Bouncing back: Complimentary coaching eases confusion for local business owners

When the full economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic came to light earlier this year, the City of Wanneroo moved quickly to partner with small business management consultancy Business Foundations.

The partnership sees eligible businesses in the City of Wanneroo able to access complimentary one-on-one advisory sessions, covering everything from how to access Federal and State stimulus packages to managing expenses and cash flow amidst the current economic uncertainty.

Little Monkey Sports has been running movement and multi-sports programs for young children from Alkimos to Madeley since 2017, and owner Kristina Reid said the business had benefited enormously from the support and advice offered by the City of Wanneroo and Business Foundations.

The award-winning business was hit hard by the pandemic, as health restrictions introduced during March put paid to plans for a big school holiday camp, daycare incursions, community-based classes and regular after-school sessions.

"We had such a positive start to the year," Ms Reid said. "And then COVID happened. Within a week, everyone had to cancel and we were left with no classes to run."

Ms Reid said the one-off session - conducted via Zoom - helped coach her through the various incentives and initiatives offered by the Federal Government, such as JobKeeper, and gave her the confidence to keep moving forward.

"The advice we received was key in ensuring we didn't shut permanently," she said. "Through JobKeeper we were able to retain our two full-time staff, and other support initiatives have since allowed us to employ someone new."

"It offered clarity during some of the confusion. If there is a second wave, we learnt how to adapt and survive.

"I would definitely recommend other small business talk to the City to see what support it can offer."

Wanneroo Mayor Tracey Roberts said the City’s partnership with Business Foundations formed part of a broader push to support local businesses.

“Local business forms the backbone of our local economy,” Mayor Roberts said.

“With 13,000 businesses providing the vast majority of our 55,000 local jobs, it is imperative the City continues to support small and medium enterprises through initiatives such as this and our ongoing relationship with the Wanneroo Business Association.”

For more information, visit wanneroo.wa.gov.au/covid-19businesssupport.