Fuel crisis: Small businesses in WA urged to seek free support from SBDC amidst growing cost crisis concerns

The Small Business Development Corporation has launched a new campaign offering free advice and support to keep the backbone of WA’s business sector strong. The ‘Turn to Us’ campaign encourages small business owners to reach out to the SBDC, a State Government agency with a host of business experts offering their time and knowledge for free. They typically specialise in things such as leases, dispute resolution and grant applications, but have recently seen a spike in small business concerns over the fuel and cost of living crises. “Global conditions may be out of a small business owner’s control, but how they respond doesn’t have to be,” SBDC commissioner and chief executive officer Saj Abdoolakhan said. “In times like these, with global uncertainty and rising costs such as fuel placing a real strain on operations, it’s critical they know where to turn for support.” Small businesses dominate WA’s economy, with more than 30,000 new businesses opening post-pandemic, now making up 96.9 per cent of all businesses in WA. Mr Abdoolakhan said there is a “consistent demand” for support. “Last year we responded to more than 8000 business advice enquiries across WA. That includes providing direct advice, delivered thousands of hours of workshops and one-on-one support, and assisted with more complex matters such as business disputes,” he said. “Small businesses are navigating increasingly complex decisions, and the need for clear, practical guidance remains. “Many people begin with a strong idea, skill or trade, but running a business requires a different set of skills. “A lot of our value is in helping bridge that gap in a practical way, so issues can be avoided rather than dealt with later, before they become difficult or expensive to fix.” Business owners are able to reach out for support directly, or attend a SBDC information session or workshop in the community. SBDC senior business adviser Sonja Kanban told PerthNow owners often come to her when something has already started going wrong. “They’re often dealing with situations that have become messy, stressful or overwhelming, or with leases they don’t fully understand. My role is to break things down, help them identify the core issue and give them clear next steps they can actually follow,” she said. “I also work with a lot of businesses at the very beginning, whether they are buying an existing business or starting from scratch and negotiating their first lease. “In those cases, it’s about helping them understand what to look for before they commit, so they don’t end up in difficulty later.” Kane Simpson owns and operates The Back & Neck Bed Shop in Booragoon alongside his father Tony. They sought help from Ms Kanban and the SBDC throughout 2016 and 2020 after struggling with a previous landlord at their old Osborne Park shop site. “About 10 to 15 years ago, we had a landlord who had some incorrect charges credited to us, and Sonja was very helpful with the citation of the Retail Tenancy Act,” Mr Simpson said. “With landlords, people can be quite scared of them because they facilitate your primary place of business, but they can do the wrong thing sometimes. We recovered about $45,000.” Mr Simpson said Ms Kanban offered services that helped them get grants they weren’t aware of, draft letters to communicate with difficult landlords and decipher legal jargon that everyday small business owners often find confusing. “Sonja helped to guide us and provide that assistance that was available, for the common person and business owner they might not have been aware,” he said. “There were provisions the government offered small businesses to help them through and post-COVID, but we could never get JobSeeker or JobKeeper. “There were a few post-COVID business grants in regards to technology and innovation - one was to do with IT development which we used for a new website platform,” he said. “Those things really help small businesses but a lot of people don’t know about it.” Mr Simpson hasn’t been in touch with SBDC since COVID, but the support was vital at the time and recovered about $60,000 for his business in total. “There’s so much free knowledge out there, and right or wrong they’ll tell you before you waste time on it,” he said. “A lot of people wouldn’t know what they’re there for, but they’re heavily approachable and polite, and they’re there to help the business.” Ms Kanban said being able to keep small businesses operating was the best outcome. “Over the years, I’ve provided Tony and Kane with ongoing business advice, particularly around their lease and key business decisions,” she said. “Most of my work with them has been helping them understand and navigate their lease. That includes how to negotiate terms, how lease options work in practice, what to be aware of before committing to decisions and how different terms actually operate day-to-day so they can make informed decisions. “The focus is on giving them the confidence to manage those decisions themselves.” SBDC’s Turn to Us campaign is being advertised across billboards and retail centres throughout WA until the end of June.