Small Business Month: virtual help, unique gifts, holistic health

Started back in 2019, Clare Doye began Direct Virtual Consulting as a side hustle and quickly grew and took on a life of its own. It is now a thriving full time Virtual Administration business supporting various business owners with their administration tasks. Services offered are customer service by email and phone, data entry, digital filing.

“Many businesses need extra support but can’t justify the cost of a full time team member,” Clare said. 

Bringing in a Virtual Assistant means you can have the support your business needs without having to do payroll. This allows business owners to expand their team and delegate tasks so the owner can focus on the parts of their business that they excel in.

“VAs are external contractors, so we invoice for the time spent on your business, and because we are experts, we are efficient.”

Clare has energy, enthusiasm, and a great sense of humour that sets her apart in the virtual working arena. She thrives on working with established business owners who know they need support and are excited to grow their business. Her passion for helping others is evident when working with like-minded people. 

Clare values becoming a team member and an integral part of your business. She is not just a person who you outsource to. She is on board to share the trials and tribulations of growing your business, and she’s as enthusiastic about your business success as you are. 

Clare is lit-up when she is working on projects that she’s passionate about, and that’s why she carefully selects clients who run businesses aligned to her values.

“Every business is unique, and finding the right virtual assistant can move your business in the right direction.”

Glen Innes local Janie Kent is the business owner/operator at Rhubarb and Rosie, a wonderful custom gift store offering flowers, hampers, cakes and more. Janie has lived in Glen Innes all her life and works with her daughters Angie and Leanne, both who are very talented at their jobs creating beautiful flower arrangements, hampers and gifts. 

“Our store is brimming with fresh flowers, freshly baked cupcakes, indoor plants, gourmet foods, pots, homewares and bath/body products,” Janie said.

“We specialise in custom gifting including flower and cupcake packages, hampers and more.” 

Janie has a love of food, which she puts into cupcakes and special occasion cakes baked in small batches and cakes baked to order. 

All 3 girls love their plants also, and the shop can be like a jungle at times with all of the lush greenery.

“Our store is a delight for the senses. The scent of fresh flowers, cakes baking and lovely soaps and bath/body products makes the store a “happy place” for many of our regular customers,” Janie said. 

“Our business is special as we are all native Glen Innes people who love the town and community.  We strive to help you deliver the perfect gift for any occasion, and will always go the extra mile to source products that we may not stock.”

Rhubarb and Rosie deliver to Glen Innes, Inverell, Guyra, Armidale, Deepwater, Tenterfield and Emmaville 5 days per week.

Highlands Naturopathy are a natural therapies clinic located in the heart of Glen Innes, servicing the New England region. They use an integrative holistic health model to support a range of chronic health conditions.

Jean Martain is the founder and practitioner of Highlands Naturopathy. Jean ran a private practice in Sydney before relocating to Glen Innes to enjoy country life with her dogs, and continues to travel to Sydney each month for her Sydney clinic. She is trained in all areas of general naturopathic practice.

Alongside diet and lifestyle advice, naturopathy seeks to improve the tone, function and vigour of body systems and tissues to enhance well being. Combining the latest evidence based treatments with traditional knowledge, we work as a detective to identify contributing factors and underlying causes of imbalance.

Holistic health assessments, treatment plans, testing referrals and herbal medicine prescriptions are included with a naturopathic consultation.

“We stand out amongst the crowd for our minimalist approach.”

“We believe that diet and lifestyle factors are the key foundations for long lasting health and prescribe natural medicines minimally.

“Our approach is to test rather than guess to target treatment and we take our time with every patient to ensure no stone is left uncovered.”

“Our approach ensures that the service is practical and affordable, and avoids masking symptoms without identifying underlying drivers of illness.”

With a passion for integrated care, all patients are provided with an in-depth health summary letter for their GP to ensure everyone is in the loop and we pride ourselves on our collaborative approach.