Oasis Magazine - Cairns & Tropical North Queensland Issue 19 - Aug|Sep 2017 | Page 66

THE VALUE OF Small Business

SMALL BUSINESS
AMY TURNBULL Regional Manager CCIQ
One part of my role with the state Chamber of Commerce is as the eyes and ears for regional businesses . As complex and varied as our membership is , most of the struggles faced by businesses boil down to two issues ; regulatory burdens and the costs of running a business .
Once the Chamber has listened to the specific issues , we then provide tangible support and resources where we can . Following that , our Advocacy team draw upon their policy and economic skills , knowledge and research to provide recommendations to government about what they should improve for the sake of small business owners , their workforce and the state ’ s economy .
It was satisfying that the state government held a Cairns Small Business Roundtable as part of this year ’ s Queensland Small Business Week . Attending with me were a small number of business owners ( including the publisher of this very magazine , Julianne Steer .)
Although I have worked in this role since 2014 , I still find it sobering to hear specific stories of businesses confounded with complex bureaucracy that can amount to up to one full day a week worth of work . The costs of compliance also can ’ t be underestimated , whether it ’ s the staff time to complete the administrative
requirements , certain licence and application fees , down to sector-specific requirements such as I . D . scanners for licenced venues .
Needless to say , compliance is necessary . We need regulation to keep Queenslanders safe , and the business environment fair . However , it ’ s crucial we get the balance right . If we fail , the burden becomes too great for small business owners , and the impact of that can be severe enough to cause businesses to collapse under the pressure .
It ’ s crucial that CCIQ accurately represents the small business community . We ’ re about to launch one of the most significant , Far North Queensland-specific surveys in our history . We need you . Tell us your story , and be part of the solution .
To get involved , simply email : aturnbull @ cciq . com . au with the subject line “ FNQ Business Survey ”.

LOW COST

SMALL

BUSINESS SUPPORT

Visit

ttnq . org . au

We assist small businesses * & start-ups by providing advisory services on :
Accounting Legal Marketing Inbound Tourism Business Planning E-commerce Word Press
Human Resources Customer Centricity Visual Merchandising Storytelling Digital Idea Innovation Grant Writing
Our local business leaders can help you achieve your business goals
WORKSHOPS WEBINARS NETWORKING MENTORING
* with fewer than 20 staff whom derive a significant portion of revenue from tourists . TTNQ members and non-members welcome .
for the full program . Click on ' Resources ' and then select ' Small Business '.
This project has been supported by ASBAS Northern Australia Tourism Initiative , an Australian Government initiative

CAIRNS - PORT DOUGLAS & DAINTREE - CASSOWARY COAST

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