“My goal has always been to help relieve the busyness, stress and overwhelm that comes with our current always-on, information flooded lifestyles.”
Nerin Chappell of Positively Sorted has been in business for 12 years now. Nerin originally started by using her knowledge and passions – gained from 13 years of working for a major retailer in operations, administration, marketing and franchisee support roles – to help reduce people’s stress and overwhelm. The method has changed a lot over the years, from being a professional organiser to now using her skills to reduce the admin workload and improving the operations and systems of her clients.
Nerin’s main aim, since starting Positively Sorted, has always been to help relieve the busyness, stress and overwhelm that comes with our current always-on, information flooded lifestyles.
At Positively Sorted, Nerin helps NDIS providers break through administrative bottlenecks and improve cashflow by offering consulting, training or outsourced Australian VAs, using her proven NDIS intake and billing processes – so they can focus on growing their team and supporting participants.
“HerBusiness is a network of women in business that I can share fresh perspectives with and learn from.”
Nerin recently joined the HerBusiness Network because she was looking for inspiration and a different viewpoint on where she might be missing pieces of knowledge around growing a team and scaling a business that can run without her there 24/7.
“HerBusiness, to me, is a network of women in different levels and types of business, that I can share fresh perspectives with and learn from.”
Who’s your favourite entrepreneur and why?
Tough question! I take different tips and learnings from many and have learnt over the years that there’s no one size fits all advice. I admire Leila Hormozi except for the “hustle” part, I connect with the ideals of Mike and Adriene from Run Like Clockwork, and am very inspired by James Wedmore for the online marketing expertise with the woo/personal development aspect.
Why did you start your business and what gave you the idea?
I originally started to use my knowledge and passions to help reduce people’s stress and overwhelm. The method has changed a lot over the years. I started out as a professional organiser! These days I get to reduce the stress of our clients by reducing their admin workload and improving their operations and systems, and make sure their cashflow keeps flowing.
Along the way I also fell in love with being able to work around family commitments, and have tried to help my team and my students do the same.
What do you enjoy most about running your own business?
The variety. There’s always a new challenge, a new client with different systems, a new team member with different things to learn. I love learning, figuring things out and teaching. This business is plenty of that every day.
What three pieces of advice do you wish you’d been given when you started?
- People won’t notice if it’s not up to my perfect standards. Done is better than perfect
- It’s not personal. There are any number of reasons why someone didn’t go ahead with my services. It’s usually nothing to do with not being good enough.
- There’s no such thing as failure. Just get it out there and if it’s not quite right that’s how you learn and improve and get clearer on what’s needed.
What advice would YOU give someone thinking about starting a business?
Networking, collaborating, and getting to know people is one of the best investments you can make. It can be nerve wracking getting started but most people are too busy worrying about how they are being seen or who they can talk to, they’re not judging me.
What skills and knowledge areas would you recommend those starting out in business get acquainted with quickly?
Understanding what your ideal client wants/needs and who they are. This helps with developing the product and your systems, but especially marketing so you can speak their language, focus on what type of marketing and where.
Then understanding the numbers of your business and getting the systems in place to ensure efficiency and quality.
What does your IDEAL business look like? Even if you’re not there yet, what would it look like if your business was ideal?
A well known specialist NDIS admin support team offering outsourced admin, consulting and training on admin systems. We’re part way there, and then ideally it can still scale while I come back to part time hours as the consultant/trainer.
What problem does being a Member of the HerBusiness Network solve for you and your business? And, how?
I need to see what’s possible and where I might be missing pieces of knowledge around growing a team and scaling a business that I’m not tied to 24×7.
HerBusiness to me is a network of women in different levels and types of businesses to share fresh perspectives and learn from each other.
Learn more about Nerin and Positively Sorted.
