IB Woman
Issue No. 50 - December/ /
Book learning makes Julia’s fortune
by Penelope Herbert
Determined career woman, Julia Nitschke’s climb up the corporate ladder as the Director of Finance and Administration for a private company in Sydney came to a sudden halt.
Julia was at the pinnacle of her career when she found out she was pregnant with her daughter Charlotte and admits she didn’t realise the disruption, challenge and enchantment a baby would bring.
“I hadn’t considered that my thoughts on childcare would change as much as they did,” Julia says.
“I thought a baby would just fit in and I could continue with my career.
“I was unprepared for the emotional effect and
was suddenly in a dilemma torn between my career
and motherhood.”
Julia says the birth of her first child halted her desire to work full-time. She wanted to spend time with her child, not put her in childcare. Considering her dual
part-time roles of mother and employee, she gave
new consideration to finding a solution to a problem thousands of new mothers face every year.
“I couldn’t find a suitable level of business stimulation so decided to create my own,” she says. “Charlotte was young and the corporate life no longer held the same appeal for me. But I still needed something challenging and satisfying that enabled me to be flexible and work from home.”
The trigger was all about lifestyle balance so Julia sought advice from her friend and mentor, Peter Ryan. When he suggested Julia go in to business for herself her response was surprising.
“I asked him what planet he was on,” Julia says, “and told him that I was an employee not a business owner. But when I spoke to my husband, Shane, he was very supportive. He comes from a family background of self-employment; I don’t. So it was a paradigm shift for me.”
Early in 2004, Julia started consulting to small business on finance and accounting issues. Her clients variously admitted that it was a hit-and-miss affair doing ac...
