Before your Christmas Shut Down

Hi everyone,

It occurred to me that there was a heap of administrative things that every business needs to do before they shut down for Christmas - if you have that luxury.

1. Notify your customers of your business opening hours over the Christmas-New Year period

2. If some of your customers may need your services over this period, ensure you leave contact details for urgent services (on answerphone or email "Not in Office" message).

3. If you live in cyclone prone areas like Broome. Make sure that the emergency services know how to contact you.

4. Have you thought about lifting you computer box up off the floor and covering the box, monitors and any other peripherals with plastic sheeting...just in case water gets into your office.

5. If you pay PAYG (staff tax installments) on a monthly basis, your November payment is due on 23rd December.

6. Given your experience with employing staff during the last dry season, have you thought about what you are going to do next season to ensure your business runs smoothly and profitably. What strategies do you have to keep your wet season workforce happy.

7. Have you thought about staff (including the bosses) training needs for 2010?

The Small Business Centre West Kimberley in Broome and the Broome Chamber of Commerce are seeking to identify one-off training/business workshops that meet the needs of small businesses in Broome. We have the capacity to present workshops on a range of business topics, as requested, using high profile presenters from around Australia. In the last year, we provided a series of workshops on topics including:

• Marketing on a shoestring budget
• Merchandising makes Money
• Customer service fundamentals
• Business Planning and Cash Flow Budgeting - what the banks need
• Cultural Awareness training for businesses in the Kimberley
• Women in Business
• Contracting in the Broome region
• Pricing and Tendering for jobs

We have identified a demand for workshops on:

• Dealing with conflict in the workplace
• Basic understanding of financial reports - Profit and Loss and Balance Sheets
• Understanding the new Fair Work Australia laws that take effect from 1 Jan 2010. See http://www.fairworkforsmallbusiness.com.au/

We will definitely be running a 2 hour BIZFIT introductory program on 23rd or 24th March (to be finalised). The BIZFIT workshop is a detailed update on the economic influences that will directly affect the Broome business environment for 2010, presented by the Small Business Development Corporation. This data is tailored to the needs of businesses in Broome. See http://www.smallbusiness.wa.gov.au/bizfit-building-business-resilience/ . The BIZFIT Extend program will be run in Broome on the 22nd and 23rd of May, 2010, with assistance from the Curtin Business School Centre for Entrepreneurship.

What do you need, in the form of a 2 hour, half day, full day or two day workshop that will be practical and useful for aiding the effective management of your business?

Call the Small Business Centre West Kimberley, in Broome on 08 9193 6622 or Email us on manager@sbcwk.com.au

What's happening in Broome

Christmas is coming up rapidly and the build-up to the wet season is well and truly here, with the first tropical cyclone (Laurence) of the season rapidly approaching from the north. It's very hard to predict what may eventuate but this time last year, Cyclone Billie (#1) swung past Broome on 23rd December with lots of wind and about 100mm of rain. It knocked a few trees over and sunk 4 or 5 small boats in the mooring area, adjacent to the Broome Jetty. Any business specialising in palm frond cleanup did very well. The marine salvage guys were also busy. It appears the gas platform workers have been brought ashore, in anticipation of dangerous conditions at sea. The helicopter charter businesses have been busy.

Indigenous bush tucker businesses that are approaching Gubinge harvesting time are feeling a bit anxious as the clusters of fruit on the wild harvest trees are at a very susceptible stage if faced with very wet and windy conditions. Yet, moderate rain would be most welcome. You have to remember that this may be the first significant rain since March...which is quite normal. It has been very hot over the last three weeks, with daily temperatures up to 39 degrees being quite common. Between 40 to 100mm of rain at the beginning of November in a three hour storm had an amazing impact on the growth of trees and palms - more work for the mowing contractors before Christmas.

It has been noticeable that a number of small retail stores have closed down since the end of the Tourist Season in mid October. Any business that struggled during the last Tourist Season would be well and truely struggling now as there are very few tourists in town at the moment.

It will be interesting to observe the struggle between the China Town CBD retail precinct and the newly developed Boulevard retail precinct and even more so when a tourist retail precinct is developed at Cable Beach, behind the Cable Beach Club Resort. Anyone contemplating setting up a new retail outlet will need to carefully research their preferred location.

It is worth noting that the promotion of the historic China Town retail precinct of down-town old Broome is a high priority concern of the Broome Chamber of Commerce. China Town retailers are definitely feeling the competition from the new, airconditioned, everything under the one roof Boulevard complex. Those that are able to stay open during the wet season and promote their services aggressively may benefit.