Welcome to our September newsletter packed with information to help you grow and develop your business.
We have two excellent workshops coming up, focusing on developing your business idea, planning and helping to determine whether there is a need for your product or service in your target market. There are recurring themes of offering value and solving your customers’ problems.
Scenario planning is a key element in the development of your ideas as this can help you identify outcomes and impacts and help develop actions to take to manage both positive and negative outcomes. Nobody can predict the future, however, planning can help you to react quickly, gain control and take action to achieve the best possible outcome for your business.
Wishing you a productive October!
– The Business LEAP Team
“As a founder, lay all the possible scenarios — from best to worst — in front of you, so you don’t get surprised when something happens.”
-Brian Wong, Co-founder of Kiip
What’s in this issue?
- Client testimonial – Tony Kishawi, What’s on in Gympie?
- Upcoming Business LEAP Workshops
- Small Business Grants and Funding Opportunities
- Articles
- New Blog Post on the Business LEAP website!
- Inside small business – Building a more customer-centric business
- Helpful Business links
Business LEAP Client Testimonial
“I’ve come in here every day with a new idea and it’s really handy to have somebody who’s gonna look at your idea and say ‘okay, has it got legs?’ ”
– Tony Kishawi, What’s on in Gympie?
Hear from Business LEAP client and Owner of What’s on in Gympie?, Tony Kishawi, about how Entrepreneurship Facilitator, Jason Virtue from the Business LEAP team has helped guide him with his new business ideas and growing his business.
Upcoming Business LEAP Workshops
Planning for Success – Gympie
Workshop | Wednesday, 13 October | 9:30am – 11:00am | The Generator Gympie | Register
How do you know your business idea is going to work?
Join Entrepreneurship Facilitator Lynne Wilbraham in this interactive and in depth business planning workshop.
This interactive session will cover:
- How to explore market opportunities for your idea
- Tips and information about market research, including best sources of information
- How to pull this all together to make informed decisions
To register for this session, visit: Planning for Success – Gympie
Business Starter – Hervey Bay
Workshop | Thursday, 14 October | 9:30am – 10:30am | The Neighbourhood Hive, Pialba | Register
Are you wanting to start your own business but not sure what you are needing to do?
Join Business LEAP Entrepreneur Facilitator Vicki Leeson in finding out how to start a business.
In this workshop you will find out:
- How to prepare a business plan
- Information on Market research
- Registering your business (ABN)
- Registering a trading name
- Registering your domain name
- Registering social media handles
- and any other licenses and registrations that are needed.
For more information or to register for this session, visit: Business Starter Workshop – Hervey Bay
Small Business Grants and Funding Opportunities
There are an array of funding and grant opportunities available to small businesses that are opening and closing soon. Contact your facilitator about options that are available for your business.
Accelerator for Enterprising Women
Have you got a business or entrepreneurial idea you’ve always wanted to bring to life? The Accelerator for Enterprising Women invites young women from around Australia to submit their entrepreneurial or business ideas into the Kickstarter Challenge for the chance to turn your passion into your profession!
The Accelerator for Enterprising Women is a Government funded national program designed to empower young women aged 18 to 24 to create self-made Job Maker career paths and pursue entrepreneurship as a career choice. The program seeks to ensure young women have the skills required to run their businesses and transform the industries in which they work.
The five lucky finalists will win the opportunity of a lifetime to attend a National Advocacy Workshop and pitch their ideas to decision makers in Canberra! The winners will receive the support to bring their idea to life including a share in $60,000 of seed capital funding, mentorship opportunities and much much more!
Submissions are now open – submissions will close 5:00pm on Sunday, 17 October 2021
For more information or to submit an entry, visit: Accelerator for Enterprising Women: Kickstarter Challenge
Business Basics Grant – Round 2
The Business Basics grants program provides support to businesses to increase core skills and adopt best practice.
This support includes funded activities in 5 priorities:
- Training and coaching
- Website build or upgrades
- Professional business advice
- Strategic marketing services
- Business continuity and succession
You may be eligible for a single up-front fixed grant payment of $5,000 (excluding GST). This round is only available for eligible small businesses based in regional Queensland.
Applications opened on 8 September 2021 – still currently taking applications!
Please note that the Business Basics Grant (Round 2) will close when sufficient applications are received for competitive assessment
For more information, visit: Business Queensland – Business Basics Grant Round 2
Back to Work Initiative – Employee Support Payment
The Back to Work program is designed to give businesses the confidence to employ Queenslanders who have experienced a period of unemployment. Support payments are available to eligible employers who hire a previously unemployed Queenslander who has experienced a minimum period of unemployment directly prior to commencing work with them.
The program is available throughout regional Queensland and in some areas of South East Queensland (SEQ).
Employers can make an online application through QGrants after the eligible employee completes four weeks of continuous paid employment. Initial applications must be received within eight weeks of the employee completing four weeks of continuous employment.
For more information, visit: Back to Work Initiative – Employer Support Payment
Export Market Development Grant
Export Market Development Grant (EMDG) is designed to bring benefits to Australia by encouraging the creation, development and expansion of foreign markets for Australian products.
Eligible small to medium enterprises (SMEs) are able to apply for grants up to $770,000 per applicant over 8 financial years for promotional activities to market eligible products in foreign countries, or training activities to develop skills in such marketing.
This grant opportunity opens at 9:00am on 16 August 2021 and closes at 5:00pm on 30 November 2021.
For more information on eligibility, visit: Export Market Development Grant
Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants Program
The Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants Program supports the recovery efforts of communities in eligible Local Government Areas (LGAs) affected by the 2019–20 bushfires. The program will support a range of projects in eligible LGAs affected by the 2019-20 bushfires to address community recovery and resilience needs.
Eligible Local Government Areas:
- Bundaberg
- Fraser Coast
- Gympie & Noosa
- North & South Burnett
- Sunshine Coast
The program opens for applications on 22 July and closes on 6 October.
For a full overview on the Black Summer Grants Program, including guidelines, eligibility criteria, and project deadlines, visit: Business Queensland – Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants Program
Incentives for Employers – Australian Apprenticeships
As an employer of an Australian Apprentice you may be eligible for financial assistance from the Australian Government to help with hiring and training an apprentice.
For more information on Employer Incentives, visit: Australian Apprenticeship Employer Incentives
Articles
New Blog Post on the Business LEAP website!
6 steps to creating your lean business plan
written by Lynne Wilbraham
A good business plan will help guide you through each stage of starting and managing your business. You’ll use your business plan as a roadmap for how to structure, run, and grow your new business. It’s a way to think through the key elements of your business and can be used to seek funding, investment or as a tool to help promote your business capabilities.
Use the steps in this blog as a starting point to help develop your plan: Business LEAP Blog – Lean Business Plan
To view other blog posts, visit: Business LEAP – Blog
Inside Small Business – Building a more customer-centric business
In today’s competitive climate, business owners have little room for complacency. Australian customers are not short of options and will give their business to suppliers that meet and exceed their quality and service expectations. Against that backdrop, striving to improve your customer experience, methodically and manageably, is a must.
Read more on this article: Inside Small Business – Building a more customer-centric business
Helpful Links for Businesses
Has your business been impacted by Covid-19? For more information on helpful links for Covid-19, visit: Business LEAP – Helpful Links for Businesses affected by Covid-19
For information on other helpful business links, visit: Business LEAP – Helpful Links
Reach out to one of our Business LEAP facilitators
Business LEAP’s Entrepreneurship Facilitators provide practical assistance and support to help you develop business plans and gather information about what is required to start or grow a small business. Our facilitators can help understand aspects of business operation, including legal requirements, licenses, permits and registrations, marketing, financial management, taxation requirements and more. They can also provide referrals to services to help you start and run your own business, and provide tailored mentoring.
If you are looking to book a session with an Entrepreneurship Facilitator or looking for more information on Business LEAP’s Entrepreneurship Services, check out www.businessleap.org.au, phone 1300 249 482 or email a facilitator:
Vicki Leeson
Monday – Friday
Bundaberg, Fraser Coast and North Burnett regions
Lynne Wilbraham
Monday – Wednesday
Gympie and South Burnett regions
lwilbraham@businessleap.org.au
Jason Virtue
Thursday – Friday
Gympie and South Burnett regions