Small businesses seek help
A recent survey on small and medium enterprises carried out by Pittwater Business (PB), run by the Mona Vale Chamber of Commerce, found that local businesses want practical support, a stronger local voice and partnership.
PB launched earlier this year to encompass businesses from Narrabeen to Palm Beach and now has 200 members. It has identified customer demand, rising costs and limited owner capacity as the top three issues affecting Pittwater businesses.
“We conducted a survey with 40 respondents across different sectors of business,” PB vice president Graham Christie told PL. “It is quite worrying news. Many businesses in Pittwater are doing it incredibly tough. In fact, many are doing it so tough that they’re thinking of dialling back or closing their business.”
Mr Christie said a lot of common themes surfaced through the survey: rising costs, red tape, and compliance costs that are strangling profitability.
“Not only are they worried about increased costs, but they’re also finding it more and more difficult to find customers,” Mr Christie said. “There’s obviously a requirement for much more practical support afforded to the sector by government and council.”
The NSW Government announced a $37 million upgraded advisory service for small business in September.
The first phase is available now and includes up to four hours free one-on-one advisory services covering business essentials, support for multicultural business owners, events and workshops to strengthen connections and online services.
Phase two in February 2027 will include specialist industry advice, targeted sector programs, in-person connection and next-gen AI tools.
“While these incentives and support are welcome, they need to be in a much greater quantum if we’re actually going to help businesses get out of this real period of difficulty,” Mr Christie said.
Natalie Page runs Oneill Photographics in Mona Vale and told PL that customers want more for their money and it was hard to remain competitive.
Ms Page said that government support was ‘not enough.’ “If they want to help small business, a tax reform would help,” Ms Page said. “(Small business) is most hard-hit when it comes to tax. That’s what we need them to attack – not sweetening (us up) on other stuff.”
Ms Page said that she has ‘got a lot of business’ since joining PB.
“They’re highly skilled individuals, who bring expertise and friendship,” she said. “I feel supported. One thing that small business doesn’t have is community,” said Ms Page. “Community resolves a lot of issues; they bring positive guidance and community.”
Pittwater MP Jacqui Scruby welcomed the government’s decision to provide free business consultancy advice to small businesses, which she advocated for.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our local communities and owners are dealing with rising costs, staffing pressures and an increasingly difficult trading environment,” Ms Scruby said.
“I’ve been a business owner and know the value of strategic business consultancy advice, particularly in times of hardship or when having to develop a new strategy.
“This is a valuable opportunity for small business owners to take advantage of a program developed for business, by businesses.”
Ms Scruby welcomed the recent visit of the NSW Small Business Commissioner to Pittwater to hear directly from local business owners about the challenges they are experiencing.
Ms Scruby is partnering with PB to host a small business roundtable with the commissioner in Newport on 30 October as part of NSW Small Business Month.
“This will be an opportunity for local businesses to raise the issues affecting them directly. I want businesses to come away with something useful and for the Business Commissioner to understand key issues like empty shopfronts to support my advocacy for a Parliamentary Inquiry on the issue,” Ms Scruby said. Visit monavalechamber.org.au