Small businesses in the Hunter Valley and Central Coast are missing out on over $50,000 dollars per business in lost profitability. That is the message from a recent study into the digital capabilities of small-medium businesses in the local area.
The main causes of this lost profitability in small business were identified by PriceWaterhouseCoopers as being quality and availability of high speed internet; a lack of appropriate support for business owners; and a lack of internal expertise.
Digital Business Consultant at the Hunter Region Business Hub, Iain MacDougall said with both the Hunter and Central Coast regions benefiting more and more from the rollout of the NBN, the problem of poor infrastructure is becoming less of an obstacle.
“This puts the onus on small businesses to make the most of the new opportunities and improve their digital footprint – as well as their digital awareness,” Iain said.
A new initiative will help business owners and operators to make the most of digital opportunities and boost capabilities. The Australian Small Business Advisory Services and Digital Solutions program is designed to enhance the capabilities of local small businesses.
Accessible through the Hunter Region Business Hub, this subsidised program provides an encouraging and supportive environment for small business people to learn, experiment and grow.
The program provides a digital needs assessment, one-on-one consulting and a series of expert-led workshops and seminars, resulting in a customised action plan to help propel their business forward.
Iain believes that the program will bring benefits to small businesses beyond simply improving their social media presence,” Iain said.
“We’ve seen many small businesses take good first steps in improving their digital presence, but there are still many more gains to make, especially when it comes to customer management and business processes.”
Covering the full spectrum of websites and digital marketing, social media and online selling, and supported by small business software specialists, the Digital Solutions program applies to businesses in any industry. Coupled with essential support in understanding online security and privacy regulations, participants will build the skills they need to make the most of the new opportunities.
Iain said the program is ideal not just for new businesses, but also those looking to review their existing practices.
“All businesses can benefit from an external pair of eyes every now and again. Things move so quickly in the digital world that it can be hard to cut through the noise and identify which improvements are actually useful,” Iain said.
The Digital Solutions program is available at the Hunter Region Business Hub.
IMAGE | Hunter Region Business Hub is offering a new Digital Solutions program to local businesses.
