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The NEWORK Centre Level 2 Willbank House 57 Willis Street Wellington Phone 499 1048 e-mail nework@xtra.co.nz

No 39                                                                               November 2004

Does Your Business Need a Financial Boost

The following material was supplied by one of our members, Geoff Cole.

Overview

Positively Wellington Business, the business agency for the Wellington region, was established in 2001, out of a realisation that there is economic strength in unity.

The city councils of Wellington, Hutt, Porirua and Upper Hutt along with Kapiti Coast District Council are its principal funders. Led by an influential board of trustees, the trust develops and implements a regional strategy to ensure that resources support the strengths of the region without duplication between agencies or Councils.

The role of Positively Wellington Business is a varied one. We provide a range of business assistance from training for people with little or no business experience to assisting established companies raise capital and develop new markets and products.

Positively Wellington Business has helped set up and support business clusters in high-growth sectors and runs two business incubators - Creative HQ and Fashion HQ.

We're also heavily involved in attracting investment to the region, working with potential offshore investors to cut through the red tape of establishing a Wellington presence.

Recognising that the regional economy needs to attract skilled migrants and returning ex-pats to grow, Positively Wellington Business also smooths the way for potential migrants to work in Wellington and works with local businesses to attract overseas talent.

Positively Wellington Business aims to be a catalyst for economic development through collaboration between the private and public sectors, and a focussed approach to business and skill growth.

Their Business Development Team is a one-stop-shop of business services for the region' s businesses from start-up to maturity. Through a "one - on - one' confidential case management approach, the Business Development Team seeks to understand and identify your needs and either directly assist with them or refer you to a more appropriate agency.Business Assistance Grants

Positively Wellington Business's Business Development Team can assist businesses in applying for funding grants.

We are the regional agent for New Zealand Trade & Enterprise (NZTE) and Technology New Zealand's (TechNZ) grant schemes.

The Business Development Team can help businesses grow by assisting them to identify eligibility for business development, research and innovation funding, and, providing guidance in the application process. The following are the business assistance programmes currently available.

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise

• Enterprise Development Grant (EDG)
• Enterprise Network Grant (ENG)
• Escalator
• Growth Services Fund

Technology New Zealand

• Smart Start
• Grants for Private Sector Research & Development
• Technology For Business Growth

More information about the services offered by PWB's Business Development Team and for information on applying for business grants is available online at

www.positivelywellingtonbusiness.co.nz

Or feel free to contact:

Geoff Cole

Positively Wellington Business
Level 9, Baldwin Centre
342 Lambton Quay
Wellington
Ph 04 494 2542
Mob 027 226 4978
geoff@positivelywellingtonbusiness.co.nz

Is Your Office Small - Nobody needs to know

Being an owner operator does bring with it some preconceived ideas and attitudes from ourselves as well as clients or potential clients.

You may be operating your business as a solo operator in your garage or bedroom; but guess what -- no one needs to know! Even if your capital is less than $1,000 that you borrowed from your grandparents, you do not need to shout to the world how undercapitalised and how small your operations are.

Sure, you hate to pretend to be somebody else! But you also have to realise that image plays a huge part in business. To be perceived as a small business entity can sometimes work against you. Let' s face it: some potential clients will refuse to touch you with a ten-foot pole if they consider you too small. Whether you like it or not, other people sometimes equate being small with inability to deliver, lack of credibility and a tremendous business risk.

If you'd like the outside world and business community to view you with larger lenses, you can try these tactics:

• If you live in an apartment or townhouse complex, you can avoid using the word "apartment" to describe your workplace and include in your address - just use the number.
• Be careful in using only a postal box; it sometimes projects your business as a fly-by-night operation. A better alternative is to include the street/location address as well as the P.O. Box that you rent.
• With the advent of voice mail, one trick to show to your potential clients that you have someone else in your staff is to ask someone else to record your message that greets callers. Hearing another voice will make your callers think that you have employees to help you in your business.
• For correspondence, use the same approach, only with three lower case initials typed on each letter that departs your office. This will give the impression that you have a secretary or clerk. Remember, every little detail counts!
• If you have Internet presence, make sure that your web site does not scream "amateur!" Make your site as clean as possible, with easy navigation and readable fonts. Avoid using intricate wallpapers as your background that makes fonts difficult to decipher. Your web site is your "face" to the rest of the world; how you create it will impact on the image and credibility that you and your business projects.
• Join business or trade organisations; and make sure that you list the professional credentials or larger groups to which you belong. Knowing you belong to a nationwide community of your peers is very reassuring for your clients.
• Make strategic alliances with other professionals who can complement your work. As a start-up, you may "ride-on" in other people's projects, getting a small percentage of the work, until you develop your credibility and business history

Dishonest - no. Don't tell lies, don't reinforce those interpretations that others make. You are trying only to get a job done and get your name and your business out there for all to see. Out there with as few barriers as possible.

© 2003 The Nework Centre   |   email neworknz@yahoo.co.nz

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