Member Spotlight

What’s your elevator pitch

You’ve entered a fluff-free zone. Fluffy dogs, yes. Fluffy work? No thanks. If you’re looking for someone to help cut through the fluff, you’ve come to the right place. Bonus points to you if you have a fluffy dog, but it’s not required. I’m Rhiannon, an experienced copywriter, content marketer and photographer. I’m also a Harry Potter fan, coffee addict, and say ‘mom’ instead of ‘mum’. I’m here to… …help marketing and web design agencies and other creatives craft killer strategies and short and long-form copy for their clients. …support not-for-profits, community organisations, and local businesses to plan and execute marketing campaigns that get results. …do all things motorsport social media and media management for teams and categories. …create beautiful imagery that brings your brand and products to life.

What inspired you to start your business, and what challenges did you encounter along the way?

My stepdad and I didn’t always get along when I was growing up, but he had a saying that always stuck with me. “Why work for someone else when you can work for yourself.” As terrified as I was to leave the safety and security of a salary with a regular paycheque, I knew I had to give working for myself full-time a go.

What’s unique or exciting about your business?

The most exciting thing about my business is the opportunity to work with so many wonderful local businesses to support their marketing and promotional needs. I get to combine my passions for writing and photography and package them in creative and strategic ways to get results.

What’s your elevator pitch

Welcome to Speak Creative, we focus on digital content, social amplification, and creative media business that’s all about helping businesses and individuals tell their stories through innovative audio and visual techniques. Our team is based out of Albury, and we’re passionate about bringing your message to life.

At Speak Creative, we believe every business and individual has a unique story to tell, which is worth sharing. That’s why we take a fresh and dynamic approach to digital marketing, utilising the latest techniques and ideologies to create high-quality content that is both engaging and informative.

What’s unique or exciting about your business?

We pride ourselves on our ability to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions to any challenge. Whether you’re looking to launch a new product, build brand awareness, start a podcast, or create a strong online presence, we’ve got the tools, strategy and expertise to make it happen.

We are also pleased to offer a one-of-a-kind solution to businesses or individuals looking to pursue Podcasting. A relatively new and untouched form of marketing for businesses, it is unique and impactful way to get your messages across to customers or other businesses. We have a state-of-the-art podcasting set-up, ready for use in our in-house podcasting studio or can be used in your business/lifestyle setting.

What do you enjoy most about being part of the Albury/Wodonga business community?

We are pleased to partner with a large range of different businesses and individuals within the Albury/Wodonga Community. Everyone is very proactive and invested in helping every business succeed no matter the size, or how long they have been operating in the area.

What’s your elevator pitch
I provide Virtual Assistant services to businesses in the Health and Wellness space. I take on all those little things that take up so much of your time so you can RE-focus on doing the things you LOVE in your business!
What inspired you to start your business, and what challenges did you encounter along the way?
In my last life I was a Gut Health Coach and Fermentation Teacher! I loved what I did but I always found myself running out of time and not feeling “lit up” by all the admin and marketing tasks I needed to complete. I found myself resenting that part of the business and instead of spending 80% of my time IN my business doing the work I loved I was spending 80% of my time ON my business and I knew it needed to change.
What’s unique or exciting about your business?
No 2 days are the same! Some weeks I’m working on 6 different clients tasks and others it’s only a couple but there are always different things popping up and keeping me on my toes. I love that within the job I constantly get to learn new things and use my current skills to make big changes within other peoples businesses.
What do you enjoy most about being part of the Albury/Wodonga business community?
The community and level of support is awesome! There are always opportunities to meet new faces and get to know other businesses which I love.

What’s your elevator pitch
CanDo Admin supports established small business owners and busy consultants by providing tailored remote solutions, from inbox and admin management to branded documents and executive assistance. By partnering with CanDo, clients can distance themselves from day-to-day admin responsibilities and focus their energy elsewhere.
What inspired you to start your business, and what challenges did you encounter along the way?
CanDo was established to help small business owners navigate their administration responsibilities. Although a necessary part of any business, it is not always the owners’ specialty or focus. As a primarily virtual business, I am able to work with clients all over Australia, allowing me greater access to my ideal clients. CanDo was established in November 2019 and having never run a business before, a pretty steep learning curve has resulted. The biggest hurdle has been overcoming the lack of knowledge surrounding virtual admin support in our local community. There have been many blank stares along the way when I said “I’m a virtual assistant”. So much so that I no longer refer to myself as a VA and have rebranded to make things clearer. Tweaking my messaging, marketing and service offering is also an ongoing work in progress as I seek the right balance that attracted my ideal clients.
What’s unique or exciting about your business?
There is untapped potential in our local community due to a lack of knowledge surrounding virtual admin support. The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages, and it is definitely a viable and cost-effective alternative to employing someone. So many small business owners struggle to keep on top of their admin or spend many hours on it when they could be using their time far more effectively to grow their business and serve their clients. Unlike other virtual admin support providers, I deliberately keep my schedule fluid with no set times and days allocated to a particular client. This allows me to provide assistance when needed without displacing another client when an urgent task comes up. CanDo’s main service offering is executive assistance tailored to small business owners. Just because you aren’t a corporate executive, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the EA experience, with someone who has your back and genuinely cares about your business as much as you do.
What do you enjoy most about being part of the Albury/Wodonga business community?
The local business community is so friendly and welcoming. I’ve met so many awesome people during the past 4 years and I’m very appreciative of their presence in my life and business journey. I now have a group of local business owners who I work with and bouncing things off as part of learning about business. The amount of engagement and support for our community also inspires me and is a credit to our community as a whole.

What’s your elevator pitch
Embrace Education Services is on a mission to transform how the world views neurodiverse children. Our approach is not just about education and intervention, it’s about changing perspectives. We believe every child should feel safe and comfortable in embracing their true selves. Our services focus on providing a nurturing environment where children can flourish and thrive. Embrace is dedicated to delivering individualised interventions and support, celebrating each child’s uniqueness and empowering children, their families and support networks to recognise and harness their distinct strengths. We are advocating for a world where each child is understood, celebrated and embraced. Our tailored approach includes comprehensive assessments, individualised interventions, and advocacy support to ensure each child not only meets, but exceeds their developmental milestones.
What inspired you to start your business, and what challenges did you encounter along the way?
Over my 14+ year journey as an educator I have witnessed how traditional systems of education often fail to meet the needs of every child, especially those who learn differently. My journey to founding Embrace Education Services began early in 2023 with my own child’s experiences in the school system. When my 6-year-old was having difficulties at school, it became clear that his unique learning style wasn’t fully understood or supported within the traditional educational framework. Navigating the diagnosis process was an eye-opener — it highlighted a significant gap in services and support for neurodiverse children in the Albury – Wodonga region. Faced with these challenges, I felt a strong call to action. I envisioned a place where neurodiverse children and their families could feel affirmed, understood and supported. A service that didn’t just offer assessments, education and intervention, but provided personalised advocacy and support, tailored to each child’s individual needs. As a new business owner and parent, balancing the demands of running a business, along with personal responsibilities has been a challenge to say the least. Successfully managing this dual role will continue to be an evolving journey as the demands of both roles change over time.
What’s unique or exciting about your business?
What makes Embrace Education Services uniquely exciting is the heart of our mission: to embrace each child for their unique strengths. This business is not just a service, it’s a personal commitment to changing the worlds perspective in understanding and supporting neurodiversity. What sets us apart is our personalised approach. We don’t offer one-size-fits-all solutions; instead we focus on individualised strategies that honour each child’s unique learning style. This approach stems from a belief that every child has potential and the right to an education that they can access fairly. As a parent of a neurodiverse child I am acutely aware of the stress this can place on families. Embrace endeavours to offer services that reduce the complexity associated with navigating support services. We pride ourselves on a holistic model of care – from initial assessments and professional diagnosis support to tailored interventions and ongoing advocacy. In essence, Embrace Education Services is more than an education and therapy center; we hope for it to be a source of empowerment for neurodiverse children and their families.
What do you enjoy most about being part of the Albury/Wodonga business community?
This is a very new community for me and I haven’t had much of a chance to engage yet. However I am a very social person and am looking forward to creating a network within the business community and supporting other members.