I have been blessed to know Vanessa since we were about 16, now over a decade of friendship (but basically family) later who would have thought it would have led us here- our very own Blog post together. For as long as I have known Ness she has always been so driven and hard working for everything she puts her effort in to and I have always admired her for that. I have watched her travel, dance the night away, soldier through some hangovers, moving out of Sydney, finish uni, buy her first house with her hubby, marry her best friend and now watching her thrive in her Wedding/Event Hire Business Eclectic Salvage, is so inspiring. It really is life is what you make of it with her. If you have been thinking of chasing a dream or even just taking a leap of faith in to the unknown- I hope this Blog with Vanessa gives you the push to turn that passion of yours in to a Business!

What is your shot of choice?
That one is easy…Hands down a fireball! The only problem is, they taste a little too good!
What inspired you to start your side business?
I didn’t set out to start a business. I have always been passionate about entertaining, styling and enjoying a few drinks with the people I love. I am just fortunate that my passion has led me to where I am today.
What inspired you to start your side business?
Like most females, I had dreamed of my wedding day for a long time. When I began planning my own, I discovered just how difficult it was to source elegant and beautiful items at a reasonable price, especially tables. I wanted timber tables that were sleek and didn’t look like the typical “rustic” vibe.
I love a DIY project and luckily, so does my now husband and one of my best friends, Lauren. So we hatched the idea to make our own.

After months of hard labour, hours foraging and restoring beautiful items, my vision came into fruition. Sad the festivities were over, Lauren and I wanted to continue creating beautiful items together, offer affordable décor options and be able to help others visions come to life.
And so, Eclectic Salvage was born.

We have since added many extra items to our range and feel incredibly blessed that others have allowed us to be apart of their life milestones and see the same beauty in our items that we do!
What’s your favourite part since starting?
My favourite part would be, meeting all our beautiful customers and being able to help make their visions come to life.

We are lucky enough to share in our customers big life milestones such as; 21st Birthdays, baby showers, engagements and weddings. I love that we help make their big days special and we get to see it all come together.
What have you found the most difficult?
I still work full time, run the business as well as continue to build items to add to our collection. That makes it hard to find a balance between work and a social life. Lucky for me, I love both my full time job as well as Eclectic Salvage, making it easy to dedicate so much of my life to both.
Do you have a vision for where you see it growing?
As I said before, I feel incredibly blessed on the success of Eclectic Salvage. As long as there is demand we will continue to cater to the needs of our customers and add to our collection.

On days when you’re feeling stressed or anxious, what are your go to remedies?
Living down in Wollongong, I am blessed to be so close to the beach. Nothing seems more relaxing than taking my two dogs, Mylo and Pippa, for a walk along the beach.
What are the best lessons you’ve learnt so far, both in life and the business?
The importance of commitment, dedication and investing time in something you love.
Plants are a long term investment, the more you fertilise and water them, the bigger and healthier they become.
If you aren’t a plant person, it is likely that you will forget to water them and they won’t become as big and healthy as those plants that belong to someone who loves them. I feel like this concept can be applied to lots of things in our lives.
If you find something you love, taking time to invest in their growth won’t feel like work or a drag. You don’t always want to do the work but you know that your effort now, will pay off in the future.

That being said, I believe success lies in the difficult days. The hardest and most disheartening of times, are the ones that require you to invest the most time and effort. When we first started, it was months before we finally got our first booking. It could’ve been so easy to give up, but we didn’t and look where we are today.
Do you have any advice for other people who are thinking of starting their own business?
I guess my suggestion would be, choose something you are passionate about. Starting a business is hard, long hours and not rewarding straight away. It is an investment in the future. Believe in yourself, back yourself and don’t give up on your dream. If you have the passion, the money will follow. One of my favourite sayings is…
‘Where there is a will, there is a way’.

Thank you for sharing your Business story Vanessa- I am so proud of you for really chasing after what lights you up in life! I cant wait to see where this journey takes you & Eclectic Salvage. Follow my girls’ journey on instagram and facebook @eclecticsalvageau
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