Building a Business That Makes a Difference: Fiona Sorensen’s Journey with Sorensen Cleaning & Support 

What began as a small local cleaning business has grown into a trusted provider of professional cleaning and NDIS support services across Gippsland. Fiona Sorensen, founder of Sorensen

Cleaning & Support Pty Ltd, has built a business grounded in compassion, quality, and community. As a proudly Aboriginal-owned business, Sorensen Cleaning & Support is creating meaningful employment opportunities while delivering reliable, person-centred services that make a genuine difference in people’s lives. 

Background & Business Journey 

Sorensen Cleaning & Support Pty Ltd is a proudly Aboriginal-owned business based in Gippsland, Victoria, providing professional cleaning and NDIS support services across the region. We specialise in domestic, commercial, and specialised cleaning, as well as personalised disability support including community access, personal care, domestic assistance, transport, and respite. Our focus is on delivering reliable, compassionate, and high-quality services that empower individuals to live safely and independently while maintaining strong relationships with clients, families, and referral partners. 

Our business began with a simple goal: to provide reliable, compassionate services that genuinely make a difference in people’s lives. What started as a small local cleaning business has grown into a trusted provider of both professional cleaning and NDIS support services across Gippsland. 

Through a strong focus on quality, community relationships, and personalised care, our business has continued to grow through word of mouth, referrals, and a commitment to going above and beyond for our clients. 

As a proudly Aboriginal-owned business, we are passionate about creating employment opportunities, supporting our local community, and delivering services with integrity and respect. 

Today, we support hundreds of clients across domestic, commercial, aged care, and disability sectors, employing a growing local team. Our journey has been shaped by resilience, continuous improvement, and the trust our clients and referral partners place in us every day.

What motivates us most is the opportunity to make a genuine difference in people’s lives while creating meaningful employment within our local community. Every new client we support and every team member we employ allows us to have a greater positive impact across Gippsland. 

As a proudly Aboriginal-owned business, we are passionate about delivering high-quality, person-centred services and providing opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds. Seeing our clients gain independence, our staff grow in confidence and skills, and our business become a trusted provider for families, organisations, and the community continues to drive us to improve and expand our services. 

Journey With Many Rivers 

When we first connected with Many Rivers, we were looking for guidance and support with business development. As our business was growing quickly, we wanted assistance to strengthen our systems, plan for sustainable growth, and build a solid foundation for the future. Many Rivers provided valuable advice, practical tools, and ongoing mentorship that helped us make informed decisions and confidently take the next steps in expanding our business. 

The planning workshops and business tools have given us greater clarity, structure, and confidence in how we operate and grow our business. They have helped us strengthen our business planning, set clear goals, improve our systems and processes, and make more informed decisions. The practical resources and ongoing support have enabled us to build a stronger, more sustainable business while continuing to deliver high-quality services to our clients and community. 

Since joining the program, our perspective on business growth has shifted from simply expanding our client base to building a sustainable business with strong systems, capable leadership, and long-term impact. We’ve become more strategic in our planning and more confident in making decisions that support steady growth. 

The program has also reinforced the importance of creating meaningful local employment opportunities and investing in our team. As our business has grown, we’ve been able to employ more people from our community while increasing our capacity to support clients across Gippsland. Rather than focusing solely on income, we’ve come to see growth as an opportunity to strengthen our business, create jobs, and make a lasting positive difference in the communities we serve. 

Business Growth & Impact 

The most valuable part of the program has been the ongoing support and mentorship. Having Gina alongside us throughout our journey has made a real difference. She has been incredibly understanding of how quickly our business has grown and how rapidly things can change, always adapting her advice to meet us where we are.

Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all approach, Gina has taken the time to understand our business and provide practical guidance that we could apply straight away. Knowing we have someone we can turn to for advice and support has given us the confidence to make important business decisions and continue growing in a sustainable way. 

The program has had a significant impact on both me personally and on our business. It has given me greater confidence as a business owner, strengthened my decision-making, and helped me think more strategically about long-term growth. 

For our business, it has helped us improve our planning, systems, and overall structure, allowing us to grow in a sustainable way while maintaining the high standard of service we pride ourselves on. The support and guidance we’ve received have played an important role in helping us expand our team, support more clients across Gippsland, and build a stronger foundation for the future. 

When we first started, our main goal was to build a trusted local cleaning business that delivered high-quality, reliable services. As the business has grown, those goals have evolved into creating a sustainable organisation that not only provides exceptional cleaning services but also meaningful NDIS support and employment opportunities within our community. 

We feel we’re making strong progress towards those goals. We’ve expanded our services, grown our team, and built lasting relationships with clients and referral partners across Gippsland. While our vision has become much bigger than when we first started, our core values of quality, compassion, and community have remained the same. The program has helped us turn those long-term goals into achievable plans and has given us the confidence to continue growing with purpose. 

As our business continues to grow, one of our biggest challenges is managing that growth while maintaining the high standard of service our clients expect. We’re continually refining our systems, recruiting and training the right people, and ensuring we have the capacity to meet increasing demand without compromising quality. 

We’re also focused on strengthening our internal processes and leadership to support our expanding team. Rather than seeing these as obstacles, we view them as opportunities to keep improving and building a business that is sustainable, resilient, and able to support our community well into the future. 

Although we did not receive a loan through the SBD program, our involvement focused on the business development support, planning workshops, and ongoing mentoring. 

The guidance and practical advice we received have been invaluable in helping us strengthen our business. The program has helped us improve our planning, refine our systems, and make more informed decisions as we’ve continued to grow. Having access to experienced mentors and tailored business support has had a lasting positive impact on our confidence and the way we approach future growth. 

Future Goals & Advice 

Our next steps are focused on continuing to grow sustainably while maintaining the high standard of service our clients know us for. We plan to expand our reach across Gippsland, grow our team, and continue creating meaningful employment opportunities within the local community. 

We’re also focused on strengthening our internal systems, investing in staff development, and expanding our NDIS and commercial service offerings to meet increasing demand. Our long-term goal is to continue building a business that is trusted, community-focused, and able to make a lasting positive impact for our clients, employees, and the region. 

The support we’ve received has given us greater confidence in both our vision and our ability to achieve it. While we know there will always be challenges as the business continues to grow, we now have stronger systems, clearer goals, and the knowledge to navigate them.

We’ve already achieved milestones that once felt out of reach, which gives us confidence that we’re on the right path. We’re excited about the future and remain committed to building a sustainable business that creates opportunities, supports our community, and continues making a positive difference across Gippsland. 

I would encourage any Indigenous business owner to take advantage of the program. The support goes far beyond business advice-it provides genuine mentorship, practical tools, and people who are invested in seeing your business succeed. 

The program meets you where you are, whether you’re just starting out or looking to grow, and gives you the confidence to make informed decisions for the future. Having someone in your corner who understands the challenges of running a business and celebrates your successes along the way is invaluable. It’s been an important part of our journey, and I would highly recommend it to other Indigenous entrepreneurs looking to build a strong, sustainable business. 

 

Learn More 

To learn more about Sorensen Cleaning & Support Pty Ltd or connect with Fiona and the team, visit: 

Website: www.sorensencleaning.com.au 

Facebook: Sorensen Cleaning & Support 

Instagram: @sorensencleaningandsupport 

TikTok: @sorensencleaning 

Interested in starting or growing your own business? Connect with Many Rivers to access practical business support, mentoring and workshops designed to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander entrepreneurs build strong, sustainable businesses.

CLICK HERE to see if Many Rivers is right for you

B0010055