The snap lockdown of the region took everyone by surprise over last weekend, however, some business owners are just taking it in their stride as another hurdle to be crossed.
Bathurst local Tanya-lee Holmes, owner and head baker at Imperfectly Perfect Sugar Cookies, is one of those resilient business owners that is getting on with job and ensuring she helps those around her do the same.
Tanya-lee’s quirky range of colourful sugar treat cookies have become a hit with her customers over the last 3 years. So much so that she has been nominated for the Ausmumpreneur awards for the second year running.
Tanya-lee has been nominated in two People’s Choice categories and two judged categories, something which took her by surprise.
“I was very humbled to be nominated again, there are so many amazing women out there,” said Tanya-lee
The award nomination is a recognition of the long road Tanya-lee has had to overcome to get her business established, after a shock medical condition left her partially paralysed in 2016.
Having raised two children with disabilities, Tanya-lee had always installed in them a confidence that they could do anything they put their mind to, and when she acquired her own disability, it was only natural that she would find a way to continue to move forward in her own way.
After looking for work and realising that her physical disability would be a problem for potential employers, she turned her hobby of baking into a small homebred cottage business, initially supplying friends and family with sugary treats.
The business soon grew to a point where Tanya-lee now ships cookies all over the country and prior to COVID was in hot demand for weddings and other events.
Using her social media channels in a truly authentic way, Tanya-lee has built a loyal following that support her business by putting the reality of her life out there. So when COVID hit, she found things that her clients would still want like DIY Kits for home baking and themed cookie bags that have seen her be dubbed the ‘Cookie Dealer’.
“The cookie business is not just about cookies to me, it’s a way that I can connect with people and give back. If we all share our struggles, then people don’t feel as alone when they go through their own issues,” said Tanya-lee.
When the recent stay at home orders began to ramp up in the region, Tanya used her social media platform to launch a new initiative to support local Bathurst Businesses.
Launching a new instagram account @supportbathurstbiz and inviting people to tag their favourite businesses, Tanya-lee was amazed at the take up and discovered a lot of businesses that she didn’t know existed as well.
“There are so many great businesses out there and many are home based so I had not heard of a lot of them,” she said.
As a home based business herself, operating out of her shipping container bakery headquarters, Tanya-lee is paying it forward to all other businesses in what will be a challenging time, even if the stay at home orders are brief.
“Life is too short to worry about the negative stuff,” Tanya said, a sentiment that everyone should take on in this current environment.
Front Page Image Credit: Kirsten Cunningham
To vote for Tanya-lee in the awards go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/nswact21
Follow her on instagram https://www.instagram.com/imperfectlyperfectsugarcookies/
Support Bathurst Businesses https://www.instagram.com/supportbathurstbiz/
