Member Profile | Melissa Duncombe, embracing Wollondilly’s Charm and Entrepreneurial Spirit

“I’ve enjoyed meeting everyone in the office-  it’s such a great team and it really feels like a community that you are creating at WorkLife Picton. So I love being part of the community. I love that there’s regular fresh fruit and Cider on tap- it’s just all those other little things that just make it feel extra special to be there”

Melissa has always been in property and it’s apparent that she genuinely loves helping people get into their own home. It was a delight to interview her for this month’s WorkLife Member’s profile. 

Can you tell us a bit about your journey to Wollondilly? How did you end up here and what attracted you to this community?

I’ve always been in Southwest Sydney and I love the greenery out here. I love the atmosphere. I grew up on acreage myself. So I feel like I’ve continued to gravitate further out to chase the greenery, chase acreage, and chase the lifestyle. 

Tell us about your business. How and when did you decide to start it, and what motivated you to take the plunge into entrepreneurship?

So I’ve been running the Finance Circle for two years now and I decided to start my own business because I have two young boys and I went back to work after my first boy part-time and just the juggle was incredibly difficult. So when I had my second little one I I took the opportunity to go out on my own, which is something I’ve always wanted to do. My background is in real estate. So it made sense. I really understood the sales process. I already had contacts in the industry. I could jump right in and hit the ground running as a Mortgage and Finance broker and it’s been great. I can work everything around my family. It can be flexible and I can attend all the events I want to with my kids. I love it.

I think there’s something very special about having your own home and being able to add those unique touches that make your space your own. I also think that as you get older it’s super important to have an asset that you’ve paid off later on in life. That way you’re not getting to retirement age  and having to stress about how you’re going to make those repayments when everything is going up. In terms of a longer-term strategy and building wealth for you and your family it’s great to get into the market and start paying off something. 

What does work-life balance look like for you? How do you manage the demands of running a business while ensuring time for family and personal life?

Maintaining work-life balance is crucial for me, especially with two young boys at home. My husband is truly supportive. So he’s one in a million. He obviously does a lot of stuff in the background as well with the kids, and we have a very organised calendar schedule just to make sure that everything is on track, with the events that we have on the weekend for kids, work appointments, it’s all carefully programmed to make sure we’re not double booking things.

One of the reasons why I started my Business was flexibility. So obviously I do have moments where I am working and I do have other times where I switch off and spend time with the kids. It is a constant juggle to keep making that work.

I’m also quite minimalistic at home and I find that a lot of clutter stresses me out. So I find I need to tie up things, reorganise my space just to get me back into the work mindset. 

In your industry, what recent disruptions or transitions have had the most significant impact on your business?

There are a lot of properties being developed, a lot of land being delayed and pressures to navigate. So it means that there is a bit of a shortage of properties around so that’s kept the market quite stable in terms of pricing, but it’s also made it quite competitive for people to get into the market. Wherever there are multiple buyers wanting to obtain the same property does put the pressure on. At the same time with the RBA increases over the last 18 months that has I guess caused a lot of issues with budgeting as well, especially for younger families in the area. Navigating increases in repayments changes has a big impact on family budgeting – so I’ve worked closely with a lot of families to help them reduce their repayments or finding options to consolidate debt. So the largest disruption of the last few years has been navigating the impacts of rising interest rates and helping people stay on their feet at this time.

Outside of work, what are your hobbies and passions? How do you like to spend your time when you’re not focused on business or family?

I’m fairly busy just being a mum in general and being a business owner. But I do enjoy having coffee and having playdates with my friends as well, and getting to restaurants when I can. We’ll go on picnics occasionally and bring some treats along. The botanic gardens are lovely, we like to spend time there. We also like to go to cafes as well. My boys love milkshakes, so that’s another thing that we do as well, as well as cramming in as many outdoor activities as we can. 

Are there any books or podcasts you’ve found particularly inspiring or informative recently? Any recommendations for the WorkLife community?

I find mortgage broker/ finance-related podcasts like The Advisor (https://www.theadviser.com.au/podcast) invaluable for staying updated on industry trends and insights. For personal finance management tips, I really recommend My Millennial Money, (https://www.thisis.money) which covers a wide range of topics relevant to young professionals and first-time buyers.

What is your taste like? Do you have a favourite item of furniture or object in your home? Anything that has special significance or tells a story about your family?

My husband and I like to collect antique pieces. There’s a particular table that we had handmade as one of the first pieces for our home. Our dining table is made of recycled pallet Timber. We had someone create it for us from recycled varnished Timber that is beautiful and also very hard wearing. It’s really great because the kids can draw on it, they can spill food on it and nothing damages the timber and it’s so beautiful.

If you were to showcase the best of the local lifestyle to visiting friends, where would you take them and why?

I would definitely take them to the Rail Museum, a firm family favorite. I’ve got two young boys and they love trains and anything mechanical that moves. I also see when the boys grow up a little bit we might be spending some time at the Picton go-kart track. There are some great things around that can satisfy weekend fun for some little boys. 

What’s your go-to productivity hack? How do you stay organised and efficient, especially with multiple responsibilities?

I’m very digitally-focused in my business. So I rely a lot on technology to streamline the client experience. That involves clients uploading their documents in an easy-to-navigate portal that creates a much faster process these days. 

Lastly, what’s been the most valuable aspect of being a member at WorkLife for you and your business?

I’ve enjoyed meeting everyone in the office-  it’s such a great team and it really feels like a community that you are creating at WorkLife Picton. So I love being part of the community. I love that there’s regular fresh fruit and Cider on tap- it’s just all those other little things that just make it feel extra special to be there.