Meet Nila.
Nila Oyama
from
Dido’s Place
Tell us about yourself
I am a Mum of two with experience in customer service, tourism and business management. After leaving the corporate world when my eldest was a toddler, I decided to combine all my skills with my desire to create a place where family was key. A place where we could meet, reconnect and bond. Hence, Dido's Place was born and now we are fortunate to share this experience with our Guests. I absolutely love to host and to make each and every trip special. I personally take care of every booking myself from enquiry to check out. Providing excellent communication, an immaculate property and a dream holiday is what I aspire to with each and every booking.
Tell us about your business
Dido's Place is an exclusive use holiday house located in East Kurrajong. We cater to families, groups and wedding guests. The modern house sleeps up to 11 guests and has everything you could possibly need whilst on holidays from a fully equipped kitchen to a campfire to roast your marshmallows over. We have thought of everything! Being a Mum myself, I know the stress involved in planning and packing for a holiday, so I've relieved this by providing my guests with ideas to help them plan their trips and equipped the house with everything they could possibly need, right down to the nappies! Dido's Place is one of the very few accommodation facilities in the area who cater for groups as well as children. Our property is very versatile for a range of uses including getting ready for a wedding. Whether it be yours or for a loved one, we have loads of natural light perfect for photography and getting ready, ample of room to move about and all the little extras like a garment steamer, a fully equipped laundry and a sewing box to make sure your day is perfect.
What's the heart behind your business?
Family. Family is the heart behind my business. I do what I do to support my family as well as to provide my family and others, a place to come together and reconnect. We lost a few close family members which sparked the idea to create a place where we could be together, to create memories. Life goes by too fast and we miss so many precious moments. Dido's Place is our special place, where time stops and we make memories of a lifetime. Dido’s Place has been a loving part of our family since the early 1960’s. It's a special tribute to our Dido (meaning Grandfather in Ukrainian) who worked tirelessly to purchase this beautiful property in East Kurrajong. We are now three generations onwards and are delighted to continue sharing the love and happiness Dido shared with us all those many years ago.
What does a typical, or ideal, work day look like for you?
Depends on which day but I love the variety of my job. Being the owner and operator of a holiday home means some days I might be working at my desk on social media, accounts or organising suppliers, other days I might be promoting ourselves and local Hawkesbury businesses to tourism organisations across NSW or I might be setting up for my next group of Guests. While I have excellent local professional cleaners, I do a thorough check prior to all Guests checking in to ensure everything is absolutely perfect for their stay. No two days are the same and I love it.
Have there been any struggles in your business that you've overcome? What did you learn from them?
Yes!! Well, we certainly have seen everything! Opening up in November 2019, we went straight into the bushfires, followed by several floods, Covid lockdowns and now sky rocketing interest rates. We opened and had to close our doors on many occasions for the safety of our Guests. From this, we learnt not to take anything for granted. We learnt to pivot and to do so quickly. We took on new markets when necessary, we looked for beneficial collaborations and we talked. We talked to people in our industry and we talked to our competitors. It is so important to be in touch with your business.
What's been a highlight for you in business?
I love hearing Guest reviews. So many Guests say that Dido's Place is the best Airbnb they have ever stayed in. We have a lot of repeat guests, some already coming back 3-4 times! Winning the Accommodation award last year at the Hawkesbury Business Awards and the Tourism & Accommodation category at the Local Business Awards was also a major highlight for our business.
What advice would you give others wanting to start a business?
Do your research, talk to your competitors, really knuckle out your business plan. What is your purpose both for the business and personally? Is there a market for your product/service? Do you have the finances, energy, time and motivation? Make sure you have a good accountant, a lawyer and insurances in place. Check out if there is any funding or training opportunities with Service NSW for example. Always have a plan B/exit plan!
How can people find you?
www.didosplace.com.au
https://www.facebook.com/didosplace
https://www.instagram.com/didosplace