Like many people, Claire Sly’s fondest childhood memories are at her nanna’s house. She spent weekends with her grandparents, and her nanna always encouraged her to set up a ‘shop’ in the pantry to keep out of mischief. Her nanna would patiently wander around the living room, basket in hand, collecting her weekly 'shopping' from Claire and paying...
As an avid cook passionate about local produce, when Rom Blount moved to Collie in WA’s South West, she couldn’t find a shop that met her needs: a one stop shop where she could buy all the goodies she needed to make a great meal. Not one to let a small challenge put her off her culinary creations, Rom decided to start her own small business with...
Lou Corteen’s journey into the world of food manufacturing began with a simple compliment. “A friend raved about my green tomato chutney and told me I should sell it. I thought, ‘Yeah, OK, that’s what I’m going to do,” Lou recalls with a laugh. From that spark, Urban Forager was born, starting as a small venture at local farmers markets. Lou’s...
If your business sells any kind of unpackaged, ready-to-eat foods, it’s important to keep your customers safe from food-borne illnesses. Here’s what you need to know about the new food safety management standard introduced in Australia – and what action you need to take. It’s not pleasant to imagine the consequences for your customers, business and...
Starting a business often begins with choosing a business name – and then getting a logo to match. With so many graphic design programs and apps available, creating a logo for your business is easy. However creating a logo that looks great and really reflects what you want your business to become can be a bit more of a challenge. Whether you decide...
The City of Kwinana was one of twenty local governments to participate in the SBDC’s Small Business Friendly Approvals program over the past two years. Since 2021, the City has implemented the majority of reforms they identified to improve the small business experience in Kwinana. The City of Kwinana was selected for the Small Business Friendly...
On 1 July 2024, Business Local became SBDC Regional. While the name has changed, we’re still here providing you with free business advice and support in your area. Find your SBDC Regional provider . Making the decision to quit his fly-in, fly-out mining job to help care for his young son after a bout of surgery, Jordan Wilson knew he needed to...
On 1 July 2024, Business Local became SBDC Regional. While the name has changed, we’re still here providing you with free business advice and support in your area. Find your SBDC Regional provider . When Melissa Raffan’s career took an unexpected trajectory and she became a small business owner, she was driven by her personal passion for...
There’s a common myth in small business that it’s a waste of time and effort to register for goods and services tax (GST) before your business generates $75,000 in revenue each year. Here’s the truth behind that myth and why you might need to consider GST registration sooner than you think. When you’re just starting out or coming through a tough...
Have you found yourself in a situation where you’ve finished a job only to discover you’ve only just broken even or perhaps actually lost money due to underquoting? First of all, don’t beat yourself up. Most small business owners discover at some point, particularly when starting out, that they have underquoted. Here are some tips to help you avoid...
All new businesses start with an idea. Conducting thorough research during the business start-up phase can help you discover if you’re on the right road to success. We know there are a number of costs associated with starting and running a business, so we encourage you to make use of the wide range of free information and resources available to...
The first round of changes to the Franchising Code of Conduct have now come into effect. Here’s your guide to what has changed and what this might mean for your small business. Across Australia there are more than 1,100 franchisors and 70,000 franchisees, with most of these being small businesses. If your small business operates as a franchise or...
