How to find free business help
![How to find free business help How to find free business help](/auto/thumbnail/persistent/article_images/underground_escalator.jpg?maxwidth=570)
Introduction
In Australia there are many sources of general help for your business (too many perhaps), ranging from Federal and State or Territory agencies, through local government authorities to a plethora of general business consultants. For the purposes of this article we are not going to consider general business consultants.
There is one national initiative, plus state / territory initiatives that may also help you on a free and/or part-subsidised basis.
The purpose of this ‘101’ article is to introduce you to what I call the ‘no pressure / no obligation’ sources and initiatives. I would not expect any of the providers to pressure you into engaging their help.
Sources
These are the best places to start … there’s an amazing amount of topical and practical information buried away in these websites:
Federal Government |
ACT |
NSW |
NT |
Qld |
SA |
Tas |
Vic |
WA |
There is also one national not-for-profit organisation – BEC Australia– which supports a national network of Business Enterprise Centres [BEC]. Each BEC services a specific non-overlapping geographic area … so befriending your local BEC is worth investigating.
And finally there are the local government authorities [LGA] – 564 in Australia! So, find out what your LGA offers by giving them a call or dropping into the local office. A good conversation starter includes the words “ … economic development … “, because this is why you are seeking help in the first place, isn’t it?
Initiatives
The national initiative is the Federal Government’s Enterprise Connect. It includes a wide range of services, and one which has proved to be quite popular is the free Business Review. Very simply, if you are in a pre-qualified industry (and there are few which are not) then your minimum annual revenue must be in the range $750K - $1.5M, depending upon which industry you are in.
State / territory governments have their own initiatives, and you will need to deeply search their websites to find them. A good place to start is any link which includes the assistance , or, grants, or, funding words. In NSW, for example, Small Biz Connect is a service which is similar to Enterprise Connect’s Business Review.
Your local BEC should also know what is available, because some of them receive funding to deliver free and/or part-subsidised state / territory initiatives and services. And each BEC should also know what’s going on at the LGAs within the BEC’s geographic area.
Conclusion
We all need help / advice / guidance from time to time and the purpose of this ‘101’ article was to raise your awareness about where you can go in a relatively unencumbered way.
Good luck.
If you have any questions, then please post them here so that everyone can benefit from the answers. And remember no question is a dumb question … so please don’t be afraid to post.
John Groarke has been a management consultant for 32 years working for global and local firms in senior client-facing and back-office roles.
Currently, he is the Principal of a consulting firm that works with services and services-led enterprises to develop sustainable and profitable enterprises. His whole approach is a mentor-based one and clients include; consultants, professional advisors and services-oriented small businesses.
John provides business mentoring services to SME clients of the Australian Government's Enterprise Connect initiative. And he runs workshops on consulting / professional advisory and small business topics for some NSW Business Enterprise Centres.
In 2005, he decided to pursue a 'giving back' strategy and John's 'pro-bono dance card' includes; NSW Enterprise Workshop, Women in Film and Television NSW, and the Small Business Mentoring Service. John is a long-term supporter of the NSW Government's small business initiatives – previously Small Business September and MicroBiz Week – and now Small Biz Connect.
John knows that I can make a positive and valuable difference to service-oriented businesses. He can be found via www.jegmc.com.
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