People often ask me questions like’ “how did you come up with the idea for www. schoolxchange.com.au?” and “do you have kids yourself?” So I thought I’d tell you a little bit about myself.

I migrated to Australia from England on my own in 1979. When I look back now, I think, did I really do that? I probably wouldn’t be brave enough to make such a huge move now. It’s a big decision to relocate to another country or even another state, especially if you have the extra responsibility of children.

Like most people I’ve had experience in several industries. My career has included roles in the public service, banking, advertising, and as a freelance graphic designer. Being a ‘stay at home’ mum I chose to be actively involved in my local school community and volunteered for various positions and committees such as the school tuckshop and uniform shop. And as I often tell my own boys, nothing you learn is wasted!

Chatting to other parents I soon realised a common subject amongst them was that they all had uniforms and other items they wanted to sell, but didn’t know how to. They also wanted to find economical ways to keep up with the constant demands of seasonal uniform changes and extracurricular activities such as sport and music.

So, the idea for schoolxchange.com.au slowly evolved until one day I realised that the answer was to develop an internet based business that made it easy for parents to find exactly what they needed online with a simple listing process for people to advertise items for sale that was targeted to their own school community.

Although my boys are now teenagers, I have a third “baby” - my business. I have guided and nurtured my kids and now I’m finding that I need to nurture and develop schoolxchange.com.au. My experience as a graphic designer has been a good starting point, but I quickly discovered there was an awful lot to learn!

Launched just 18 months ago the business has been growing steadily. At first the website was just a place for families to sell their pre-owned school uniforms to other families. Now schoolxchange.com.au has grown to include all Australian schools in all states and offers a range of items for sale including uniforms, textbooks, sporting gear, musical instruments, scout and cadet uniforms and even calculators.

With new updates and redesigns planned for the coming months, I hope to be able to continue to bring families a reliable, up to date, secure service, helping busy mums all across Australia and make life just that little bit easier!

Like to share your thoughts? You can contact me through our website or become a guest blogger.

Bye for now,

Claire