SOCIAL isolation and a bout of appendicitis has reconnected one Orange woman with her passion, and then a business.
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Kristie Hawkes has started Konvo Designs, making earrings and selling them online.
Mrs Hawkes said she made fascinators and accessories while she lived in Sydney before the demands of the corporate world demanded her fulltime.
But when an appendicitis diagnosis made her take some downtime recently, she found herself growing weary of Netflix.
"I hadn't opened my boxes in 10 years," she said.
"I loved the process of exploring what I had in my boxes."
Her first pairs started conversations, which gave her the name for her venture.
"I love colour, I love vibrancy, I love sparkle," she said.
Picnics made easy
DO you love spending time outdoors but always seem to forget the butter?
Molong's Kristen Sherlock is seeking to ease the effort in putting together a picnic with her venture, Parfait Pique Nique.
Mrs Sherlock said there were similar offerings in her community when she lived in Sydney, where people could enjoy a more casual gathering.
"I thought there was a niche in the market here," she said.
She said COVID-19 restrictions meant her offerings were mostly restricted to grazing plates, but would expand to full picnics once larger gatherings were allowed.
"I'll be bringing everything and providing everything and then I'll pick it up and take it away," she said.
"There's so many beautiful parks around Orange."
Help available
WITH many businesses wound down during COVID-19 restrictions, Central West Business HQ has reminded entrepreneurs they can seek assistance.
Business advisor Anthony Doyle said the two most common areas were critical management and digital marketing.
"Critical management is when a business is at the wall and we support them and get them through," he said.
He said with people shopping 24/7, an online offering was essential.
Mr Doyle said state government policy meant businesses could access more free hours to improve their businesses.
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