Free business support helped with wellbeing, Orenda Hair owner says

Dea Tirimacco and Vicki Yeates opened their business — Orenda Hair — on Ebenezer Place after realising a shared passion for a fun, environmentally conscious and unpretentious salon. The duo turned to Business SA’s Reignite Your Business growth consulting program, which was run in conjunction with the Adelaide Economic Development Agency (AEDA) and City of Adelaide (CoA), to further boost their business.

Putting the wellbeing of their staff first is at the heart of Dea Tirimacco and Vicki Yeates’ business model.
Each hair stylist at the gender-neutral hairdressing salon has a unique personality that the duo aims to support during their employment.
After Vicki saw an advertisement to be involved in Business SA’s Reignite Your Business program, she took up the opportunity to learn effective management techniques.
Vicki says her team took part in a “wellness training” in July.
“That was really excellent, timely and a great benefit,” Vicki says.
“It has helped our staff with mental health, wellness and that sort of thing – that is where we have got the greatest benefit.”

Using the AEDA, CoA and Business SA initiative to tap into the ever-important area of wellness, Vicki was able to strengthen bonds between her employees.
A dedicated business advisor visited the team to provide one-on-one support as part of the consulting program.
It aims to assist the business operator articulate their goals, with a core underlying objective of growth.
“Wellness is one of our really strong values because we are all about health, sustainability … and work/life balance,” Vicki says.
“We don’t want to be just employers; we want to be a work family and support each other.
“It gave us a little bit of clarity… because wellness in general is such an important thing.”