Port Macquarie - Hastings, a connected economy
The latest figures show that Port Macquarie - Hastings is home to 84,525 people, supports 29,368 jobs and has an annual economic output of $9.545 billion. That's pretty sizeable so I'm not surprised that the NSW Government has plans to transition Port Macquarie - Hastings into a true Regional City.
We have one of the most stunning environments in NSW, a thriving economy, engaged communities and great lifestyle options.
We see new and younger faces every time we have a Coffee Connect and I invite all new start-ups and mature small businesses join us.
Another catastrophe?
Yes, in the last President's update, I mentioned that there will be uncertainties. The reality of our present world became up-close and personal recently when Port Macquarie- Hastings was hit by severe floods that destroyed many homes and businesses. The upside of all this was the resilience and generosity shown by local communities, who stepped up to help each other in their hours of need – a truly heartwarming display of care, generosity and support in the community.
My company, Brilliant-Online played our part in this community effort. We donated A$7,000 of free advertorials to local businesses in April, enabling them to tell their stories and promote their business during this stressful time.
Anyone who has a story to tell can contact us.
Scott Chappell, Black Market Bagels tell his story
Scott was the keynote speaker at our February meeting. He shared the ingredients of his business and the resilience when affected by the flood.
As a bonus and for those who missed the meeting, here's what Scott shared. There's so much to learn from Scott so let's welcome Scott Chappell from Black Market Bagels at 02:45 on the video.
If you're a small business owner you will find our meetings very fruitful. There's so much to learn and it's a great networking opportunity to get to know other businesses. So check out our events and mark your calendar.
What else is happening?
Deeper Learning
It's almost tax time so we invited Lyndall Ward, CATS4TAX to our Deeper Learning session to show how small businesses can be savvy about their finances using XERO.
This XERO Essentials Workshop will discuss essential features of XERO, quotes, invoices, bank feeds so you can be smarter with your financial reporting.
MBF Meeting
The next MBF Meeting is on Friday, 4th June from 9 am to 12 nn.
Get Smart Tax Tips from Professional Tax Agents. Ask all the questions you want to minimise tax, get asset tax breaks, and know what you can and can't claim.
As usual, expect a great interactive session on Who's Me? Learn to tell your story so you can promote yourself better.
Coffee Connect
The next Coffee Connect is on Thursday, 13 May at 10 am at Rivermark Cafe. So come join us and make some new connections.
See you again, soon!
President, Micro Business Forum