Starting a business is never easy, especially when it’s something you’re passionate about. For Carol Dadds, founder of Sunshine Barossa Australia, her business began as a hobby. She loved working with leather goods and wanted to turn it into a full-fledged business. But like many entrepreneurs, Carol quickly found that she couldn’t do it all alone. That’s when she turned to Regional Development Australia Barossa Gawler Light Adelaide Plains for help.
“The help there was incredible from the start,” Carol says. “It was pretty much a bit of business coaching and that made me realize my dream and what I was wanting to do was really worth following and pursuing.”
Through the B2B Support Program, Carol was able to get the support she needed to grow her business. She received help with creating her website, integrating her bookkeeping, and more. And that was just the beginning.
Later on, Carol was involved with an investment think tank program, which pushed her out of her comfort zone and helped her gain confidence in her business. “I had to speak in front of quite a few people about my business and how I wanted to grow, and it was just amazing,” she says. “Mainly the confidence of how it made me be able to grow my business from there was awesome.”
Thanks to the support she received from RDA, Carole was able to take her business to the next level. She was able to invest in a big laser machine, which she needed to expand her business. And today, Sunshine Barossa is thriving.
“I now obviously do it full time which supports myself and my two teenagers,” Carol says. “I have a really strong website. I now sell Australia-wide and some I’ve had some international sales. I also have quite a few retail outlets that sell my products. And my home studio workshop has lots of tourists that come and visit now. So I’m in a really good space with my business, and I really thank RDA for that.”
Carol’s story is a testament to the power of community support and the value of organizations like RDA. With the right help and resources, anyone can turn their passion into a successful business.
