Meet Angela.
Angela Gauci
from
Aster HR
Tell us about yourself
My career in HR started 20 years ago, and my love for the field has only grown over that time. I’ve worked in all areas of HR from the start to end of an employment relationship, and in many different sized businesses. Being a ‘people-person’, a HR career has always come naturally to me. I like to share my empathetic and caring nature for my clients and provide an environment of calm when clients find themselves in a storm of staff issues. I am a mum of 2 so know the juggle of mum and entrepreneur well. When not helping you grow your business, I can be found indulging my hobbies of reading, listening to music or being out in nature or with my pet dog or horse.
Tell us about your business
We offer personalised HR guidance to overcome challenges, provide clarity and assurance so our clients can be confident their business is headed in the right direction. Our clients come to us no matter if they are small or medium size businesses, and they come to us for one of these things:
* Support hiring staff
* To outsource their payroll function to us
* For HR Advice on any range of things
* For coaching to develop their leadership skills or that of a emerging leader in their team
What's the heart behind your business?
I founded my business back in 2017 because I had a desire to help build engaged and successful workplaces all throughout Australia. As a small business owner myself I also know how hard it can be juggling it all and that it can feel like you need to be an expert in so many areas of business. But I believe no one needs to go it alone. All business owners and managers deserve expert advice and support to guide them in their journey of employing staff.
What does a typical, or ideal, work day look like for you?
What I love about my field of HR is that no two days are the same, and no two clients are the same. My days are usually face paced, so I regularly prioritise my workload to keep on top of urgent matters for my clients. I meet with clients usually online, but also spend a lot of time on the phone like when speaking with potential candidates about a job vacancy for a client. I also regularly appear on our podcast "Work Wonders" and really enjoy days in the studio with Susan who I work with.
Have there been any struggles in your business that you've overcome? What did you learn from them?
It's not hard to recall how difficult COVID lockdown periods were for not just myself but everyone. For business owners especially, I remember it being isolating and financially a struggle. I really leant on my business networks during that time as well as taking up online training opportunities to feel like I was keeping involved. That period certainly taught me to be prepared for emergency situations and look at my business with a risk mitigation mindset at times to be prepared.
What's been a highlight for you in business?
I have been honoured to win a number of business awards over the past few years and it is wonderful to be acknowledged in that way and meet other business owners at those events.
What advice would you give others wanting to start a business?
The thing that comes to mind is to tell you not to try to go it alone. There is a lot of support out there for business owners in many different forms so don't be afraid to ask for help. Develop a network of like minded supporters around you and take opportunities to learn new skills. And be kind to yourself. Being a business owner is hard work!
How can people find you?
https://asterhr.com.au/
https://www.facebook.com/asterhr.au
https://www.linkedin.com/company/asterhr/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelagauci/
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/work-wonders/id1611301088