THE Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO), Kate Carnell is seeking feedback on the ground-breaking Business Funding Guide.

The guide, released in July by ASBFEO in partnership with Scottish Pacific Business Finance, is an industry-first publication primarily written for accountants, bookkeepers, brokers and other financial advisers, to help their small business clients find the right funding and get ‘finance fit’ to increase their likelihood of having funding applications approved.

Its companion guide – FitsME- Essential Guide to Business Funding gives small business operators the most important information they need to know about preparing to apply for finance.

“The overwhelming feedback from the small business community is that a lack of access to funding is their biggest barrier to growth,” Ms Carnell said.

“The Australian Banking Association (ABA) has even acknowledged that small business loan applications have fallen by 33 percent since 2014.”

While ASBFEO and Scottish Pacific consulted widely with adviser associations and other key stakeholders representing the small business sector to produce the first edition of the guide, feedback is now being sought to finalise the guide.

“We welcome feedback on the content and usefulness of the guide from all interested parties," Ms Carnell said.

“At the moment this is a living document that can be amended and improved based on the feedback we get, with a final version of the guide to be available later this year.

“Importantly, this guide is designed to help small businesses become ‘finance fit’ to give them their best chance at securing the funding they need.

“Our Business Funding Guide offers comprehensive information on the range of financial products on the market – it’s crucial small business understands that the big four banks are not the only game in town," she said.

“There are so many variables in running a small business, but the one constant is that SMEs need funds to grow,” Scottish Pacific CEO Peter Langham said.

“By incorporating broad feedback, the guide will be able to really engage businesses and their advisers about a wide range of bank and non-bank funding options and give them the tools to find the right one for them.”

Ms Carnell said while the guide covered a wide range of funding options, for those small business operators considering obtaining finance through a mainstream financial institution, the ABA is promoting its website financingyoursmallbusiness.com.au which is a helpful resource.

Provide Business Funding Guide feedback by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. before the October 18 deadline.

www.asbfeo.gov.au

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THE House Standing Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources will launch an inquiry into growing Australian agriculture to $100 billion by 2030.

Australia’s agricultural industries currently generate products valued at approximately $60 billion annually. The National Farmers’ Federation has suggested that with careful planning and investment this figure could grow to $100 billion by 2030.

Rick Wilson MP, chair of the Agriculture and Water Resources Committee, stated that "the global demand for food is projected to grow 54 percent by 2050. Australian agriculture is well placed to make a significant contribution to supplying this growing demand and in the process increase its value and profitability".

"Whether it be improving market access, investing in marketing, or embracing innovative technologies that increase the efficiency, sustainability, and productivity of our farms, the Committee is interested in all the opportunities available to drive growth in Australian agricultural businesses in the coming decades," Mr Wilson said.

The Committee is accepting submissions to the inquiry until Monday, 14 October 2019. For further information on making a submission please visit the inquiry website.

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THE Institute of Public Accountants (IPA) has engaged senior adviser to the Office of International Trade at the US Small Business Administration (SBA), Eugene Cornelius, Jr to present and co-facilitate a major conference focusing on Australia’s flagging productivity on September 4 and 5 at Deakin University Downtown in Melbourne.

Mr Cornelius was responsible for the establishment of the SBA’s Office of International Trade and previously, as deputy associate administrator of that Office, overseeing four program divisions: Federal State and Trade; International Trade Finance; International Affairs & Trade Policy; and Administration & Operations.

In addition to his SBA role, Mr Cornelius has accepted a one-year detail with the International Council for Small Business (ICSB), with headquarters in Washington DC.

Mr Cornelius will be joined by fellow American, Dr Winslow Sargeant.  Dr Sargeant is ICSB’s President Elect and Managing Director of S&T.  Previously, he was the Chief Counsel for Advocacy appointed by and reporting direct to President Barack Obama.  Dr Sargeant was also a managing director at a Madison, Winsconsin-based capital firm, Venture Investor LLC.

Mr Cornelius and Dr Sargeant will form part of a large line-up of talented presenters at the Small Business: Big Vision event being run by the IPA Deakin SME Research Centre on 4 and 5 September 2019.  Keynote speakers include the Hon Michael Sukkar MP, Minister for Housing and Assistant Treasurer, and Ms Kate Carnell, the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman.

Other international speakers include: Prof Charles Matthews, University of Cincinnati; 2017-18 Fulbright US Scholar, USA; and Ms Diah Yusuf, entrepreneur, business consultant, Vice President ICSB, Indonesia.

Details of the program can be found at:  www.publicaccountants.org.au/events/smallbusinessbigvision

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THE Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Kate Carnell has praised Beyond Blue for supporting the mental health of small business owners.

Beyond Blue has today released a free online guide that provides business advisers, such as accountants, bookkeepers and industry association representatives, with practical tips about how to support their clients and members.

“I commend Beyond Blue for taking a holistic approach to supporting our small business community,” Ms Carnell said.

“Many small business owners may not be aware that the very worries that are keeping them up at night – be it cash flow, customer demands or paying suppliers – can actually cause high levels of psychological distress and have serious impacts on their mental and physical health.

“Their trusted advisers are in a good position to notice if their client is struggling to cope with these issues and to start that important conversation about their mental health," she said.

“The guide is easy to navigate and provides business advisers with the tools they need to support their clients, without formal training in counselling.

“We know it makes good business sense to invest in wellbeing. Research by Pricewaterhouse Coopers has shown that every dollar spent on creating a mentally health workplace results in a positive return on investment of 2.3.”

The guide is available for download at www.bb.org.au/supportingsmallbusiness

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