When Jane Cay fell in love with a boy in a cowboy hat and moved to a sheep farm in the NSW Snowy Mountains, she had no idea of the future that lay ahead of her.
Looking for a way to make her own contribution, Jane founded online fashion store Birdsnest in 2008, and opened a retail shop in Cooma. Since then, business growth has exploded, with employee numbers increasing from five to 140. Birdsnest has won an array of industry awards, including ranking fourth on the BRW Great Places to Work in Australia list.
Jane says that a happy team has been an “absolute focus”, with almost all of her employees living in the local region. “You wouldn’t believe the wealth of talent that you find in a regional area like this. We have everyone from fashion designers to digital marketing experts, software engineers, operations and warehouse managers – all working under this one roof.”
She says she cherishes the decision to move to regional Australia, and believes Cooma is perfectly located for both lifestyle and business. “We’re an hour from the snow, an hour from the coast, and an hour from cosmopolitan Canberra. And from a business point of view, it’s so important that we can access that distribution network and get those parcels out across Australia overnight.”
Jane encourages people to consider a regional location as a place to live and work, as it allows you to live life at a leisurely pace, while taking advantage of technology to tap into fast-paced international markets. “Come and join us, and live in the slow lane and work in the fast lane. It’s awesome!”
For more information, visit Birdsnest. You can learn more about living and working in the Snowy Mountains at www.snowymonaro.nsw.gov.au and visiting the region at www.visitsnowymountains.com.au.