Arpana was 23 when she got married and moved to Australia to start her new life. Six years after her marriage she gave birth to her first son; a few years later her second son was born.
"My eldest is mildly autistic and I wanted to make sure I focused on him entirely. So, I became a stay-at-home mum,” Arpana recollects.
Life took a turn for the worse when in 2014 her husband decided to end their marriage.
She was left alone with two children and no financial help from her ex-spouse or the government,
“Since I wasn’t an Australian citizen, I couldn’t get any help from the government and neither did I get any help from my ex-spouse," she said.
"After I got married and had my children, I had given up my career to take care of them."
But in 2015 after her divorce was finalised, Arpana returned to studying.
Arpana Patel at home with her two sons Source: Arpana Patel
“I had extensive experience in accounting. I just needed to study and appear for my CPA, (Certified Practicing Accountant certificate) to start working again. That immediately became my goal,” she said.
All this while, Arpana had little to no support from her family. So, she was on her own. She took care of her kids, studied, and looked after the house. But she says she was determined not letting these hardships define or bother her.
“I was born in Fiji, grew up in New Zealand and came to Australia after my marriage. So, I didn’t have any family here in Australia. And in our culture, many times certain families look down upon the concept of divorce.
"So, my family was not very happy with my decision. But I did not pay heed to all that. I just focused on my studies and on keeping my children happy.
After finishing her studies, Arpana then faced the daunting task of how to manage a full time job while looking after her kids.
Source: SBS Gujarati
“My eldest son attends regular therapy sessions. I have to take him to every session, make sure to inculcate every learning into our daily routine and even explain these implementations to his schoolteachers," she said.
"And there would be times when he would get upset at school and I had to go to his school to bring him back home. So, working for a company was not feasible for me at all.”
So in 2016 Arpana decided to start her own business. She partnered with a commercial lawyer and started her own accounting firm.
The firm gradually grew and people started noticing her success.
In 2019, Arpana was a finalist for the 2019 Ausmumpreneur Award in the category of the Victorian Business Excellence Award. The network supports mothers who are trying to run a business amid challenges.
From not being eligible for a loan or even a credit card since my income was below $15,000, to today being able to help small businesses become financially sound and healthier, I am really proud of my journey.
Five years on, Arpana is now the sole owner of her very successful accounting firm and has been nominated for the Small Business Advisor of the Year 2020 Award.
Now she wishes that her story helps other women to believe in themselves, to invest in themselves and to never give up in life, come what may.
