Where we began.

Two couples, four different careers, one shared idea; to build something for their community, and each other, at the same time.

Jasmine spent more than 15 years working across community services, management and leadership. It left her with one clear belief: people do better when they have the right environment and the right people around them. As a mum of two, she also knows what it actually takes to balance running a business with raising a family, and wanted The Collective to be a place that makes that easier for other parents doing the same juggle.

Ben is an industrial tradesman by day and a dad the rest of the time. He's built his career on getting things done, and he brought that same practical mindset to The Collective. For Ben, this space is about people backing each other to chase what they're working toward, with a crew around them while they do it.

Matt worked at local council before discovering coworking while living and working in London, and came home determined to bring that same energy to the Latrobe Valley. He's always been drawn to what happens when different people and ideas end up in the same room. He saw the gap for a space where local talent could do exactly that.

Kristina is a primary school teacher and, like Jasmine, was navigating early motherhood when The Collective began. Education and community building sit at the centre of how she sees the world, and she understands the specific kind of isolation that comes with starting a business while raising young kids. She wanted Traralgon to have a space where people with different interests and businesses could genuinely connect, not just share an address.

We wanted to build the kind of workplace we wanted to be part of ourselves. Professional without feeling corporate. Flexible without feeling temporary. Somewhere you could get real work done, meet good people, and feel connected to something bigger than your own desk.