The Speech Centre
As we are launching our speech pathology service under a new name, we are nostalgically reposting how Talkshop (formerly The Speech Centre) was featured in the Manly Daily. The article explores how the Centre’s Clinical Director and Founder, Mimi Naylor, utilised business mentoring and education in business management through TAFE to build her own success story. To read the article in full check it out here. Talkshop is open from 8am to 6pm weekdays and 8am until 2:30pm Saturdays to service your speech and language needs.
How a mentorship program helped Mimi Naylor open her own business
BEFORE having children Mimi Naylor would spend many hours commuting to a job she loved.
Now she runs her own business in Forestville, lives nearby and can do school pick-ups.
While she enjoyed working as a speech pathologist she had always envisaged being her own boss — she just didn’t know how to do it.
“I realised that although I had experience as a clinician, I lacked the experience of an entrepreneur,” Mrs Naylor said.
Her first step to success was completing a small business management course at Brookvale TAFE, which she achieved while she was on maternity leave with her youngest child, followed by a mentorship program through the Northern Sydney Institute.
“I became a parent to be a parent, but I also wanted to pursue my dream of starting my own business,” Mrs Naylor said.
“I understood the value of mentorship and I ended up receiving advice from industry experts.
“One of the most important lessons and ingredients to entrepreneurial success is to surround yourself with people to help give direction and bring the dream alive.”
She opened The SPEECH Centre 18 months ago and it is now a thriving business with three employees.
Mrs Naylor is using her new-found business skills on a daily basis and she already has plans to open a second clinic.
“It’s been a wild ride,” she said. “It’s been glorious and also totally terrifying.
“TAFE gave me some of those foundational skills and a glimpse into what it could be like, so I knew enough to just hold on.”
Contact us to book an assessment today or visit our FREE weekly Drop-In Clinic to talk to one of our Speech Pathologists