PedapodPaige MorrisParties-a-BreezeQuick GiftsScientific Pest ManagementTeesub
Pedapod
Pedapod is an environmentally-friendly, three-seat people mover with the passenger pod made out of recycled plastic milk containers.
In a Sydney Business Advisory Service (BAS) session recently the owners of Pedapod, Andrew Osborne and Jane Stubbings, had said they had been going round and round in circles for nearly a year without actually starting the business.
As they had an important meeting with Sydney City Council Transport Planning Department, Jane consulted the BAS and a detailed inner city route map was developed, along with a request for three key tourist stops.
They had not realised until then that there were no business restrictions on bicycle use in the Sydney CBD.
With expensive start-up costs for each vehicle, "a kick in the pants was what we needed", stated Andrew in an email we received the day after the session with Daniel Boland, the Sydney BAS Business Facilitator.
With the major hurdles overcome, a fresh new marketing strategy was developed to focus on corporate clients as a new form of visual marketing to attract co-sponsors to the eco-friendly, well-designed vehicle.
With further creative input from the Sydney BAS, Andrew and Jane say they are impressed by the assistance they have received.
ContactSydney Business Advisory ServiceLevel 19, 323 Castlereagh Street, Sydney NSW 2000Phone: 9212 0555Email: nichole@clearlybusiness.com.auWebsite: www.easternsuburbsbec.com.au
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A young woman explores her future in the beauty business
Paige Morris is soon to finish her TAFE beauty therapist training and is currently completing work experience at a Kingswood hairdressing salon. She has impressed the salon owners - so much so that they have offered to rent her part of the premises for her own independent business.
With no prior business experience, 20-year old Paige came to the Department’s Greater Nepean Business Advisory Service for guidance on starting a business and on the salon’s proposal.
We discussed start-up requirements with Paige including registration of an ABN, public liability insurance, record keeping including GST, income tax and other Australian Taxation Office requirements.
We also summarised the proposal from the salon owners, suggesting that Paige obtain a written agreement which would require the services of a solicitor. Our advice was that she should run the business separately from the hairdressing salon, with lock-up security for beauty products and other assets. Additionally this would mean that she keep her own appointment diary and maintain her own customer database.
Should the beauty business prosper and later need its own premises, Paige will be assured of a smooth transition.
ContactGreater Nepean Business Advisory ServicePhone: 1300 650 058Email: info@penrithsmallbiz.com.auWebsite: www.penrithsmallbiz.com.au
Parties-a-Breeze
Jo-Anne Smith and Paula Cronin recognised a promising opportunity when the Central Coast packaging business they worked for was looking to divest its small party supply operation. Paula had the skills needed to look after the books and both had good rapport with the existing customers.
After buying the business, Paula and Jo-Anne contacted the Central Coast Business Advisory Service for assistance in a number of areas. They subsequently attended all the small business courses on offer and joined the local networking groups.
“We found the marketing course particularly helpful as we were both novices in this area,” said Paula. “It gave us ideas that we were later able to put into practice.”
Parties-a-Breeze opened for business in October, 2006 after the owners had transformed an empty Charmhaven warehouse into party central. They stock a wide range of products and have recently introduced a fancy dress hire service in response to customer demand.
Paula and Jo-Anne are also developing an online presence for Parties-a-Breeze.
ContactCentral Coast Business Advisory ServicePhone: 1300 650 058Email: info@centralcoastsmallbiz.com.auWebsite: www.centralcoastsmallbiz.com.au
Quick Gifts: getting a creative concept off the ground
Brad Indrele and Josh Cowdrey knew they had a good concept in Quick Gifts, a service that solves the perennial dilemma of what gift to buy. Their solution is a website where the giver creates their own pre-paid gift card for use anywhere in Australia that EFTPOS is accepted. The giver can even upload and use their own photos on the card.
The problem for Brad and Josh was that, despite their respective creative and technical skills, they were first-time business operators. As Brad describes it, they were “fumbling through the maze of business do’s and don’ts”.
This is precisely where the Department’s Capital Region Business Advisory Service and business facilitator Steve Jamieson were able to help.
“After meeting with Steve we came away with a clear direction and focus, the information we received was accurate and relevant. The Service also helped us organise the formal launch of our business,” said Brad.
“Now that we’re up and running we still talk regularly to the Service to make sure we stay on track. It’s like a health check for our business.”
ContactCapital Region Business Advisory ServicePhone: 1300 650 058Email: admin@crbec.com.auWebsite: www.crbec.com.au
New owners make Scientific Pest Management a success
When family tragedy led to Tanya and Jamie Grentell taking over a Scientific Pest Management franchise, they faced numerous challenges as inexperienced business owners. But with support from the Department’s Riverina Business Advisory Service, their business is now receiving industry accolades.
Marketing and promotion was one of the areas where we were able to help. Tanya found the Department of State and Regional Development marketing brochures invaluable and later expanded her marketing knowledge by attending our sales workshop.
We also played a role in encouraging them to move the business from home into the Business Development Centre attached to our own premises, thereby giving Tanya that important work/home separation. Jamie and Tanya’s hard work in making Scientific Pest Management a success has recently received wider recognition in the form of the Pest Manager of the Year Award for 2007 from trade magazine Professional Pest Manager. According to Tanya, they only entered the award competition as a benchmarking exercise. The win proves they are on the right business track.
ContactRiverina Business Advisory ServicePhone: 1300 650 058Email: business@waggabec.com.auWebsite: www.bizriv.com.au
Teesub - exclusive T-shirt subscription service
Libby and Joe Lombardo contacted Daniel Boland at the Sydney Business Advisory Service soon after starting Teesub - a business supplying limited edition T-shirts on subscription. Before making the call they had previously looked around for business advice, but without success.
One of their major needs says Libby was for “a visionary business model that reflected exactly the type
Teesub aviators T-shirts
“Another of his ideas was to use free publicity through product placement in fashion magazines - something that worked so well that we now have subscribers in London, Atlanta, Wellington and even Sweden. It was a simple way to attract customers without spending large amounts of money. We were impressed that Daniel could think outside the square and help us do something different in a small and crowded marketplace.
“Daniel also suggested we develop a sales forecast for two years ahead, then work backwards from there. This created a clear goal to aim for because we didn’t have a cash flow chart. We are already reaching the targets and getting income faster than expected.”
ContactSydney Business Advisory ServicePhone: 1300 650 058Email: daniel@clearlybusiness.com.auWebsite: www.clearlybusiness.com.au