Advice and Mentoring

Business Advice

Box Hill BEC has a range of consultants, with expertise in specific areas of Small Business Management in a range of industries, who can provide advice on a variety of topics, including:

  • • Cash flow
  • • Leasing
  • • Government Regulation
  • • Marketing
  • • Loans and Banking Products
  • • Business Planning
  • • E Commerce
  • • IT & Communication
  • • Record Keeping Guidance
  • • Succession Planning
  • • Intellectual Property
  • • Debt Collection

Business Mentoring

Business mentoring is a process where the business operator and mentor work together through discussion to identify goals and develop effective strategies for business growth and development. Your mentor will guide you in the right direction ensuring you have skills to love problems, keep the business on track and manage operational issues.

How does Mentoring help your business?

  • • Assistance with setting of goals/objectives
  • • Identification of options
  • • Government Regulation
  • • Encourage business development and growth through appropriate strategies
  • • Provide feedback on strategies and progress
  • • Provision of information and information sources
  • • Acts as a sounding board

We offer 1 hour face-to-face sessions to help answer your questions around
how to start a business

Personal

  • • How to start a business
  • • Choosing a busines
  • • Business issues and related personal issues
  • — Marketing
  • — Operational
  • — Financial
  • • Goal Setting

Marketing

  • • How to promote the business
  • • Social media as marketing tools

Operations

  • • Business structures
  • • Legal and tax obligations
  • • Insurances
  • • Sources of advice
  • • Risk management
  • • Import/export

Financial

  • • Costing
  • • Price setting
  • • Business funding
  • • Leasing
  • • Financial record-keeping
  • • Business viability or feasability

Education

We offer the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS) program to assist eligible
people to start their own small business.

We run Certificate III in Micro Business Operations and workshops about
starting and running a small business.

Accredited Training

Currently there are no events available

Small Business Short Courses

Currently there are no events available

Small Business Workshops

No workshops are currently scheduled.

Workshops include Tax Basics, Starting a Small Business, Cash Flow Management.
Workshops are usually run through participating local councils.

Workshops can be run on demand for special interest groups. Please call (03) 8892 2002.

Small Business Networking Events

Currently there are no events available

Planning Assistance

We offer advice on how to do business planning, some assistance in working
through parts of the business plan to acting as a sounding board on your
business plan. We do not write business plans for you.

1
One-on-one Advice 1 hr Session
These are usually issues-based sessions, driven by your questions. The aim is to remove any confusion and identify the next steps to take.
cost $85
Book Now
2
Core Planning Elements Workshop
This is designed to develop in-depth thinking about:
  • The client problems you are solving
  • How you solve them (the benefits)
  • Why buy from you?
  • Who will buy?
  • How to sell
  • Skills and experience required
  • How to finance the business
  • What are the business risks
cost $250
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3
3 x One-on-one Core Elements Development 1.5 hr Sessions
These are optional sessions to develop the thinking required behind the Core Planning Elements. Having a knowledgeable external party work with you will help drill down to the essential elements.
cost $150
Book Now
4
Business Plan Writing Workshop
A business plan with 2 years’ financial projections (and any historical performance) is required for any bank loan and should be an essential roadmap for your business. Plans need to have substance, be supported by evidence, be robust, logically coherent and communicate well. NB We do not write business plans
cost $175
Book Now
5
3 x One-on-one Business Plan Development 1.5 hr Sessions
This is designed to develop in-depth thinking about your business, in areas that are problematic to you. It can involve a review of any existing or developing plans, as well as provide some editing assistance. NB We do not write business plans
cost $250
Book Now

Finance Facilitation

As an accredited partner with the National Australia Bank, we:

  • Identify clients who qualify for a NAB Microenterprise Loan
  • Make sure the loan is right for you
  • Help you produce a good quality application
  • Work with our governing bodies to refine and finalise applications
  • Provide mentoring sessions at key times

Eligibility

  • 18 years and over
  • Australian Citizen or Permanent Australian Resident
  • Have lived at your current address for at least three months
  • Need a business loan of between $500 and $10,000 and are not eligible for a
    mainstream

Loan Purpose

  • To provide funding to small businesses and intenders who would be ineligible for
    mainstream commercial loans, while providing training and support to help them
    become financially resilient.

Business Loan

  • Have worked or are currently working with one of the program partners (eg Box Hill BEC)
  • Business does/will not have more than five full time employees
  • Have not been bankrupt in the last seven years and have no overdue or outstanding  unpaid

Loan Features

  • $500 up to $10,000 in the form of a credit card
  • Repayable over 3 years with no repayments for the first 3 months
  • Mentoring provided at 3, 6 and 11 months

Tools

We offer some free business planning tools to help you gain insight into your
proposed business. Further tools are available by becoming a member.

Use these free tools to help you think about your intended business in more
depth:

Research Your Market

 

SWOT Analysis

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats

Cash Flow budgeting template

Develop Your Unique Value Proposition

Weekly Planner

 

For access to our business planning videos and other business planning and
operating tools, sign up to become a member.