Blog

February 13, 2026 Recognition Programs

Member Spotlight: How a Rural Queensland Bakery Became a Community Institution

When Janelle and Tom Pearce decided to open a bakery in Longreach in 2017, their friends and family were divided. “Half thought we were brave and half thought we were mad,” Janelle laughs. “We were city people, no baking background, moving to outback Queensland during a drought.”

Nine years on, The Grazing Loaf has become something few small businesses ever achieve: a genuine community institution. With a loyal customer base spanning the town’s 3,000 residents and the thousands of tourists who pass through Longreach each year, the bakery employs six full-time and four part-time staff.

Building a Business Around Community

The Pearces credit much of their success to a deliberate decision to make the bakery a gathering place rather than just a transaction point. “We put in longer tables and encouraged people to sit with strangers,” says Tom. “In a town like this, you can’t afford to be a faceless business.”

The bakery hosts a weekly free coffee morning for seniors, supplies the local hospital at cost, and has been a consistent supporter of the Longreach Show Society’s annual fair.

The SBTC Connection

Janelle joined SBTC in their second year for the legal advice helpline during a staff dispute. “I stayed because of the people. The regional chapter events — finding other business owners who understood what it meant to run a business in regional Queensland was invaluable.”

The Grazing Loaf was named SBTC Regional Business of the Year in 2023. For more on regional small business in Australia, visit the Regional Australia Institute or the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman.

January 30, 2026 Recognition Programs

2025 SBTC Small Business Awards — Nominations Now Open

The SBTC Small Business Awards are one of the most anticipated events on the Australian small business calendar. Now in their twelfth year, the Awards celebrate the resilience, innovation and community contribution of small businesses and sole traders across the country. Nominations for the 2025 Awards are open until 31 March 2026.

Award Categories

  • Small Business of the Year — open to all SBTC financial members, recognising overall excellence
  • Innovation Award — recognising a business that has introduced a genuinely novel product or service
  • Regional Business Award — celebrating outstanding businesses in regional or rural communities
  • Sole Trader of the Year — recognising the achievement and resilience of individual operators
  • Employer of the Year — for businesses demonstrating exceptional workplace culture and employee development
  • Young Entrepreneur Award — for business owners aged 35 or under

How to Nominate

Any financial SBTC member can nominate themselves or another member. Nominations require a 500-word submission addressing the selection criteria. A panel of independent judges from industry, academia and the not-for-profit sector assesses all nominations.

The Awards ceremony will be held in Sydney in June 2026. For guidance on writing a compelling business award submission, Smart Company has published useful resources. Contact the SBTC office for nomination forms and criteria documents.

January 16, 2026 Research and Reports

The State of Small Business Lending in Australia: What the Data Tells Us

Access to affordable finance is one of the most discussed and least solved challenges in the small business sector. Despite years of government attention and a proliferation of fintech lenders, many small businesses still find it difficult to access working capital and growth finance on terms that make commercial sense.

Bank Lending Remains Constrained

Major bank lending to small and medium businesses has grown more slowly than overall business credit, with lenders citing concentration risk and the administrative costs of small loan origination as key factors. The Reserve Bank of Australia’s Financial Stability Review consistently notes the disproportionate reliance of small businesses on personal assets as collateral for business lending.

The Rise of Alternative Finance

Invoice financing, equipment leasing, revenue-based financing and peer-to-peer lending platforms have grown substantially. ASIC’s regulatory frameworks have enabled a new generation of lenders, though interest rates from alternative providers remain significantly higher than bank rates.

Government Guarantee Schemes

Government-backed lending initiatives have provided some improvement in access. Current programs are summarised on the business.gov.au grants and finance finder tool.

SBTC’s Position

SBTC has called on the government to expand the scope of the Small Business Loan Guarantee program and to work with lenders to develop unsecured lending products that do not require residential property as collateral. We will continue to advocate for data-driven reforms that improve capital access for the sector.

January 2, 2026 Research and Reports

SBTC Annual Small Business Survey 2025: Key Findings

Each year, SBTC surveys its financial membership to understand the challenges, opportunities and outlook of Australia’s small business community. The 2025 survey drew responses from 847 members across all states and territories and every major industry sector.

Operating Costs Remain the Top Concern

For the third consecutive year, rising operating costs — particularly energy, insurance and commercial rent — were identified as the top business challenge. Sixty-eight percent of respondents rated cost pressures as significant or severe, up from 61% in 2024.

Digital Adoption Accelerating

A notable positive: 54% of respondents had adopted at least one new digital tool in the past 12 months, with cloud accounting software, AI-assisted customer service tools and digital invoicing among the most commonly cited.

Workforce Challenges Easing Slightly

After two years of acute labour shortages, 43% of businesses reported that staffing was easier than last year — the first improvement recorded since 2020. However, finding skilled workers in trades, health and technology remained significantly more difficult than other categories.

These findings align with broader economic data published by the Reserve Bank of Australia and the Australian Bureau of Statistics, both of which have noted the resilience of the small business sector through recent economic cycles.

Outlook for 2025

Despite ongoing cost pressures, business confidence was modestly positive: 52% of respondents expected revenue to be about the same or better than 2024. The full survey report with industry and state breakdowns is available to financial members in the SBTC resources portal.

December 19, 2025 Business Support Services

When Do You Need a Lawyer? Legal Basics Every Small Business Should Know

Many small business owners avoid engaging a lawyer until something goes wrong. Understanding when legal advice is essential — and when it is not — can save you money and protect you from risk.

When You Should Always Use a Lawyer

  • Business structure setup: Choosing between sole trader, partnership, company or trust structures has significant tax and liability implications requiring tailored advice.
  • Buying or selling a business: Business sale agreements, due diligence and asset purchase structures are complex and high-stakes.
  • Commercial leases: Lease terms, outgoings, make-good clauses and option periods all have long-term financial consequences.
  • Disputes and debt recovery: Once a commercial dispute escalates beyond initial negotiation, legal representation substantially improves your prospects.

Where Free or Low-Cost Help Is Available

For straightforward matters, the Business Victoria website (and its state equivalents) provides free legal guides on contracts, employment and intellectual property. Many community legal centres also offer free initial consultations — use the Community Legal Centres Australia directory to find services in your area.

SBTC Member Legal Support

SBTC’s Business Support Services program includes a free 30-minute initial consultation with a qualified commercial solicitor from our partner law network. Contact the SBTC office to book your session.

December 5, 2025 Business Support Services

A Small Business Guide to Understanding Your Cash Flow Statement

Ask most small business owners which financial document they find most confusing and many will say the cash flow statement. Yet understanding your cash position — not just your profit — is critical to keeping your business alive and growing.

Profit vs Cash Flow: The Key Difference

A business can be profitable on paper and still run out of cash. This happens when income is recognised before it’s actually received — for example, when you invoice a client but they don’t pay for 60 days. During that gap, you still have wages, rent and supplier costs to cover.

The Three Sections of a Cash Flow Statement

A standard cash flow statement has three components: operating activities (day-to-day cash flows), investing activities (purchase or sale of assets), and financing activities (loans, equity investments and repayments).

The Australian Taxation Office provides free tools including the Business Performance Check tool which benchmarks your financials against industry averages.

Practical Tips for Improving Cash Flow

  • Invoice promptly and offer a small early payment discount
  • Review your payment terms and consider moving from 30 to 14 days
  • Negotiate extended payment terms with suppliers where possible
  • Use cash flow forecasting tools in your accounting software

SBTC members can access a free initial session with our partner financial advisors through the Business Support Services program. For general financial guidance, the Moneysmart website maintained by ASIC also has useful small business resources.

November 21, 2025 Member Networking

Regional Business Networks: Why Location Still Matters in a Digital World

There’s a tendency to assume that digital connectivity has made geography irrelevant for business networking. The evidence tells a different story. For small businesses in service industries, retail, hospitality and trades — local networks remain a critically important growth and resilience asset.

Trust Is Built in Person

Research consistently shows that trust — the foundation of referral relationships — is built more quickly and durably through in-person interaction than through digital channels. For small businesses that rely on word-of-mouth and personal recommendation, local networks are irreplaceable.

Local Procurement Is Growing

Government procurement reform at both state and federal level has placed increasing emphasis on local sourcing. The Department of Industry, Science and Resources has published guidance on how small businesses can position themselves for government contracts, and local business community membership is frequently cited as a positive signal in tender assessments.

Regional Communities Support Their Own

In regional and rural communities, participation in local business associations directly affects consumer perception. Research from the Regional Australia Institute found that businesses active in local associations reported significantly higher customer loyalty scores than non-participating peers.

SBTC’s Regional Chapter Model

SBTC chapters operate in 42 locations across every state and territory, each holding a minimum of four in-person events per year, supplemented by digital meetups, shared member directories and collaborative local advocacy. Contact SBTC member services to find your nearest chapter.

November 7, 2025 Member Networking

How to Get the Most Out of Your SBTC Regional Chapter

With 42 regional chapters across Australia, SBTC’s local network is one of its most powerful member benefits. Yet in our most recent member survey, nearly 40% of financial members said they had attended fewer than two chapter events in the past 12 months. Here’s how to make the most of your local network.

Attend Consistently, Not Sporadically

The relationship return from networking is compounding. Members who attend events regularly — even just once a quarter — report significantly stronger referral networks than those who attend ad hoc. Treat chapter events as a standing commitment in your calendar.

Volunteer for a Chapter Role

Every chapter is run by a small volunteer committee. Taking on a role dramatically increases your visibility and the speed at which you build meaningful relationships with other members.

Use the Member Directory

The SBTC member directory allows you to search for members by location, industry and business type. Before your next event, identify two or three members you’d like to connect with specifically.

The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman has highlighted peer networks as one of the top resilience factors for small businesses navigating economic uncertainty. Research shows professional networks built through association membership consistently outperform cold outreach in generating real business.

Share, Don’t Just Sell

Come to chapter events with insights to share, referrals to offer, and genuine curiosity about the challenges other members are facing. Business will follow naturally from genuine professional relationships.

October 24, 2025 Education and Training

Understanding the Fair Work Act: What Every Small Business Employer Needs to Know

For many small business owners, employment law is one of the most anxiety-inducing aspects of running a business. The Fair Work Act 2009 sets out minimum entitlements and obligations for employers and employees across Australia, and getting it wrong can be costly.

The National Employment Standards

The National Employment Standards (NES) are minimum entitlements that apply to all employees covered by the national workplace relations system, including annual leave, personal leave, parental leave and notice of termination.

The Fair Work Ombudsman maintains free, plain-English guides, pay calculators and employment contract templates.

Modern Awards

Most employees are covered by a Modern Award setting minimum pay rates and conditions for their industry. As a small business employer, it is your responsibility to identify which award applies and ensure you are paying at least the award minimum rate.

Small Business Unfair Dismissal Rules

Businesses with fewer than 15 employees have different unfair dismissal rules under the Small Business Fair Dismissal Code. Employees must generally have been employed for at least 12 months before making a claim.

For workplace health and safety obligations alongside your Fair Work responsibilities, visit Safe Work Australia. SBTC members can also access our quarterly employment law update webinars and HR advisory helpline.

October 10, 2025 Education and Training

Top 5 Free Digital Skills Resources for Small Business Owners in 2025

Staying digitally competitive has become essential for small businesses. The good news is there are more high-quality, free training resources available to Australian business owners than ever before. Here are five that SBTC members have found genuinely useful.

1. Digital Business — business.gov.au

The Australian Government’s business.gov.au platform has a dedicated Digital Business section offering free learning modules covering website building, digital marketing tools and cyber threat protection.

2. Google Digital Garage

Google’s free training platform at learndigital.withgoogle.com offers accredited short courses in digital marketing, data analytics and online business fundamentals.

3. TAFE Short Courses

Most state TAFE providers offer subsidised short courses covering bookkeeping, social media, customer service and business planning. Check your state TAFE website for current offerings.

4. ACCC Small Business Hub

The ACCC’s education resources cover competition law, consumer law and dispute handling. Visit accc.gov.au for the full resource library.

5. SBTC Member Webinar Series

SBTC members receive free access to our monthly live webinar series. Recent sessions have covered AI tools for small business, pricing strategy and navigating supply chain disruptions. Recordings are available in the member portal.