A huge congratulations to local Kiama resident Jess Arroyo, owner of ‘Weigh Less with Jess’ who has been named as a finalist in the national AusMumpreneur Awards in the “Best Global Brand” and “Best Wellness Products” categories.The AusMumpreneur Awards presented by The Women’s Business School, recognises and celebrates Australian mums in business who achieve outstanding success in areas such as business excellence, product development, customer service and digital innovation. The awards are designed to recognise the growing number of women who successfully balance motherhood and business in a way that suits their life and family. A mother of two young children, Ms Arroyo lives on the south coast of New South Wales. She believes that anyone can achieve anything if it’s their passion.  She founded ‘Weigh Less with Jess’, an internationally recognised weight loss company that has helped over 150,000 people worldwide achieve their goals by losing up to 1kg daily through her clean eating lifestyle. With over 1.7 million followers on social media, Jess Arroyo is one of the top 100 social media influencers, according to The Australian.Ms Arroyo is the author of two cookbooks, a feature in a co-written “Change Makers” inspiring women’s book, a product-creator and winner of multiple business awards nationally and locally for her success in wellness, weight loss and outstanding customer service.She is delighted to be named as a finalist and is proud of her achievements, particularly since opening her shop front in bustling Wentworth Street in Port Kembla. There are many benefits to balancing business and motherhood Ms Arroyo reflects, “Small things become big when done with love. Teaching my kids doesn't feel like work when you do something you.” It can be challenging to be a successful businesswoman whilst raising a family, and Ms Arroyo gives this advice to others thinking about starting their own enterprise. “Don’t worry about other businesses who do the same gig as you. How many weight loss companies are there? It’s your magic that will bring your customers to you. Your vibe will attract your tribe.”More information can be found at www.ausmumpreneur.com. The winners of the AusMumpreneur Awards will be announced at the AusMumpreneur Awards Gala Dinner in August.

Kiama Sweet Company owner Jennifer James is preparing to take her confectionary business on the road for the first time. Well, at least as far as the Kiama Winter Festival. Her business is nearing its one-year anniversary in July 2023, so we caught up with Jennifer to discuss how the past 12 months have been. “It’s been great, it’s been really well received by the community,” Jennifer told The Bugle. The idea for Kiama Sweet Company actually came from Jennifer’s brother, who has run a similar business in regional Victoria for around 20 years. “My brother has a store called the Echuca Heritage Sweet Store on the border of NSW. It’s much bigger than here but it’s still pretty much the same store. “I wanted to replicate what he’s done here, so with his assistance, I opened it and tweaked it a little bit more because the clients are a bit different.” Jennifer says the main difference between her Kiama clients is the frequent visits from Sydneysiders who are harder to impress. She says she’s landed on the winning formula to keep locals and tourists happy though. “What I wanted to do was really create something that wasn’t just a lolly store. We’ve got a range of Dutch Licorice, European Chocolate, a range of beautiful cordials from Beechworth in Victoria’s high country, so just something a bit different,” says Jennifer. “Being a sweet company, we try to go into everything that’s sweet, although the Dutch licorice is pretty salty. We also have a range of gifts that go with those chocolates like tins filled with yummy things.” Jennifer also prides herself on bringing snacks not just from around the world, but around Australia, to Kiama as well, including fudge from Adelaide, chocolate from Victoria, and all the American imports a kid in a candy store dreams of. Despite being a sweet-focused business, the proliferation of online food challenges involving spicy snacks has led Jennifer to diversify her supply into products attempting to innovate in the confectionery market. “We’ve found that spicy has come around in recent years. So, there’s spicy Tarkis and that sort of thing, but there’s a Mexican range with sweet and spicy, so we have lollipops that are watermelon and mango with a chilli dipping powder. As for why Jennifer chose Kiama to locate her business? She says the choice was easy.  “Spending the last 30 years in Sydney, I had always been coming to Kiama because I have a friend that lives nearby. I had left Sydney [after COVID lockdowns] and didn’t really want to go back into that space. “I was really looking for that relaxed, beautiful town with good tourism and I don’t think you can get better than Kiama. It’s just a divine place to be.” The Kiama Sweet Company is on Terralong Street, near the Collins Street roundabout.