Welcome to October's newsletter. Over the last couple of months the Economic Development Office has been focused on grant writing and the completion of our marketing material for the "Proudly Shoalhaven" campaign.....
Council’s Economic Development Manager Greg Pullen said, “The Shoalhaven is fortunate to have such talent, support and a savvy business community. This campaign showcases some amazing individuals doing innovative and great things in the region.”
“The campaign also features the diverse range of networking opportunities available to business owners. All of us who live and work in this area can stand up and say we are Proudly Shoalhaven.”
Click here to view the videos on the Shoalhaven Business Economic Office website and see why you should be doing business in the Shoalhaven.
This project is proudly funded by the NSW Government through the Regional Growth — Marketing and Promotion Fund
Small Business Month is a NSW Government initiative to promote and celebrate the success of small and medium sized businesses and the critical role they play in local communities across NSW.
Small business is the foundation of the Shoalhaven economy. The many trades people, retail shopkeepers, business services and the like provide jobs and economic activity that provides the stability for local area.
NSW Small Business Month consists of a series of events to be held in October across metropolitan and regional NSW. Shoalhaven City Council has received funding through this exciting NSW initiative made possible through the NSW Department of Industry.
This year the Economic Development Office will be partnering with the Milton Ulladulla Business Chamber and Sanctuary Point Community Pride to deliver a number of small business focused events.
Milton Ulladulla Business Chamber will be hosting the Spring Gala Dinner with special guest speaker, Turia Pitt.
Sanctuary Point Community Pride will be holding a business networking event with guest speaker John Lamont talking about business planning and ways to success. This event will be held on Thursday 25th October 2018 at the Straight to the Point Cafe, Sanctuary Point. The Economic Development Office is proud to partner with both organisations. Please have a look at the events and take up the opportunity to network with other business owners.
Nowra Bridge project - Princes Highway upgrade
Roads and Maritime Services is planning for a new four lane bridge over the Shoalhaven River, upgraded intersections and additional lanes on the Princes Highway. The project would improve traffic flow and ease congestion on a major section of the Princes Highway and deliver faster and more reliable journeys within the Nowra-Bomaderry area. The NSW and Australian Governments have each committed $155 million to the project. Want to know what it might look like?
Click here for an interactive map and a project overview video.
Grants & Financial Incentives for Business
Jobs for NSW
Jobs for NSW offers financial support to match different stages of business growth. Jobs for NSW provides financial support to startups and emerging and fast-growth small to medium enterprises (SMEs) to build momentum and grow jobs.
Regional Growth Loans
Supports projects which involve the construction of new infrastructure, or the upgrade or extension of existing infrastructure that provide economic and social benefits to regional and remote areas. Direct loans ranging from $200,000 to $500,000 are available to eligible businesses with no interest payable.
Building Partnerships grants
Help revenue generating startups and small to medium enterprises (SMEs) scale or grow strategically through the acquisition of a key customer or channel to market. Eligible businesses can receive up to 35% of the approved project costs up to a maximum grant of $100,000. The approved project costs may include:
- further developing a product and/or solution
- progressing early stage commercialisation i.e. product training or product testing
- acquiring and retaining talent
Click here for more information about the suite of grants available to business from Jobs for NSW.
Jobs Action Plan – is still available
The Jobs Action Plan is a key priority of the New South Wales (NSW) government. The plan provides eligible NSW businesses with a payroll tax rebate when they employ new workers in new eligible employment. To be eligible for the scheme you must be registered as an employer and paying payroll tax in NSW. If you are eligible then you can claim $2000 on the first anniversary and a further $4000 on the second anniversary for the employment of an additional person in a new job.
Click here to find out more.
Don’t pay payroll tax and you’ve got new employees in your business? You could be eligible for the Small Business Grant which is a one off payment per new position and is paid when a claim is made on the 12 month anniversary of when the position was created. For full-time employees the grant amount is $2,000. Click here.
For something a little different.... Safe Work Australia National Safe Work Month - your chance to win a share of $50,000 Want to improve work health and safety in your workplace? Safe Work Australia are offering between $2,000 and $20,000 (incl. GST) to help fund great work health and safety projects. Click here for your chance to win by using the submission form. The best projects will win their funding bid and go into the running to win an additional $5,000 People's Choice Award. Be quick as entries close on the 31st October 2018.
Shoalhaven Education Fund
The Shoalhaven Education Fund (SEF) was established to provide much needed financial assistance and support to local youth to help them achieve their post high school education, training and vocation aspirations. SEF recognises that the cost of regional students pursuing their post high school goals is often much greater than those of their metropolitan counterparts and that sometimes these costs can be prohibitive.
With this in mind, the SEF fundraises throughout the year and accepts donations from local residents and businesses in order to provide financial grants to students who need an extra helping hand. The funds come directly from our local community – none of it is government funded – celebrating the aspirations of local youth and working to help them achieve these aspirations.
The SEF support a diverse range of education and career pursuits including apprenticeships, traineeships, cadetships, degrees, diplomas and certificate level studies or entry careers. They do not provide cash grants directly to the recipients – the local foundation reimburses the student for a pre-agreed expense or pays the goods and services providers directly.
So if you know a young person in need of a hand up, please refer them to the Shoalhaven Education Fund. These are locally raised funds to support Shoalhaven young people access the tools, travel, assistance they need to complete their tertiary education.
Applications are currently open and close on the 31st December 2018.
Click here for more information.
Grant tips
The Economic Development Office has spent so much time over the last couple of months writing and lodging grant applications. We thought that it is an appropriate time to let you know some of our tips.
1. Read the grant guidelines and then read them again.
Make sure that your project is eligible. Keep in mind that someone, or a group of someones, has a whole pile of grant applications to read and assess and non-eligible grants are assessed really quickly.
2. Your project must meet the aims of the funding body.
We all know that our own projects are fantastic and will change the world but that is not what the funding body wants to hear. The funding body is providing you with funding to meet their needs as well as yours. The best projects, and the ones that get funded, are projects where your aims and the funding body aims are the same.
3. Answer the questions.
This one sounds straightforward but it is surprising how often the application questions are not appropriately answered. We all get caught up in this one. We know our projects inside and out and can assume (accidentally) that the person reading your application has the same level of knowledge. Get someone not familiar with the project to read your application and they will soon point out if there is key information missing or if the answer does not make sense.
4. Ask for help.
Practically all grant applications contain contact details of people that can answer almost any question that you might have. If in doubt about any aspect of the application please ask for help. Grant applications are onerous at the best of times and no one wants to see that effort go to waste when a simple phone call could make the world of difference.
5. Keep trying.
Grants are competitive - and so they should be. When the government is the funding body they must ensure that public money is achieving the best public outcome - and this is often achieved through a competitive process. But don't get discouraged. Even the best grant writers do not have a 100% strike rate. Just remember two things - the first is that the funding body wants to allocate the money and secondly you have a much greater chance of securing a grant than winning lotto. Both good reasons for you to keep trying.
Training for Business
The Economic Development Office of Shoalhaven City Council supports a range of business training and networking sessions throughout the Shoalhaven. Here are some of the Council sponsored training opportunities available to local business over the coming months.
spba October Networking Breakfast and AGM
Our breakfasts provide you with an opportunity to network with other Shoalhaven Professional business owners. Please note that the next spba meeting will include the AGM.
Women in Business: "When Women Thrive" – Shoalhaven Business Chamber and Shoalhaven City Council Women in Business is for like-minded women who are keen to learn, share ideas and collaborate with others for mutual success. If you operate a small or large business, are looking to start up your own business, employed, self employed, a professional, an experienced executive or someone who has a great business idea, Shoalhaven Women is Business is for you!
When Women Thrive... While women are confident financial managers with in the household, they continue to face ongoing economic challenges in Australian society, including gender pay gaps, more disruptions with employment, risk adverse in their financial decisions and traditionally have lower superannuation balances. It is so important for women to seek advice from a financial advisor to help close this gap, provide customised solutions for these unique set of challenges and ensure they have the necessary guidance to enhance their financial wellbeing. 
NDIS: Being Profitable – Southern Region BEC
Do you know how much it costs to deliver your product or services? Do you know how much profit you make? Come along to this information session to learn how to build a sustainable business you need to identify the profit you make.Be at the forefront. Making the NDIS work for your business!
How to start your small business in 7 easy steps! - Southern Region BEC Thinking about starting a small business, you’ve got a killer idea, but don’t know what to do next. The ‘Getting started in Business” workshop is just what you need. Let our experienced business advisors explain the fundamentals of starting up a new business including what structure might be best for you; dealing with the ATO; what to look out for if you want to employ someone and many other important things you might not have considered. This workshop will cover all the basic things you need to get up and running in a two-hour session that is both fun and informative. A one-to-one follow up meeting is provided to assist you further and embed the ideas/principles as part of the workshop. NDIS: Adapting your business – Southern Region BEC We are constantly adapting to change and businesses are the same. After this workshop, you will start to see opportunity as you build innovative strategies into your business. A one-to-one follow up meeting is provided to assist you further and embed the ideas/principles as part of the workshop. Please book with the Business Adviser at the workshop. Plan your social Christmas (Nowra and Ulladulla) – The Business Sessions
Just in time for Christmas - come along and find out how to plan a 'Social Christmas"
- Venue: Shoalhaven City Council
- Date: 8th November (Ulladulla) and 14th November (Nowra)
- Cost: $55
- Call 0406 866 634 or email to find out more or to book your spot.
Economic Development Office
Contact the Economic Development Office on telephone: 02 4429 3388 to speak with:
- Greg Pullen – Economic Development Manager
- Marianne Jones – Economic Development Officer
- Sally Bacon – Economic Development Administration Officer
Click here to access Shoalhaven City Council Economic Development Website