3 Things I learned from our 'Regional Roadshow'

By Thomas Pollock

The Chamber of Industry and Commerce QLD (CCIQ) realised there was a disconnect between small business and Government revenue streams. Most small businesses weren’t realising the benefits and income that partnering and supplying government brings. So late last year CCIQ arranged Part I of a regional roadshow of events to help small businesses understand that Government business isn’t a bridge too far; that Government revenue isn’t the sole domain of Big Business; that Government contracts can be won, and fulfilled successfully, by small businesses. I was delighted to be asked by CCIQ to present at these roadshow events, and happily accepted. 

I had a wonderful adventure travelling the regions, speaking with many small businesses, and helping many businesses conclude that they should be bidding for Government business. And importantly, that they could win. I learnt many things through this experience, but three stand out for me more than most:

1.      Small Businesses are optimistic, determined, and open to change

Far from hiding their heads in the sand, regional small businesses are constantly looking at ways to grow. Whether that’s realised by diversifying into newer markets, exploring different social media channels, fine-tuning their customer experience, or improving process efficiencies, small businesses aren’t sitting back and waiting for government hand-outs to ease their burden. Rather, they’re looking at ways to be better. They’re looking at ways to grow. They’re looking at ways to strengthen during very uncertain times. I was so impressed with the positivity and forward-thinking that many of the regional businesses I met with on the road-show displayed. I have to admit I wasn’t expecting this to be as common as it turned out to be.

2.      Local communities with a healthy economic, social, and cultural outlook, have a strong small business community ecosystem in place

You know when you amble on into a town you’ve not visited before, and you get that vibe? That warm sense of welcome. That feeling that this is just a nice place, filled with decent people. It’s something almost tangible, you can almost touch it, and it certainly forms a huge part of the town’s character and personality. I felt this many times throughout the CCIQ roadshow, and on almost every occasion I found that these very warm communities were all built on a bustling and thriving small business ecosystem. I know its not too difficult to draw this conclusion, as they both support each other. But to witness it many times first-hand, it really hammered home to me how symbiotic the relationship between local communities and small business truly is.

3.      Regional small businesses underestimate the value and contribution they make to their local communities

A couple of years ago Shop Small released a whitepaper which powerfully illustrated the importance of small businesses to their local community. For every dollar spent in a local business, 42 cents is reinvested in the local community. Further, 27 cents of this 42 cents finds its way into the pay-packets of local workers, 12 cents goes to local business suppliers and 3 cents supports local charities, schools and sponsorships, and the like. Many businesses I spoke with during the roadshow severely underestimated small businesses contribution to their local communities. While this didn’t surprise me too much, it did spark meaningful conversations on ways and methods that small business communities can further ensure that dollars spent in their businesses, remains as much as possible within their local communities. We know that even with the flashiest ad campaigns, slick social media marketing, and cunning ‘company visions’, Big Business fails to support local communities to anywhere near the level that small business does (though they will argue differently and likely convince most that this isn’t the case).

Next Steps!

This roadshow proved extremely popular and reaffirmed there’s a real appetite for small businesses to win Government business, and indeed a similar appetite for Government to find more small business suppliers. So much so, there’s rumours of another Roadshow being launched in the coming weeks, to help more small businesses begin their Government strategy. So if you’re a small business and interested in attending, send me a line and I’ll keep you updated, or contact the team at CCIQ.