Saturday 31 October 2026 is WA Small Business Day. It’s a day set aside to recognise the massive contribution that small businesses make to our state, and I’m proud to invite everyone to join in.
A day to celebrate WA small businesses
When WA Small Business Day comes around, I think about the café owner who remembers your order, the tradie who takes care of those household jobs you don’t have the skills for, the retailer who stocks that hard-to-find ingredient or household good. I think of the near quarter of a million of enterprising Western Australians who have backed themselves to start and grow a business: This day is for them. It's our chance to say thanks to the businesses that shape our communities and drive our economy – not just with words, but with actions.
Small business, big impact
The numbers behind the small business sector are significant. With nearly 260,000 active small businesses counted in WA as of June 2025, small businesses make up 97 per cent of all businesses in our state. Between them, they employ more than 540,000 people, or 35 per cent of our entire private sector workforce. And we’re not just holding steady, we’re growing. New research commissioned by the SBDC shows small businesses now generate a record $87.2 billion in annual activity in WA, up almost 75 per cent since 2020.
Small businesses are the engine room of the WA economy – creating jobs and keeping money circulating locally. But perhaps more importantly, they are at the core of our local communities: sponsoring the footy team, giving a school student their first job, being the shopfront that keeps the street alive. When small businesses start well, survive and grow, the whole community feels it.
How WA Small Business Day started
WA Small Business Day began as a grassroots movement, launched in 2018 by Small Business Matters led by Nicolle Jenkins and Kitty Prodonovich, to recognise the enormous contribution small businesses make to our state. It was created around one simple idea - think small first and choose to shop, dine and do business locally – and has been celebrated on the last Saturday of October each year.
In 2026, the SBDC is proud to take custodianship of WA Small Business Day and continue that tradition by inviting everyone in WA's small business ecosystem, including the WA public, to mark the day in their own way.
How you can get involved
Whether you’re a customer planning to visit your local grocery store or book shop; a small business ready to show the world who you are; or chamber of commerce or local government backing local businesses, we’ve made it easy for you to share how you’re celebrating WA Small Business Day this year by creating some ready to use resources for you that you can download for free.
Make every day a small business day
WA Small Business Day is a single date on the calendar, but the spirit behind it is something we can carry through the whole year. Behind every small business is someone who took a risk, backed an idea and created opportunities for others. Their impact reaches far beyond their own four walls, into the communities and neighbourhoods we all call home, and helps make Western Australia the great place it is.
On 31 October 2026, make the choice to think small first.
Saj Abdoolakhan
Small Business Commissioner
Join in the celebration!
WA Small Business Day Resources
Download your free promotional toolkit to help celebrate WA Small Business Day 2026.
