Disability Expo

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Coming to you from Rockingham IPO radio. [00:00:05] Speaker B: Hello. [00:00:06] Speaker C: And we are here. We normally should have Jack, but unfortunately Jack has been not very well today so we hope he makes a speedy recovery. But we're not alone because we do have Nicole with us. [00:00:19] Speaker A: Hey, hey, hey. [00:00:21] Speaker C: And we have two very special guests who we connected with recently. And we have Lee and Cody. So welcome to the show, guys. [00:00:31] Speaker B: Thanks for having us. [00:00:32] Speaker D: Thank you. Thank you for having us. We're excited to be here and we're. [00:00:35] Speaker C: Excited to have you. You've just been sharing a bit of your story before we've just jumped on air. Do you want to just share a bit more about how you came to be here today? [00:00:47] Speaker B: Yeah, definitely. Well, yeah, I mean, for us, Leah and I, we run the Wa NDIS networking hub. Lee and I joined the disability sector about two, three years ago and we actually met at a disability expo here in Rockingham. And both were new to the space, didn't really know anyone else in the NDIS. And we're trying to sort of find our feet. So we decided to start catching up for coffee once a month. And we consistently did that for a while. I think it was just Leigh and I and she got a bit sick of me for a little bit there. [00:01:16] Speaker C: I liked about your nodding, definitely. [00:01:19] Speaker B: But, you know, shortly after, more and more people started to come out and connect with us. Sort of fast forward now two and a bit years. You know, we have a thriving business. We have about 4000 members across our Facebook groups. We look after all of Perth in terms of disability providers and our job is really just connecting providers in the space. And in particular, I'd say, like really good quality providers. I guess for us, we've always been big on trying to find values driven people that know good services and do a great job supporting participants in the NDIS. [00:01:48] Speaker C: And I think that, you know, it's one of the things with NDS is that it's a mixed barrel, right? You get some organizations that you can tell have that heart to help their clients and then some that are just there for the money. And I love the fact that you guys are ethics driven and that you're trying to attract people who are all about the client. I think that's really important. [00:02:07] Speaker B: I think we talked about it before, but in my experience, I think Lee would not agree with this as well. But good people know good people and I think that's just not just exclusive to the NDIS. I think that's in life, right? If you're a good person, you have good friends, naturally you seem to gravitate to the same sort of ilk of people in the NDIS. We definitely found that if you can find good quality providers, they know other good quality providers. And for participants, it just means they're gonna get the best help and support out there, which is really important. [00:02:37] Speaker A: Because you definitely can tell when you're talking to them who does actually have the good ethics and who is gonna. So I can even just ask a few things and then generally know. I'm sure you have the same thing of, okay, yeah, they are going to follow the rules or no, they're not. You know, and I think also there's always that talk in the community about, you know, what people can get away with and. But the thing is, is it's not about that because it's we're, you're more about long term, you know, so it's not about like, so when I'm helping people start up businesses for njs and I have to kind of cipher, like, you know, what are they in it for, you know, and why are they. Because otherwise, you know, you can't just, you can set them up, but then they're gonna fail. So. [00:03:24] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. [00:03:24] Speaker D: So. [00:03:25] Speaker A: And I love what you guys do, so you can you just remind us. I already know, though, but I wanna hear it from you guys. So you've got four different networking, like, so called branches, I guess. And I'm like the networking queen, so. I know. I'm so excited to be meeting you. It was just by chance. I actually, I'm not supposed to be here, but I'm so excited. I am. Yeah. So did you want to tell us more about where they are and what you do and are they all the same and what do people expect when they go there? [00:04:00] Speaker D: Yeah, yeah, definitely. Well, we're glad we've met you as well. So we're glad that you are here. So I guess we always say Tuesdays are for networking. So on the first four Tuesdays of the month, we have our networking event. First Tuesday is Mandurah Rockingham. And it's in Mandurah. Second Tuesday is Canningvale, like the eastern suburbs of Perth. Then we've got the third Tuesday, which is in Lansdale, which is the northern suburbs, and then the fourth Tuesday. And we only just started doing this one this year in Bunbury in the south west. [00:04:32] Speaker A: Ah, Bunbury. Okay. I didn't know the Bunbury one. So are they always at the same spot, like so with Lansdale? Whereabouts is it for that one? [00:04:42] Speaker D: So just to make it consistent, it's always at the same spot in all four locations. [00:04:46] Speaker A: Okay. [00:04:47] Speaker D: And it's always at the same time. [00:04:48] Speaker A: Okay. [00:04:49] Speaker D: So in Lansdale. It's at the Lansdale farm on Evandale Road. [00:04:52] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Love that one. And they make amazing chips anyway. And they have a nice playground. [00:04:58] Speaker D: Yes. [00:05:00] Speaker B: We always try to find venues as well, where, again, like, participants can go. So, like, Lansdale Farm is a prime example where we've seen providers now taking participants and support workers there as well, which has been great. [00:05:09] Speaker A: Yes. They actually used to have. My sister used to be looked after there. Just behind there, there's, like, facilities for disabled people. And they used to have this. What's that? Cockadoodoo. Whatever animal that does that. A rooster. And it used to wake my sister up all the time. And she used to complain about it because it just wasn't. She used to be annoyed about it. She was only young back then. But Lansdale is an amazing venue, especially in regards to, like, that. It's got the animals and it's got a play area. It's an enclosed play area as well. So it's, you know, you're able to really supervise children. That one. And then. So Canning Vale. I also know that area too. Where about to sit there? [00:05:56] Speaker D: It's at the billabong church. [00:05:58] Speaker A: Oh, okay. [00:05:58] Speaker D: So. So that is a sensational, beautiful new location. Very accommodating for us. And we've actually just grown out of the original room that we're in. And we've gone downstairs into, like, a cafe type room. And that is a beautiful location. [00:06:14] Speaker A: Whereabouts is that? Sorry? Billabong. [00:06:15] Speaker D: But the Billabong church. [00:06:17] Speaker B: Uniting church. [00:06:17] Speaker A: We've spoken at that one. It's a lovely place. [00:06:21] Speaker D: And the people that work there. [00:06:22] Speaker B: Fantastic. [00:06:23] Speaker D: Fantastic to work with. [00:06:26] Speaker A: They have a playgroup there. And that's before. [00:06:29] Speaker B: After school care, I think. [00:06:31] Speaker A: Yeah. I was speaking about toilet training and getting children ready for kindies. I was, like, speaking on that topic, which is always a hot topic. And. Yeah. And then. So you. What was the other one? Mandra. So where? [00:06:49] Speaker D: Game on Ondez Terrace. And that is a great location as well. It only opened in, I'm gonna say, August last year. [00:06:57] Speaker A: Okay. I don't think I've been to there. [00:06:59] Speaker B: Definitely one to put on the list. I think they do a lot of. So they have a lot of different, like, sort of games there for people to play. So, like, a lot of dungeons and dragons and sets up. Yeah. Sell trading cards. And again, we've seen a lot of our participants through the group starting to go there on weekends or with their support workers as well. [00:07:15] Speaker D: They've got a full kitchen. They've got coffee. [00:07:17] Speaker B: Good coffee, too. [00:07:17] Speaker D: Yeah, good coffee. [00:07:19] Speaker C: Yeah. We, we have dungeons and dragons here, and a lot of them have autism as well. And they. It's amazing because we have a youth group that do D and D. Yeah. And there was one young lad, they had a monster in the game, and he tried to kill it straight away. And they were like, actually, this monster is an ally, you know? So it was kind of teaching him instead of reacting. That's cool to actually stand back and think, because although it's a monster. Right. And so you think it's a certain thing, it might not be a certain thing. And when they were, when they were going through it, I was like, wow, you know, it's a fun kind of way of learning really important life lessons. [00:07:52] Speaker B: Reading that in a book or something like that. What a cool way to really let your mind sort of go loose and go. That's another way to learn. [00:07:58] Speaker C: Yeah. And they're having fun. Like, you know, you don't want to put them in therapy because then it's boring. You're just talking to a counselor. Right. But when they're doing something like D and D, it's a fun thing. They don't realize that they're actually therapy. [00:08:11] Speaker B: I mean, it's fresh in our mind, this process, like a free plug. It probably is, I guess, but it's. We've just come in fresh from our meeting yesterday. We had aspire and grow, our sponsor of the month, and they were talking about the different therapy that they provide. And one of the things that they do is they have a golf simulator. And for the exact same thing in terms of, you know, therapy can be, you know, done in so many different ways. Someone that is suffering from mental health can get benefits from simply walking in the park. Right. So the way that they design it is more thinking about, well, how can we get the right outcomes for people? People. And for them, a golf simulator, again, allows people to really open up, feel comfortable, feel safe, and talk about what's going on. And I think anything that is exploring that world where, again, people feel comfortable and can learn things, can discuss it. Like, we should all be trying to step into that space. Yeah, 100%. [00:08:53] Speaker C: I've heard some stories. I don't know exactly whether this is true or not, but how they're using VR, I think virtual technology, you know, where they have the on paraplegics, and they're actually almost feeling like they can walk, you know, so in the game, they're walking kind of thing, and that's actually. And it's like neurodiversity as a plasticine. Like plasticine, but, like, how your mind can change. And so by playing, like, a VR game and walking, it can actually change. Especially for stroke victims, stroke survivors. It can actually make a difference in how their brain operates. It's your turn to get in. [00:09:33] Speaker A: I get. Cause shaman, right? When he was having his medical problems, my son, he had a VR, right? And so it's scary because it's like. So you get to watch it, and it's like a roller coaster, and you really think these dinosaurs are coming at you, right. So you're like, whoa. But then there's other games where you can, like, jump from side to side and miss these tiles and have these. What's that? Saber something lightsaber. Yeah, that's it. [00:10:02] Speaker B: Star wars tile. [00:10:02] Speaker A: Yeah. And so he was, like, exercising but not knowing, and then he was able to, like, move around because his body was just, like, not working properly with these muscles and that now he's fine, praise God. But it was just amazing how much he would be able to do in that capacity as opposed to not being able to walk, you know, very much, but being able to still exercise, it was so exciting and amazing. But it's fun, isn't it? [00:10:28] Speaker B: Just amazing how technology can change that. [00:10:30] Speaker C: Right? [00:10:30] Speaker B: There's a lot of companies as well. I've seen a lot of people do work with, you know, phobias and things as well. So people have. [00:10:35] Speaker A: This one had sharks. I felt like this shark was gonna, like, eat me. [00:10:38] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:10:39] Speaker A: And my children thought it was funny that I was freaking out. [00:10:42] Speaker C: Maybe that sound the other side. [00:10:44] Speaker B: But you think of that if you feel really uncomfortable in a certain setting or something really triggers you, like, what a safe way for you to be able to build your, you know, I guess a tolerance, for lack of a better word, in terms of actually understanding your phobia and what can be done. So I think it's just amazing where technology can take challenges like that, and. [00:10:59] Speaker A: VR is such a great example. [00:11:01] Speaker C: Absolutely. Just want to get back to the. [00:11:05] Speaker D: We can talk for hours. [00:11:06] Speaker C: We could. [00:11:06] Speaker A: We could do an expo, right? And that's what I'm excited about. [00:11:10] Speaker C: Tell us about the expo. [00:11:12] Speaker D: Yeah, we're very excited about the expo. So, ultimately, wands networking hub is really, you know, we bring businesses together, and we do get feedback from our members, and we listen to. To it, you know, on as much as we can. A lot of our members have said to us, okay, so you're doing the b two b business to business. What about the participants? So we have decided. So Rockingham is our backyard. So we thought Rockingham would be a great place to start and we decided to launch our expo, dispute Expo in Rockingham on the 25 September. [00:11:55] Speaker B: Just over a month to go. [00:11:57] Speaker D: Yeah, just over a month. It is a Wednesday and it is through school holidays and we've done that and the reason we've done that is really to engage a bigger part of the community. It is a free event for people to come along. You do need to register. So you need to register and grab a ticket. A free ticket. And there's going to be 30 storeholders. It's going to be jam packed. Did you want to say what? [00:12:25] Speaker B: Well, yeah, I think this is going to be a lot happening there. Right. So again, you know, using the power of the network that we have, like we spoke about before, we have a lot of good quality providers that we know. So we focused on sort of bringing them into one location so that if you are a participant and you need a new support worker, you're looking for different therapy providers. Again, it's kind of a one stop shop for all of that. We're really lucky as well, some of the sponsors that we have for our events. So we have two. [00:12:48] Speaker D: We've been overwhelmed by sensational looking to support us. [00:12:54] Speaker B: Yeah, and like I say little things, but like some amazing work. So like shift care, who are a really massive organization but do a lot of great work in the community and also 24/7 plan management, who's at Bailey, the local sort of guru down here as well. But like they've put on the ability for the first 200 people to get a free sausage sizzle and a free coffee just for attending the expo. So again, we're down. [00:13:13] Speaker C: There's 198 left to convince us, you. [00:13:18] Speaker B: Know, but yeah, so again, it's just a real great way for us to be able to put something on where there's great people, there's great information. We want to be able to, I guess, you know, give back to the community and let them know what's out there, but equally doing in a fun way as well. So again, we've got so many different stallholders that add so much and sort of, you know, tackle different parts of the NDIS, which is important. [00:13:37] Speaker C: Do you want to shout out to any other sponsors that helped? [00:13:42] Speaker B: Thank you. Yeah, we got a few. So like I said, I mentioned shift care and also 24/7 management and those two have really done a lot in terms of, like I said, providing some of that sort of free stuff for participants. One other one that I'll call out is limitless. So the director of Limitless, Rochelle, who's a good friend of both of ours, does a lot of work to support our community. She's organized to have an entertainer there. So Rosie, entertainment. So doing the balloon. [00:14:08] Speaker D: Something for the kids to do. Absolutely. [00:14:11] Speaker B: And then we've got some major sponsors. [00:14:12] Speaker D: Yeah we've got major sponsors which we are very excited about. So we've got concentric. So there's Emily from concentric. She's going to come along. They are a national company and they've got a very big presence here in wa y. [00:14:27] Speaker B: They do allied health so a lot of speech pathology ot that sort of stuff. And I think for us why we connected with them is they don't just do the therapy, they do a lot of different things. They presented recently on their fairy dust fund, which I found really cool. So they empower their therapist to have their own sort of little budget that they can reinvest to help their participants and their families. So whether it was sending some people to the Olympics, they've been doing different things around supporting, you know, mums and dads that go through the other side of the NDIS as well. So they're a really big supporter of ours. [00:14:55] Speaker D: And we've got Anathema Judy. So they work in the community as well. They work between Wa and New South Wales. They've got quite a big presence and they're only growing here as well. So we very much appreciate them and everything they do for us. And they're big supporters of not only our expo but also our networking hub and our network gatherings. [00:15:21] Speaker A: I'm really excited about this place. I want to go there now. That's so awesome. [00:15:27] Speaker B: Yeah and we're quite lucky as well. Probably the last thing we should mention. But we also do have our own full time jobs as well in the NDIs. So for myself. [00:15:34] Speaker C: Do you want to give. Are you allowed to give those a plug where you're working at the moment? Just 1 minute. Did they know you're here or have you taken a sick today? We don't want to get you into trouble. [00:15:47] Speaker B: No, definitely not. [00:15:48] Speaker A: I'm so excited that that's happening too. [00:15:51] Speaker B: Well I think that's what's great about the ndisc. Like we spoke about before, you don't know who you're going to meet and where your past can sort of be intertwined. And for me I'm very lucky. So I work for plan partners. So plan Partners is one of the largest plan managers in the NDIs. But for me, again, you know, just because they're a big company doesn't mean they just think like a big company. It's been really nice to work for someone that's really, like, small minded and community focused and I don't know, there's so many different plan managers out there. I'm sure your listeners would understand that from an NDIs point of view. But I guess for plan partners point of difference, I think, like I said, it's just really, even though being big, thinking small and really supporting local participants and one of the things that we do, and again, I just love talking about it, but with plan partners and plan management, if it's how you have your plan managed, one of the things that we do is we allow service agreements to basically quarantine funds. So we talked before about there are some, you know, unfortunately, some really poor providers out there, so some that are doing the wrong thing and really taking advantage of participants. So one of the ways that we, I guess, you know, prevent that by having a service agreement in place, it means that we can go, no, these funds are there for that therapy or that provider, that service, and that's all they can be used for. So that, for me, has been one of the reasons why I've really enjoyed my time at plan partners. Again, they're a big sponsor of the expo and cos we care as well for you. [00:17:04] Speaker D: Yeah, and I work for core business cos we care. I'm reasonably new to cos we care. But we do support work. We do provide, you know, help with participants out in the community, in home life skills, you know, catching, catching the bus, all those kind of things. [00:17:24] Speaker A: Cooking, budgeting. [00:17:25] Speaker D: Yeah, yeah. All the stuff that people need to know, but they need a bit of help with. And that's, that's us and that's what we are providing. We are looking at the moment for staff, so we are looking for support workers. [00:17:39] Speaker C: What kind of things are you looking for in a support worker? [00:17:42] Speaker D: So I guess support worker is the face of the business, really. They're the first point of call. So we need people that align to our values. We need people who are very careful, caring, you know, you don't even necessarily have to have support working experience. You have to have the right, you know, the thoughts and you have to be the caring, understanding, passionate person. So, yeah, you know, certificates and whatnot. Yeah, they're great, but we're really looking the people to be able to provide. [00:18:21] Speaker B: The support, I think, as well. For me, like, obviously, I work closely with Lee, you know, with Cosby care and everything else. And one thing that I like that you do, that not every core provider does as well, is, like, you will go out and actually match the participant to the support worker that you have as well. So it's not just, okay, this is the person that we have free and available. They're going to come and help you. It's okay. Well, what are you into? What are some of the challenges that you face? And then Lee and the team then go, okay, well, this is the perfect support worker for you. And I think that's a big difference for you guys. [00:18:48] Speaker D: And at the moment, like, I'm meeting all of our participants face to face, especially on their first interaction with us. So I am going out to actually meet them rather than just leaving it to, you know, whoever in our staff. [00:19:03] Speaker A: So I think that really matters that you do that, because, like, they're not just a piece of paper that you're reading about and everything, like, what they're trying to achieve and even having the conversation with them, because they're limited to what they've already been thinking or been exposed to. So just brainstorming with them what they really want and listening to them, obviously, because that's what it's about. [00:19:27] Speaker D: It's amazing when you start having a conversation with someone and they think that this is what they want, and you start having. You start conversing about different things, and they're like, actually, I really want to do that. And I never thought about that before. It's like, okay, let's think about that. Let's start putting some notes down. And. [00:19:47] Speaker A: The thing is, is what's so amazing about it as well, like, because you know that with your connections and that you really can make it happen. So it's not just like, it's like, okay, well, let's get on and do this. And then they're like, hang on, hang on. What? Like, whoa. You know, and then, so I have that with people, and they're like, oh, I can do that. Okay, and then. And then what else we're doing? Oh, we're doing that. Yes, I can do that as well. And it's like, you just get on with it, you know? [00:20:09] Speaker C: And it's really empowering, isn't it, as well, identify, you know? And, like, when Jack first approached us, right? He came in and he was like. He kind of head was bowed, and he was like, I like music. I like what you do. Do you have any place for me, you know, and he was really, like, humble when he came in, and we gave him like, a co spot, so he was co hosting with someone else, and then he regressed and he ended up having his own show. But, you know, just because he had a support worker who said, there's this new radio station, and they work with people. Why don't you try them? If he hadn't have had that support worker, he never would have come in off his own. [00:20:46] Speaker A: Just the other day, remember, we had someone else come in. Remember when we're interviewing him on Monday? [00:20:51] Speaker C: So we have this one guy who is amazing. He comes in like two times a week, two or three times a week. And he brings his clients because he knows his clients love it. And so he was talking with his new client, and he mentioned, because he likes music, he mentioned, why don't you come here? So we came in and we were doing an interview at the time, so we kind of had to, like, say, okay, see you later, you know. So he came out, they played Paul for a while, and then when our interview finished, we brought him in and we did an on air interview with him. And he was so wrapped, like, he's coming back next week. It's so nice to see how excited they are. [00:21:21] Speaker A: Like a dream came true for him, and he was, like, so excited that he got to do it right. And then I was like, okay, so if people are not sure about whether they should do it or nothing, what could you encourage them with? And then he gave them encouragement. You need to actually just do it. It's so cute to watch. [00:21:36] Speaker D: It's so cool that you guys are providing that place for people to come along and to be a part of this, because this really is that cool, right? [00:21:45] Speaker C: And it's even cooler if you sit in this chair. You choose who to, you know, we'll take your mic down for a little bit. [00:21:51] Speaker A: Yes, I did let Triz drive today. [00:21:55] Speaker C: How nice of you. But it's really cool when you get someone this chair and they get over their first show and they're a bag of nerves. But when they get out and they were, wow, it went so quick, because often people, like, we had one in the other day who said, 3 hours is a long time. Am I really gonna be able to feel 3 hours? Yeah, you can. You can because, you know, you're playing music half the time as well. So you got an hour and a half of talking. [00:22:19] Speaker A: You had to interrupt. Not interrupt us. But that interview on Monday, we think we're talking to Megan for an hour and a half. She was in the US and we were having an interview. So, yeah, time just goes. [00:22:31] Speaker C: Yeah. So we weren't talking for an hour and 15 and she probably could have gone for longer. We were like this other people talking. [00:22:37] Speaker D: About your passion, and it's our passion. We could actually talk for hours and. [00:22:43] Speaker C: We can see that, you know, it's so cool to have you guys in because it's obvious you're not doing this because you want extra money. You know, you're doing this because you actually care about what you're doing. And that's really cool. [00:22:52] Speaker D: And I think that's where it came from. It came from a place of, I guess a place of. We needed to connect with people, but we also wanted to bring people in together to connect with each other. We can then provide our participants with the best service and within our networking hub, and I was saying it before that not only is it a place to meet other service providers, but if you're constantly come to networking, you get to build a relationship and you get to build even, you know, almost a friendship with people. So then when you are referring your participant, who you know you really need to look after and you want to look after, you have the confidence to refer to your network, those people. Yeah, definitely. But I just want to talk to you about the expo. [00:23:43] Speaker C: Yes, that was my next thing. Right. Because it's really important we talk about the expo. So can you just take us through, you know, you said you had 30 stallholders, right? So I'm guessing they're not all plan managers. So do you want to take us through what kind of businesses they are? [00:23:57] Speaker B: Definitely not all plan managers. No one would come. I think, you know, if. Shout out to any plan managers listening. We do a great job, but equally, it's a, it's a boring job, it's reference. It's kind of like doing your tax as well. So it's. No one loves doing that, but no. [00:24:09] Speaker D: So we've got three plan managers coming along. [00:24:11] Speaker B: I think three's enough. So plan managers, as we mentioned, we've got core providers as well. So you support work, that sort of stuff. Yeah, one of those examples, we've got, like we said, therapy. So again, we mentioned concentric was one of those. We have different sort of training organizations as well. So again, another close friend for us is Rosie disability services. So Emily's doing a great job out there and created a new brand recently. She does a lot of work, not only in the support coordination space, but also does a lot of training for different organizations as well, which is great. So it's always good to know who's out there and how you can upskill. [00:24:43] Speaker A: Is that nationally accredited or is that not an RTO, a registered training organization? [00:24:50] Speaker B: I don't believe so, Sacha. [00:24:51] Speaker A: I think it's probably handling or something like that. [00:24:53] Speaker B: No, more. More disability specific. But I think it's a great opportunity for us to connect you with Emily so she can tell you. [00:25:03] Speaker C: Well, she's a connector, right? [00:25:04] Speaker B: She is. I'm saying it now. I'm saying it. [00:25:06] Speaker D: Would love to come here, I'm sure. [00:25:08] Speaker B: Yeah, she definitely would. [00:25:09] Speaker D: But we've got companies like dateability programs for not only learning how to date, but just building relationships with people, building friendships. And they do programs on that. We've got queens of clutter coming in. They are really, really cool. [00:25:26] Speaker B: They do a great job. [00:25:27] Speaker D: We've got counselling counselors coming along. We've got support coordinators. [00:25:32] Speaker B: We've even got city of Rockingham as well coming down, which is great. So it's awesome. [00:25:36] Speaker C: Do you have NIS themselves? Like, do you have a relationship with them or. [00:25:39] Speaker B: So we're, I guess, TBC on this, but we are hoping to have one of the NDIS community. So that APM group come down as well. [00:25:46] Speaker D: Yeah, we're just waiting to hear back from them. [00:25:48] Speaker B: Yeah, but we've got a table waiting for them, so if they're listening, hopefully they can confirm. [00:25:52] Speaker C: We'll send a link to them. You know, like, come on, guys. [00:25:55] Speaker B: Definitely. But that's the thing. We want to partner with really good quality organizations in the space. And again, the city of Rockingham have been really, you know, fantastic to deal with. Yeah, really. [00:26:03] Speaker C: You have like disability employment providers as well. [00:26:06] Speaker B: Been trying to get some, haven't we? [00:26:08] Speaker C: Yeah, I used to work in that space. That's why I kind of mentioned it because that's really important. [00:26:12] Speaker D: We've got finders keepers. We do find us. Keepers are coming. [00:26:15] Speaker C: Okay. Yeah. [00:26:15] Speaker B: So they're a really good local. Yeah. [00:26:17] Speaker D: Local services area as well. And they're really cool. [00:26:21] Speaker A: Looked at, thinking of at work. There's a lady called Erin. She's amazing. I should like, connect you with this because like. Yeah. Anyway. Okay, keep going. [00:26:30] Speaker C: So one quick question before we start talking too much about the expo. Do you have space for more people? [00:26:37] Speaker D: Well, funnily enough, we got booked out really, really fast and we do have an extensive waitlist. [00:26:47] Speaker A: Okay. [00:26:48] Speaker D: So the thing about that is we are now in the process of planning our northern suburbs expo for November. So I don't want to take it away from the Rockingham one because that's really where all our focus is at the moment. We have got a register of interest for the northern Suburbs expo, and that list is filling up very fast as well. So there is a real call for these community expos and providing this free community event. [00:27:22] Speaker B: Yeah. And I think from, in terms of like, how we went out to our groups as well, one of the things, again, like, we go back to how we started. We started from these consistent networking groups. We wanted to reward our members that come consistently as well. And the ones that really have supported. [00:27:36] Speaker C: Us, do they get like precedents? Right. [00:27:37] Speaker B: Well, yeah, they were the first to know. You know, again, we really wanted to make sure that they knew about it. [00:27:42] Speaker D: So we spoke about it at our network Tuesday events. Yeah. And really after the first. [00:27:48] Speaker B: Yeah, first one. [00:27:50] Speaker D: But the first two, we pretty much. [00:27:52] Speaker C: Booked out with Joondalup. One, we did an interview with a guy late last year, I think, who, he runs his own nis thing up in Joondalup. He's in like the business development area and he's got a really interesting story. So he, I think he's autistic himself. And he, he was like seeing so many people kind of get rorted by the system, if that's a word we were talking about. Words like rorted. [00:28:22] Speaker B: Is that a word? [00:28:23] Speaker C: Roared's a word? Is rorted a word? I don't know, ripped off. Right. And so he kind of became an NJS provider himself. So he does like gardening and cleaning and stuff like that. And. Yeah, he's very passionate, a guy about, you know, doing the right thing. [00:28:41] Speaker B: Yeah. And then all of those sort of people, the ones that we want to meet with and connect with and display. [00:28:46] Speaker D: I think everyone needs a gardener. They're in, they're in like high demand at the moment, like gardeners and cleaners and maintenance people. So. And I think we want to connect with him. [00:28:56] Speaker B: And I think any business, you know, has its own origin story. [00:28:59] Speaker C: Right. [00:29:00] Speaker B: But I think broadly speaking, the ones that come from a place of, I've seen something bad, I don't like that. And I know a much better way to do it. Or there's a, you know, there's a good way to do it. I think they're already super passionate. Like Lee said, those are the kind of people that, again, can go, well, that, that's not okay. That's not what it should be. It should be this quality or this standard. Instead, they're always great businesses to work with. [00:29:20] Speaker C: So how can people get more information about the expo. Like, do you have a Facebook page, events page or anything like that? [00:29:25] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, you are talking to the unproclaimed self it guy. [00:29:29] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:29:31] Speaker B: Lee has. [00:29:31] Speaker C: You're in charge of the websites. [00:29:33] Speaker D: Right on. [00:29:35] Speaker B: Maybe if it's with some chaperoning. Yeah. So, yeah, so, yeah, that's. That's something I fumbled my way through. But, yeah, we do have a website, so it's a long one, so you have to bear with me. But it's obviously. Www.wandisnetworkinghub.com dot au. So that is our website. And obviously you can google that. You can also just find us on Facebook and find the groups that way as well. On our website itself, it has all the information a on our Tuesday catch ups. So how to find where they are, when the next one is, how to get those tickets. [00:30:04] Speaker C: And you've got separate groups as well on Facebook. Right. [00:30:06] Speaker B: They match the areas that we meet in. [00:30:08] Speaker C: So I think I've joined the Rockingham manager one, but I don't think I'm in the other one. [00:30:12] Speaker A: So I am. Now I am, because I gave him my phone and said, yeah, find yourself. [00:30:22] Speaker B: But I think that's like a good thing on the groups. Like, again, we didn't just want people to be there, be in the group, but then not be able to actually help anyone. So, like we say to people, if you don't look after, if you don't go in the northern suburbs of Perth, don't join that group. Like, we want people in the groups that actually can make a difference and actually help there and then. [00:30:38] Speaker D: So. [00:30:38] Speaker C: But it's. You get what you put in as well, don't you? So, you know, I've been into groups where, you know, I've not really engaged and I don't get anything from it. But then other groups, I'm quite active and, you know, you get the comments and you get the conversations. People really need to engage more. Right? [00:30:52] Speaker B: Big time. And we talk about that a lot. Like, our Tuesday meetings are great and it's such a great time to meet people and stuff. But if you only wait for that first Tuesday, whatever Tuesday in the month, you're missing out on so much activity throughout the rest of the month. That's why the groups do exist. So you can post not only what your business offers and hopefully why it's different, but equally, if you need help, like you mentioned before, you know, you need a gardener in this area or you're looking for a connection for this. Again, that's the power of the group. And one of the many things I love about our community is people want to help other people, so they'll go, I know a great person that can do this, or I know someone that can help you with that. [00:31:24] Speaker D: Yeah. And then on our. We've also got our LinkedIn, so for any businesses out there that are professionals. [00:31:31] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:31:32] Speaker D: We'd love to connect with us, and we'd love to connect with you. [00:31:35] Speaker C: Can you just go through your both, like, your full names? Are you both on? [00:31:38] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:31:39] Speaker D: Lee Hunter. [00:31:40] Speaker B: Yep. And I'm Cody Thompson. And then we also have then the Wa NDIS networking hub page as well. [00:31:46] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:31:46] Speaker B: So we can be found on all three. [00:31:47] Speaker C: Is that on LinkedIn, the hub? And you on Instagram as well, or TikTok? Have you actually gone into the TikTok? I honestly think, like, because we were on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and we have way, way, way more engagement on TikTok. [00:32:02] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:32:03] Speaker C: Wow. We put an advert out last year, and we got hundred thousand hits. [00:32:07] Speaker B: Wow. [00:32:08] Speaker C: If we did the same on Facebook, we'd probably get, like, 50. You know, just TikTok is way better at showing people posts. [00:32:15] Speaker D: Definitely my age. I don't really understand. So we'll leave that. [00:32:19] Speaker C: Well, it's. [00:32:19] Speaker B: Well, well, it's funny. So Instagram as well. I'm not an Instagram believer, if I'm honest, and if my wife is listening, she's always telling me to redownload it. I have an account, I never use it, and she's always sending me videos that I can't watch. But we should have Instagram. We don't yet. And I think, yeah, tick tock's the other one that you said. I have a. I started a very funny account, very separate. It's called, if anyone's out there listening, dad's money hacks. But it's the same thing. It was just from an idea, and it created and very quickly grew to, I think I've got, I don't know, 5000 followers. I don't use it anymore. I've done it for a long time. But to your point, it really cuts through and, you know, people are really interested more in that sort of bite size, easy to consume content, and we. [00:32:56] Speaker C: Just get lots more comments. It's not just the hits as well. You know, people, especially if you pose a question on there and like TikTok, because it used to be the dance one, and then it morphed into TikTok. So my daughter was. She's 15 next week. [00:33:09] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:33:10] Speaker C: Um, and no, sorry, 14 what am I doing? I'm just adding years. Been a few rough weeks. She's 14 next week. Um, and she's, like, a TikTok aficionado. Right. But, like, all the programs, all the things that she watched on TikTok are all, like, dancing. Right, because it used to be a dance thing years ago. Yeah. But I've noticed because it, like, it seemed like Facebook, it changes the algorithm. Yeah. So what she watches, what it puts in front of her, is the kind of content she watches. Well, for me, I get a lot of, like, standard comedians and I'll get mental health stuff because that's what I'm interested in. Yeah. And I'm really shocked at how many people, like, from my generation that are into TikTok now, and it's, like, professionals that are using it, not like doing the dance, because that's still the teenage thing, you know, but, you know, like, you get standard comedians who just have, like, a 1 minute joke or something, and then you go, wow, I really like that. And they follow them and, you know, you become fans. And so it's. It's a really good way of getting your message out there. You don't have to do the dancing. [00:34:12] Speaker B: Although, you know, I'll leave the dancing to Lee. That's fine. [00:34:15] Speaker C: Yeah, I know. [00:34:16] Speaker B: Hopefully by the next time, maybe. [00:34:18] Speaker C: Maybe when you do the expo, you should do, like, macarona or that on TikTok. That would be pretty crazy. [00:34:26] Speaker D: Look, you're coming. [00:34:26] Speaker B: Maybe. [00:34:29] Speaker C: We'Ll lead it, you know, macaroni. That would be pretty fun. [00:34:35] Speaker D: But on our website, you can grab your ticket. [00:34:39] Speaker B: It's through humanitix. [00:34:41] Speaker D: Humanitix, as another word. I don't know whether I can say or not. Yes, you can grab your ticket. So you do have to register for the event as a community member. But it is a free. So it's a free day out. So school holidays bring you. [00:34:56] Speaker C: Can you rock up on the day, though, or do you have to have. [00:34:58] Speaker B: Like, the ticket for the expo itself? We'll definitely be able to help people, and they can, because it's a free event, we can help them organized to get the ticket and do it there and then. So that's fine for our Tuesday events because we have, like, room capacity at certain venues and different things, we do require to have a ticket in advance the way that we do it. So again, the way that our business sort of operates is we have a yearly membership. So for business members that want to be a part of it, it's $49 for twelve months. So we think it's really affordable. [00:35:24] Speaker C: That's pretty good. [00:35:25] Speaker B: Yeah. So basically, 80% of our total tickets go to members, and members have the best chance to get tickets. So that's one of the main reasons people become a member. One of the other things that we have and what we've created is a database. So for each of our groups. So, Rocky, Amanda, Armada, all of those, it's. Anybody in our groups can enter the database, but only our paid members have access to the database. But it means, for example, if you're looking for a gardener, like we keep talking about, or a cleaner or a support coordinator, an OT, you can, if you remember, pull that up really quickly. And our database is nearly at a thousand entries. So in terms of WA providers, I would say it's arguably one of the most extensive out there. And again, $49 for a year mentioned. Keep coming to these events, you get access to that data. [00:36:05] Speaker C: It's really cool. [00:36:06] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:36:07] Speaker D: And you've probably met that person at a networking event and maybe you've just forgotten what's their name, what's their business called. I know, I'll Google Gardner and Joondalup. [00:36:16] Speaker C: Yeah, because when you posted your photos of the last one that we were hoping to get to, there was a few people there that I recognized. I was like, yeah, you're there. Makes it a lot easier when you go to a new group where you know someone 100%. [00:36:28] Speaker B: Yeah. And that go back to. But that's. So I guess the membership part is where most of the tickets go. For our events, we then have ten free tickets every single event that we do. So obviously, like I said, the expo is completely free for everybody. But for our Tuesday events, we have ten free tickets to encourage new members to come and trial it out for the first time, see what it's like. And then lastly, we have ten dollar tickets for anyone that wants to come on the day if those free tickets are sold out. But that just helps us manage the capacity side of things. But I, again, going back to it, we just want to reward the members that, you know, sort of reward us with their support. [00:37:01] Speaker A: Business model. I'm very impressed with that. [00:37:05] Speaker C: Awesome. Okay, so I guess just kind of wrapping up. If someone was thinking about joining one of your groups or coming to the expo, what would you say? [00:37:18] Speaker B: Look for me. [00:37:19] Speaker C: Please do. We'll get both of you. All right. [00:37:22] Speaker B: Yeah. Look, I think for me, firstly, like Leigh said, please, we absolutely welcome that. I think from the provider point of view, like, we see it a lot. We talked about connecting with the right providers before if your goal is just to get referrals and grow your business, we're probably not the networking group for you. What we really try and pride ourselves on is really being values driven and really connecting with the right people in the space and from there, absolutely. Things like referrals and connections will come of it. But I think if it's your sole focus, that's certainly not what we're about, really about sort of driving that community aspect. And then as a byproduct, absolutely, that's what happens. I would encourage them to jump on our website. That's where most of the information is for everything that we do, our events about us, all of that sort of stuff. And then lastly, as well, like you said, the Facebook groups, I think it's just a great way to get started and get to know who's in the community as well. I didn't leave anything left for you. Sorry. [00:38:17] Speaker C: Do you have like a parting comment about the expo or about your groups? [00:38:24] Speaker D: I think so. I was saying before, Tuesdays is for networking and we kind of try and put that out there for everyone. Tuesdays is for networking. A lot of our members actually do keep Tuesdays free to actually come to our groups and do their networking. They organise meetings before and after the groups. So Tuesdays is for networking, but it's also. Networking is an investment in your business as well. So for any business owners out there, just. It's literally costing you nothing to actually network. And we, you know, if you're. If you work in business development and you've got KPI's or, you know, things like that, we're actually bringing all these businesses to one place. So rather than you driving all over the metro or wherever you need to drive in the week, you can come to one place and you can meet up to 40 service providers. Yesterday at our event in Canning Valley, we had 40 people. So we're bringing them there for you to actually network with. [00:39:27] Speaker B: Yeah, and I think just to finish on that. But like, you know, I hate to say the word buy, but, like, people buy from people. You know, we mentioned before, I'm a plan. Plan partners. We're a plan manager. There's 1500 plan managers in Australia. So as much as we all like to say that we do things differently, ultimately we're all doing a very similar job. So again, I've always found, whether it's through platforms or any business, you know, you build a connection with the person in, you know, sort of behind the brand. So I think that only comes across in networking and genuine sort of connection. So, you know, again, if you want people to trust you and add you to their recommended list, or again, sort of, you know, be speaking and spooking your brand, they need to get to know the person, not just the business. [00:40:07] Speaker D: And I think we're happy to connect with anyone. So anyone out there that's listening, that is really interested, wants to come to a networking event, reach out and you know, everyone who wants to come to our expo, please jump on, grab yourself a ticket register for the event and come along. It's going to be awesome. [00:40:26] Speaker C: Well, we were there, so it's going to be doubly awesome. Right? Yeah, we are looking. We're looking forward to it. And yeah, it's going to be. It's really cool because like you said, it's bringing those people together. Not just average people, but people that are values driven. So there's going to be a lot of like, good people in that room. Now, you chose the next song. [00:40:52] Speaker B: So Lee chose the next song. Yep. [00:40:56] Speaker C: That means you don't like this song, right? [00:40:58] Speaker B: I don't know if it was in my top one three. [00:41:00] Speaker D: I'm a seventies baby but this is an eighties song. [00:41:04] Speaker B: A nineties baby. That's okay. That's all right. [00:41:07] Speaker C: I like. I like the kind of meaning behind this song. It kind of fits in with what you guys are about. So do you just want to share what the song is and why you picked it? [00:41:17] Speaker D: Well, I love this song. And I love this song. And it goes back to my daughter. She's a yemenite singer. She loves singing and performing and she's my child. I know, but in my opinion, she has a sensational voice. And she does singing lessons and sings a theatre and all of that kind of stuff. She sings this song beautifully. Also. I'm a seventies baby a late seventies baby and so this is an eighties song. So Cindy Lauper. And who doesn't love Cindy Lauper? True colours. And I think true colours is a song. I don't know, it's just. It's very impactful. [00:41:59] Speaker B: Cool. [00:42:00] Speaker C: Thanks so much for coming. We really appreciate it. We are sorry that we weren't Jack, because. [00:42:05] Speaker A: But I'm happy I'm here. Sorry, Jack. [00:42:09] Speaker C: But maybe we can connect you guys with Jack another time. [00:42:12] Speaker B: We've heard great things about the rockstar, so we'd love to connect with him at some point. [00:42:15] Speaker C: He's a legend in his own lunchtime. He really is live up to Jack. No pressure on him. [00:42:22] Speaker D: Right. [00:42:23] Speaker C: Okay, so this is Cindy Lor. True colors and. Yeah, we'll be back after this.