business consulting – Creativ Digital https://www.creativ.com.au Sat, 29 Apr 2023 13:02:18 +0000 en-AU hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.3 Business Grants & Assistance For Businesses With Digital Strategies https://www.creativ.com.au/business-grants-assistance-for-businesses-with-digital-strategies/ Thu, 23 Apr 2020 10:51:53 +0000 https://www.creativ.com.au/?p=22491 It’s a tough time for businesses around the world right now. Due to the Coronavirus Disease pandemic (Covid-19), many businesses are forced to shut down due to government restrictions in order to stop the spread of the disease. Business closure has a big impact on business owners. Firstly, their employees will need financial assistance to […]

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It’s a tough time for businesses around the world right now. Due to the Coronavirus Disease pandemic (Covid-19), many businesses are forced to shut down due to government restrictions in order to stop the spread of the disease.

Business closure has a big impact on business owners. Firstly, their employees will need financial assistance to ride through the closure. Second, bills such as rent and utilities continue even during lockdowns. This can be burdensome to many businesses especially small ones.

Many countries are introducing economic stimulus not only to assist their citizens during this trying times but also to help businesses stay open and ease the burden. If you’re an Australian business in the Digital Strategy space you’re in the right place because we have some information on grans and assistance that can help you through these hard times.

Hume Business Grants

Small to medium sized businesses that need support will find Hume Business Grants’ assistance timely. They provide assistance to businesses that show financial hardship and can demonstrate that the grant will help the business retain employees and support sustainability.

Grant packages are as follows:

  • Up to $5,000 for businesses with up to 5 employees    
  • Up to $10,000 for businesses with 6 to 10 employees    
  • Up to $20,000 for businesses with 11 to 20 employees

Businesses that can avail of this grant include:

  • Business fittings, including retail, wholesale and hospitality shop fittings, pop ups Digital strategy
  • development, including IT and software
  • Online and e-commerce platforms, including:   website design and development (web pages, mobile apps, audio and visual media) and mentoring and training in online e-commerce activities 
  • Digital marketing and promotion
  • Online learning and webinars
  • Staff participation online training courses, seminars, workshops where appropriate
  • Recruitment and training Product development
  • Supporting current permanent full-time or part-time employee leave entitlements
  • Payment of utility bills.

Eligible applicants should be located within Hume City, have a valid Australian Business Number (ABN), have 20 or fewer permanent FTE employees, demonstrate how the grant will help them respond against the impact of Covid-19, have appropriate permits and licenses,

More information is available in Hume Business Grants Guidelines.

Melbourne’s Quick Response Business Grants

Businesses in Melbourne can help find relief with the city’s quick response business grants aimed to provide financial assistance to eligible businesses affected by Covid-19.

Businesses that can avail of this grant include:

  • Invest in capital works during this challenging time and position their business to strongly benefit from the economic recovery when it happens.    
  • Develop their online and e-commerce capabilities;    
  • Undertake training and professional development to better prepare for return to business activities.

With the following funding packages:

  • Up to $5000 for investing in online and e-commerce activities.    
  • Up to $2000 for training and professional development.    
  • Up to $10,000 for capital works projects (matching dollar-for-dollar) to adapt to changing conditions.
saving business

Businesses have to be located in the city of Melbourne, have an ABN, be small to medium size, be a small to medium sized non-profit organization, be able to demonstrate how the grant will support the business or non-profit organization in response to the impact of Covid-19.

More information is available at Quick Response Business Guidelines.

R&D Tax Incentive

Claim rebate up to 43.5% of the costs related to research and development for new products and services.

In order to avail of this tax incentive, businesses must undertake eligible R&D activities that involve research and experimentation, spend over $20,000, operate as a company and have R&D activities in Australia.

In order to claim R&D tax relief businesses need to lodge an R&D activity registration every year that describes the R&D work.

An R&D tax consultant will be able to give you more information on how this incentive works.

Digital Grants Program (Queensland)

Avail more than $10,000 Small Business Digital Grants for purchasing hardware, software and services such as digital coaching.

It aims to provide small businesses with access to digital technologies and services to enable them to work smarter, engage with the global economy and make the most of online business opportunities.

This support for small businesses is from the Queensland Government, through the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training. This program contributes financial support for businesses to improve digital capabilities, work smarter and take advantage of online business opportunities.

Eligible projects must clearly demonstrate how the product or service will significantly enhance the digital capabilities of the business and how they will impact on the growth of the business.

Digital technology or business must fall under the following categories:

  • Receiving payments or selling online    
  • Digital planning, digital marketing strategy development, and digital training    
  • Specialized digital technology and/or business specific software    
  • Content development (web pages, mobile apps, visual and audio media etc.)

More information is available in Small Business Digital Grants Program Guidelines.

AUD

Small Business COVID-19 Support Grant (NSW Businesses)

Small businesses feeling the impact of Covid-19 on their livelihood can avail of the Small Business COVID-19 Support Grant as part of the NSW Government Small Business Support Fund.

Small business owners and non-profit organizations are eligible for a grant of up to $10,000 if they:

  • Have between 1-19 employees and an annual turnover of more than $75,000;
  • Have total Australian wages below the NSW Government 2019-20 payroll tax threshold of $900,000;
  • Have an Australian Business Number as at 1 March 2020, are based in NSW and employ staff as at 1 March 2020;
  • Are highly impacted by the NSW Government Covid-19 Restrictions on Gathering and Movement) Order 2020 issued on 30 March 2020, defined as a decline in turnover of 75 per cent compared to the equivalent period (of at least two weeks) in 2019; and
  • Have unavoidable business costs not otherwise the subject of other NSW and Commonwealth Government financial assistance measures.

More information is available in Small Business Covid-19 Support Grant.

Australian Small Business Advisory Services (ASBAS) Digital Solutions

ASBAS Digital Solutions provides small business with low cost, high quality advice on a range of digital solutions to help them meet their business needs and grow their digital capabilities.

Services can be accessed in the following areas:     

  • Websites and selling online    
  • Social media and digital marketing    
  • Using small business software    
  • Online security and data privacy.

To receive assistance, you must be operating for-profit and have 19 or less Full Time Equivalent employees. Sole traders can also access services.

Find Your Local ASBAS Digital Solutions Provider.

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It’s Time to Start An Online Consulting Business https://www.creativ.com.au/starting-an-online-consulting-business/ Tue, 07 Apr 2020 11:03:30 +0000 https://www.creativ.com.au/?p=22450 Today, terms like “social distancing”, “shelter-in-place” and “work from home” are becoming common. The Coronavirus Pandemic is changing the way we live and do business. It is forcing businessmen and workers to reassess and adjust in order to survive these hard times. The good news is that the internet is Covid-19-free. This is why it […]

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Today, terms like “social distancing”, “shelter-in-place” and “work from home” are becoming common. The Coronavirus Pandemic is changing the way we live and do business. It is forcing businessmen and workers to reassess and adjust in order to survive these hard times.

The good news is that the internet is Covid-19-free. This is why it is ideal for businesses to focus their efforts online because many people are turning to the internet not only to stay connected but also to shop, do business or get advice in order to avoid close contact with other people.

Transitioning or starting a consultation business from the physical world to the digital is relatively easy. If you’re a consultant who wants to go online we have some tips for you so that you can capitalize on this opportunity.

Assess Your Strengths and Skill Set

Most of the time, consultants are hired in order to solve problems businessmen can’t. Therefore, it is important to have a deep knowledge in an area that can offer value to your clients. Otherwise, why would they hire you if they know how to solve their problems?

There are many kinds of consultancy services you can offer. For instance, if you have a lot of knowledge and experience about computers, you can be an IT consultant. If you specialize in accountancy or taxes, you can be a financial or tax expert.

Assess your strengths so that you know which areas you can be of service. Take a look at your weaknesses and missing skills too so that you can work on filling those gaps. Depending on your expertise, you might also need certifications or licenses before you can provide consultancy services.

What Does Your Market Need?  

planning_a_website

Consultancy is a service so you need to be ready to provide what your market needs in order to be successful and relevant.

Start by identifying a niche and think what kinds of questions and pain points businesses in your area of expertise have. The best way to find out is to ask. Start by finding online blogs in your niche. What are thought leaders writing about? What area has a lot of confusion? What debates are they having in the comments section?

Another source of information is your network. Chances are, there will be people who are willing to talk to you about your industry, what areas need to be improved or the current trends.

Get Ready To Go Online

If you already have a consultancy business and want to go online or if you’re found a niche and is ready for the internet, the next step is to get ready to go online. Before doing so, you need to arm yourself with the right tools in order to make the job easier.

Some of the most basic tools include:

  • Video calling software for direct communication with clients.
  • Messaging and email service for communication.
  • Calendar for scheduling appointments.
  • Online payment system for receiving payments.

It is better to find an all-in-one system in order to consolidate and simplify your business.

As a consultant it is important that you have an easy way of communicating with clients. Video calls are a good option because it takes the place of a face-to-face conversation. It also makes the whole experience more personal and professional. In times of social distancing and stay-at-home orders, video calls are the next best thing.

Emails and messaging services are important too. This is a good platform for exchanging and sharing files and communicating when video calls are not possible.

You need to be on top of appointments too so having a calendar for better scheduling and to remind you of appointments is important. The calendar should also allow clients to confirm and cancel their appointments automatically.

Lastly, you need a streamlined online payment system. This can be tricky because not many clients want to pay upfront. A good compromise is to have a payment in escrow. The money is then transferred when the consultation is over.

Set Up Your Website

Website-Design

Now that you have the necessary tools in place, you can begin setting up your website. If you’re a total newbie to website creation, you can follow the steps here so that you can get your business online.

Basically all you need are 3 things:

  • A domain name.
  • Website hosting.
  • A website platform like WordPress.

WordPress is a good platform for newbies because it is easy to set-up, free to use and has a robust community for support. WordPress is also the preferred platform of over 30% of websites online so you’re in good company. Constant Contact website builder, Weebly and Shopify are good options too.

Promote Your Website

Your website can’t generate revenue unless you promote it. Once you’re online you need traffic in order to generate leads and sales. Therefore promoting your website in order to let people know that you exist is important.

Some of the best practices for website promotion include:

  • Good SEO practices including local SEO
  • Blogging
  • Promoting on Social Media
  • Pay-per-click advertising
  • Use landing pages
  • Online directory listing
  • Email marketing

Always remember that people need to know about you in order to avail of your services. Advertising and promotion can cost money but it is essential in order to make money. You can always start small with word-of-mouth advertising but the beauty of being an online consultancy service is that people around the world can hear about you and contact you. This gives you a wider reach compared to brick-and-mortar consultancy services.

Bottom Line

The Covid-19 Pandemic is keeping us apart from each other, but it does not necessarily mean that we’re alone. Being online means being connected not only with family and friends, but also with clients and customers.

Transitioning from physical and digital is not hard. Learning how to do it with research will pay off in terms of being more accessible to clients even when we can’t do business normally in times of social distancing and work from home orders.

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