Herself a Cambodian migrant, Sophea Chea is the founder and managing director of Angkor Flowers, a social enterprise in Fairfield, one of the most multicultural areas in Western Sydney.
Angkor Flowers aims to help migrant and refugee woman struggling to find job in Australia by providing training in floristry and small business skills as well as boosting their confidence.
“I am a migrant woman who had been through a lot of bad experiences as my English was poor [when I arrived in Australia],” Chea tells SBS Khmer. “I could not communicate well, lacked confidence, so felt I could not do anything.”
Angkor Flowers Founder Sophea Chea Source: Client Image
After working in the community with migrant and refugee women from Cambodia and other countries for many years, Chea decided to open the social enterprise in 2014, which trains people, but also works to decorate events with its floral displays.
With support from Fairfield City Council and local clubs such as Marconi, St Johns Park and Mounties, Angkor Flower has opened free floristry classes for women, which include teaching on skills in floral arrangement, customer services and business. The enterprise also enables participants for further study at TAFE and job opportunities.
“In one year we recruited 30 students [to work for Angkor Flowers]. We cannot afford to provide jobs to everyone, but they [students] have the opportunity to work outside, to set up their own business and even further study at TAFE.”
The classes have three levels: Beginners, intermediate and advanced. They open once a year during October or November, lasting for 15 to 20 sessions.
Angkor Flowers group photos for three classes - beginning, intermediate and advanced classes on graduation day 20 June 2019 Source: Client Image
Asked how she spreads the word about her business, Chea says social media, word of mouth and local government are all helpful.
“An Orientation Day will be advertised on Facebook page of Angkor Flowers & Crafts, and our networking in Fairfield, even Fairfield city council.”
Such orientations give details about student obligations, as well as the benefits and outcome of the course, says Chea.
“We want students to come to the class happily with determination. We don’t want them to feel half way that why they should do this, why they do not aware about this …”
How to keep a business going
Angkor Flowers group photo Source: SBS Khmer
Chea says in the start Angkor Flowers only had on-call staffs, but now has full- and part-timers, as well as casual staff for bigger projects and special events.
“We are not a big company, but we are providing four or five jobs to women every day.”
“From imagination to becoming a recognised business in community, we get huge support from community in Fairfled.”
Angkor Flowers class learning activities Source: Client Image
Another source of income is online business. Angkor Flower have expanded online to accept orders for all occasions, from births to funerals, including baby showers, engagement parties, weddings, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
“Our online business is improving,” says Chea. “Even though we have to compete with competitors in the market, we get a lot of support from our clients. They appreciate our products. Our products are made with love and heart along with our absolute skill.”
