MEDIA RELEASE - Business set to benefit from upcoming Small Business Month Summit

Sutherland Shire Council’s ever-popular ‘Small Business Month Summit’ is set to return later this month, providing local small businesses the opportunity to share their insights and expertise with others in the sector and to draw inspiration from an impressive line-up of guest speakers.

Sutherland Shire Mayor, Councillor Carmelo Pesce said the return of the summit this year was part of Council’s continued efforts to boost economic growth within Sutherland Shire, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are thrilled to see the return of Council’s Small Business Summit this year – it’s a fantastic opportunity for our local business leaders meet in-person and reflect on the challenges of the last few years and how our local small business sector has fought to overcome them,” Mayor Pesce said.

“We get such an extraordinary response to this event each time we run it, with participants always keen to let us know how much they have valued the insights offered by our guest speakers and how this has helped inspire them to drive their businesses forward.”

The Summit will be held on Tuesday 15th March at Doltone House, Sylvania Waters from 8am to 12.30pm. Participants will hear from the following guest speakers:

  • Host of leading business and marketing podcast ‘Small Business Big Marketing’ Tim Reid, who will provide guidance on attracting and retaining target customers.
  • Business strategist and author Michael McQueen, who will provide clear and practical advice for navigating the new business landscape.
  • Director and Principal of ‘Business Grit’, business coach and psychologist Nic Sullivan, who will share insights on how to build resilience professionally as individuals and teams, and personally.

With more than 22,100 registered businesses operating within the Sutherland Shire – a large portion of which are small-medium sized – Council is keen to build on existing support measures to support a thriving local economy. This comes in addition to a range of support measures Council introduced to help local small businesses weather the impact of the pandemic, including a $300,000 COVID-19 relief package, waiving a range of fees for cafes, restaurants and other small businesses, and by providing rent relief to small and medium business tenants that were adversely impacted.

“We are looking forward to hosting this event, and as we turn our focus to the post COVID-19 recovery of local businesses, Council will be looking to facilitate and support more opportunities for business events with similar objectives,” Mayor Pesce said.

“Coming from a family with three generations of small business owners, including myself, I know firsthand the ups and downs that small businesses have experienced, and the importance of supporting fellow business operators.

“This event will not only provide a space for likeminded business operators to connect, it will be an opportunity for participants to reflect on recent challenges, learn from these experiences, identify opportunities for growth and inspire new ideas to deliver product and service models.”