As retailers we need to be ready to make any move necessary in our business to strengthen our position in the market. 

This is a time to gain some ground by building your plan to trade smarter and channel your resources and energy to improved customer experience and more diligent retailing disciplines.

The Illawarra ITeC and a speaker from the Australian Retailers Association would like to invite you to a Breakfast Seminar where you will learn how to:

• Make your competitive edge last
• Build your point of difference
• Use your team as a secret marketing weapon
• Motivate your salespeople for immediate results
• Create a targeted marketing plan that achieves profit 

Time:  7am to 8.45am
Date:  Tuesday 8 September 2009
Venue: Villa D’oro Function Centre
   39 – 41 Flinders Street Wollongong
Cost:   $10.00 per person 
RSVP: Please call Illawarra ITeC on 4223 3100 to register

The services provided by The Illawarra ITeC Ltd are partially funded by the Australian Government.  

Illawarra Business Awards 

Have you entered the IBC Business Awards?

Benefits of entering include:

• Raising the profile of your business and enhanced credibility and business image in the marketplace
• Recognition from your peers in the industry
• Promotional opportunities and media coverage
• Winning new business opportunities
• Recognising your achievements and therefore raising staff morale
• Profiles in local press provided by our media sponsors

Applications close on Monday 7 September 2009. Check the IBC website at www.illawarrabusiness.com or call Branka on 4229 4722.

Free Small Business Advisory Services  

Are you:

• Facing cash flow issues and looking for advice?
• Looking for marketing ideas?
• Wanting to run a business idea by someone? 
• Need some legal advice?

Keep in mind that your sounding board, The Small Business Advisory Service, is available and covers the Illawarra, Shoalhaven and Southern Highlands.  And even better, it's free!

To book your 1-hour appointment with a business facilitator, please call: 1300 065 058.  We also have access to professional accounting and legal advice free of charge.

The services provided by The Illawarra ITeC Ltd are partially funded by the Australian Government  

Small Business – is it for you?

This FREE workshop outlines the steps you need to take to properly research your business idea and will help you understand where your product/ service fits in the market.

What you will learn:

- Are you suited to run your business
- What business skills will you need
- What are the legal / regulatory requirements
- Will your product / service sell
- How to do the market research
- Money needed to start the business
- Other services available to help you start your business

Time  :  5:30pm till 8pm
Date  :  Wednesday 2nd September 2009
Cost  :  FREE
Venue  :   Mittagong RSL Club Hume Highway Mittagong

Free Electronic Tax Calendar for Small Business  

A free electronic calendar is now available on the Tax Office website to help small businesses meet their tax and superannuation guarantee obligations throughout the year.

The small business tax calendar provides reminders of lodgement due dates for small businesses, bookkeepers and tax agents. You can personalise the calendar quickly and easily by answering some simple questions about your business.  Based on your individual circumstances, the calendar records all the due dates you need for the financial year, such as when to lodge your business activity statement and when to pay your employees’ superannuation.

The updated calendar can now also be used by charities, not-for-profit organisations and deductible gift recipients to help them meet their tax and superannuation obligations.

Small businesses and organisations can also: record notes and reminders, such as appointments or payment due dates update the calendar at any time if their business structure or reporting obligations change, and print a one-page yearly planner for tax and superannuation obligations and due dates.

If you run more than one business or have a number of clients, you can set up a unique tax and superannuation calendar for each of them, and tax agents can encourage clients to use the calendar to record upcoming appointments. 

The small business tax calendar is designed for small businesses, including sole traders, with a turnover of less than $2 million, as well as charities and not-for-profit organisations.

The latest version of the tax calendar is now available and we encourage businesses to download a copy as it contains up-to-date information for lodgement and payment due dates.

To download a free copy of the tax calendar, visit the Tax Office website at www.ato.gov.au/TaxCalendar

The calendar is also available on CD by calling 137 226.

2009 Amendments to fees for Office for Office of Fair Trading Services  

From 1 July 2009 most fees and charges for services provided by the Office of Fair Trading, including those for licensing and business registration, have changed to reflect the rise in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). These adjustments are in line with the system of annual CPI based adjustments to Fair Trading's fees and charges introduced in the year 2000.

The annual review system for fees enables businesses and consumers to plan for smaller price increases, rather than be faced with more irregular 'jumps' in costs. The fees charged by the Office of Fair Trading assist us in delivering a high standard of services to our customers.

An increasing number of licence renewal services provided by Fair Trading are available online. Transactions made online attract a 10% discount to the processing component of the fee or $5.00, whichever is greater.

Where Fair Trading refuses an application, it has already incurred the cost of processing that application. The Licensing and Registration (Uniform Procedures) Act 2002 allows Fair Trading to keep the processing fee to cover some of its costs and refund the balance of the total fee when the application is refused.

Marketing Your Business  

It is not enough to just have a fantastic product or service; you also need to be able to understand how to market your product or service to potential customers and clients. 

This workshop will help you understand the different aspects of marketing, how your product / service fit into the whole market and how you can market your business more effectively?  We will discuss:

• Conducting Market Research
• Who is Your Target Market / Competitors
• The Four P’s of Marketing
• SWOT Analysis
• Requirements of Developing a Marketing Plan

Time  :  9.30am to 12noon  
Date   :  Friday 25th September 2009     
Cost   : $40.00 – light Refreshments included
Venue  :   Illawarra ITeC Wollongong

Serviced Offices Available  

Are you looking for serviced offices in the CBD of Wollongong for a reasonable cost?

Illawarra ITeC has fully serviced office space available now
 
Offices start from as little as $506.00 per month!
No LEASE – Monthly Rental Agreement only.

Run your business from an establish offices in a prime location or utilise Illawarra ITeC’s virtual office facility.

Benefits include:

• Short term / Long term availability
• FULLY services offices
• Reception/Mailing/Cleaning
• Your phone answered in your business name
• Business name signage

Additional services available:

• Broadband Internet Access
• Undercover Parking available
• Training/Casual Interview Rooms for hire

Premises located at:  
1/336 Keira Street  (Cnr Keira and West Streets) Wollongong, NSW 2500. 
Contact Sarah on (02) 4223 3100 to arrange an inspection and discuss rates.

Free Advisory Services   

If this current economic situation is really getting you down and you find you are struggling and really need some business advice – call Illawarra ITeC and make an appointment to see one of our Business Advisors. 

Illawarra ITeC has five Small Business Programs to either :

- help you get started in your business venture; or
- further develop your business skills and improve your business.

All programs provide free and confidential business advice.  We have offices based in Wollongong, Nowra and Mittagong - but we are also a mobile service and can come to you.

• 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

Call Illawarra ITeC today on 1300 065 058.

If you require further information please don’t hesitate to contact me on 4223 3100 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 4223 3100 or check out our website at www.illawarraitec.com.au