A year after winning the Australian Business Champion Award for best sole trader in the nation, Nicola Xanthopoulos of Nicola's Tutoring, is back in the running for the same award on Saturday night in Sydney.
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Since being recognised with the major award in 2018 the young Blackbutt businesswoman, who was bullied as a teenager, has gone on to launch a not-for-profit bullying support group called Caring Counts.
She may be busy commuting to Sydney five days a week as part of her final year of a Masters of Teaching at University of Sydney. But Ms Xanthopoulos sees helping young people as extremely important.
Nicola's Tutoring has grown to now have 35 students visiting her family's Blackbutt home for tutoring each week.
And Caring Counts is a free support service for people who have been bullied at school.
As her own studies near completion Ms Xanthopoulos said it was a case of the time being right to do more to help others who are experiencing or have experienced bullying.
"It is basically an online, in person, not-for-profit community group which supports past and present students who have experienced bullying in school," she said.
"It is a space where students can contact me and learn resilience and how to overcome those negative experiences.
"It is also a place where I run holiday groups where people can come and make new friends, talk about their experiences and learn skills to overcome their worries from a past of being bullied. "Our slogan is "You Count, We Care".
Ms Xanthopoulos said the free service was available 24 hours online during the school term. The community groups run during the holiday breaks.
"I am just overwhelmed by how many children in our local community are reaching out and wanting to be a part of it," she said.
"I would also really love to hear from any Wollongong uni students who are studying counselling or teaching who would like to be part of the group".
During the next five years Ms Xanthopoulos would like to expand Nicola's Tutoring beyond being a sole trader business and involve more people with a passion for teaching in her business. She is also a finalist in three categories of the 2019 Illawarra Women In Business Awards.
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