Charles Sturt University lecturer Sophie Kurylowicz and psychologist Bethany Saab are behind Little Triffids Flowers, who create original floral designs in their studio for wedding and event clients. 

Winning the Canberra district’s $10,000 grant, as part of H&R Block’s Grants for Growth initiative, the Wagga owners found that managing the financial administration was becoming difficult as the business was growing. 

Being creative at heart, Mrs Saab said the business skills have been a “secondary” thought. 

“It’s been a steep learning curve, particularly with the financial side of our business,” she said. 

“That’s why this has been so fantastic for us, because I can’t imagine how much work and how many weddings we would have to do to make $10,000 in profit. 

“This is such a huge leg-up for us and something we’ve been trying to learn ourselves.” 

Mrs Kurylowicz started the business in 2014 when she went on maternity leave and became a joint partnership with Mrs Saab in 2016, after struggling solely.

“This will turn a loved job into a job that is profitable,” Mrs Saab said. 

“It’s super important when we’re taking a bit of a step back from our main careers to devote time to our business to ensure it is profitable.

“The grant has come at a good time because the wedding season is coming towards the end now and it’s been a hard-slog and while we love it, it’s lifted us up a bit.” 

Mrs Kurylowicz said Little Triffids Flowers is operated behind her home and is a small micro farm and studio florist that is focused on celebrating locally grown flowers for local people. 

“The availability of products means I have to buy a lot of things online and also pay shipping, and that’s a challenge living in a regional town and running a small business,” she said. 

“We’ve just bought a cool-room and this has really helped us with weddings and keeping things cool, because as a studio we don’t have heaps of room. 

While unsure about where the money will be spent, Mrs Kurylowicz said initially they were thinking about using the grant to fight the extremes in Wagga’s weather. 

“On that really hot October day, I moved our small team into my house with air-con and productivity just went through the roof, so we might look at getting an air-conditioner in the studio for the summer,” she said. 

The women also thought about using the money to increase their profile in Wagga. 

H&R Block’s Canberra district manager Waiyat Chu said this is the first year of the Grants for Growth initiative and he hopes it will continue. 

“It’s come at a good time, especially with the drought, because in our district we’ve done about 30,000 tax return and we’ve heard of many stories where people are struggling,” Mr Chu said. 

“We know how hard it is for businesses to get ahead as there are so many expenses and taxation and booking are just some areas where we can help. 

“Through this program we’re partnering with businesses to provide them with back-end assistance, book-keeping and financial services to help with giving them a helping hand.”