been out of the workforce and have the same barriers that I have. Having to work within or around school hours with flexibility.”
With the support of Community Solutions ParentsNext program, Kirstie hopes to have a team of passionate women working alongside her, “One day I hope to have many full and part-time employees to fulfill all the requests for cleaning. I get almost asked every week to take on more work, when I have a team, I’ll be able to do that.”
Our ParentsNext program supports parents looking for a pathway into employment. It is open to eligible parents on the parenting payment with children under the age of six. Through the program, parents have access to employment guidance, support, training, and education. They can also access help with reducing barriers such as transport and childcare to get back into the workforce. If you’re interested in joining the ParentsNext program, contact us today.
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