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| April 2019 |
| Welcome to the Hobsons Bay Business e-Works newsletter |
Nominations for the 2019 Hobsons Bay Business Excellence Awards are now open! Held every second year, the Business Excellence Awards are an exciting opportunity for local businesses to raise their profile and showcase the great work they do. For more information on nominating your business, please click here. The 2019 Hobsons Bay Business Calendar is also now available to download from our website. This year there is a variety of workshops and networking opportunities on offer. From monthly networking sessions to workshops aiming to upscale digital capacity, there is something for every business. After another successful DYOB Coffee Connect morning this month, registrations are now open for the May event, taking place at Hangar Cafe at Altona Gate. If you haven't previously attended a DYOB Coffee Connect event, this is a great opportunity to connect with other business people from your local area. Places fill quickly, so register early to avoid disappointment. If you would like any further information, or have any questions about doing business in Hobsons Bay, please contact Council's Economic Development team on 03 9932 1654 or email business@hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au. |
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| 2019 Hobsons Bay Business Excellence Awards - Now Open! |
Hobsons Bay City Council has great pleasure in inviting you to enter the 2019 Hobsons Bay Business Excellence Awards. The awards celebrate inspirational local businesses that demonstrate innovation, excellence and leading work practices. The awards provide the opportunity for businesses of all sizes and across all sectors, to be recognised for their achievements, innovation or leading work practices and to highlight the important contribution of their staff. This is a great way to put your business "on the map" in Hobsons Bay and gain valuable exposure across the local community. Award categories include:
All applicants will be considered for the Excellence in Sustainability Award. For more details, please visit www.hobsonsbaybusiness.com.au/awards |
| Events, networking, workshops and more |
| Hobsons Bay Business Calendar - now online |
Hobsons Bay Mayor Jonathon Marsden launched the Hobsons Bay Business Calendar at Council's annual business breakfast last month. This year's calendar features a range of exciting events, workshops and networking activities, delivered in collaboration with industry partners, local business service providers and government agencies. Highlights include DYOB Coffee Connect, ASBAS low cost digital program, the Essentials of Starting a Business, as well as the Ten Steps to Marketing Success. To download the business calendar, or to register for an upcoming event click here. |
| ASBAS Digital Solutions Program - Sign up NOW! | |
Hobsons Bay City Council, in partnership with Maribyrnong City Council and the Melbourne Innovation Centre, will be delivering the Australian Small Business Advisory Services (ASBAS) Digital Solutions Program in 2019. This three year program, funded by the Federal Government, is a low cost, high quality advisory service available to participants via workshops and online collateral. Participating businesses will have access to support and resources to improve their digital presence and take their business to the next level. Topics covered include digital marketing strategies, website creation, social media for business, online security and much more. The one-off membership fee of $55 gives you access to the Digital Solutions portal, where you can register for workshops and mentoring and access online learning materials and webinars. Register today to access this opportunity. Click here for more information. |
| DYOB Coffee Connect Business Networking - Wednesday 1 May | |
Hobsons Bay City Council invites business professionals from across Hobsons Bay to come together for business networking on the first Wednesday of the month. This is a great opportunity to enjoy a coffee, promote your business and share ideas, while meeting business owners from a range of different industries. Time: 7.30am to 8.30am |
| #StartWest Meetup - Wednesday 1 May |
Mark your calendar for the next #StartWest meetup to be held in Hobsons Bay. We are pleased to have Nathania Christy this month joining us for the night. Nathania is the Head of Global Insight Network at TrendWatching, responsible for tracking innovations, consumer trends and cross-industry insights around the world. Taking time out from her global conferences and workshops, we are excited to hear what great innovations and trends will be reshaping the customer experiences in 2019 and beyond! For more information and registration details, please visit the #StartWest facebook page. |
| Employer Essentials for Small Business - Monday 6 May |
Do you have employees, or are you thinking of employing workers? Understand your tax and super obligations as an employer. Delivered by the Australian Tax Office, this introductory workshop will provide you with all the information you need, including what to do when you hire workers, PAYG withholding annual reports and payment summaries, superannuation and more. Time: 9.30am to 11am |
| Hobsons Bay Community Fund Business Lunch - Friday 21 June | |
The Hobsons Bay Community Fund (HBCF) is a philanthropic fund established to benefit and strengthen the community of Hobsons Bay for present and future generations. Professionally run by volunteers and a sub-fund of the Australian Communities Foundation, HBCF has so far distributed more than $250,000 to local community organisations covering welfare, housing, health, recreation, arts, disabilities and the environment. The annual business luncheon, proudly sponsored by Mercedes-Benz Melbourne, is its major fundraising event of the year and will feature guest speaker Paul Wheelton AM KSJ, owner of the largest Budget Rent A Car franchise in Australia. For details, please click here. |
| In the last month |
| 2019 Hobsons Bay Business Networking Breakfast | |
The Substation was abuzz on Friday 29 March, when more than 130 business leaders from across Hobsons Bay and beyond came together for the 2019 Hobsons Bay Business Networking Breakfast. Attendees had the opportunity to network and heard from keynote speaker Justin Giddings, CEO, Avalon Airport. Justin spoke about the great things that will be happening in the western region with the Avalon AirAsia X deal seeing direct flights between Avalon and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A special thank you to Deakin University and Avalon Airport for sponsoring the event. |
| Spotlight |
This section takes a look at our local business heroes. |
| 2017 Hobsons Bay Business Excellence Awards Winner - New Start Up | |
Susan Spelic, director/reading advocate of The Reading Mountain, is on a mission to engage and support young children when learning to read. Susan combines her 30 years' experience in literacy intervention and teaching English as a Second Language, with talented designers and creative story-tellers to publish and sell simple chapter books in the graphic novel form. "We have released five innovative graphic novels that are now in schools and homes around the world," Susan says. "The simple chapter books - which young children find very cool and in-line with their peers' reading - are very engaging and supportive of young developing readers who are moving from speech to print. The books are beautifully illustrated narrative stories, using easier-to-read, easily decoded words." JUDGES' COMMENTS: For a business that has just commenced operations, The Reading Mountain really impressed with the level of planning and attention to detail that has helped ensure a successful business launch into a niche market with huge future scale-up opportunities. Development of a universally accessible style guide that can be used to develop the books and uses a "Dyslexic-friendly" type font, all while developing stories that any child would be happy to read, was absolutely brilliant and a reflection of Susan's knowledge and passion in this field. It is less a matter of 'if' the business will become a success, but 'when'..." |
| Business news |
| Australian Federal Budget 2019-20 | |
The 2019-20 Federal Budget was released on Tuesday 2 April. To find out how the proposed budget affects your business, please click here. Please note: It is always important to remember that at this point, the Budget measures are only statements of proposed changes, and are not yet law. With an election expected to occur in May 2019, it is still uncertain whether these proposals will become law. Please seek professional advice as applicable. |
| Tax time is fast approaching |
Do you know what tax concessions apply to your small business? Although it might seem like we've only just said goodbye to the summer heat, the end of financial year is nearly here. There are a number of tax initiatives to assist small business this financial year. Click here for more information. |
| SME & Supplier Sessions to learn about Local Jobs First and Social Procurement | |
Register now to learn how Local Jobs First and the Social Procurement Framework applies to you and your project. In the past year, the Victorian Government has established two significant initiatives aimed at ensuring Victorian businesses and employees benefit from the government’s record investment: the Local Jobs First Policy and the Social Procurement Framework. The Social Procurement Framework was established in April 2018 as a whole-of-government approach to generate social value above and beyond the value of goods, services or construction procured by the Victorian Government. The Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions (DJPR) is hosting several information sessions to help suppliers as they implement the Local Jobs First and the Social Procurement Framework. These information sessions are open to all those involved or who want to be involved with businesses that supply to government projects. To find out more information, please click here. |
| Love Food Hate Waste for business |
Calling all cafes, restaurants, pubs and venues! Do you want to prevent food waste, reduce costs and increase profits? Love Food Hate Waste is a free short program that can help you put in place waste reduction strategies. Following the simple three-step program over several weeks, Love Food Hate Waste for business will help you identify where food waste is really occurring in your business then make changes to prevent waste before it happens. Click here to find out how to decrease food waste in your business today. |
| Transform your career in retail |
Registrations for the Australian Retailers Association's (ARA) Diploma of Retail Merchandise Management course are now open. Last year, the ARA recognised a critical skills need for formal education for entry to mid-level buyer and merchandise planner roles in Australian retail. In a joint effort, the ARA and SkillsIQ consulted with retailers across the country to develop this one-of-a-kind specialised diploma. For more information on this course, please click here. |
| Grants and assistance programs |
| Grants and assistance programs currently open |
Boost Your Business is now open. Apply for up to $50,000 in support to help your business become more productive, employ more people and improve market access and in general, increase your scale, diversity and profitability. Round 3 of Boost Your Business is now open and closes at 11.59pm on Sunday 12 May 2019. For eligibility criteria and information, please click here. |
| Property update |
| For sale or lease | |
21 Lobelia Drive, Altona North - For Sale 29A Vernon Street, South Kingsville - For Sale McArthurs Business Park - For Sale 87 Simcock Avenue, Spotswood - For Lease 2-10 Toll Drive, Altona North - For Lease Looking for a serviced office or a shared co-working office space? Make sure you check out OfficeOurs in Spotswood. With co-working starting from $5 per hour, there is a solution for any budget. Visit OfficeOurs to find out more. Through its Economic Development team, Council takes a proactive approach to attracting and facilitating investment across the municipality. This includes assisting with site identification and selection. If you are looking for a commercial or industrial site in Hobsons Bay or want to submit a business or commercial premise for inclusion in e-Works, please email business@hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au. |
| Community connection |
| Watch Council meetings live |
Did you know that Hobsons Bay City Council offers on-demand video and audio of Council meetings? Live streaming allows you to view proceedings on the internet without the need to attend Council meetings in person. This gives you greater access to Council decisions and debates, and eliminates geographic barriers preventing the public from attending. To access webcasts of live Council meetings, view archived meetings and follow links to meeting schedules, agendas and minutes, please click here. |
| Have your say on Council's upcoming projects | |
We want to hear from you. Council is seeking feedback on the following projects: - Aquatic Strategy |
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