220 Grants Awarded for Small Business Month

Small business month grants have been offered to 220 organisations to host events and activities during NSW Small Business Month this October.

Almost two thirds of grants are for events in regional NSW.

NSW Small Business Month is a month-long program created for small businesses across New South Wales to attend events aligned to their individual business interests. It’s all about providing an opportunity for small businesses to take the time to work on their business in October.

Coordinated by the NSW Small Business Commission, NSW Small Business Month brings together small businesses local chambers, industry associations, other not-for-profits, large businesses, and all levels of government.  The seventh NSW Small Business Month will feature hundreds of events to support small businesses and help them grow.

Over 500 events were delivered in November 2022 with an estimated 38,000 registered participants.

Small Business Month in October will cover a wide range of topics, including harnessing the power of AI to improve business efficiencies, building resilience and mental health best practices, protecting small businesses from cybercrime, developing a brand story to connect with customers and utilising digital tools to grow an online presence. 

Other organisations and businesses including big businesses can still support Small Business Month by applying to become an official Collaboration Partner and pitching an event or resource to support small business. IKEA, Westpac Banking Corporation and the Fair Work Ombudsman are among the names to have signed on.

Collaboration partnership applications close on 6 October 2023.

Small Business Month events are held across the cities, regions and online, featuring business experts from the private and government sectors, industry leaders and successful small business owners. Many events are also an opportunity for small businesspeople to come together, connect and collaborate.

The theme of this Small Business Month is “My Small Business”, with events tailored to help small business owners and operators learn new skills and strategies to improve their business across seven key areas:

• My Small Business Brand  
• My Small Business Cyber Security 
• My Small Business Health  
• My Small Business Online  
• My Small Business Resilience 
• My Small Business Team 
• My Small Business Trade 

For more information visit smallbusinessmonth.nsw.gov.au

NSW Small Business Commissioner Chris Lamont congratulated the business chambers, local councils and not-for-profit organisations which secured grants in the competitive selection process.

“It’s great to see the enthusiasm across NSW for supporting and strengthening our small businesses, I look forward to meeting and hearing from some of our more than 842,000 small businesses across NSW during Small Business Month,” Mr Lamont said.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and our communities, employing 1.8 million people and generate $425 billion a year in sales and services income.”