Breaking the bias on International Women's Day, interview with Sandi Grace CEO Grace Professional Services

International Women’s Day theme for 2022 #breakthebias resounded personally with Sandi Grace, CEO Grace Professional Services and she enjoyed joining the raw chat with other local Frankston city founders.

Co Squared Sue Anderson interviewed Sandi, Deb McQueen from You Group and Cyanna Negrea, owner of Miss Velvet Boutique about how they rose to business success during a pandemic and the impact this had on their businesses.

The collective focus for International Women’s Day this year is to imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.

Sandi, Deb and Cynanna discuss candidly about their different experiences of bias and stereotyping.

‘I remember walking into a boardroom of experienced men, a 20-year-old female with blonde hair and having to tell them their concept was wrong. I was intimidated but I pushed through, and their decision was swayed in my favour, from that moment I knew that I needed to break the boundaries and it could be done’ Sandi said.

Cyanna who has started her retail fashion business, Miss Velvet Boutique said she has dealt with being stereotyped as she is a younger person owning her own business. Cyanna is often asked ‘Can I speak to the owner?’  and Deb from You Group has had similar experiences being a female business owner.

Courage and inspiration were paramount in beginning each of their business journeys.

Sandi talks honestly about her reason behind starting her NDIS Support Coordination business two years ago and the difficulties she has faced as a parent of a child with a disability. This has given her a unique perspective as a NDIS service provider, making her aim for excellence in the service that she offers to her participants.

Starting a successful business during lockdown has been a major achievement for all three women.
Sandi explains that having resilience and never giving up helped her survive the relentless lockdowns.

‘I just could not give up; it was not an option for us to not provide the services for our participants through lockdown. I had to redesign the business model and consider the safety for my participants and my employees. I started the business with one staff member and became a registered NDIS provider in February before lockdown began, now we have thirty employees, and we now support over 750 participants’
​
To learn more about the inspirational stories and journey of these three women, watch the full interview here courtesy of Invest Frankston…