Illawarra Women in Business (IWIB) a local networking group, is proud of the achievements of women in the local business community, and wants to recognize successful women in business through their IWIB award for the IWIB Illawarra Business Woman of the Year and the IWIB Illawarra Young Business Woman of the Year.

The IWIB Illawarra Business Woman of the Year for 2009 (proudly sponsored by the Illawarra Business chamber) & The IWIB Illawarra Young Business Woman of the Year for 2009 (proudly sponsored by the Illawarra ITeC) will be held on Friday, 27th March 2009 at the Lagoon Seafood Restaurant North Wollongong

The awards are open to ALL business women who are operating or work as an employee in a business located in the Illawarra that best demonstrates ambition, energy, skill and vision, as well as tangible business success.   The awards are open to women who are enjoying success in building their own business and to those employees that have had an outstanding impact in contributing to the successes of a larger organisation.

The APPLICATION FORM (available at www.iwib.com.au) needs to be completed as per the instructions and returned to IWIB before close of business on Monday 2nd March 2009.

Now is the time to reflect on your business achievements and to seriously think about entering the IWIB Awards.

TCF Industry Workshops

Do you belong to the TCF Industry?

Would you like to know how to grow and expand your business?

The Textile, Clothing and Footwear (TCF) Business Growth Project based in Western Australia will be running the following workshops in both Wollongong and Nowra.  Topics include:

- Growing Your Fashion Business – Working in or on your business, developing a checklist

- Pricing and Costing – have you priced your products correctly?

- Debt Collection and Credit Management – Collecting debts, providing credit to retailers, getting the cash back into your business.

- TCF Global – Sourcing off shore manufactures – TCF Global Sourcing raw materials and manufactures, Hong Long, China, Bali, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Fiji information on TECFWA Buying Missions to Hong Kong Fashion Week July 2009

- TCF NSW and Designedge Online Shops and Networking Groups

The TCF Industry includes the design and manufactures process and would be relevant to the following industry sectors:

- Bridal Wear, Bab Wear, Boy’s Wear, Blinds, Awnings, Beading, Automotive
- Children’s Wear, Caps, Curtains, Carpets, Corporate Wear, Canvas Active Wear
- Designer Fashion, Designers, Collars, Cushions, Belts Books, Banners
- Footwear, Equestrian, Furnishings, Evening Wear, Embroidery, Cloth Rags
- Intimate Apparel, Interior Textiles, Health, Grading, Girls wear, Dance Ware
- Leather, Luggage, Handbags, Felts, Knitwear, Home wares, Hats Flags
- Millinery, Maternity, Lifejackets, Lace, Industrial Textiles, Insulation
- Menswear, Manufacturers CMT, Marine, Mattresses, Paper Machine Clothing,
- Rugs, Ropes, pet Accessories, Patternmaking, Tanneries, Non Woven Textiles
- Sporting Wear, Socks, Skins Seat Belts, School Wear, Ski Wear, Saddlery
- Swimwear, Surf wear, Soft Toys, Safety, Sails, Sandals, Tablecloths, Sleepwear
- Textiles, Fibres, Towels, Tens, Sport wear, Tourist Souvenirs, Textile Artists
- Women’s Wear, Wallets, Wool Wetsuits, Work wear, Uniforms, Underwear, Yarns

Time  :  9.00 am to 1.00 pm   - then networking and lunch between 1.00pm and 2.00pm
Date   :  Tuesday 10th March at Shoalhaven City Council
           :   Wednesday 11th March Illawarra ITeC Wollongong
Cost   :  $40.00 – includes light lunch 
RSVP :  Please call 1300 650 058 to register your details   

Hurry as spaces are filling fast – this is your chance to increase your business potential and network with others from the TCF Industry.

Are you charging the right price to make a profit in your business?

Price is one of the things that can cause the most grief in business.  Is my price too high, to low, should I offer discounts?

In this workshop we will discuss how you:

• Identify what profit is
• Know the elements of a Cost Structure
• Understand pricing
• Learn how to determine the break even point
• Examine how profit differs from Cash Flow
• Apply the concepts to a case study.

Time  :  9.30am noon to 12 noon
Date   :  Thursday 26th February 2009   
Cost   :  $40.00 – light refreshments included

Workshops help employers do the right thing

If you’re an employer then it is essential that you understand your obligations to your employees in relation to the keeping of good employment records and the requirement to provide pay slips.

Employers must keep general employment records, time and pay records as well as leave and superannuation records. The NSW Industrial Relations Act requires an employer to keep records for at least six years.

Employment records should include the following information; employer and employee details, wages paid, the hours worked, leave accruals and employee superannuation contributions. 

It is also a requirement that employers provide pay slips to their employees at the time wages are paid.

Employers also need to make sure they provide specific information on the pay slips they provide to their employees. All pay slips should provide the name of the employer, their ABN, as well as the name of the employee and their classification.

If you feel you could benefit from learning more about your obligations or just need further information relating to your workplace rights as an employer, the Office of Industrial Relations can help. 

The OIR is running a series of workshops at the Wollongong Golf Club starting mid February. 

To find out more or to book into a workshop, visit
www.industrialrelations.nsw.gov.au and select ‘Workshops’ from the quick links on the home page or contact them on 9020 4611.

Free business advisory services

The Illawarra ITeC has five Small Business Programs to help you get started and further develop your established business. All programs provide free and confidential business advice and are available free of charge in the Illawarra, Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven areas: 

• Illawarra Business Advisory Service (IBAS)
• Business Enterprise Centre (BEC)
• New Enterprise Development Scheme  (NEIS)
• Illawarra Innovation Advisory Service (IIAS)
• Aboriginal Enterprise Development Officer (ADEO) Program

If you require further information please don’t hesitate to contact me on 42233100 or 1300 650 058.

Do you receive our weekly Illawarra ITeC Small Business News Newsletter?   If not, email Virginia today on ibec@illawarraitec.com.au and we will automatically send you a copy.  

This is only a brief outline of the types of small business advice and assistance that we can offer.  Want to know more?  Remember I am a FREE service and can assist you in developing your business in many ways.  Call me today on 42233100 or check out our website at www.illawarraitec.com.au