Welcome to June!
Welcome to the 50 new followers who have joined us this month! We look forward to sharing the latest business news, information, opportunities and resources from Frankston City and beyond!
In this enlightening June edition we are excited to announce our BUSINESS GRANTS ARE BACK!!!!! If you are ready to take the next step for your business our business grants could be what you need to grow in a progressive, vibrant and thriving city. Find out more below.
You'll also discover some fantastic events, expo's and education sessions to explore plus plenty of opportunities to get your business listed and actively involved in our awesome community.
Learn about FREE workshops - what's on for this month - and get some handy tax tips to help you get prepared ahead of tax time - you're welcome!
Don't forget for all your business support services, information, opportunities and resource needs you can visit the Frankston City Council website at https://www.frankston.vic.gov.au/Business-and-Growth.
And remember, you can always reach out to us if you need support!
From the Frankston City Council Economic Development Team.
ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!!! Frankston City Business Grants COMING SOON!!!!!
The next round of the popular Frankston City Business Grants is coming soon! Yes you heard right! Opening early September, your business could be eligible for a grant between $5,000 and $20,000!! There is up to $150,000 in business grants available! The grants are designed to help you take the next step to expand your business, grow from a home-based business to a bricks-and-mortar commercial property or relocate your business to Frankston City from another location! Since its inception the program (formerly Invest Frankston Business Grants) has helped 88 Frankston City small businesses and invested $1.26 million helping to create economic growth and employment.
FREE Business Directory
Have you registered your interest in being part of our Frankston City Business Directory? Currently under development, with more than 200 local businesses already expressing their interest, this platform is a fantastic and FREE way for you to advertise your business. Whether your business in Carrum Downs, Frankston, Frankston North or South, Sandhurst, Skye or Langwarrin or home-based, get your business listed on a trusted directory for both customers and businesses to use. The Business Directory is being developed by Council's Economic Development Team (us) to support, connect and promote local business to the community from a trusted source.
List your event for FREE!
Do you host live music, bingo nights, markets, open days, exhibitions, or other special events? Well imagine listing it on a trusted and popular platform reaching a huge audience for FREE! You can list your upcoming event on the What’s On Frankston website. This free platform enables you to list your event, in your own words, and showcase it to the Frankston City community. Your listing also enables Imagine Frankston to use for content for e-newsletters and social content. Don’t forget to add @imaginefrankston as a co-host to your Facebook events so we can help you promote and increase your exposure too! Have an event idea you want to evolve? Review our Destination Event Attraction Program or chat with a member of the Creative Destination Event Team (linked).
Frankston City represent!
We exhibited at the two-day Commbank Small Business Expo on 28 and 29 May at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre. We spoke to more than 150 small business owners in a range of industries from manufacturing and trades to IT and financial services, introducing Imagine Frankston and showcasing Frankston City’s impressive amenities, upcoming projects, economic statistics, outlook and growth for the future. There was also 45 business owners from Melbourne and surrounds who asked to be signed up to our business eNewsletter subscriptions - welcome!
Many businesses were impressed to discover information about Frankston City and learn why it is a great location to live, learn, play and invest.
School to Work Forum
Keen to enjoy a FREE breakfast at McClelland College while learning how you can better employ and engage young local workers?
Mt Erin Secondary College, Chisholm Frankston and local businesses NetfocusIT and Burst Branding Agency are on the dynamic Q&A panel at this year’s School to Work Forum on Tuesday June 18. The event offers networking opportunities with school leaders, TAFE and local employers plus serves as a platform to explore strategies for engaging and retaining young talent within the local Frankston City workforce. Held before school at 6.45am - 9am, the event is brought to you by the Frankston Mornington Peninsula Local Learning & Employment Network (FMPLLEN) and Frankston City Council. Tickets essential and only open to Frankston City employers and principals from Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula.
Young St is ready!
It's time for your business to shine on Young Street, Frankston! Dedicated to economic prosperity and city revitalisation, Council has partnered with Plan1 Project Management & Consultancy to bring new business to the city centre street. With short-term leasing options available you could trial your business in the heart of a progressive and robust city centre in a prime location that offers connectivity and opportunity. Young Street is poised for transformation - and your business could be part of it.
This Vacant Shopfront Activation Program is designed to increase foot traffic and help introduce new businesses to ensure the precinct becomes a vibrant and high performing business destination.
Expressions of Interest for the Young Street Vacant Shop Activation Program are now open.
Franchising Expo
We are exhibiting at the Franchising & Business Opportunities Expo at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre on August 17 & 18 to showcase Frankston City as an attractive place to invest a business.
The expo, which has been running for 25 years, brings together franchisees, franchisors, small businesses and industry players for face-to-face networking and seminars. Visitors can learn about starting their own businesses, what it means to be a franchisee in a forum filled with opportunity. Frankston City is home to thousands of franchises, many of which are local families who own them, contributing to our growing Frankston City economy. We are looking forward meeting potential business owners and helping them discover the incredible opportunities Frankston City could bring them.
Networking night!
Frankston Business Collective (FBC) are holding their June Business Networking Night on 26 June from 5.30pm to 7.30pm at Grace Professional Services in Langwarrin. At this event you will hear from one of FBC's newest strategic partners, Sandi Grace, CEO of Grace Professional Services, who despite encountering various hurdles, propelled her company's growth through perseverance and innovative strategies. Free for members, $50 for non-members, this event is a fantastic opportunity to network with other local business owners. Have you joined FBC yet? FBC has been established to support, advocate for, connect and educate the dynamic Frankston City business community.
FREE Business Workshops!
Frankston City Council offers a range of FREE business training workshops to help you upskill and assist your business with growth and sustainability.
The more successful your business is, no matter the industry, or whether you have a bricks and mortar or a home-based business, the stronger our local economy.
All of our workshops are delivered by local industry experts who are eager to back your business and share their knowledge and expertise with you.
Next workshops;
Builders and Trades Workshop (FREE)
This workshop is part of a series designed to help builders and trades business owners learn vital business management tools so that you can focus on growing your business faster with less stress.
Thursday 13 June, 2024, 5.30pm - 7.30pm
The Small Business Leader's Toolkit: Strategies, Skills and Solutions (FREE)
This session is run by Extreme Networks and is designed to provide you with practical tools that are used in Australia's largest organisations that you will be able to take back to your business and use to be a better leader and more importantly, help your team to be better leaders, too.
Wednesday, 19 June, 2024, 9am - 11am
Trim Your Bin
The Trim Your Bin program is still open for expressions of interest. Now in its second round, participating Frankston City businesses have already seen a reduction in waste and waste-related costs.
The Trim Your Bin program helps local businesses measure their waste, identifying easy actions to avoid and reduce waste and waste related costs. It’s all aimed at reducing waste, improving recycling efforts, and adopting circular economy solutions. If you own a business in Frankston City, you can learn more and express your interest below.
(Pictured: Brodie from Writers Bloc Cafe at Frankston Library)
FMP Jobs Expo
The Frankston Mornington Peninsula Local Learning Network (FMPLLEN) is hosting the FMP Industry and Jobs Expo on Tuesday 20 August at Mornington Racecourse. The jobs expo is open to the job seeking public and is the ideal event to link local people to local jobs in the Frankston and Mornington Peninsula region and your business could be part of it! Attendees will have the chance to engage directly with industry professionals and employers, eliminating the impersonal nature of online recruitment. This event provides a valuable platform for employers to interact with potential candidates, cultivate skills and forge meaningful connections within our community. Want to get involved? Reach out to FMPLLEN today.
Self Employment Assistance Program
Have you ever considered starting your own business and becoming your own boss? If yes, all you need is an idea to turn your passion into your very own day job with the help of Asuria’s Workforce Australia - Self-Employment Assistance Program. By registering for their free workshop, you’ll team up with our Asuria Business Mentors, who will offer their advice, support and guidance to empower you with the right tools and skills to achieve your goals. Topics include getting started, business idea generation and validation, start-up essentials, going digital, branding and marketing. The FREE online workshops will be from 8 - 12 July from 9.30am to 3pm. To register email selfemployment@asuria.com.auwith your full name and number.
In other news...
LinkedIn Learning - Check out what FREE courses you can access to upskill! All you need is your library card!
New forklift safety guide for businesses. WorkSafe Victoria has released new guidance amid a state-wide inspection program to address forklift-related casualties in the workplace.
Frankston Station Car Park news: Read the latest updates from Car Parks for Commuters about the new 500 space multi-deck car park.
Industry Growth Program
Grow your businesses with a professional adviser! The Industry Growth Program connects small businesses with an Industry Growth Program Adviser. The Adviser will provide specialised advice for businesses undertaking innovative commercialisation and/or growth projects. If your business is in agriculture, transport, medical science or one of the other priority areas supporting Australia’s manufacturing you may be eligible. Small businesses can apply for:
*grants of $50,000 to $250,000 to support early-stage commercialisation projects
*grants of $100,000 to $5 million for commercialisation and growth projects.
Online courses for tourism and hospitality
FREE online courses to upskill tourism and hospitality businesses are available now but the opportunity is closing soon. Typsy, in partnership with the Victorian Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) provides small businesses and individuals with training that covers customer service, hospitality, and tourism skilling solutions. Relevant businesses can now sign up for free thanks to funding from the state and federal governments but you must register for a Typsy business account by 30 June, 2024 to receive the short courses for free.
Tax tips for your business from local experts!
It’s tax time! We’ve got some amazing local accountants who are keen to share their tax tips when it comes to helping businesses get organised this tax season!
TJS Accounting in Carrum Downs (Tori and Mel pictured) have given us four top tips for you and your business as you approach tax time;
*Record keeping is key - Ahead of tax time, it is worth reviewing the ATO’s requirements for record keeping to ensure that your business is meeting it’s obligations. You must have records to prove expenses, you must have spent the money yourself, and not been reimbursed and expenses must be related to your business activities.
*Stay on top of employees’ super obligations - Superannuation must be lodged and paid by due dates to ensure it can be claimed as a tax deduction for your business. Important to note – the Super Guarantee rate you pay employees is increasing on 1st July 2024 to 11.5%.
*Home based business - If you work from home, there are some expenses you may be able to claim deductions for. In the 2024 FY, this can be claimed using the “Revised Fixed Rate Method”, which is $0.67 per work hour and includes most expenses. However, you must be recording the number of actual hours worked from home during the entire income year to be able to claim this method. You may also wish to use the ‘Actual Cost’ method, which requires you to keep every receipt for home running costs.
*Car expenses If you utilise a car for your work/business, ensure that you have kept an accurate Motor Vehicle Logbook for a 12-week consecutive period & have kept a copy of all your related expense receipts (fuel, insurance etc). If you do not have a valid logbook, an alternative method is to claim up to 5,000km using the cents per kilometre method.
Click here for more tax tips from TJS.
Another generous local Frankston City business Cornell Irving Partners, an accounting and business advising firm helping small businesses up their finance game, is sharing their expertise in our Tax Planning for Small Business Workshop on Thursday 20 June at 9am – 11am at Your Group Victoria. In this FREE hands on workshop you'll learn how to get your structure right and properly prepare for tax payments. Bookings essential: Tax Planning for Small Business - Frankston City Council.
Want more tips and support for your business?
Follow @investfrankston on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & LinkedIn or visit the Invest Frankston City website.
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