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Small Business Workshop For Strategic Business Planning

A workshop on the fundamentals of strategic business planning designed to assist small business operators and anyone interested in establishing a small business will be conducted by Latrobe City Council

By Latrobe City Council - 19th April 2007 - Back to News

on Thursday 26 April at the civic centre in Kay Street, Traralgon.

Latrobe City senior economic development officer, Leo Billington, said that this workshop, which is being offered for the first time this year, is designed to assist and guide small business operators with effective, strategic business planning vital for making smart decisions. This workshop is also very useful for anyone running a business, irrespective of how many years they have being doing this.

"Running a small business requires a great deal of preparation and prior planning. There are many who have the desire to be their own boss and therefore should be careful to protect the financial and human resources invested in a business. However, the excitement and enthusiasm of being in business, can in some situations, unfortunately be overshadowed by the lack of a well-planned business strategy," Mr Billington said.

"This workshop will assist business people to define what is marketing and to critically evaluate the key features of a marketing strategy. It deals with the essential elements of marketing to be understood when operating a business. Market research will be discussed alongside an analysis of marketing strategies that actually work. All of which makes sure that any investment is protected. Ultimately, business owners and managers must be attentive to the concept and practicalities of effective marketing," Mr Billington explained.

Serge Auciello, Managing Director of long-established Morwell business, Alpine Beverages, firmly believes strategic business planning is pivotal for success in business. The family-owned business, established 34 years ago, has made a variety of decisions which have been part of a strategy that underpins future growth.

"In our situation, manufacture and sales of beverages requires staged planning connecting supply of ingredients, constant maintenance of machinery and delivery of product to distributors within Victoria and interstate. Effective planning means we set targets and we know when these have been achieved. If this is not the case, our priorities need to be critically analysed," Mr Auciello explained.

"For example, we commenced manufacturing just soft drinks for local home delivery and sales. As the market trends moved, bottled water was added to our product range during a time when we were establishing a state-wide wholesale distributor network. Subsequently, Alpine Beverages began supplying interstate customers and we have even exported consignments into Brunei and East Malaysia," Mr Auciello said.

"A marketing plan, which could easily be part of an overall business plan, makes you stay on track. Such a plan gives flexibility and adaptability depending on which direction a business may go as it matures. Work-life balance issues may even be made clearer when effective marketing strategies are learned. You then begin to work on your business rather than only in the business and time is allocated more efficiently. I also strongly believe that the best form of marketing is the presentation of yourself - business owners and managers represent the front doors to their particular business," Mr Auciello concluded.

The workshop is funded by the Minister for Consumer Affairs from the Victorian Property Fund and coordinated by the Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development as the ‘Under New Management’ program.

The Introduction to Strategic Business Planning for Small Business workshop, commences at 5.30pm on Thursday 26 April and is expected to finish at 7.30pm. The cost of the workshop is $10 to cover refreshments.

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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