Scanlon hopes to continue growing the business and contracting out work. Credit:Graham Denholm From the law to entrepreneur "I was working in a law firm and I was getting a bit frustrated with the charges lawyers were putting on vulnerable clients," Scanlon said. "So I moved into being a mediator at the financial ombudsman. It was just beaming at me how many disputes are caused by using the wrong word." When Scanlon had her child last year, the idea brewed for a side business that would help people choose the right words.

"People need letters written, people need applications to council written, they need contracts written. I was on leave and I was just doing something to boost my brain." Scanlon initially started by putting the word out on social media. By the time her maternity leave was up she had to make a choice about going back to full time work. "The demand was so high it wasn't something I could ignore, so I made the decision overnight to not go back to work." Building blocks Scanlon kicked off the business by curating and putting out a monthly blog project with daily posts from global business experts.

The entrepreneur had graduated from Monash university with both law and journalism degrees, so the idea of publishing and writing came easily. "I had people writing from the US, Singapore, Dubai and Hong Kong. The content of the blog is different every day, so it could be PR or mindfulness or accounting. It appeals to a wide range of people." The blog is still running but it has drawn out contacts and clients from all over the world. "It's gone insane. I can't put into words how strange it is to be sitting in the middle of some paddocks in Clyde with an internet connection and be writing contracts for clients in the US.



"I always thought it was impossible to gain followers for a business outside of Australia but I love where I live and I'd never move anywhere else." Scanlon plans to start subcontracting work out to be able to keep up with demand.

"I'm talking about how to manage that with my business mentor Cameron Schwab, the former CEO of Melbourne Football Club." Out and onwards Scanlon isn't alone in finding international demand for Australian services. A report commissioned by NBNCo on Monday reveals local businesses are finding global markets in ever increasing numbers. CT Johnson, managing director of Cross Border Management and co-author of the report, said the idea of export was no longer the remit of big business.

"About half the small businesses in Australia are starting to tap into the export market," he said. "It's a pretty large percentage." Unsurprisingly, the biggest export markets for small businesses are New Zealand, the United States, Britain, Singapore and China. With the growing Chinese middle class expected to reach 8.6 trillion by 2020, Australian small businesses are seeing the benefit of getting involved in that market now. Overcoming barriers However, many are still wary of the move.

"One of the biggest things you run into as a small business that wants to move abroad is they think it's too hard, they look at all the things that have to be done, it's a new language and it's a new culture and it's too hard," Johnson said. Johnson said those perceptions often could be misleading. He said it was not necessary to go abroad to find the help you might need. "This is where the internet is so helpful. You can find a local partner or distribution channel sitting in Bendigo or Newcastle or wherever you are that you can reach directly into the Chinese market." He also gave the example of daigous, young Chinese people who lived in Australia, bought Australian goods and shipped them back into Chinese selling platforms. Daigous burst into Australian consciousness in 2016 as the drive for Australian milk powder export became a national story.

"We all know that it's Australian produce, Australian cosmetics and consumables that are seen as such a strong brand in China. There are ways to tap into that. "The previous way we had was, over the past 23 years, it was dominated by mining or the tightly controlled wool industry. There's now a much larger base for the export industry."