Many small business owners have had a tough time throughout the pandemic, but there’s hope, money and networking insight. Chris Lamont, New South Wales Small Business Commissioner, shares small business focus areas and support in the lead up to Small Business month in March 2022. 

Small Business Challenges

Chris said, exhaustion from 2020 and 2021 “is clearly playing out in the minds of small business operators across the country and certainly across New South Wales. That’s why we reframed the theme for small business month to ‘Rebuild, Recharge, Renew’. We think that’s the mindset small businesses are in. They’re looking for a circuit breaker to the last 12 months where they’ve faced challenges beyond their control. I think renewal is going to be really important.” 

The fifth New South Wales small business month is back in March 2022 after the cancellation of 2021. Small Business Month is a unique opportunity to help the State’s hardworking small business owners by offering events that teach them new skills, inspire them with new ideas and connect them with their fellow entrepreneurs. 

“They get ideas, inspiration from other businesses. Because we were locked in zooms, that true collaboration wasn’t possible. Small businesses want to reconnect with their peers, with their suppliers to really get that inspiration and ideas going forward.”

Chris described one in five small business owners who went online for the first time or grew their presence, not necessarily because they wanted to but because they had to. Some of the top issues small businesses are facing are planning, social media skills, attracting labour, cyber security and the grant categories. Finding people, let alone qualified people, in a competitive market. These topics will be addressed in the Small Business Month grants available for local chambers, councils and for the first-time not-for-profit businesses to run events that will help small businesses in these areas and more.

Grants   

Grants of $2,500 for local councils and $3,500 for chambers of commerce, industry associations and not-for-profit groups are available. 

Applications for event grants open on one November and must be submitted by 10 December. Now is the time to think about the type of event small businesses in your local area need, start planning, reviewing the grant guidelines and preparing your application now. 

Chris described a new feature of Small Business Month as the ability for groups to pool together resources and grants to host a super event. For example, two councils could combine with three local chambers.

The events must adhere to the relevant New South Wales health advice, including a COVID-safety plan, registration of all attendees, limiting the number of people in the venue, requiring attendees to remain seated and hand sanitiser at all events.

Grant applicants must design and produce an activity supporting small businesses in their local area and align with the 2022 theme ‘Rebuild, Recharge, Renew’. Some categories of activities include but are not limited to:

  • Focusing on your Customers
  • Working with Digital Technology
  • Leading your Team
  • Managing Money
  • Branding and Marketing
  • Growing your Business
  • Upskilling your Staff
  • Creating New Products and Services
  • Recruiting the Right Staff
  • Maintaining Mentally Healthy Workplaces, and
  • Building your Supply Chain.

In past years, Chris mentioned, a big corporate like Google or Facebook have been a collaboration partner to share their wisdom, insights and an opportunity they might have through their supplier pool or mentoring arrangement, which small businesses really value. 

Grant applicants will be chosen against the selection criteria and represent a spread of activity types and locations across New South Wales.

What to expect in 2022?

“I’d like to think the international and state borders will open completely in 2022, and that will only serve to fuel demand which is what we need, particularly in our city centres like Sydney CBD that have been doing it tough,” said Chris. 

The dine and discover vouchers and mediation support services for B2B or tenant to a landlord will continue to be important. “In 2021, mediation is up by more than 70% on 2019” and “90% of mediation through the commission result in a successful outcome without the need of a court or tribunal,” said Chris. 

“We know businesses will be stretched, to be able to pay suppliers will be strained, and we know to pay rent in some respects will be very difficult. If we can keep that goodwill and use the mediation service that we offer to all parties, that will cushion the blow and hopefully, keep more small businesses in business in 2022.”

Furthermore, “we’ve recently launched a tender support program which is about training and helping small business win government work. Increasingly, we’re seeing that tool being used by primes to get more suppliers into their pool, suppliers who may not have ever tended before but through this tool can actually do that.” 

Hosting an event is a great way to help small businesses reset, recharge and share new and better ways of doing business in a changing world. Get your application in before 10 December.