Small businesses are vital to the economy, collectively employing half the Australian workforce. That’s all the more reason for us to be supporting those businesses in the early stages of their journey, helping them to consolidate, grow and ultimately flourish!
Fortunately for all those aspiring business owners, the Perks Business Boost Awards were born in 2016 at a time when South Australia’s unemployment rate was the highest in the country and the percentage of start-up businesses was the lowest across Australia.
Perks used their understanding of what it takes to be successful in business and their passion to help South Australians in their unique journey—and created the Perks Business Boost Awards to help provide new business owners with sound business advice early on in their ventures to give them the best shot at success!
Perks are running the Awards again this year, presenting the opportunity for three, young South Australian businesses to access/win $40,000 worth of vital business services, including business advisory and planning, budgeting and forecasting, HR advice, marketing communications and graphic design services. Each winner will also receive a cash element to their prizes to support their business initiatives.
Understanding what it’s like to be a small, local business ourselves, Glam took the opportunity to speak to a couple of the 2016 and 2017 Award finalists about their experience working with Perks and how the Awards benefitted them and their businesses!
Chris Greene, 2016 Awards Finalist, owns and operates Cybersafe Families, providing cyber safety education to arm parents and guardians with the right information to make their homes cyber safe. The business also delivers online safety programs in Australian schools.
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Although his business is thriving now, Chris got involved with the Awards when his business was at a very early stage. He needed the guidance to really help get the ball rolling.
For many, running a business can be daunting and confusing—but with the right advice, it can be smoother sailing that you realise. Chris initially entered thinking it would be a great way to gauge how he was progressing and find out what professionals thought of his business concept, but his experience gave him a lot more value than just that.
“Being involved [with Perks] has given me confidence that I am heading the right way,” Chris says. “Meeting other applicants and listening to their ideas and struggles has also been a little like a support group.”
Any business owner will tell you that having a support group can be invaluable—their opinions, encouragement, and assistance can often be the difference between giving up and pushing forward. Sometimes you may be onto something great, but you may just need a little tweak and some professional advice to make a leap forward!
If that’s not enough of a reason to get involved with the Awards, Chris explains, “If you win, Perks will walk you to the next level. If you don’t win, the process of being involved gives you a deeper understanding of business and you’ll still have an opportunity to meet helpful contacts.”
Either way, it looks like a win-win on our end!
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Michael Williams, 2017 Awards Winner, also agrees that being part of the Awards process was a great way to network with people of encouragement, which is often what you need to make that next step with your business.
Michael founded Tenant Options to make applying for rental properties a smoother, more efficient process. When you create a renter profile through Tenant Options, it allows you to apply for multiple properties through your profile. The best part is your referees can complete their reference request forms online via email!
When Michael entered the Perks Boost Business Awards, his start-up business was already well under way, but being involved with the Awards gave him the knowledge to sharpen his business plan and goals.
“I now have a clearer understanding of where my business is and where I want it to be in the future,” he says.
Both Michael and Chris recommend applying for the Perks Business Boost Awards as they represent immense value in terms of the rewards (which have even been bumped up this year)—these can be crucial in assisting your ability to make the right decision for your businesses right from the start and helping to boost you to the next level.
“Perks offers many different areas of expertise,” Michael says. “I always feel like I’m receiving personal mentoring along the way, rather than just a service offering.”
So if you’re a small business owner looking for some professional guidance, an opportunity to make like-minded contacts, or even just gain a little more insight into how to run a successful business, make sure you enter the Perks Boost Business Awards. You’ve got nothing to lose!
Find out more info or apply here.
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