Natashia is a Canberra-based mum, wife, sister, daughter, friend and businesswoman. She also considers herself a survivor, juggler and perpetual ball-dropper, chaos coordinator and silver lining seeker.  Natashia has worked within the healthcare sector for eighteen years in a variety of roles including aged, disability, acquired brain injury, and now co-founder and director of National Community Care in Canberra. Natashia’s compassion and driving force within the industry begun when she was faced with adversity at the age of eighteen when she was diagnosed with stage 4B cancer. Despite the odds, Natashia rose above it, pivoting the trajectory of her life and her purpose.

When did you start your business?

  • National Community Care 2015
  • Sista Sista Events 2019
  • Kindness & Courage 2021
  • Complete Clinical Consultancy & Training Solutions 2021
  • CEIRA Solutions 2021

What was the inspiration behind starting this business?

After being on the receiving end of care at the age of eighteen, Natashia wanted to give back to the community that had supported her. This went on to lead Natashia in identified a gap within the industry to provide a blend of both medical care and disability support with consistency and best practice each person deserves. Natashia has extended that inspiration to now advocating for clients who are often forget by the system.

What are you most excited about in your business?

National Community Care literally changes lives. We have been able to take what was deemed as the impossible clients from living in hospitals with complex care needs and provide them with the opportunity to live in their own home and have our team provide the complex care they need. We empower those who need it most.

What has been the most challenging thing about starting your business?

While my business partner is a business genius with a background in accounting, I felt I knew nothing about business. How to run one, pay roll, taxes all the business lingo involved. However, I did know my cause and I knew I was driven to make that work to better the lives of others. This taught me, that I didn’t need to possess all of the skills required, I just needed to know how to network myself to acquire the right like minded people to join our mission.

What advice would you give to other women thinking about starting a business?

Starting a business, you are truly passionate about, have done your research, expand your network and marketing and still hungry to give it a go, I say JUMP. Everything in life is a series of calculated risks versus rewards and starting a business can only ever have rewards. Even at worst, if nothing goes to plan, you will still have learnt some valuable lessons for your next business venture. But imagine if it goes exactly the way you had envisioned or better!

Why did you enter the AusMumpreneur Awards?

Ausmumpreneur awards was the first Awards I had ever accepted a nomination and proceeded with. To be honest, I believe it did because the concept of knowing I wasn’t just a woman in business with all of those barriers we face, I also face the barriers of being a MUM in business.

What did you enjoy the most about being part of the awards?

Ausmumpreneur Awards instantly provided a platform of like-minded women facing the same society given barriers about juggling it all. I found great comfort in that. A community of people just like me.

What surprised you most about the awards?

The entire process was genuine and supportive, not the fake face value kind. It is real authentic heart felt support for one another that lasts long after the Awards night.

How did the awards help you in your business?

The awards helped me first and foremost which in turn grew my business. It provided me with a mindset change that I am on the right track and has gone on to allow me to confidently grow and expand my business in several ways. In the last three months since the awards, I have expanded my team, moved from one admin assistant in a one-bedroom unit/office into a 560 sqm two storey commercial office space with eight office personnel and seventy plus nurses and carers. 

What advice would you give to others mums thinking about entering the awards?

You will truly never find a more connected and supportive group of likeminded women who actually understand the barriers of mum life and business. Entering the awards only has positive outcomes.

I will be nominating a handful of amazing mums in business I have the pleasure of knowing as soon as applications open for 2022.


What has been the best thing about starting your own business?

Other than the amazing impact it has had on the lives we care for, personally, it provided me the flexibility I needed despite being a business providing twentry-four-hour care to our community. It allowed me to undergo IVF at the same time as building my business up and allowed my husband to leave his public service job and work with me side by side and provided us with the opportunity to be there for every milestone of our children. Preschool concerts, Kindergarten orientation days, school pickups and drop offs. No 9-5 job was ever going to provide that to my family.

What’s happening next in your business?

Next on the agenda is growth. We have started an additional two new projects that will provide a wider scope of specialised services to our clients and create two additional streams of income within the business.

What are your big plans for the future?

My plans are to change the industry. Challenge the current barriers and educate our government bodies to understand the level of care and funding required to allow a person the basic human right of choice in daily living. We are the subject matter experts yet me are accepting our framework from public servants that have no knowledge or understanding on the impact their policies have.

I also have a few other work projects with my other companies I am busy working on as well as the launch of Courage and Confident Book with an amazing collective of Ausmumpreneurs dur in March and my first solo book with Women Changing the World Press.

What is your website and/or social media links (eg. Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram)

www.nationalcommunitycare.com.au 

Instagram: @juggling_mumma