As part of Mortgage Mates we believe it is important for you to know who we are, as well as what we do so as part of our blog page we are going to give you a little insight into us, the Co-Founders of Mortgage Mates as part of our story.
My name is Daisy, and I am an Australian Permanent Resident originally from the United Kingdom. I came to Australia on a Working Holiday Visa, with the original intention of enjoying a 12 month long holiday before I returned home to buy a house and get a ‘proper job’. I saw a meme recently that said ‘I might move to Australia to work at a water park, giving nods to children to go down the slide’ and this is exactly what I envisaged when I left the cold hard shores of England for the warmer climates of Perth!
In the UK I had completed a law degree, specialising in housing and welfare law for a local authority. I enjoyed helping individuals who would have otherwise struggled with the legal process, but always felt there was something else I should be doing to make a difference.
In 2007 I was watching Dragons Den (think the UK version of Shark Tank) whilst having a couple of beers (beer is a common theme in my entrepreneurial journey!) I realised I wanted to come up with an idea that would make a difference to individuals, impacting the wider world and challenging current norms. It was in a conversation over some text messages with friends, that Freegal was born. Freegal was a legal website, supporting individuals to receive free legal advice from students who had passed their Legal Practice Course, it was also my first taste of being an entrepreneur.
Freegal ran for over two years and was long listed for the Daily Mail Enterprising Young Brits award. We were also Highly Commended by the Edge Upstart Awards. It came to an end in 2009 after the students working on the website found employment and were unable to continue working on the website part time.
After Freegal finished a friend asked me, what do you want to do in life? I replied ‘I want to be an entrepreneur’… she looked at me and said ‘no I mean like an actual job’, and I knew then I would always want to have another chance at creating something meaningful.
In 2010 I decided to go travelling, visiting Australia, New Zealand and USA. I spent six months away before returning home to look for work. Despite looking at moving to a number of places in Europe, I was unsettled after my backpacking experience and decided to return to Australia to spend another 12 months living in Perth. (Insert waterpark idea here).
When I arrived in Perth, I actually started work in community services, an area which I continue to work in at the moment. It confirmed I am passionate about social justice, entrepreneurship and supporting individuals marginalised in areas including housing, employment and social connection. I have been lucky enough to work in these fields for the past seven years and continue to feel inspired by my work, colleagues and the clients we support.
In 2015 my third ‘idea’ came to me (idea two is still in development) and Mortgage Mates was formed. We talk more about a Mortgage Mates and it’s formation in other posts, so I will leave this idea here for this blog post.
Other things about me which you may find interesting- or are an important part of who I am, is that when I am not working on Mortgage Mates, I am spending time with my partner who is super supportive of all my schemes! We are getting married soon and I am incredibly excited to take the next step with him! We have a French Bulldog called Bo- who is very spoilt and enjoys his best life every day!
I am lucky to have incredible friends and family who also listen to my ramblings on ideas, innovations and concepts- when many others would have left me long ago.
An important thing I have learnt, is that there is more to innovation than just the entrepreneur. There are the partners, friends and family who finance, emotionally support and lend an ear to versions 1-52. Not every start up will make it, and even those that do, may never pay back the time, tears and effort that has been placed into them. Without support, I couldn’t do what I do and I am grateful I get to live my ‘best life’, in a job that I think is even better, than giving the nod to kids as they go down the slide.
