Albury businesses Miluny and The Backyard Garden Enthusiast thrive under Global Sisters mentorship

A proud Darug woman living on Wiradjuri land, Ms Iannotta founded her skincare business Miluny in 2019 after some soul-searching spurred by her own adversity.

Miluny means "mud" in her Indigenous language.

"My Aunty gave me the name so it's very special for the business," she said.

"It's all about connection to country, to culture, slowing life down and noticing nature.

"It was born out of my journey of overcoming hardships and having to slow down."

Based in Albury, Ms Iannotta creates earth-based natural skincare products using native Australian ingredients.

She gained her love of the land from her Indigenous father and her creativity from her mother.

"As a child, my dad used to take me outdoors all the time," Ms Iannotta said.

"My dad loved the outdoors; I've always loved Australian natives, born out of going out with Dad when I was younger."

Combining her background in mindfulness and self-care coaching with her beauty therapy, Ms Iannotta will open a new studio on September 1 at 495A Swift Street, Albury, with a retail space, workshop area, massage space and beauty bar.

She will host self care classes, sharing how to do spa at home with others.

"I want to help women relax, bathe, take time out and prepare for bed," she said.

Having grown up in poverty, Ms Iannotta said she was driven to helping others as her purpose in life.

She gives massages to women in need and hopes to create online classes to share her knowledge.

"I've come from hardship like nothing else and now I have this beautiful studio," Ms Iannotta said.

"I'm helping women in need because of what I've been through in life."

West Albury small business owner Joanne Diver had a life-long interest in native plants.

Growing up at Hay on the Riverine Plains, Ms Diver said it sparked an early fascination in native grasses and plants.

"The more I learnt about seeds the more interesting they became to me because native seeds respond to environmental cues," she said.

"They're clever in how they respond to different elements like rain, light and temperature.

"I have an insatiable curiosity about them."

With a background in administration, media and not-for-profits, Ms Diver branched out into her own business, The Backyard Garden Enthusiast, in 2018.

She wanted to incorporate her own ethics and values into a business model.

"The Backyard Enthusiast was an extension of my interests," Ms Diver said.

"I was propagating plants and seeds; I'd always done that because they make the perfect gift.

"Grasses were not widely available so I set up my own space in West Albury, where I can collect from frequently.

"People are introducing more natives into their gardens or putting in a grassland nature strip."

The Border-based Miluny and The Backyard Garden Enthusiast businesses were among seven finalists in Visa She's Next Grant Program, which were announced in Sydney this month.

Of the finalists, five were from Australia and have been supported by Global Sisters in their business journeys.

The two other finalists from New Zealand have been recently welcomed into the Global Sisters community as part of Global Sisters' expansion into New Zealand.

Ms Iannotta and Ms Diver both received $5000 to develop their businesses.

Other recipients were Alies Bol, founder of FRIKA activewear (Liverpool, NSW), Tamarin Howse, founder of The Better Tea Co (Auckland, New Zealand), Catie Fry, founder of Clovendoe Distilling Co. (Gold Coast, Queensland), Tasmyn Roach, founder of Awhi Company (Tauranga, New Zealand) and Yoko Nakazawa, founder of Cooking with Koji (Malmsbury, Victoria).

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