By BRIDGET SCOTT
A BUSINESS owner who found herself jobless and homeless all on the same day has turned her life around in less than two years.
Fran Rourke was made redundant from her previous job, and returned home on the same day to find an eviction notice on her door.
The landlord wanted to move back in, and she had no choice but to leave.
“I found myself unemployed and homeless,” she said.
The Cranbourne woman managed to find herself another rental property a short time after, however she wasn’t able to advertise her new business from here.
Finally, she has secured her own home, and with the help of a government program her business is now smooth sailing.
After she lost her job, Ms Rourke started to receive Newstart payments but this didn’t rest easy with her.
Not long after this, she discovered the NEIS program, the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme.
An Australian Government-run program, this system helps budding business owners get the kick start they need when first entering their respective industry.
“They support you for the first 12 months while you’re building your business and doing all the leg work,” she said.
“They provide you with the same amount of money as what you would get from Newstart payments.”
Ms Rourke also attended Chisolm Institute where she did a small business course for three months. She now runs a successful quilting and embroidery business.
She conducts classes on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays and said it’s “doing pretty good.”
Ms Rourke had a small piece of advice for other small business owners of people who find themselves in a similar position.
“Just get out and do it, because nobody else will do it for you,” she said.
“I could’ve stayed in the hole I dug myself, but I had two girls I wanted to raise, I had to do it for myself.”
