Meet Stacey Weatherall, the small business owner of “Yamaats” based in Armidale, NSW
Meet Stacey Weatherall, a proud Gamilaraay and Gumbaynggirr woman, who runs her own small business called “Yaamats” to sell welcome door mats in different Aboriginal languages. Through her business, Stacey wants to help First Nations people connect with their identity and share their language with all Australians. She is passionate about improving the self-worth and well-being of First Nation people.
“The business coaching and having someone to bounce ideas off have been the most valuable assistance from Many Rivers. It’s great to have my business coach, Sarah to talk to and get advice from.”
Read more about Stacey’s business journey so far:
Stacey’s Business
I’m a proud Gumbaynggirr and Gamilaraay woman, and I run my own small business “Yaamats” here in Armidale, NSW. I launched my business during NAIDOC Week in July 2024 and I sell welcome door mats in different Abroginal languages.
What were you doing before you made contact with Many Rivers? Why did you want to go into business?
Before reaching out to Many Rivers, I was completing the Djirruwang Program at Charles Sturt University and graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Health Science (Mental Health). Moving forward, I started developing my product to get the business off the ground. I connected with Sarah from Many Rivers in May 2024, and we worked together before my business launch.
Working with Many Rivers
I came across Many Rivers while doing online research for small business support, specifically for Indigenous businesses.
Why did you want to go into business?
With my background in mental health, I wanted to help people reconnect with their culture through language. My goal was to create something simple yet meaningful to help strengthen cultural connections. Having these welcome mats outside schools, for example, promotes Aboriginal culture and helps keep the language alive.
What services did you receive from Many Rivers? How did it help?
Many Rivers helped me with a small loan and provided support with financial planning, like cash flow management and forecasting.
What did you find the most useful about the assistance from Many Rivers?
“The business coaching and having someone to bounce ideas off have been the most valuable assistance from Many Rivers. It’s great to have my business coach, Sarah to talk to and get advice from.”
Did you get a loan from MR? How did you use the loan?
Yes, I got a loan from Many Rivers. I had an unexpected expense when I had to pay importation taxes for the mats, which I bring in from India. I handle all the designs and send them to the manufacturer. The loan came in handy to cover that unplanned cost.
Do you have any current employees? If so, how many employees? Are they full-time or part-time?
It’s just me.
Biggest Challenge
Marketing has been my biggest challenge. I’ve finished the manufacturing side of things, but now I need to focus on promoting my business.
Biggest Success
My biggest success so far was attending the NAIDOC event. Our sales were amazing during our first NAIDOC week!
Biggest Change
It’s given me more flexibility to be present in my everyday life.
Future Goals
In the future, I want to set up a supply chain so I can sell my mats in bulk to stores instead of one at a time. In the short term, I plan to keep working with Many Rivers to improve my financial skills, like bookkeeping and accounting.
Thank you, Stacey for sharing your business journey with us. We wish you the best of luck with future endeavours and business success.
If you would like to stay updated with Lena and her small business, follow “Yaamats” through the following link:
Website: https://yaamats.com/
We love to encourage people to take the first step towards kick-starting their small business ideas. Do you have a business idea?
CLICK HERE to see if Many Rivers is right for you
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