The Business Wodonga Connection April 14th, 2022
No images? Click here
THE BUSINESS CONNECTION
Message from CEO
Hello Members.
Last week’s newsletter showcased Member Exclusive pricing from Peter & Joy Barlow at Office Choice. This pricing is very competitive, even against national stationery firms, so I encourage you to give the small local business community member a chance to quote on your own business needs.
Member Exclusive is something that we really want to build upon – offerings from one Member business to other Members. This will help keep your money rotating around a circular economy benefitting all of us.
If you have an offer that you would like to present to other members, please email us the details at mail@businesswodonga.com.au and we will promote this through our newsletter and also on our social media. Another tangible reason to be a Business Wodonga Member:
Vendor (increased sales) + Purchaser (cost saving) = Everyone wins and a #strongerwodonga #businesscommunity.
Are you in hospitality and not currently a member of Business Wodonga? As you are probably aware, we have a policy of using exclusively member businesses, wherever possible, for all our goods and services. We need more hospitality businesses to help us host events right across Wodonga. Everything from the small Coffee Connectors, through to the President’s Dinner, we need venues. If you are not already a member and want us to consider using your venue, go to our homepage and use the “Sign Up” button to become a bigger and more integral part of our business community.
As I mentioned last week, April for us is the month of Support Local Shop Local. Every member is entitled to a free online store. Make the most of it and if there is anything that you are not sure of with the Digital Plaza, we will be conducting training to assist you this month. You can register now for face to face training on setting up your online store, via our Events page.
If you have not yet set up your online store, please consider doing so – even if you do not list a product or service on it, take advantage of the opportunity to use it to direct more traffic to your own website. Try
googling “support local shop local” and you will see how highly it ranks in search results.
We will also be focusing a lot of our online marketing towards encouraging people if they are shopping online, to do so LOCALLY.
-Graham
Support Local Shop Local
Lets talk about Shop Local
Being a Business Wodonga Member entitles you to more benefits across the Support Local Shop Local site.
All Business Wodonga Members get a free Business Directory listing and Premium Online Store included with their annual membership.
If you have something to sell, and are registered and insured, please join in and let everybody discover your interesting products!
You can direct all your customers to your own unique store page so they see all about you and your products, or you can encourage customers to the site in general to check out all the local businesses and what they have on offer.
Businesses with their own existing online stores can still utilise our system in many ways, they can just utilise our Business Directory functionality, or they can allow customers to shop their products with a Support Local Shop Local store and not have to double handle everything.
Would love to see more of you with a store, so please join.
Look forward to seeing you all.
Allison
Border Closure Survey
The past two years have been challenging for those in our cross-border communities. COVID-19 border restrictions and multiple public health orders have had a significant impact on how people in our cross-border communities live and work.
The Office of the NSW Cross Border Commissioner advocates for border communities and raises awareness policy, processes and decision making that can deliver better outcomes.
This survey is one way that you can share your experience of government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic related to cross-border communities.
The information that you share with us will be collated with other responses to provide a picture of the experiences of
cross-border communities from 2020 to 2022. This will inform our work and advice to governments and improve future responses to emergencies.
The survey focusses on three key areas related to the COVID-19 related border restrictions:
- Access to essentials, such as health, education, goods and services
- Exemptions for travel, including critical/essential workers, relocation and compassionate reasons
- Cross-border community zones and ‘border bubbles’ and how they were managed
You are invited to participate in the survey due to your lived experience as a person who lives and works in a cross-border community. The survey is specifically for people who lived and worked in cross-border communities from 2020-2022 and you are welcome to share the survey link with others.
This survey will take around 5-10 minutes to complete and the survey closes 5pm AEST 29 April 2022. You can complete the survey here: https://forms.office.com/r/ynQFxUqbSV
If you have any questions or require any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us at enquiries@cbc.nsw.gov.au.
Information & Events
Are you making the most of your membership? Here is another FREE fabulous session to ensure you are getting every opportunity to thrive in today's digital economy. Don't miss out! Sign up today.
As a Business Wodonga Member you are entitled to a free listing on our Digital Plaza- Support Local Shop.
Bring your own laptop and tablet to this interactive workshop and we will help you make the most of your free online store.
Join us for our April Meet & Mingle at one of Wodonga’s most popular venues!
Meet, mingle and catch up with local like-minded young professionals in a fun and relaxed environment.
Your ticket includes entry, canapes and the chance to win a lucky door prize! Drinks available at bar prices.
RSVP’s close 26th April 2022
Thursday 28 April 2022 11 am – 1.30 pm
ONLINE
Startup Shakeup’s Online Bootcamp helps you take your idea to the next level…
How can innovation thinking and tech help you take your idea to the next level?
You don’t need to know tech, to use tech.
Join us online for an interactive workshop on how these can help. The worlds of innovation and tech are full of opportunity. But it can feel overwhelming looking into how they can enhance your new idea … so we will be showing you to create an innovation and tech enabled business, even when you’re not startup or tech-minded.
Learn about:
- Designing a business model and value proposition using the Business Model Canvas;
- Simple ways to use tech in your business to improve find-ability, customer service, productivity, and reliable tech platforms for you;
- The wide range of local programs Startup Shakeup have to support you in growing or pivoting your business idea.
This Startup Shakeup Bootcamp has been made possible with funding from LaunchVic and is facilitated in partnership with GHD Digital.
Does thinking about what you’re going to wear each become a tiresome task?
Come and learn how to bring clarity back into your wardrobe and discover all the professional hints & tips from a personal stylist on illusion dressing techniques to help you begin to celebrate your body shape just as you are!
Becky (Oh My Style) is a certified Personal Stylist, holding a Master’s Certificate in Personal Styling. She is passionate about providing others with the education and skills to discover their own personal style that is authentic and a reflection of who they really are, uncovering confidence that comes when they are able to feel comfortable in their own skin by learning how to dress for their body shape and lifestyle.
If you want to discover the power of stepping out of the house confident every single day then join BWAW for a fun evening of styling, cocktails & canapes!
Saturday 7th May 2022
6pm - 8pm
2640 Restuarant & Bar, Albury
Your ticket includes this fabulous session, cocktail on arrival & canapes!
Members $75
Non-Members $80
(Inc $2 ticketing fee)
Be quick, this is going to sell FAST!
Net Zero Initiative
Monash University, in partnership with Birdwood Energy and City of Wodonga are conducting a feasibility study in Wodonga to identify how a microgrid can best meet the needs of the community. Microgrids integrate local sources of generation (such as rooftop solar) and storage (such as batteries) with electricity supplied from or exported to the grid. This allows customers access to services that are not normally available through their electricity retailer or distributor, such as back-up for emergency events like bushfires, reaching net zero emissions from energy use and new sources of revenue.
The feasibility study is the first stage of Microgrid development and will provide the evidence required to attract further investment.
We are seeking participants from Wodonga to complete a survey. Whether you are a resident, small or large business owner, or manager of a community facility, we would like to understand your energy use and priorities. We are surveying the community now as part of our initial data gathering process and also looking for participants for the feasibility study.
You can click on the link below to complete the survey or copy and paste it into your internet browser.
Active Energy Precinct Survey - Wodonga
Complete the survey now for a chance to win one of four $50 local business vouchers.
Business Support
Business Victoria is supporting small business owners, their employees and trusted advisers with helpful tools and services through Headway – a wellbeing initiative for small businesses. A range of free services are available including business advice, financial counselling, and mental health and wellbeing support. Get your free advice at business.vic.gov.au/Headway
NewAccess for Small Business Owners
NewAccess for Small Business Owners is a free and confidential mental health coaching program, developed by Beyond Blue to give small business owners, including sole traders the support they need.
The program uses Low-intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (LiCBT) that allows participants to recognise the way they think, act, and feel and break unhelpful thoughts.
Over six sessions, coaches with a small business background will work with you to overcome difficult issues, providing you with practical skills to manage stress and get you back to feeling like yourself.
At your first appointment your coach will complete an initial assessment with you, and develop a program tailored to your individual needs.
NewAccess for Small Business Owners is available nationally by phone or video call.
Ahead for Business is a digital hub that supports mentally healthy businesses.
Funded by The Australian Treasury, the Ahead for Business digital hub has been developed with and for small businesses.
The hub provides tailored resources, peer support, check-ups and personalised action plans and showcases the experiences of small business owners through podcasts, videos, blogs and case studies.
Ahead for Business has been developed to support small business owners in taking action on their own mental health and wellbeing through personalised resources and tools tailored to their specific needs.
Victorian Dining Program
The Victorian Dining Program is open!
The program is designed to build customer confidence and support some of the industries hardest hit by the pandemic.
From 10 am Tuesday 29 March, diners can claim 25 per cent back on their bill when they spend $40 (including GST) or more in Victorian hospitality venues outside of the City of Melbourne municipality.
The rebate is available for dining experiences between Monday and Thursday. Claims for Friday, Saturday and Sunday dining will not be accepted.
A total of $30 million is available to claim on a first come, first served basis until funds are exhausted.
Each customer can claim up to $125 in rebates. This includes rebates claimed under the Victorian Entertainment Program.
Final Tips
Want to be featured in our Business Connection?
We would love to share all the fabulous things your business has to offer. We just need a few things from you.
- Description of your business, maximum of 80 words
- Corporate logo, Hi-Res JPG or PNG format
- Links to social media business page (if applicable) e.g./ Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or YouTube
- An image/s of your workplace or you or your team to use on social media (optional)
- Link to appropriate website, phone number and/or email (if desired)
If you have any questions or want to know more, please fill out the form below or email mail@businesswodonga.com.au.
Submission to be in by 12pm on Wednesdays to be included in the same weeks Newsletter.
Capturing Wodonga.
Out and about again this week. Loving saying Hi to you all.
It's getting closer to Easter and I have enjoyed being out chatting to so many people. I had so much fun at the local markets also.
I dropped in to see RBR Party Hire. So many blingy things to choose from, PJ Wodonga Florist ... which my hubbie wished I didn't hehe, TrewBella Photography, which puts everyone, even me, into a perfect light. I could not forget Absolute Raw Pet Care, to shop for my pets. So many toys to choose from.
I really love meeting everyone, so if you would like me to come and see you, please drop me a email
#StrongerWodonga
Please, we would love reviews, so if you could take some time out to write one, we would be very thankful.
Please contact Business Wodonga with your business needs, concerns or questions on 02 6056 8302 or mail@businesswodonga.com.au.
Special Thanks to All Our Sponsors
If you would like to see your logo on our banners, please email us and we can discuss the options with you.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
