Last Friday Asuria celebrated International Women’s Day, a day to recognise the incredible efforts and achievements of our hardworking teams and the women all across Australia that we support. In light of this day, we wanted to highlight the success of Self-Employment Assistance participant, Lydia Thomson, on her new business, Mowing Motivation, being named Best Small Business Start-Up at the recent Asuria Employer Awards.
Living with ADHD and being a mother of four might not seem like the natural starting point for a new business venture, but that’s exactly how Lydia Thomson got going on her way to being recognised for her achievements by a panel of people and employment experts.
Rather than seeing her ADHD - something which wasn’t diagnosed until later in life - as a barrier to carving out a new career path, Lydia made the decision to turn her condition to her advantage, channelling it to become the superpower that helped to turn her idea into a profitable startup.
Many women - particularly those from culturally or linguistically diverse background, those with a history of trauma, or many single vulnerable women - can feel uncomfortable alone at home in the presence of men.
That was the insight and experience that set Lydia on a journey to create a mowing business by women, for women, a market that she realised was completely unserved.
But as impactful as that idea was, it wasn’t long into her journey before Lydia found herself out of her comfort zone when it came to launching a sustainable business.
That’s when Asuria Self-Employment Assistance Business Mentor, Nik Lazarevski, came along.
Since their journey together began in April 2023, Lydia and Nik have worked closely to grow her business into one worthy of being named Small Business Start-Up of the year at the 2023 Asuria Employer Awards.
That included Nik arming and empowering Lydia with a wide range of resources, guidance, and contacts to help grow her business, from business plan creation and bookkeeping support to the daily boost of confidence that Lydia needed to keep moving forwards.
Less than a year since launching, Mowing Motivation has grown from an idea and a one-person outfit into a flourishing business with new clients knocking at its door daily.
Growing in confidence at the helm each day – and with the continual support of Nik and Asuria – Lydia has been able to commit to the next stage of the business’s growth, investing in new equipment as well as expanding the team and resources.
Following the announcement at the awards ceremony in Sydney, Mowing Motivation’s Lydia said: “Wow! Are you joking? If you’d told me a year ago I’d be winning a new business award, I’d have told you that you need to get your head checked!
“All I can say is a massive thanks to everyone who’s helped me to get this far, including my bestie, Nik at Asuria. Now, who needs their lawn mowing?”
Asuria Self-Employment Assistance Business Mentor, Nik Lazarevski, said of his experience working with Lydia: “Lydia has always been bursting with the ideas, energy, and enthusiasm essential to the success of any new startup, she just needed the business tools and support necessary to get her over those first few hurdles, something that it was my privilege to provide.”
If you have a business idea or an existing small business and would like to learn more about how our Business Mentors can help turn your business dreams into a reality through the Self-Employment Assistance program, click here to learn more.
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