Embracing the ‘If’ led to a thriving business that helps others thrive

When Jill Heaton regularly found herself thinking ‘what if…’, she knew it was time to start her own business and use her experience as a vocational educator and trainer to change how services were delivered: ‘what if we adjusted this; recognised student’s strengths; made learning more relevant...’. 

Those questions became the guiding principles of The Unleashed Collective, founded eight years ago, serving students across the state from Thirlmere in the Macarthur region. Building the company from the ground up allowed Jill to focus on creating a values-driven organisation which focuses on the quality of learning design, empowering students and maintaining partnerships with industry.   ‘What makes us unique is training that blends compliance, creativity, real-world practice and genuine human connection,’ Jill says. 

‘Like many small businesses, the early challenges were wearing all the hats: educator, compliance manager, marketer, administrator, while trying to maintain sustainability and build reputation’, she says. 

Other challenges included Jill learning to trust her expertise, backing herself to take bigger leaps and staying agile while building long-term systems.

‘What helped me overcome these were strong procedures, structure, and documenting every part of the business. Those early years of hard work now mean we operate smoothly, remain low-risk, and have the capacity to innovate without compromising quality.’ Jill says.

Jill’s advice to other business owners includes:

Focus on results for your clients: Our deliberate training approach ensures people leave feeling capable, confident, and ready to step into new opportunities.

Know the regulations for your sector: Small details can be important. For example, a registered training organisation is required to list course names and codes in full.

Perfection delays progress: Don’t hold back, wanting things almost perfect before taking them to market. Real feedback comes after you release something, not before.

Give back: Volunteer in organisations that strengthen your industry sector and local communities. This will strengthen your business.

Treat conversations as a resource: Stay curious, ask questions, and observe how others operate, and apply your insights to better shape your product.

Reframe challenges as opportunities: Each misstep reveals something to refine, and each period of uncertainty pushes growth.

For other small business owners who are operating in a new manner in their industry, a range of government support is available. See the links below.

Small Business Commission courses

Winning Business – learn about pitching for contract work

Selling to NSW Government – follow practical steps to ready your business to sell to government. Also applies to local government

Training supported by NSW Government

Skills NSW – find a course that suits you, search by industry, or topic, such as ‘business’

TAFE Smart and Skilled courses – TAFE is one of the suppliers of free and subsidised training

NSW Government resources

Service NSW Business concierge – access personalised, ongoing, one-on-one support for your business

Volunteer now – find volunteer opportunities and training to manage volunteers