After receiving their full NDIS registration in recent weeks, twin sisters Tsitsi and Rudo are more than ready, and certainly excited, to scale up their business.
Founded in 2020, Twinview Health (no prizes for guessing how they came up with their business name) aspires to be a provider who takes the time to get to know their clients and deliver personal service that makes them feel valued.
Originally hailing from the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, Tsitsi first arrived in Adelaide on a student visa in 2014. Going on to study a Diploma of Nursing at TAFE SA and a Bachelor of Nursing at UniSA, Tsitsi supported herself through ad-hoc cleaning and babysitting roles that she sourced through Gumtree and Facebook.
Twin sister Rudo, who had already completed a nursing diploma in Zimbabwe, followed in 2018, but was required to also complete a Bachelor of Nursing at UniSA as her diploma qualification wasn’t recognised in Australia. Both sisters also have an accounting background, with Tsitsi completing the Institute of the Chartered Secretaries of Zimbabwe.
The beginnings of Twinview Health
The idea for Twinview Health has always been something that Tsitsi and Rudo have wanted to do, as they have always wanted to play their part in creating a more inclusive and accepting culture in the care sector.
“I’m a firm believer that it’s a manager’s role to empower people to bring their best to the table,” said Tsitsi.
“At Twinview, Rudo and I want to make sure that our staff feel heard. And are comfortable approaching us with any issue.”
"We see Twinview as an extension of ourselves. We like to practice kindness and honesty in our own lives, and our business should reflect this."
Getting those all-important first clients
As Rudo explains, getting those all-important first clients certainly wasn’t easy:
“Our very first clients came through a website called Mable. They provide connections between clients and companies like ours, but they also take a cut from both us and the client — so it’s definitely hard to make money long term using platforms like these.”
“After that, we’ve actually been getting clients through referrals from other organisations who can’t meet the huge demand for NDIS services right now. We’ve gotten to know other providers through networking events like the recent Strong and Capable event at the Stretton Centre. There is a real sense of community and looking out for each other among providers in the northern suburbs."
Getting the fundamentals in place
Both Tsitsi and Rudo describe leasing a desk at the Stretton Centre as one of the best decisions they’ve made in the short history of Twinview Health so far.
As Tsitsi explains, it has been especially important for professionalism:
“We didn’t have an office when we got our first client, and when you tell people that you’re operating from your home, you can’t invite them there. You need to be more professional.”
“We were looking for options in the northern suburbs, and even with a small office without services, most places were around $1,500 - $2,000 per month.”
“We saw the Stretton Centre on a Google Ad and that triggered a memory that someone in the Zimbabwean community had mentioned it before. We Couldn’t believe it was $255 per month and that the facilities could be so nice.”
“Before we joined the Stretton Centre, we would go to Officeworks every time we needed to print. And sometimes we’d forget something and have to make two trips. It was expensive, and it was time-consuming.”
At this point, Rudo chimes in to explain that the support the business has received from staff and other co-workers has also been first class:
“The help we’ve had here is amazing for a young business. The support from the business support team alone is what we would normally have to pay thousands for if we went through a consultant. And here, it’s free.”
“The environment has been so accommodating. The fact that we’re from a cultural and linguistically diverse community, and everyone in the building is so nice to us makes us feel very welcome. People are willing to listen to us too.”
“When we approach staff here, the response is never ‘I don’t know’, it is ‘I will help you find the answer’. And then they link us with someone who can help. It’s something we don’t take for granted.”
“For a new business, there were a lot of things that we needed to tidy up that we didn’t even realise. Being in a collaborative environment has certainly helped with that.”
“Rhuah from Playford Plumbing and Gas gave us advice on payroll and hiring, Emma from the Stretton Centre Business Support Team helped us understand Xero, Mike from the Business Support Team helped us with our planning and hiring processes, Rebecca from Kaleidoscope Accounting has helped us with our business structure and managing our cash flow, Jared from the Stretton Centre Operations team has helped us with our IT set up, Meagan from Grow and Flourish has been on site visits with us to help us understand which clients we should be taking on, and Home Nursing Solutions helped us to get extra work when money was tight. Everyone has gone the extra mile for us.”
The next steps
When asked about how big they’d like to grow, neither Tsitsi or Rudo are exactly sure yet — the goal just keeps changing.
“I just want to feel like I'm using my whole capacity to help people,” says Tsitsi.
“I want to be able to grow large enough to target private clients and win contracts,” says Rudo.
“Our main aim right now though is making sure that we make the most of our new NDIS registration. We’ve been hiring new casual staff, which is a big expense, so we want to make sure that we can continue providing them with the hours they’d like to work.”
“As we build our capability, I can see that very quickly we will have a need for even more staff, and I think being able to sign up for a fully-subsidised 12 month Business SA Membership through the Stretton Centre will help to ensure that we have the best information and can go about this the right way.”