It was 2018 when I first met Suzette Rapinett at her home for retirement planning advice. She was in her late 50s, and had made an appointment with me to help plan for her retirement. In my initial conversation with Suzette, I got to understand her personal and financial situation, and where she had been working. Suzette told me that she had been working in the aged care industry for the past 28 years, but was getting fed up with the way the nursing homes she’d been working in were treating patients.
Her patience was running low, and she told me she wanted to leave the industry for good and do something she’s more passionate about. Upon digging deep and asking her more questions about her personality and passions, I learned that her dream was to run her own aged care business. However, she felt like she was not ready, and was too old to be a business owner. She felt like she didn’t have enough support from her family and friends to take the risk of starting her own business, especially in her late 50s when she should be thinking about retirement. But she really wanted to leave the industry and work in a sector where people in need of care are treated with dignity and respect.
I asked her about her journey in the caring industry over the past 28 years and why she didn’t leave earlier. She told me that she loves what she does, and her passion is to provide the best care for her patients, look after them, and prolong their lives by providing the best care possible. I could see her passion for caring in her eyes, but her present and past experiences with employers had left a bad taste in her mouth.
After asking more questions, I was able to unearth more information about what drove and inspired Suzette, and what exactly she would like to see herself doing in the future.
She said, “I know this is a dream, but one day, I hope I can run my own business in caring for people. I wish to run a business somewhere along the lines of home care, where I can go and look after patients at their homes, and help them stay there for as long as possible.”
This is when I asked the golden question - WHY DON’T YOU DO IT!
I assured her that I would help and guide her in the right direction, and provide her with the right contacts to help kick start her new journey. But she had several concerns - she felt like she was too old, worried if she could handle the stress, didn't have the energy, and was unsure if she had what it takes to run a business.
So I took a step back, looked her in the eyes, and told her I’d help her plan for retirement, but if she were ever to change her mind about setting up her business, she could call me for help. The moment she left my office after our meeting that day, something deep inside me knew she’d come back. I believed that the passion she had for caring would overcome any obstacle that stood in her way.
One month went by, then two months, and then a couple more. But after 6 months, in June 2018, she called me. “Radz, I’ve had enough! Let’s do this. Can you help me?”
I still remember that phone call. To this day, it brings a chill to my spine. Within 8 weeks, the business was set up and she was on her way!
Last week, I spoke to Suzette about how she’s doing and how her business has been going. Co-founded with Maree O’Hare, her business ‘All About You - Care Support & Consultancy’ now manages over 37 patients in the South Eastern suburbs of Melbourne, and also has 10 employees! The business has grown by 30% year on year, and she’s loving what she’s doing. “Radz, it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”
Suzette is now positively impacting many people’s lives through her passion by providing the best care, and enabling people with disabilities and the elderly to live their lives with dignity.
Suzette, in her late 50s, started and has successfully been running her business, and it’s been a great honour to be part of this journey. For any female entrepreneurs out there, I hope this story can be the boost you need to chase your dreams. If you are eager to make a difference in this world, all I can say is that loving your passion will definitely take you places.
As Steve Jobs once said, the only way to do great work is to love what you do.
Forward Path Advisory; Because the future is forward.