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Latrobe City Small Business Owners Receive Free Professional AdviceThe travelling Small Business Mentoring Service, a project delivered by Small Business Victoria, arrived in Latrobe City last week, with local business owners the beneficiaries of free professional advice. By news@gippsland - 10th September 2010 - Back to News The Mobile Business Centre, which is run from a bus, was in Morwell after Latrobe City Council requested it come to the region to assist local small business owners.
Latrobe City’s mayor, Councillor Kellie O’Callaghan said that small business plays a crucial role in Latrobe City.
"From hairdressers to cafes, consultancies to retail, our CBDs reflect the diversity of Latrobe City’s thriving small business community.
"In starting and operating a small business, owners can be confronted by a wide and varied range of issues. Often, a small business owner has minimal time to address all of these issues, so a free service, such as this, can provide invaluable advice," Cr O’Callaghan said.
Small Business Mentoring Service mentor, John Rosenthal, explained that the one-hour sessions were all about finding solutions to issues the business owners faced.
"The basis behind having the bus is so that business owners in regional areas can have access to the small assistance readily available to those in Melbourne. It’s all about making it convenient, as many small business owners do not have a lot of free time.
"The bus has been travelling across Victoria since 20 May this year and already we are seeing that many business owners are facing similar issues. The three main concerns are marketing, costing, and budgeting. Once we become aware of the client’s concerns, we try to find a way to strengthen their business with our knowledge in the field. We also come across people with different levels of business plans, so we sometimes assist with the construction of a business model," Mr Rosenthal concluded.
Photo: Small Business Mentoring Service mentor, John Rosenthal, in front of the bus
Media Enquiries:
Vicky Daddo, Media Relations Officer
Telephone: 5128 5346 or 5126 5458 or 0407 862 977
Jacinta Kennedy, Manager Community Relations
Telephone: 5128 5421 or 0401 824 195
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: news@gippsland.com

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