The team at My Business magazine invites you to enter the 2009 ActionCOACH My Business Awards. You can be in the running to have your business recognised for achieving excellence in your field. There are a total of 10 categories in this year’s awards, plus the overall ActionCOACH Award for Outstanding Excellence. The winner from each category is automatically entered into this award.

• The GIO Award for Best Small Business
• The Travel Scene Award for Best Medium Business
• The Optus Award for Fastest Growing Small Business
• The St George Award for Best Start Up Business
• The Award for Best Regional Business
• The QuickBooks Award for Best Retailer
• The Award for Best Green Business
• The Cisco Award for Best Technology in an SME
• The Award for Best E-Business
• The Award for Best Young Gun in Small Business

Entry is FREE, quick and easy, yet the returns could be enormous for your business and your staff. Each Category Winner receives $5000 worth of products and/or services, tailored to suit their business needs from the Category Sponsor.

You are invited to enter the awards up until Wednesday 26 August 2009. Enter online at http://www.mybusiness.com.au/awards09 or post your submission according to the entry guidelines.

The past award finalists and winners have benefited from the resulting publicity and exposure through My Business magazine, and sponsor networks. With the numerous leveraging opportunities involved in such a credible awards program, why would you not want to be in it?

Also, each category’s three finalists will receive one free ticket to attend the Gala Awards presentation ceremony on Friday 2 October 2009 at Doltone House, Pyrmont in Sydney. Hosted by Steve Liebmann, it will be a fabulous night of fun, food and entertainment with Australia’s popular dance band, Boogie Fever, as we celebrate the best of the best.

Marketing Workshop  

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 two-and-a-half hour workshop will help you understand the different aspects of marketing, how your product / service fits 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 Ps of Marketing
• SWOT Analysis
• Requirements of Developing a Marketing Plan

Time: 9.30am to 12 noon  
Date: Thursday 2 July     
Cost: $40.00 – light refreshments included

Intro to Business Planning Workshop 

A good business plan will increase your chances of business success. It will help you identify your customers, market area, pricing strategies, financial and operational goals. By completing a business plan you will better understand your competitive advantages, new opportunities, current weaknesses and longer-term objectives for the business. Having a business plan is also an important requirement for gaining finance from financial institutions.

The aim of this workshop is to provide an overview of the business planning process and increase the skills of participants to enable them to complete a business plan for their business.  Business Plan templates will be provided. 

Time:  12 noon to 1.30pm 
Date:  Friday 31 July 2009
Cost:  $33.00 – light lunch included

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
No LEASE – Monthly Rental Agreement only.

Run your business from established 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 Business Advisory Services  

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

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

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