THE Queensland Government is celebrating 2014 Queensland Small Business Week in Brisbane today by releasing a book showcasing some of the state’s brightest stars.

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman released the e-book, entitled Shining bright: a celebration of Queensland’s small business, at the official launch of the Week at Ithaca Auditorium, City Hall at 12.30pm.

Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games Jann Stuckey MP said 17 businesses in Brisbane, Townsville, Gold Coast, Moranbah, Mt Isa, Roma, Cairns, Rockhampton, Toowoomba, Yandina, and Tully were chosen for their great stories of success.

“Small businesses are critical to growing Queensland’s four pillar industries – tourism, agriculture, resources and construction – and form a key part of the supply chains for larger projects,” Ms Stuckey said.

“With approximately 403,000 small business in Queensland, they span every industry sector and employ around 50 percent of all private sector workers.

"Shining bright highlights how these businesses have made a positive contribution to their local community.”

About 200 guests attended the event When Small Business Thinks BIG, featuring an address by Professor Josh Lerner, Jacob H. Schiff Professor of Investment Banking at Harvard Business School and head of the Entrepreneurial Management Unit.

Professor Lerner is a member of the World Economic Forum, at which he presents annually on small business issues and entrepreneurship.

He has drawn on his vast experience running Harvard’s flagship executive education program for smaller, fast-growing businesses to provide insight into how business can flourish when it thinks “big”.

Speaking in the lead-up to the event, Professor Lerner emphasised the importance of entrepreneurship to the country’s economic growth and vitality and the role governments play in recognising that importance and adjusting policies to support it.

Professor Lerner said Queensland was “region which has many blessings, not least of which is its abundant natural resources".

“But if the region is to thrive over the next century, it almost surely will have to bolster its entrepreneurial sector: around the world, these ventures have been a key source of economic growth, additional employment, and innovation,” he said.

“Thus, 2014 Queensland Small Business Week effort is an important initiative to boost this vital sector of the economy.”

Professor Lerner said there was no “secret source” or one formula that translates into entrepreneurial success.

“The proper recipe is likely to vary with the structure of the industry and nature of the opportunity that the firm is pursuing,” he said.

“Nonetheless, there have been some recent insights as to what strategies characterize successful entrepreneurs.

“One of the key messages that has emerged in recent work is the importance of experimentation.

“Entrepreneurs are unlikely to have the resources to undertake the kind of comprehensive study and massive launches of new products and services that characterize major corporations.

“But they can move more rapidly, and adjust quickly to what they learn from the market, which gives them a critical advantage.”

2014 Queensland Small Business Week recognises the role small business plays in the Queensland economy.

Business owners are attending more than 200 events and activities across Queensland during the Week, all of which are designed to either inspire them, or help to build their business.

Minister Stuckey will host an event on the Sunshine Coast tomorrow with US CEO of TerraCycle, Tom Szaky, and in Roma on Friday with Matthew Hayden.

The e-book can downloaded free from the Queensland Government Business and Industry Portal www.business.gov.au/smallbusinessweek

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SOUTH-EAST Queensland business owners can learn how to unleash ‘the small business tiger within’ as part of the 2014 Queensland Small Business Week celebrations.

The Queensland Government is hosting a panel discussion in Brisbane with some of the nation’s best business minds on how to join the ranks of Queensland’s small business tigers on Monday, September 1.

Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games Jann Stuckey MP, said the panel discussion was the first of over 100 events across the state celebrating the 2014 Queensland Small Business Week from September 1-6.

“The panel discussion focuses on small business tigers, which are small businesses that expect to grow their revenue substantially in the next 12 months,” Ms Stuckey said.

“Research has shown that Queensland has 50 percent more small business tigers than any other state.

“The discussion will also be streamed live across Queensland, allowing interested business owners outside Brisbane to learn how to grow their business.”

The panel discussion will be held at Room Three Sixty, QUT Precinct, Gardens Point and is $20 to register. It is free to register to live stream the discussion.

Ms Stuckey said participants would hear from a Queensland company taking on the world with their products, the managing partner of a new crowd-sourced equity firm, and from an authority on how entrepreneurs start, develop and harvest their ventures.

She said media personality Adam Spencer will be the compere.

“The 2014 Queensland Small Business Week celebrates the important role small business plays in the Queensland economy,” Ms Stuckey said.

“Small business employs about one million Queenslanders and accounts for around 95 percent of all business in the state.

“I encourage all Queensland business, industry, government and community to get involved. Last year we saw 4500 people engage in this great event and this year will be even bigger.”

Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland Brisbane West president Ian Kilpatrick said he encouraged small business owners to take the opportunity to network and “look out for each other”, and that he fully supported 2014 Queensland Small Business Week.

“Our mantra has always been: businesses helping businesses to do better business,” Mr Kilpatrick said.

“Small businesses have to be flexible, nimble and brave in embracing the digital economy and technology to realise their true potential and be successfully regionally, nationally and internationally, and this Queensland Government initiative as part of Queensland Small Business Week will help educate and hone small business operators’ skills to be more competitive.

“This is a great opportunity for our small business sector to partner with the Queensland Government to bring focus on policy and issues affecting small business operators, to help create a better business environment, grow profitability for small business and power our state’s economy.”

To register and live-stream this event go to: www.business.qld.gov.au/smallbusinessweek

QUEENSLAND BUSINESS QUICK FACTS

• Small business employs about one million people
• Brisbane has about 115,826 businesses and start-ups
• There are over 403,000 small businesses in Queensland
• Small business accounts for around 95 percent of all Queensland business.

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MORE than one hundred Queensland businesses are on the road to growing their revenue following the first 2014 Queensland Small Business Week event in Brisbane today.

Business owners from Brisbane, Townsville, Pittsworth, Gold Coast, Mount Isa, Sunshine Coast either attended or live-streamed a panel discussion about becoming one of Queensland’s Small Business Tigers at QUT Gardens Point, Brisbane.

The event Are you a Small Business Tiger? How do you become one? was the first of five events to be hosted by Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Business and the Commonwealth Games from 1-6 September.

2014 Queensland Small Business Week is a Queensland Government initiative recognising the role small business plays in the Queensland economy.

The panel included:

• Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games, Jann Stuckey MP
• QUT Business School’s Professor Per Davidsson
• Media personality turned entrepreneur Emily Jade O’Keeffe
• Managing Director of DBM Consultants Dhruba Ghupta
• Chief Marketing Officer of Liquid State Kit Kriewaldt
• Paul Niederer, CEO from Australian Small Scale Offerings.

Ms Stuckey said participants heard how a Queensland company was taking on the world with their products and from an authority on how entrepreneurs start, develop and harvest their ventures.

Also on this week in Brisbane, Premier Campbell Newman will officially launch 2014 Queensland Small Business Week at a business lunch at Ithaca Auditorium, City Hall on Tuesday, 2 September. The keynote speaker is Professor Josh Lerner, the Jacob H. Schiff Professor of Investment Banking at Harvard Business School, and head of the Entrepreneurial Management Unit, USA.

On the Sunshine Coast, the CEO of “America’s coolest little start-up” TerraCycle, Tom Szaky, will join Facebook consultant and entrepreneur Nick Bowditch on stage at the Sunshine Coast University Innovation Centre on Wednesday 3 September. The event #Accelerating Small Business includes a question and answer session with the guests.

On Friday, 5 September former international cricketer Matthew Hayden will address a business lunch, Turn your ideas into action, at Roma Explorers Inn.

Registrations are now open at www.business.qld.gov.au/smallbusinessweek. 

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