Small business friendly activities

Local government

Small business friendly activities

• Establish an online business platform to connect local business owners.
• Develop the Forrestdale Business Park promotional campaign.
• Collaborate with Curtin University to develop a mentoring program for local business owners.

• Offer business grants in line with newly released economic and tourism development strategy.
• Coordinate networking events for small businesses.
• Increase opening hours of shire offices.
• Simplify forms when engaging with the shire.
• Fast-track pre-registration inspections for food businesses.

• Establish a Sustainable Economy Advisory Committee to inform the development of an economic strategy and provide advice to council on broader economic issues and ideas.
• Simplify processes and forms for submitting quotes and tenders.
• Facilitate workshops to help small business owners.

• Waive planning applications fees for change of use applications for premises on main streets (which have been vacant for more than 12 months).
• Allocate two dedicated place managers to work with business and enable place activation.
• Allow new businesses to occupy previously vacant spaces for up to 20 days without planning approval (with a view to potentially extending this to six months to encourage activation).

• Review processes and forms to improve ease of use for customers and efficiency in processing by staff.
• Introduction of TenderLink to streamline the process for tenders.
• Adoption of Strategic Community Plan and Corporate Business Plan.
• Establishment of a Business Advisory Group to determine the business support activities the Shire will focus on. 

• Adopt a buy local policy for the City’s procurement of goods and services.
• Implement the Economic Development Action Plan which includes a focus on reducing red tape for businesses, developing a business incentive policy and a small business innovation grant
• Update the website to include small business information with links to support services.

• Introduce a 'purchase local' preference policy.
• Update the City's 'Developing Busselton' website information to ensure greater recognition of small businesses.
• Sponsor and promote the Local Chamber's annual awards to the local business community.

• Review existing partnership arrangements and identify opportunities to partner with local small businesses.
• Review on-street parking restrictions in West Leederville and Wembley.
• Develop a business perception survey.

• Implement the Better Approvals project to improve the process for planning, building and health related applications.
• Incorporate information about health and wellbeing into business support programs, workshops and events.
• Provide development and support for the freight and logistics industry.

• Work with key stakeholders to deliver the Gascoyne Business Awards.
• Develop information sessions and workshops for local small businesses.
• Work with local businesses and key stakeholders to grow tourism in the region.

• Develop an online listing to promote local businesses.
• Build an interactive display at the local visitor centre to increase awareness of local food producing businesses offering farm gate sales.
• Encourage locals to purchase local Christmas gifts by partnering with the community newspaper to develop a gift guide.

• Review digital marketing.
• Host an event that fuses the Claremont Town Centre business sector with a major community event providing a destination marketing opportunity to attract visitors.
• Provide networking and knowledge based opportunities for local businesses.
• Conduct market research and build on the 2017 research program.

• Support a range of capacity building and professional development events for local small businesses and support organisations.
• Develop a public facing business database to encourage local collaboration and raise awareness of local businesses within the community.
• Provide subsidies to small business owners to offset the cost of training, support and mentoring.

• Surveying local small businesses to assess their needs.
• Introducing online payments.
• Establishing an economic development team.
• Facilitating small business forums and events.
• Encouraging buy local shopping campaigns.

• Host regular networking events to promote Shire activities in various industries.
• Advocate for small business through the Shire’s ‘Process Improvement Working Group’ to improve communication protocols and reduce red tape.
• Collaborate with a local supplier to re-design and print Shire collateral and to promote these new materials to local businesses.

• Establish an online business directory (a free advertising opportunity for local businesses).
• Establish a ‘Shop Local’ or similar campaign (if supported by local businesses).
• Introduce an inter-business customer service challenge (if supported by local businesses).

• Establish a biannual business round table. 
• Improve wayfinding signage.
• Improve and develop additional long bay parking for tourists in the central business district. 
• Provide a training session to help small business become preferred suppliers for local government, state government and mining sector contracts. 

• Develop a signage policy in consultation with the local business community.
• Develop a one-stop-approach and dedicate a resource to assist small business with all planning, building and health-related enquiries.
• Develop Exmouth 5000 – a business attraction and retention strategy.

• Deliver a capacity building service for small businesses in the area.
• Request business input into the City’s destination marketing strategy.
• Inform businesses of grant opportunities.

• Organise a business expo to promote small businesses in the area to encourage and promote ‘buy local, shop local’.
• Host a women in business networking event.
• Implement a Town Team within the city.

• Update the business section of the website.
• Review information on the LINK website, a collaboration with Edith Cowan University to help business innovation. 
• Provide funding to local co-working space Sixty27 and support events and workshops.

• Improve the tendering capacity and awareness of procurement opportunities for local businesses through workshops and training, and distributing early information on open quotation requests and tenders.
• Run a 'buy local' campaign and market the economic benefits of spending locally to the broader community.

• Use the Small Business Development Support Grant program; to support a range of projects that will bring economic benefits to the City.
• Implement the ‘Take Your Business Online’ support grant scheme to improve the digital capacity and marketing of local small businesses. 
• Establish a Small Business Advisory Group to provide advice to Council on small business matters, including procurement, policies, and opportunities for growth and diversification.
• Promote small businesses in the lead up to WA Small Business Day.

• Implement the Local Commercial and Activity Centre Improvement Grant Funding Policy.
• More frequent events to inform small businesses of the programs and initiatives to assist with business development.
• More website information to advise small business of benefits of operating in Kwinana.

• Develop a Business Crime Prevention Resource Directory to improve awareness of existing crime prevention programs and initiatives.
• Implement a business customer journey mapping project to reduce customer transactions and provide business customers with an easy-to-use toolkit.
• Developing a place making framework and improve on engagement with businesses at the Riseley Centre Booragoon.
• Develop a food truck/fixed traders policy to create a fair trading environment for mobile businesses.
• Provide business training, networking and development opportunities.

• Implement business workshops.
• Improve tourism and local area marketing.
• Improve local business information and promotion on Shire's website.

• Liase with property owners in Nannup CBD to promote and develop retail outlet opportunities.
• Investigate the development of former Quannup pastoral land to improve business opportunities in the district.
• Consult with government agencies and community organisations to progress trails development in Nannup as an economic driver for the region.

• Investigate having a small business incentive program within the Narrogin CBD to update facades.
• Create an Economic Development Strategy.
• Create a Tourism Development Strategy.
• Work with the Narrogin Chamber of Commerce to develop a 'buy local' campaign.

• Provide business investment funding to assist in the beautification and activation of under-utilised shop spaces.
• Build the relationship between the Shire and local businesses.
• Promote economic growth to support businesses within the Shire of Northam.
• Develop a co-working space in the town centre.
• Promote a pop-up shop in the Northam CBD for new businesses.

• Engage with local stakeholders to develop a tourism strategy.
• Deliver local programs and events to build the capacity of business owners.
• Increase lighting in industrial areas to encourage the use of these spaces to expand existing businesses or attract new enterprises.

• Launch new City website with dedicated business and tourism section and business register to give local businesses an opportunity to engage with the City.
• Supporting workshops and the Momentum mentoring program at the Stirling Business Centre.
• Partnering with the SBDC on its Small Business Friendly Approvals project.

• Implement the ‘smart cities project’ including new initiatives around parking and public transport.
• Partner with Curtin University to research how the City can develop a night time economy.
• Develop a Business Attraction and Retention Prospectus.
• Undertake a business perceptions survey to understand the perceived value of City programs.
• Establish a ‘business boot camp hub’ providing a space for programs to help businesses grow and thrive.

• Identify ways to make it easier to run a business in the area.
• Facilitate a range of events that allow business owners to network and upskill.
• Continue to engage with and provide grants to Town Teams to undertake appropriate initiatives.

• Create a business directory to increase the visibility of businesses, especially those without a shop front or are located outside the town centre.
• Develop an online platform that allows businesses to book vacant tenancies for temporary use, for trailing a new business or low-risk shopfront feasibility.
• Establish a workshop program to improve access to skills development for local entrepreneurs.

• Greater focus on buying local, including:
  • a goal of awarding contracts to local businesses first (in instances where all things are equal) by December 2019
  • hold information sessions for small businesses explaining the City’s procurement processes
  • advise City of Wanneroo staff of the buy local policy, including a list of local suppliers for staff to easily access.
• Regular engagement and consultation with small businesses.
• Support local businesses through events, information, promotion support and guidance.

• Conduct regular meetings with the Peel Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
• Promote a 'buy local' shopping campaign.
• Implement the Local Purchases Policy.
• Host and facilitate local business forums and events.
• Establish an Economic and Tourism Council Committee.
• Update the Council website by adding a dedicated small business support page.
• Create an online business directory in collaboration with the Waroona Business Support Group.