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2021
3 September 2021
'Nobody had done that before': Alison reflects on challenges following business award nomination
Alison Broinowski has reflected on her business Perfectly Sorted and how it's grown in light of a recent award nomination for her as its leader.
Alison was recently announced as a finalist in the Western NSW Business Awards in the 'Outstanding Business Leader' category. It's also the only Mid-Western business to earn a nomination, though the Mudgee Business Chamber is nomination in the 'Outstanding Local Chamber' category, of which Alison is President.
The nomination for Alison was vindication that the business, now three years old, is onto a winning idea.
When the business began in 2018, it was a two-person operation, operating in a world where it wasn't sure if it would succeed and if there was an appetite for the kind of interior and business styling it offered.
"One of our biggest challenges has been breaking into providing a service that nobody had done before as far as property staging for sale," Alison said.
"We had to educate and convince the agents and the public about why it was a good idea. And the proof is now in the pudding, you know, it's becoming more and more the norm.
"The fact that we are averaging over 110 properties a year is really showing that what we're doing is working."
But now, three years later, having weathered a number of lockdowns, the pandemic and a brief expansion cut short, Alison says the business has never been more successful under her watchful eye. One angle Alison has been able to take has been virtual fit outs for clients that they aren't able to meet due to travel restrictions.
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"I think it's given us an opportunity to compete with the city guys. And the support for regional has been so strong, it's given us a little bit of an advantage."
We asked Alison to look ahead at what is next for Perfectly Sorted and her team.
"Our key is customer experience. And we try and set ourselves apart on that," she said.
Alison made a point to thank everyone that believed in them early on and hopes the local support continues.
"I think we just have to be truly grateful and thankful that they basically went with us and believed what we said and believed in us," she said.
"I think the biggest key is support local. If you can go and buy furniture from the big retailers try and avoid the big retailers and support the small retailers.
"Not just us, but everybody. It's just shop local support local, because if we don't know we may not be here1 ."