importantly , would let me support women in the workplace and give them a good wage , benefits , training , let them enjoy their jobs and still look after their kids .”

After having this idea for the business , Emily set about researching what she needed to do to start it up . She decided on only working with regular clients and offering them packages which could be tailored to their needs .

Her clients would have a choice of Dettol cleaning products , or an environmentally friendly option and her staff would be trained to the highest levels and with a focus on hygiene and attention to detail . When she was satisfied she had done all her homework , she left behind her corporate job - something that wasn ’ t easy for her to do .

“ I took a leap of faith to start up Brighter Choices , but I believed in the idea and didn ’ t want to wake up one day and regret not doing it ,” Emily said .

“ It was hard to give up my job , but I still need to keep up with the industry as I have my own employees and I still do occasional mentoring for some managers and industry professionals , and I ’ m passionate about that industry .”

Her leap of faith has seen Brighter Choices grow to employing 29 people in its first year , including 25 cleaning staff , a marketing manager , a recruiter and an assistant , and they are looking to continue to grow and employ more local people in the business .

Not only that , the cloths and mops

which are used in each home are professionally cleaned after each use by a business in Castle Hill , helping our local economy .

As well as the hard work Emily has put in to develop her idea , part of her success comes down to her HR background and how she treats her employees .

“ Everyone deserve to be treated well and be given good wages , benefits and ability to succeed , regardless of their role . If you have an enviable place to work , you will have good retention of staff and you will find gems in your workforce who can do wonderful things . We give them the opportunity to do that through training and development .”

Giving her staff a career path , they can follow is not the only perk that Emily offers them . They get their birthdays off each year and can also join in the four social events the business holds , including a family day out to Luna Park so everyone can have some fun .

“ I grew up in inner city London and went to primary school there , my dad was a truck driver and my mum was a nurse , I saw the hardships that people who lived around us faced ,” Emily commented .

“ Our work social nights help us to get to know each other and become a better

team , some of the staff are single parents and might not get many opportunities to have nights out . We had dinner and went to see Vivid in June . The family day we plan to have each year is especially important to me .”

As well as leaving their clients ’ homes sparkling after each visit and looking after their staff , Emily and Brighter Choices give back to the greater community . She works with the local TAFE to provide traineeships and last month donated $ 1 from every cleaning job to the Cancer Council .

They also help the charity , Dressed for Success in two different ways , firstly by advertising jobs with them to help women get back into the workforce and secondly , Emily uses her HR and recruitment skills to provide interview techniques and advice on how to get

back into the workforce . What ’ s next for Emily and her hardworking team ? She has a vision to expand her business into other areas which will provide even more job opportunities for people who want to get back into the workforce and work around school hours . She is also looking into making her staff ’ s working environment even better by providing out of school care for holiday times , however , this is still in the brainstorming stage and won ’ t become a reality for a while .

Emily is a new kind of business owner , one that other businesses should be looking towards as an example of what can be achieved with flexible working arrangements .

And that looking after your staff and clients can benefit everyone involved and still make a profit .