Why Incy Interiors founder Kristy Withers wants to “pay it forward” by giving free retail space and mentoring to other businesses

When Kristy Withers started children’s furniture retail business Incy Interiors in 2011, having a mentor would have saved her “so much time, money, and energy”, she believes.

That’s why, six years and $7 million in revenue later, Withers is starting her own entrepreneurial “Pay it Forward” program, mentoring budding businesses and providing them space in her Chatswood store to promote and sell their products.

Speaking to SmartCompany, Withers says the idea for the program came to her only last Tuesday in “one of those moments”, during a photo shoot for an article in the Daily Telegraph.

“I was at home doing this shoot, I had this amazing photographer, and I thought ‘this is pretty cool, I’ve finally got to this stage’,” she says.