Nicola Baker, Founder, Moyamoya Australia. I am on a MISSION. I am a wife, a mum to 3, including my shiny boy, Jed, who had a stroke at just 11 months old. I am self employed, as a Registered Migration Agent, but my passion is with my charity, Moyamoya Australia. I am 53 years old, and I am systematically reprogramming myself to find BETTER in my life, through approach, attitude, and application. I dream that I am good at roller skating, I like to mow, I am a mad jigsaw puzzler, and I love musical theatre. My nickname is Sparkles because I am easily distracted by shiny things. I have had more experiences in my life than many, and I use those experiences to direct the trajectory of my life. I’m growing into my own skin, for the first time in my life, I really like who I am becoming.
When did you start your business?
Moyamoya Australia was founded on 19 September 2019. When my baby had a stroke in my arms at 11 months old, it was lonely, isolating, and very scary. There was no one we could exchange experiences with. We had no idea what we were in for. Now, many years later, with Jed having reached 21 years against all predictions, we can help others. We provide financial gifts, support, information, fellowship. We are driven to tell the story of Moyamoya Disease so that others are diagnosed faster, and treated more effectively. We have also invested over $100,000 into training, research and education. We have contributed to Women Making a Difference, a publication that has gone international. We have two other publications, My Mate Jed, a children’s book about childhood stroke, and The Thing About Jed. We also have a short film that tells our story
What was the inspiration behind starting this business?
I started Moyamoya Australia because there was nothing like us in Australia. During the early days of Jed’s diagnosis,treatment, and survival, we had no one to talk to on our basic human level. We understand how lonely that is, and weare working to make connections with others on the same journey.
We don’t know why we have Moyamoya Disease, Idon’t know why Jed has it, but in my lifetime, I can do my everything to try and find that answer. In the last 12 months, we received a grant for $47,500, which was gifted by us to Macquarie University Neurosciences, who are creating a database of genetics of Moyamoya patients. We believe that the key is there somewhere, and we want to find it.
What are you most excited about in your business?
I am excited to be at the forefront of innovations in music and social and emotional wellbeing. There is growing evidence from neuroscience and brain imaging that shows us what happens when people are involved in participatory music experiences. Your whole brain lights up with activity! I have been involved in music for a long time, as a performer, a teacher and a facilitator and I think community music is something that has so much value, You do not have to be good at drumming to get the benefits from drumming. So, in some I ways I think of it as similar to the sport and fitness industry. A few people get to the top levels, and just because you may not be aiming for that, doesn’t mean you should stop playing completely. There is so much joy and physical, cognitive and therapeutic benefit from playing music and drums are the most accessible and inclusive instruments I have cone across.
What has been the most challenging thing about starting your business?
The greatest challenges we have found has been attracting attention. Moyamoya is a strange word, no one knows what it means, and that can mean that people who hear it are not able to connect emotionally with the cause. The charity dollar is incredibly hard to earn, especially when the cause is not a common one like Cancer, or a fluffy one, like animal causes. We have tackled this a number of ways, firstly, by having events that are quirky and a little different, like Smokey Blue Rally and the Great Blue Pigeon Race.
The plan for our future is to focus more on telling the story, with the books, but also with public speaking. We have invested is skills, and I have completed an intensive Public Speaking Accelerator with Jacqueline Brooker, to ensure that I can deliver our message eloquently and engagingly. If you are looking for an inspirational story teller, CALL ME!
What advice would you give to other women thinking about starting a business?
As mums, we tend to have expectations on us, as the curator of a happy home, a ever evolving giver of herself. We often feel as though our businesses can be viewed by the wider community as a ‘hobby’. Any Mum who starts a business for the first time should do so with the understanding that having a business is extremely rewarding, but it is also hard work. There are days that seem like the world is at an end, however if you pull that microscope back a bit, then a bad day can be just a bump in the road in the grand plan! Hold on to those bad days, learn from them, and use your new skills to start a new day with gusto!
Why did you enter the AusMumpreneur Awards?
I entered the AusMumpreneur Awards for a number of reasons. Firstly, the awareness that winning Awards brings allows me to raise the profile of Moyamoya Australia, so that I can continue to seek corporate sponsorship, so I can continue to raise awareness of this rare disease, and so that I can provide the support that the Australian Moyamoya community deserve.
What did you enjoy the most about being part of the awards?
I just love the comradery that I get at AusMumprenuer Awards and the annual conference. Living and working from a small town, in a regional area, it can be lonely. Whilst the community does support what I do, some of the vocal minority can cause anxiety. Coming together, with a group of Mums, who are also striving to achieve their best, means that the shared adventures provide opportunity for lifelong relationships to be formed, and allows us to share our experiences in order to find new and innovating ways to achieve better.
What surprised you most about the awards?
Hearing my name for GOLD!!! Honestly, feeling that I have achieved what I have, from my little office on the Atherton Tablelands, really validates my purpose, and it was a real moment of joy to be celebrated by a room full of Mums doing really wonderful things!
How did the awards help you in your business?
The Awards have turned the spotlight onto the work that I am doing. Whilst I sit here feeling like I am making a difference, the Awards have been an extremely valuable tool to raise my profile, and to get myself into a bigger arena.
What advice would you give to other mums thinking about entering the awards?
Absolutely go for it! You will make lifelong friendships, you will learn a lot about being a Mum in business, you will be able to study what others are doing, and you will leave the AusMum experience feeling elated and ready for next year.
What has been the best thing about starting your own business?
Starting Moyamoya Australia has been a purpose for me. It’s something that I have wanted to do for a long time, and to hear from our Australian Moyamoya Family that I have been there for them is a gift that I can not quantify.
What’s happening next in your business?
Moyamoya Australia is moving towards finding the reason that our patients have this rare disease. We have commenced collection of genetics information, and now, we need to try and create a structured plan to achieve that goal, not just with Macquarie University, but also with other Australian lead neurological specialists. A targeted campaign is in it’s planning infancy, however we have made steps to seek information from Professor Marcus Stoodley about how we can approach this, as there are many levels of compliance that must be in place before we can do this. My goal is to, one day, issue an international media release to advise that we believe we have found the key to unlock this disease.
What are your big plans for the future?
WORLD DOMINATION BABY! Imagine that day, when we can tell the world about how much information we have been able to garner from our genetics database!