A message from our CEO

The past six months have seen more change than anyone could have anticipated. Lives and livelihoods, industries and businesses, communities, and cities were disrupted by the pervasive impact of the global pandemic. The National and State lockdown and lockout measures to protect our health inevitably slowed our local economy and changed how and where people worked, studied, and interacted. 

At Dantia, we welcomed new team members; Jill Stewart, Marketing & Communications Manager, Deborah Canias to the role of Executive Assistant – CEO/Team Co-ordinator and Kylie Rose our new Dashworks Community and Member Lead.  

We worked closely with our Dashworks community to minimise disruption in a COVID safe way and made some internal aesthetic changes to our Charlestown and Warners Bay spaces. Our Charlestown workspace is getting a full external makeover in the coming months and we look forward to sharing some imagery with you once it is finalised.

From a project perspective, Dantia continued to proactively drive, advocate and shape city changing initiatives including those at Cockle Creek, Catherine Hill Bay and Charlestown revitalisation.

One of the recent SME projects that I am most proud of is the launch of the Business Matters portal. We partnered with Lake Macquarie City Council to bring the Business Matters portal to help local businesses navigate COVID 19 and the re-opening of our business community. We are about to launch the second phase of this platform, which will act as a business services marketplace.  Read more about that below.

As we move into the busy Christmas and New Year period, I look forward to connecting with many of you. 

FOLLOW Dantia on Linkedin to stay up to date with our latest event, project and member updates. 

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Latest News:

Dashworks Open Week

From Monday 29th November to Friday 3rd December, we are opening our doors to welcome new faces into our vibrant co-working spaces for FREE.  

It’s an opportunity to spend a day sharing office space with our forward thinking and friendly business community.

Book a desk for a day or stay the week!  Book here

Meet our member: Stephen Houraghan

Stephen an Irish born branding consultant and coach works with both local Lake Mac and International brands across USA, Canada and UK. He’s taught over 20k students globally, how to develop strategic brands through his business Brand Master Academy.  

In his secondary business Iconic Fox, Stephen works directly with clients through brand consulting and execution services.

After working from home during lockdown, Stephen was quite happy to relocate to a professional ‘quiet’ space and we are thrilled to welcome Stephen! 

If your business needs some help with branding check out the Brand Master Podcast or visit brandmasteracademy.com

Welcome Kylie Rose

We are thrilled to welcome Kylie Rose to the team as our Dashworks Community and Member Lead.  With a background in innovation and corporate communications, Kylie loves to support others and build connections and is a great fit for the Dashworks community.

Business Matters Marketplace

Business Matters Marketplace has been developed to inspire our community to think local first when purchasing goods and services. Wherever possible, supporting local businesses helps local people, industries and our Lake Mac economy.

If you are in the business of marketing, finance, grant writing or other professional services, email our team to register your business to be a service provider for the Marketplace. As businesses re-open post COVID, we’ve seen increased demand from local businesses seeking support and guidance for their own business in the areas of Marketing, Finance, HR, Legal, Training and Grant Writing.  

We want to connect local SME’s with other local businesses that need to reset and move forward post COVID. Lake Mac businesses have continued to show their resilience and agility post COVID. Now it’s time to start thinking about what the next year of business looks like and the first $100 is on us! 

To register your business as a preferred supplier or request support, please get in touch. 

 

Are you looking for a workspace to call your own? Give Dashworks a try! Join over 120 professionals and entrepreneurs and book your free 5-day trial! Start the conversation today.

Since launching in December 2019 The Melt Accelerator has attracted headlines around the nation as Australia’s first Industrial Prototyping Lab and Innovation Accelerator powering the creation of the world’s best hardware products.

With a cohort of 5 businesses and continued investment, this team are unstoppable!  We caught up with the Melt Accelerator’s superstar CMO Lauren Devine to find out what this clever team are up to!

1. Tell us a little about the Melt.

The Melt is an industrial prototyping lab and innovation accelerator, powering the creation, commercialisation and scaling of Australia’s leading product innovations. We provide the experience, processes, network and funding required to realise and accelerate new products whilst minimising the risk and financial outlay often associated with product development.

1. What was your mission at the outset?

Over the years we have seen many product and hardware innovations fail that otherwise could have been a successful venture given the right focus, execution strategy and the benefit of an experienced team. Our mission was to change that outcome so that innovation can succeed or fail on it’s fundamental merits, not just coincidence.

And what exactly is it that the team provide?

We are able to service both Startups and large corporates by providing the environment and process framework to incubate hardware innovation and support the stakeholders. Firstly, we help people analyse and identify the critical factors that need to be resolved (“proven”) for their innovation to succeed. Then we assist in formulating and executing the strategy to achieve their innovation goals. This can include a mixture of technical, commercial, investment and governance acumen as well as the resources required to carry out the venture.

1. Tell us a little about the team behind The Melt

The Melt is made up of a diverse team of experienced business and innovation professionals, many of whom have been CEOs and founders of successful businesses themselves. We have come together to help others learn from our long experience and to be a contributing factor to the success achieved by our clients and partners.

Entrepreneurs and SME’s the opportunity to develop the capabilities required to build hardware businesses and succeed in international markets.

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2. What is unique about your business offering?

There are few investors who can minimise the technical and execution risks associated with hardware innovation projects. There are also very few professional engineers who can provide the product management, commercialisation and governance required to realise a return on investment. The Melt’s offering covers both of these necessary services for the complete lifecycle of the innovation venture.

The Melt’s unique and diverse offering provides:

• Entrepreneurs and SME’s the opportunity to develop the capabilities required to build hardware businesses and succeed in international markets.
• Large companies with the ability to liberate internally ‘trapped’ hardware projects and IP to save time and money, mitigate risk, improve operations and get new products into the market quicker.
• Students with the ability to gain valuable real-world experience working alongside startups and corporates on exciting and valuable projects with the aim of gaining employment and keeping talent local.

What is the biggest challenge you see with start-ups and entrepreneurs building commercial products?

The biggest challenge is understanding and managing risk. Hardware innovation, due to its complex nature, is very unforgiving of mistakes. The product development strategy needs to be focused on risk identification and mitigation rather than the usual “Design it Build it” waterfall. Unlike purely software projects, hardware innovation has limited opportunity to fail and pivot so the iterative sequence needs to be well planned and orchestrated.  Also, we see many Startups who build a great product who assume this equates to a great business. Of course, Startups need to build great hardware products however they also need to ensure that the business model is sound, sustainable and successful – this is where The Melt can help.

How are you finding being a member of the Makespace community?

Makespace provides so many opportunities for connection and collaboration. The diversity of businesses here means that there is generally one degree of separation between what you need and having that need met by someone’s network.   Also having the innovation lab housed within the building creates a lot of efficiency and it’s inspiring to see products come to life at speed.

What advice would you give someone who is struggling to get a prototype to market?

Stop struggling.  Come in and talk to our experienced product managers who have brought a complex product to the market. We can help you set up a plan to take control of your destination.

Where do you see the Melt headed in the next 5 years (with start-up and corporate businesses in mind)

We plan to scale our reach with a network of like-minded people, increased capabilities and capacity to be able to further accelerate hardware innovation and stimulate future employment opportunities for the Hunter region and beyond.  We intend and are working towards creating impact on a global scale. 

How can people apply to the Melt Accelerator program?

Easy. Check out our website and apply at. Unlike traditional accelerators with cyclic cohorts, our program is always open.  A great place to start is to visit our website www.themelt.io and book in a strategy discussion or discovery workshop to see how we can help.

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The Melt industrial prototyping lab and innovation accelerator are set to power the creation of the world’s best products and it all started right here at Dashworks Makespace. Read more about The Melt here

Join our vibrant and supportive community to build and commercialise your product. Access industry-grade prototyping equipment, software and programs to accelerate your success – book your free 5-day trial here.

Alicia Edge is an innovative entrepreneur, advanced sports dietitian and co-founder of a world-first technology platform Compeat Nutrition. We managed to catch up with this busy dynamo and find out more about her incredible business.

1. Tell us a little about Compeat Nutrition for anyone out of the loop.

We are a tech startup from Newy that arose out of a need to revalue both the nutrition profession and how nutrition is delivered into the lives of people. We initially set out focused on the sports performance space, but it didn’t take long for us to realise that performance is something that we all want to achieve – whether that be performance with increased energy, focus, decision making, mood or sports. So our impact is now reaching beyond the professional athletes and into the everyday health of individuals, athletes and corporates (which is something we have envisioned for a while now, so it feels surreal to see it in action!).

1. What is it that your team does?

Our team is a crew of spectacular and diverse humans. We may all come from very different sporting, career and skill backgrounds, but collectively we are all moving towards an epic vision with a word that comes up frequently in the office – impact.

We hold the person front of mind to support nutrition changes toward achieving who they want to be – whether that be more confident with food choices, more (positively) in control of their environment, and progressing toward their best self with increased energy, improved mood, better sleep and increased confidence.

Behind the scenes, this looks like a whole lot of tech building to support an improved user experience and increased efficiencies to enable scale; a team of Sports Dietitians working with both our B2B & B2C users; and a strategy that is founded upon achieving a solution that holds the wellbeing of our clients as the critical piece and our differentiator.

What was your mission at the outset?

At the outset, I don’t think Dan (our Co-Founder) or I realised what we were creating. We were accidental start-up founders that were initially aiming to solve an industry problem. However, once realising we were also solving a population issue, our mission extended well beyond digitalising, and instead became focused upon revaluing and elevating the impact of nutrition in the lives of people.

1. You’re very active and comfortable on social media or presenting at events or presentations. Do you consider yourself a bit of an extrovert or do you have to dig deep to seek confidence when delivering your message?

I have definitely not always been as comfortable as I am in front of people or the camera – and even still I wouldn’t say it is comfortable! Daily I am well outside my comfort zone and battling imposter syndrome frequently. However, my discomfort is outweighed by the bigger purpose of Compeat. If I can step up and hold a space and a voice for individuals or athletes that don’t yet have the confidence or safety to do so themselves, then it is absolutely worth it. I cannot demand vulnerability and change from our clients if I too am not living that myself.

1. To what do you attribute your success?

Success. It’s such an ever evolving term right!? Over the years of being uncomfortable, in a no doubt risky option when it comes to career and security, I have had to do a lot of self-growth in realising that we are the ones that get to define our success – and what that means to feel, rather than be.

Our success isn’t defined by money or possessions, it is defined by the values we hold, the obsession for change we hold and forever recognising that there is always opportunity for progress. Our success to date is nowhere near our vision of impact, and it has not been without extremely tough decisions, heartbreak, doubt and mistakes.

Having a team that is aligned and equally obsessed has meant our vision has withstood the tough times by being met with an openness to change and adapt as needed – to continually evolve (and swallow pride at times!).

Success to us is defined by holding the privilege in living daily toward our larger purpose of impact; living a life that is an integrated mess of family, fun, obsession and progress; and enjoying the connections made with so many like-minded people with the same values toward changing lives – whether that be through nutrition or other means.

1. What is unique about your business?

Our people. Having an idea or vision is a critical step, but the hardest part is turning that vision into an action. Our team, and their ability to plan, react, adapt and think beyond the norm, are what makes what we are doing so much more than your average.

What is the biggest challenge you have had to overcome as a small business owner?

To some, this is likely going to sound weird, but I personally never envisaged this as my career path. However, with such a gap in the market, it was a matter of pursuing this concept and learning (a lot!) as we went. Tears, stress and breakdowns included! The biggest challenge has been becoming comfortable in the uncomfortable, accepting that mistakes were a necessary part of the territory, and allowing all the feels of hard decisions while trying to remove the self judgement that can creep in with them!

1. What led your business to Dashworks?

We loved having the opportunity to honour our business growth to move outside of our home granny flat and into a location that not only had the space, but also an inclusive culture with a diverse range of individuals all doing amazing things! Without the stress of setting up an office from scratch (and all the admin that comes with that!), we were able to make the decision confidently and quickly to meet the quickly changing demands of our small (but mighty!) startup!

1. How are you finding being a member of the Charlestown community?

Honestly loving it! It has been a transition personally to find a new groove after working from home so long (logistics of work plus kids plus household jobs!), but it has been a great step to separating family and home life a little – as I am sure that all business owners can attest, those lines can get very blurry!

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Founded by wife and husband team, Alicia and Dan Edge, Compeat was born out of a performance dietitian’s frustration and an engineer’s determination, both focused on fixing the challenge for building long-term, positive behavioural change and client success.

Together, they’ve created a revolution.

If you are you looking for a dynamic workspace where your business can thrive, why not give Dashworks a try? Join over 120 other professionals and entrepreneurs – book your free 5-day trial here.

Since launching Safe Gauge in 2020 (a short few months ago!), founder and MD Luke Dawson has tested his product extensively, received dozens of orders from both national and international customers, employed a high performing team, earned a highly commended award at the Hunter Manufacturing Awards and taken up a permanent workspace at Dashworks Makespace. We caught up with this dynamo to hear all about his journey so far!

 

Tell us a little about Safe Gauge for anyone out of the loop!

Safe Gauge is a company that was established to design safety related products for the mining, construction and agriculture sectors. Our team has grown from 1 to 11 in just 9 months, and we anticipate continual growth in 2021. Our focus is to provide technicians with safer and more efficient ways to maintain machinery, reducing risk of unnecessary injuries.

What is it that your team provide?

We provide solutions for testing live machinery safely and efficiently. Using our wireless range of products allows technicians to be removed from the line of fire when live testing on heavy mobile plant machinery.

What was your mission at the outset?

Our mission from the start is to create a NEW worldwide safety standard when testing machinery, by designing accurate, reliable and easy to use products. We intend to continue manufacturing our current and future product in Australia and export around the world. 

To what do you attribute your success so far?

The efforts and dedication from our team have been the reason we have grown so rapidly in 9 months. I am very proud to work with some extremely talented and experienced individuals in the Safe Gauge team and the Melt Accelerator.

What is unique about your business?

Safe Gauge is quite unique with our focus on safety around live testing and a strong understanding of what risks and dangers workers are exposed to each day. Being the founder of Safe Gauge and having developed the idea when I was ‘on the tools’ gives us an edge on any competition and allows us to be more effective when designing new products that have a real impact on delivering safety solutions.

What is the biggest challenge you have had to overcome as an entrepreneur building a product?

It was a big challenge for me to take an IDEA and turn that idea into a reliable working product. This was a project I started in 2018 whilst working 60+ hours per week in the Hunter Valley mines to self fund the venture. I worked closely with an extremely experienced electrical engineer who also believed in my vision and by early 2020 the first Safe Gauge product was ready for commercialisation.

What led your business to Dashworks?

The Melt Accelerator introduced us to Dashworks offering workspace for just myself at that time in July 2020. Since then we now lease our own office space, some casual workspaces when needed as well as dedicated workshop space for our engineers, production assembly and warehouse stock.

How are you finding being a member of the Makespace community?

The Makespace community is great, very friendly and easy going, with a mixture of professional small businesses and product makers. We decided to base our team here on a full time basis to work closely with the experienced Melt team, and to have access to the onsite rapid prototyping lab and equipment for future Safe Gauge projects.

Where can we find out more about your business and your growing team?

You can follow our journey on our social channels below:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/safegauge.com.au

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/safegauge

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/safe-gauge

If you would like to be part of an innovative hub of ideas designed to support product development, get in touch with our community coordinators and book a tour.

Matthew McCabe, leading Financial Planner from Newcastle Advisors has been part of the Dashworks Makespace community since late last year. We caught up with him to learn more about his business and his experience as a small business owner.

Thanks for catching up with us Matt, can you share a little bit about Newcastle Advisors?

At Newcastle Advisors, we approach money a little differently.

If you’re looking for someone to sell you a product or tell you everything will be ok (even if it’s not…) we’re probably not the right team for you.

We’re dedicated to helping you build, protect and preserve your wealth.

Whether you’re a young professional just getting started, planning to retire in the next few years or somewhere in between, we’ve got a squad of experienced professionals with great attitudes who are excited to connect the dots in your financial world.

What made you start the journey as a financial planner running your own business?

After 15 years in financial planning, it was time to establish my own business.

Through my experience, I have learned what works and what doesn’t work, and have built a best practice business that has the client at the centre.

What’s the best thing about your role?

Helping people.

Recently we had a potential client visit us at the Dashworks space, who is currently battling cancer. The cancer treatment is currently covered under the pharmaceutical benefits scheme, as she is on the Age Pension.

However, she recently sold her home and was concerned she would no longer qualify for the Age Pension. This would result in having to personally pay for the cancer treatment, which costs over $80,000 a course.

We were able to provide strategies and advice, so she would still qualify for the Age Pension and receive her treatment for free.

Job satisfaction for our team on this day was extremely high!

What would you say is one unique thing about your business, Newcastle Advisors?

We are brutally honest, radically transparent, family owned and client focused.

We are not owned by a big bank or super fund, that provides us with the freedom to provide personable advice to our clients.

You’ve been with us at Makespace for 6 months now, how are you finding coworking from Makespace as space to work near home rather than work from home?

Makespace has been great.

When starting a business I wanted to limit my overheads.

I have learned from previous businesses in the past that have spent enormous amounts on office fit outs and rent, that have found themself in financial trouble.

I have also met many business partners that are now friends.

What’s been your biggest challenge as a business owner and operator? How did you overcome this?

Being found. . .

Letting people know you do what you do…

This has been overcome through a marketing/SEO strategy that I have implemented over the past few months that is starting to bear fruit.

If you could give one piece of advice to business owners considering personal financial planning services, what would it be?

Your financial future isn’t going to plan itself.

If you haven’t achieved your financial goals, it may be beneficial to seek support from a financial planner.

Where can people reach you?

www.newcastleadvisors.com.au

Instagram: instagram.com/newcastleadvisors

Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewcastleAdvisors

If you would like to be part of a community of entrepreneurial business owners like Matt, book a tour with our community coordinators today!

 

Recently at Dashworks Makespace, we had the chance to chat with one of the amazing students participating in Restech’s work-integrated learning projects onsite.

Hi Tiana! Tell us a little about yourself, what are you studying or what degree have you completed?

Hi! I am currently studying Medical Engineering at the University of Newcastle.

• Why did you choose this degree?

I chose to study Medical Engineering because it combines my passions of engineering aspects such as maths and physics, and the more ‘medical’ side, biology and anatomy. It really interests me to be able to design medical devices which can help people.

• What year are you in now?

I have just finished my second year!

• How did you get started at Dashworks Makespace with Restech/Ampcontrol?

I reached out to somebody at Ampcontrol to ask about the Emergency Ventilator Project and was asked if I wanted to come and check it out. From there, I was asked if I wanted to have a tour of the Ampcontrol facilities located within Dashworks, where I met ResTech General Manager Pierre Gouhier and Product Development Manager Chris Bird, who asked If I wanted to do my Industrial Placement with them!

• What is the name of the project you are working on?

I am working on the Emergency Ventilator Project. At the moment I mostly work on untangling the ‘web’ of standards and guides, but sometimes I help out with testing the ventilators.

• What is your role during your work placement? What were some of the highlights doing this work?

I mostly help out wherever I can, whether that be teaching people about the standards, testing, or providing a different point of view on important information. While I have been with ResTech, I have also been helping design a Biomedical Engineering STEM program to be taught to kids in school, focusing on ventilators and the engineering design process. This has been lots of fun to come up with interesting investigations for kids to learn about the things I enjoy.

That sounds like an exciting project! What’s the most interesting project you’ve ever worked on?

The Emergency Ventilator Project is probably the most interesting so far, because it has real world applications, and is relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic. I have learnt a lot about the Medical Device approval process, as well as the inner workings of ventilators. Another honourable mention is the dancing robot I designed as part of an exclusive STEM workshop with Boeing.

When you aren’t working on potentially life-changing or robotic projects, what do you do in your downtime? 

I don’t have a lot of downtime, but when I can relax I like to cook, do dance lessons, make fancy coffee, take my dog for walks, and go to the beach.

How has your time at Dashworks Makespace been beneficial to you?

I have learnt a lot about professional engineering practice, research and design, and the regulatory processes involved with medical devices, which are all very important things.

What’s your dream future look like?

In my dream future, I design medical devices of all sorts to help doctors diagnose, treat patients, and help people with chronic illnesses live an easier and more pain free life. On the side, I design prosthetics and wheelchairs for dogs, cats, and all types of animals that need it!

What advice can you give students looking for real hands-on work experience? 

My best advice for all students is to not be afraid to reach out and ask. If there is a company or project you are interested in, reach out to them and get into touch. The worst thing that can happen is they say no!

Are you looking for an innovative community where your business can thrive?
Start your free 5-day trial at Dashworks now and book a tour.

 

 

Meet Duncan Burck of MCB Business Partners

Duncan Burck is an entrepreneur and innovator, with a wealth of business knowledge that has taken him around the world and back again. He began MCB Business Partners in 2017.

The success of MCB Business Partners comes down to Duncan’s ability to make lasting connections as well as help other businesses overcome challenges and find unique opportunities.

Duncan is now one of our biggest supporters and a founding member, so we sat him down to talk about his career highs and the reasons why he loves working at Dashworks in beautiful Lake Macquarie.

Tell us about MCB and how the business began?

I started working as an Independent Business Consultant in 2000. Over the next 12 years, I worked on a wide variety of projects and businesses around the globe before needing to take a break!

In 2012 I landed a five-year role in the Hunter region that I thought would help me to learn and connect with the local business community. I knew that I’d get back to working for myself one day, so near the end of the contract, I began the process of setting up MCB Business Partners.

I wasn’t sure what we were going to be doing when we started, but thankfully we survived the start-up phase and are travelling along nicely now.

We hear you’re a jack-of-all-trades, what would you say is your greatest strength?

I had a client answer this for me recently; Duncan, she said, ‘you are really resourceful’.

Over the first 12 years of my business journey, there were a lot of times that the work just needed to be done and the resources, be they human or capital, weren’t available. I just had to work it out and make it happen!

This problem-solving attitude is a key part of our evolving company culture and it is something that our clients respond to; coming back to us time and time again with more projects.

What’s the most interesting job you’ve ever had (other than your current role)

In 2005 one of the projects I was developing was picked up by a former Wall Street bank partner.

For the next six years, I worked with the team that he pulled together which included other former bankers and a leading agronomy team from South America to build a biofuel farming business.

Most of my time was spent travelling to hot countries around the equator for research and project investment. Later on, I was part of the management team running Brazilian farming operations; the experiences and lessons I learnt back then were priceless.

We know you’re all about digital transformation, what advice can you give businesses looking to improve their digital integrations and connectivity? 

I’m a big fan of design thinking so starting with the user experience should always be the first step of any transformation, not just digital. Once you have this clear picture of who you are serving you are ready to jump into the next phase of what the technology solution might look like.

My advice is to get to know your users, and when you are developing the solutions, keep them involved.

You also run programs on business innovation. What does innovation mean to you? 

In a business sense, innovation can be anywhere. It could be how you engage your customers, how you manage your workflow, it could even be your approach to strategic planning; there are no limitations on where innovation can happen in a business.

The key for me, is the journey a business goes through to truly understand innovation. I help them dive in to find opportunities for real innovation that will drive growth – it’s fun to watch and be part of!

You’re an amazing networker, how have you continued to grow your connections during COVID?

Amazing networker might be a bit of an overreach! Other than spending a little more time on working my Linked In presence and activity, I haven’t really been worrying too much about making new connections. Currently, we have a great group of clients with an array of projects underway that keeps us busy.

You’re heavily involved in integrating STEM programs into schools, why do you think this is important for our future generations? And what cool projects are you working on?

I’m going to borrow a quote from my colleague, STEM ambassador and comedian Adam Spencer, who borrowed from someone else that is: ‘the pace of change has never been this fast before and the pace of change will never be this slow again, society is rocketing forward at such a pace and STEM is at the centre of it all’. At this point in time, we don’t have enough people with the STEM background and skills to meet our current future workforce requirements.

I work with the NSW Department of Education to help industry bring the application of STEM, particularly in an Australian context, into classrooms. This sees me working with leading Australian companies and tertiary education providers in the areas of advanced manufacturing, space industry, cybersecurity, food manufacturing, Agri-tech and defence.

On the other side of the project, I work closely with an innovative leader in the STEM education space collaborating on new industry programs which support teachers and students.

What do you do in your downtime? 

We have two kids aged seven and three as well as a dog, so downtime is family time. Away from family duties, I am also a director of a not-for-profit charity here in the Hunter.

Why did you choose to work from Dashworks? Has it been beneficial for your business?

Dashworks is close to home, the internet speeds are amazing and the people to learn from or share ideas with, are some of the best in the region. I have particularly enjoyed liaising with Trent Bagnall, Clint Bruin, Pierre Gouhier and Derek Lush to name a few. I highly recommend it; working from Dashworks has been great for me and my business.

 

MCB Business Partners empowers organisations to innovate, transform and take decisive action in the critical growth areas of their business. We are equipped with the knowledge, experience and tools to get up to speed quickly and we deliver results across vertical industries, not-for-profits, community and government organisations.

 

Are you a digital entrepreneur with a growth-mindset like Duncan? Are you looking for a community where your business can thrive in a dynamic regional location? Start your free 5-day trial at Dashworks now by registering your business here.

 

Written and originally published by Let’s Lake Mac

For Dean and Belinda Kidd, life during a pandemic is busy. Their disability support provider, My Goal Australia, has adapted to continue working with their clients. In addition, the couple has just welcomed a third child.

Speaking from their headquarters at shared workspace Dashworks in Charlestown, Dean and Belinda are proud of their balancing act.

“I wouldn’t say our life has slowed down,” Dean laughs.

Garnering 10 years of experience with different NDIS providers, Dean established My Goal Australia in 2016, shaping the business with the goal of offering specialised care.

That ideal has since expanded into a company with over 50 staff, working with clients who have severe and complex needs.

For Dean, it is essential that people with disabilities are given a choice in how they want live.

“Supported independent living is the core focus of our business. Our participants live in 24-hour care, provided onsite by our staff. We create environments that feel like home so that participants feel empowered.”

“We work with people with complex needs. It’s challenging, regulated and involved but it’s exactly where we want to be.”

Theirs is one of many businesses in Lake Mac that have evolved in order to function in a COVID-19 world.

“My Goal Australia has grown inside COVID-19. The pandemic has made us realise how essential our support is and how involved we are with our clients.”

 “We reviewed our rostering policy and instead of sending staff across multiple sites we had them working in just one location. We are managing infection control to a high standard,” Belinda says.

“At the beginning of every shift we check staff for symptoms and take temperatures before they come into contact with participants.”

The strong foundation of their business allowed for a swift response to government regulations.

Continuing to work from their shared office space, Dean and Belinda are inspired by the collaborative nature of Dashworks and appreciate being able to see how other local businesses in Lake Mac are working during COVID-19.

Basing their business in Lake Mac was an obvious choice.

“I grew up in Belmont North,” Belinda says.

“When Dean and I got married we bought a house in Speers Point, we are raising our children in Lake Mac because it has such a strong sense of community and we love living by the lake.”

The decision also suited their business strategy.

“Lake Macquarie was in need of NDIS services, so from a business point of view it made sense to make a space for ourselves,” Dean says.

As well as supported independent living, My Goal Australia works to help its participants access the community.

“Our community programs help our clients to visit local parks, markets and libraries in Lake Macquarie,” Belinda says.

“Our participants face many challenges but our goal is to help them enjoy their life.”

Growing their business (and their family) is an ongoing challenge, but both Dean and Belinda are confident they are on the right track.

“A lot of our participants came from hospital or have been moved around between different providers,” Dean says.

“We are so grateful to provide some stability and a strong team of support so that we can improve lives.”

Lockdown measures might have eased, but for many businesses and organisations, things aren’t quite ‘business as usual’ just yet. The process of recovering from COVID-19 shutdowns will look different for every business, but many will face similar struggles: economic uncertainty, reconfigured workspaces, growth setbacks… The list goes on.

But don’t worry – it’s not all doom and gloom! As we move into new ways of working and look towards the future of business, there are plenty of options available to ensure your company not only survives, but thrives. One such option is coworking.

Coworking spaces were growing steadily in popularity pre-pandemic, and all signs point towards that growth continuing as we get back to work. Let’s take a look at a few of the reasons why coworking is a powerful platform for business recovery post-COVID-19.

It’s great for office overflow

As offices reopen nationwide, social distancing measures are now the norm. And while they’re in place for good reason, they’ll inevitably result in significantly less floor space for the foreseeable future. This means you might be facing logistical problems when trying to bring your team back on board.

That’s where coworking can come in as an ideal option for office overflow. By utilising a coworking space in conjunction with your regular office space, you have a way to bring everybody ‘back to the office’ at once, as safely and easily as possible.

It’s a certain option for uncertain times

Though the worst of the coronavirus threat is hopefully behind us, there’s no doubt that we’re still in unpredictable, unprecedented times – particularly economically. And in such times, it’s no surprise that businesses are looking for lower-risk options as they get back to work.

One of these options is a short-term leasing arrangement such as a business membership with a coworking space. It’s more affordable and less financially risky than dishing out on expensive long-term office space, particularly if you would prefer a flexible arrangement as your business gets back on its feet.

It offers flexibility and scaling options

The flexibility of coworking is one of its greatest assets, and just one of the ways it can help you grow your business. If your aim is to come out of the pandemic with a bigger and better business than ever, you’ll want to get right back to work on your growth strategy.

A coworking space can help you do this by providing a way to rapidly scale up your workforce. As your business grows, your team will undoubtedly grow with it, and coworking offers you the flexibility to bring in new people as and when you need to.

It’s a great alternative to working from home

Working from home essentially became the norm for most people during the height of COVID-19 lockdown. But while it’s an increasingly popular work mode (and will likely continue as such throughout and beyond the pandemic), the reality is that it’s just not for everyone.

Work-from-home burnout/fatigue is a real issue for many employees, particularly with the added pressures of self-isolation in the mix. Add that to potential remote work issues with technology and the like, and it becomes clear that working from home forever isn’t a viable option for certain businesses. But instead of just returning to the traditional office environment, why not consider an alternative like coworking? It’s a great in-between option, combining the flexibility of the WFH approach with the structure and social benefits of a shared workspace.

It’s popular with employees

It’s easy to see why coworking spaces are popular with employees (particularly those for whom working from home isn’t ideal, as discussed above). Coworking offers a range of benefits, from greater autonomy and more flexibility to the practical benefits of a workspace that’s more conveniently located.

It’s a simple calculation, really: the more benefits a workplace offers, the happier employees will be – and the happier they are, the better the business functions. Moving to a coworking space could be a positive change for your employees, and therefore a positive change for your business as a whole!

It helps you test new markets

It’s well known that diversifying markets can give businesses better growth opportunities and decrease risk. If part of your post-COVID growth strategy is to target and test out new markets, there’s no better option than a coworking space.

A coworking space is a great place to set up a satellite office with remote employees. It allows you to branch out into new areas at a lower cost and with lower risk than leasing an expensive traditional office space.

It allows for employee retention and competitive salaries

Something as simple as changing up the everyday workspace or offering more employee benefits can lead directly to greater employee retention – something that’s extra important as your business stabilises and moves forward. Offering a competitive salary is also imperative, particularly in regional areas.

Coworking allows you to do both of these things, giving you a better chance of attracting (and keeping) the best employees and creating a stronger team than ever to face whatever the future brings.

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Thinking about utilising a coworking space to help your business get back to achieving its goals? Take a look at Dashworks’ membership options or get in touch with us for more info!

 

Originally posted on Hunter Headline 

Dashworks member businesses have proven that COVID is no barrier to innovation, creating world-leading products and technology to support the community and businesses during lockdown.

Operating in Charlestown and Warners Bay, Dashworks is home to more than 130 inventors, innovators, professionals, contractors, and business owners across more than 70 businesses.

Among these innovative companies are Ampcontrol, Creative Pipeline and Atmosphere Global.

As a partner in The Melt at Dashworks Makespace, Ampcontrol have been heavily involved with the industrial prototyping lab and innovation accelerator for product developers offered at The Melt.

In an incredible show of ingenuity and innovation, Ampcontrol engineers created an emergency ventilator prototype to support the Australian COIVID-19 response in just 18 days.

Ampcontrol is one of only two groups to be selected by the NSW Government to proceed to pre-production for further testing.

Key components of the ventilator prototype were designed and produced at the Melt site.

Ampcontrol CEO, Rod Henderson, said infrastructure and hubs that enable innovation are vital for the region to survive and bounce back.

“Via The Melt we have been able to rapidly swing our world-leading expertise and production facilities into manufacturing critical emergency medical equipment right here in the Hunter,” Rod said.

“If we go to full production of the ventilators, we could see a whole new industry here in Lake Macquarie and the Hunter supporting the local economy and jobs.”

The next phase of the project will see the production of 10 pilot ventilators with the objective of rapidly manufacturing 600 ventilators for use across NSW.

Dashworks also plays host to Creative Pipeline, another forward-thinking company, developing virtual reality experiences for national and multinational industrial and science-based organisations.

Tim Black, Creative Pipeline’s Founder and Managing Director, says the company has been busier than ever during lockdown.

“VR technology allows employees to train in a safe, virtual world to build skills for risk management and hazard detection,” Tim said.

“There has been a huge growth in the demand for this type of immersive training, particularly within industries like underground mining to better manage risks in dangerous environments.

Tim said that COVID has created an even greater need for the technology.

“Before the health crisis employees were required to attend group, face-to-face VR training sessions.”

“As COVID-19 emerged, we pumped resources into research and development and created a whole new product offering allowing the training to be delivered remotely and across multiple locations. Importantly, this allows organisations to adhere to social distancing measures and reduce health risks for their employees.”

Tim added that having access to Dashworks, where his team could meet safely, was critical to project delivery.

“We did work-from-home for some weeks when COVID-19 initially hit. But when restrictions started to ease, we moved back to Dash as soon as we could,” he said.

“The intense, collaborative nature of what we do is much easier when we’re working in a central place. We work on highly complex technology and concepts, so collaboration and rapid development is so important to delivering quality programs.

“Accessing a flexible workspace has allowed us to keep costs down whilst providing the flexibility we need to rapidly scale up our team to meet market demand.”

Atmosphere Global has been a member of Dashworks since 2017. The company produces and distributes plant-based cleaning products to Australian and international customers.

Atmosphere’s Founder and Director, Shane Ormsby, said the company had developed a coronavirus safe product prior to the epidemic, but demand has surged since the outbreak.

“We could see there was a need for an environmentally formulated but heavy-duty cleaning products that are effective against viruses and bacteria,” Shane said.

“Given the environmentally friendly components, we’ve expanded our distribution during the outbreak to support schools, hospitals, waste management and agricultural operations.”

Shane said that working in a shared office with a strong community has powerful benefits.

“We’ve had access to a much wider network of professionals and industry experts. These relationships across digital marketing, accounting and manufacturing have been so critical especially over the past few months.”

“Working together and co-creating has allowed us to support our coworking colleagues who’ve experienced a downturn whilst successfully expand our production and reach into new markets.”

To support businesses to recover and thrive Dashworks is offering one free month of rent for organisations or individuals that sign up for six months and two months free for twelve-month memberships.