The Business Wodonga Connection August 25th, 2022
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THE BUSINESS CONNECTION
Message from CEO
Hello Members,
We are excited that it is now only six days until the Business Wodonga Jobs Expo 2022.
We have over sixty exhibitors taking part and we are providing the opportunity for every business to submit their current vacancies for the Jobs Victoria Digital Jobs Board which will be accessible to attendees on the day.
These roles can be submitted via our website https://businesswodonga.com.au/jobs-expo/submissions/
Wodonga Mayor, Kev Poulton, will perform the Official Opening at 2pm and The Expo will then run through until 8pm. In addition to the exhibitors offering jobs and careers there will be Panels and Workshops in break out rooms. Of particular interest to some of you, we have a Chris Montgomery, from the Department of Home Affairs presenting “Employer Visas- Trends & Solutions” at 4pm. This will be an informative session for those of you seeking to sponsor overseas workers into your workplace. Due to the expected high demand for this session, please pre-register to ensure you will not miss out.
We are also offering variety of industry tours for job-seekers and registration for this exciting opportunity can be made via the events page on our website.
We hope that this Expo will make a positive difference for not only your business, but also provide proof to young people that Wodonga has a large and diverse range of rewarding career options that will keep this valuable and talented pool right here in the North East.
Again, we are grateful for the support of our partners in being able to deliver this event for Wodonga. A shout out to Wodonga Council, Wodonga TAFE, North East Local Learning & Employment Network, Jobs Victoria and Qualify Training, Ashlin Technology Services and Latrobe University. We could not have achieved this without the combined efforts of this incredible team of people working together for the benefit of our local community.
-Graham
Jobs Expo Submission EOI
This Expo Is For You And The Wodonga Economic Community!
Whether you are looking for more staff, considering expanding, looking for a career change, upskilling or just want to see what is in our community, this event has something for everyone. From advocacy, career mentors, training, apprenticeships, industry tours, expert panels and so much more, Wodonga Jobs Expo is going to be an exciting event for all.
Thursday September 1st 2pm-8pm
Father's Day
Father's day is fast approaching. Are you ready for it?
Here are some shopping hints from some of our members. One more week to go.
Check out Premix King for a bottle of wine to have with dinner
Maybe pickup some amazing massage oils from By Celeste
Give your Dad a portrait of you all from TrewBella Photography
Snap have some amazing ways to make Dad some special gifts, like a photo-mug
Shout your Father a game of golf at Wodonga Golf club
If your Dad is into music, maybe a voucher from Mega's Music Store
Take your dad out for dinner for 'pizza-night' at the Birra
Surprise him with breakfast in bed from Brekki Box
If you have any specials for Father's day, please drop us a line or submit it through our website and we will put into next weeks newsletter.
Did you know?
Father’s Day was invented by American Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd who wanted to honor her father, a veteran who had, as a single parent, raised his six children.
Information & Events
Join us and Business Wodonga’s members and sponsors for the launch of Wodonga TAFE’s Social and Economic Impact Study and to celebrate Wodonga Jobs Expo 2022!
You’ll find out about the role Wodonga TAFE plays in communities and industries, and discover the socio-economic impact vocational education and training, collaborations, and partnerships can have for our region.
7th September, 5:30-7:30pm
Last Chance to Book!
Cyber Security Masterclass
Join Annette Rose from nbn™ for an action focused Masterclass to ensure that you understand all the basics about Cyber Security and have an Action Plan in place.
August 30th, 9am-12pm
Chef Antonio’s Recipes for Revolution is an inspiring, uplifting and often funny Australian documentary directed by Trevor Graham. It follows the journeys of Chef Antonio and his two apprentices Mirko and Jessica who both have Down Syndrome.
Chef Antonio is creating a gastronomic revolution by bridging intellectual disability, the culinary arts and Italian hospitality.
- Thu., 8 September 2022
- 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
This month we are heading west to the Daintree Cafe and our Conversation Leader will be Andrew Bishop of Regional Emergency Training. Both recent new additions to our member community so make sure you come out and give them a big Business Wodonga Welcome.
Australians have until 20 September 2022 to seek priority allocation of an .au direct domain name that matches their existing domain name.
Anyone with an Australian presence (including businesses, organisations and individuals) can now register a new category of domain name, known as .au direct. These shorter simpler domain names will end in simply ‘.au’ (e.g. mybusiness.au) and will complement existing namespaces such as ‘com.au’, ‘net.au’, ‘org.au’, ‘asn.au’, ‘id.au’, ‘gov.au’ and ‘edu.au’.
Existing domain name licence holders have been provided priority to register the .au direct equivalent of their domain names until 20 September 2022, after which domain names that have not been allocated will become available to the general public.
With the cost of living seemingly peaking, many factors go into managing our day to day costs, including our homes, our jobs, our family and our spending habits.
The Border Mail is keen to hear from our readers about how this situation is affecting your financial outlook for FY23.
Vaccination service delivery changing
Wodonga Vaccination Hub will be closing this Friday, 26 August with vaccinations administered by the state-run hub moving to a more accessible option.
Ovens Murray Public Health Unit (OM PHU) Operational Director Jody Bellette said the changes were in line with community demand across the catchment, which includes Alpine, Indigo, Towong, Wangaratta and Wodonga local government areas.
“Providing an outreach service is something we have done for many months and moving to a service delivery model that makes vaccine even more accessible and equitable across the catchment will be great for those people in our community who require a vaccination,” she said.
“There are some areas of our catchment that have very high flu and COVID-19 vaccination rates, while there are some isolated pockets which are lower, so we can adjust our service delivery in line with this.
“In our larger communities, there are vaccinations available more readily through pharmacies and GPs but it can be difficult for people in outlying areas to access an appointment.”
Since starting vaccinations in March 2021, more than 172,000 people have received COVID-19 vaccinations from OM PHU staff, including 103,000 through the Wodonga hub and nearly 9000 through outreach. More than 75 per cent of people in the catchment have received more than two doses.
Ms Bellette said that COVID-19 case numbers had been decreasing over recent weeks, however it was important people continued to remain vigilant.
“Washing hands frequently and well, staying at home if you are sick, social distancing and wearing masks remain really important to avoid the respiratory illnesses which continue to affect people in our community,” she said.
“In your workplace, ensure you have good ventilation and have your meetings outdoors where possible.
“If you are due for any COVID-19 vaccination dose or flu vaccination, we would encourage you to come forward as this will help protect you from serious illness if you do contract either virus.”
Upcoming outreach clinic dates are:
· Albury: Wednesday 31 August, Wednesday 28 September and Thursday 29 September, 10am to 2.30pm, Mirambeena Community Centre, 19 Martha Mews, Lavington.
· Bright: Wednesday 31 August, Thursday 1 September and Friday 2 September, 10.30am to 2pm, Bright Community Centre, 1 Railway Terrace.
· Beechworth: Monday 29 August and Tuesday 30 August, Monday 12 September and Tuesday 13 September, 10am to 2.30pm, Beechworth Memorial Hall, 101 Ford St.
· Wangaratta: Thursday 8 September from 10.30am to 2.30pm and Friday 9 September from 11.30am to 4pm, Nissen Hut, Gateway Health, 45 Mackay St, Wangaratta.
No bookings are required for outreach clinics.
Flu vaccinations are available for those aged over five and eligible under the National Immunisation Program Schedule.
For more information and updates, visit the Albury Wodonga Health Facebook page or https://www.awh.org.au/covid-19/i-need-a-covid-19-vaccination
Sick pay for casuals and contract workers.
Eligible casual, contract and self-employed workers now have access to 38 hours of sick and carer’s pay each year.
Business Victoria has encouraged employers to tell their workers about the Victorian Sick Pay Guarantee, a fully funded Victorian Government program that covers 38 hours of sick and carer’s pay per year.
The two-year pilot initiative covers eligible workers in industries such as hospitality, food trades or food preparation, supermarkets, retail, sales, aged and disability care, cleaning and laundry, security.
To be eligible, an employee must:
- Be 15 years or older
- Physically work in Victoria
- Have the right to work in Australia
- Work an average of 7.6 hours per week or more in an eligible job
- Not have access to sick and carer’s leave entitlements at any job.
Workers who sign up can access up to 38 hours a year of sick and carer’s pay when they’re sick and can’t go to work.
Payments are made at the national minimum wage ($21.38 per hour) at no cost to business.
“Staying at home when you’re sick helps keep everyone safe. It also means you can recover quicker and get back to work sooner,” Business Victoria notes.
A list of eligible occupations is available for employees, who can also view the program guidelines and apply online.
Additional Support
Australians lose $336 million to scammers so far this year
Have you been hit with a scam before? I know I have.
Tips to help you spot a scam
- The sender's name is vague, and the email address is long or convoluted
- The sender's phone number is international or an unknown local phone number
- The email or message is attention-grabbing or alarmist
- The call you have received is from an unknown number with a robo speaker
- The email or message urges immediate action of some kind
- The email, message or call cites some pretense for seeking your personal information, including asking you to log in or confirm your details on a website
- The email or message requests payment or a transfer of funds
- The email or message urges you to click hyperlinked text or a link without clarifying where you are clicking
To check out the full article - Click here
SAVE THE DATE for
Australia’s must-attend event for anyone representing small business
Mark these dates in your diary to access and hear from politicians, regulators, senior policy makers, business influencers and association leaders who are shaping policy for small business in Australia.
The COSBOA Summit is your opportunity to make your voice heard, to influence the important policy issues for small business across workplace relations, compliance and regulation demands, jobs, training and skills, contract law and competition policy, energy costs, data insights and security and digital transformation.
Most of all we will hear the voice of small business people – find out about their experiences, how they are reviving, and what they need and demand from us to help them thrive in the future.
Let us learn, share, engage and represent our small business people with purpose!
The Victorian Skills Plan provides a skills roadmap for Victoria.
The industries and jobs of today will not necessarily be the same tomorrow, as innovation and disruption lead to new products, services and changes to work and lifestyles.
The Skills Plan provides comprehensive, robust data and analysis – tested with industry and other stakeholders. In addition to reliable occupational forecasts, it outlines the actions to be taken in response to the skilling challenges Victoria faces and to realise the opportunities before us.
A new approach to connecting industry, learner and community insights, providing evidence for the provision of training and skills across Victoria.
Member Spotlight
Exciting NEWS!
Melinda Harmer of Generations won the footy tipping & $150 voucher through generous support of La Maison as Tipping Sponsor.
Allison's Business Blog
Hi all,
How have you all been going this week? Are we ready for the Jobs Expo next week? I know I am very excited.
This week I have been chatting to a few of you over some simple hints that will help put you in front of any competitors. Actually I have learnt myself that there is 11 great ways to achieve this. I have a sales and marketing background, and these steps always helped me.
Business can be brutal because… well, that’s business!
For every success you have in growing your market share, another business or other businesses will inevitably lose ground.
1. Focus on leads, not sales
Of course, we all want to spark business growth and increase revenue. But the way you do this in a sustainable way is to focus instead on the building of a loyal database of avid fans. Content marketing, paired with optimized website forms and intelligent email automation follow-up is critical to business success. This approach builds trust by giving away free value before asking for someone’s hard-earned money.
2. Don’t sell products, provide solutions
Don’t list all the benefits your product brings. Focus on the solutions. Explain to the customer in simple, straightforward terms how or why your product can help them or assist in the attainment of their goals.
3. Always optimize your pricing
If you are a premium brand, there are ways to optimize your pricing without lowering prices. For example, offer the quality-conscious customer an ‘exclusive’ benefit that your rivals do not or cannot provide.
If you are at the value-driven end of the market, on the other hand, don’t assume slashing prices means incurring a loss. Low pricing can help you rapidly onboard a heap of new customers who may also buy other items in your shop and return again.
4. Hire friendly customer-facing staff
Yes, it sounds obvious, but it’s so very important! Whether consciously or not, people are more likely to buy a product if they like the sales assistant who’s attending to them.
5. Stay open even longer
Say you’re a bricks-and-mortar store and you’re getting a rush of customers as closing time approaches… why not close up an hour later?
While this may cause disgruntlement among staff, solve this issue by getting creative with rosters. Monitor customer footfall throughout the day and week to identify your busiest periods, and staff people accordingly.
You can also reduce headcount during quieter periods to offset the higher costs and longer working hours created by your extended opening hours.
6. Don’t make customers dig deep for a phone number
Even in the digital age, some customers will always prefer to contact you by phone rather than email or Facebook. While many online companies with tight margins eschew manned phone lines altogether, it’s worth giving customers the option of having a voice-to-voice conversation with your brand.
‘Live chat’ bots are an inexpensive way of offering real-time communication, too.
7. Give something for nothing (or very little)
Why not give your happy customers a voucher with their purchase to redeem on your products and services? If they love what you do already, they’re only going to love you more for this.
It’s good for you because:
- It guarantees they will return to your store again. People hate to waste freebies!
- When they return to your store to redeem their voucher, they may buy other items, too. If your business operates online, then the freebie could be strategically timed to coincide with a special sale.
Oh, and guess what? Chances are customers who have received vouchers or freebies won’t stay quiet about it either, so you could enjoy some positive buzz on social media.
8. Support your local community
Local businesses can arguably connect with their unique communities with much greater authority than any global chain.
Joining BUSINESS WODONGA is a great way also.
9. Use social media smartly
Social media is a great medium through which to build a solid relationship with customers – just don’t forget what ‘social’ actually means! Soul-less corporate shop-talk won’t work on Twitter.
Try to give your brand some ‘personality’ when you write updates or posts.
10. Own your niche
Sometimes it’s better to be a master of one discipline than a jack of all trades. Admittedly, multiple revenue streams do spread your risk: if one falters, others can take up the slack.
Nevertheless, consumers often associate ‘specialists’ with higher quality products or services than generalists. And with good reason, too: specialists typically invest all their resources into perfecting a single product or service.
So what should you specialize in? To state the obvious, it should be something in which you excel.
You could also pick something with rising or recession-proof demand which is resilient to technological change in which you possess a competitive advantage over your rivals or where there’s an obvious gap in your local market.
Own it, whatever you do.
11. Be humble
Don’t ever get too satisfied with your business. You can always improve – and improve you must!
So try to be humble and always strive to improve. Seek inspiration from other entrepreneurs, from books and from seminars. The moment you think ‘mission accomplished’ is the same moment you become vulnerable to being usurped.
I hope these may help a few of you. Remember, I am happy to come out and chat with you further how we can help support your business.
I welcome all the new members and followers to Business Wodonga. Don't forget to use our hashtag
#strongerwodonga
Remember, if you think a business needs some help, please give them my details and I will get in touch.
Until next week,
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.
#StrongerWodonga
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.
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