Help for Victorian small business owners to start, operate and grow their business
As a small business owner, you don't have to be an expert in all business areas. Getting expert advice and information can help you identify goals, anticipate change and plan for survival and growth.
Whether you're seeking advice on how to start a business, apply for financial help, or how to recover after a flood or bushfire a Small Business Victoria (SBV) program can help.
The help provided offers time savings when trying to understand business compliance and regulation while also improving your strategic business and employee management skills to help your business succeed.
SBV's low-cost and free programs and services operate throughout the year and across the state and include a free fortnightly e-newsletter, a helpline to call, business workshops and training, a mentoring service and the Small Mobile Business Centre.
Small Business Victoria Programs and Services advice and assistance includes:
Business training workshops and seminars
Book into a free or low-cost workshop or seminar to learn from the experts. Small Business Victoria's training and advice sessions cover business planning and organisation, running your business efficiently, budgeting and forecasting, keeping good staff, basics of being an equal opportunity employer, starting your business and the basics of buying a franchise.
The Business Victoria Workshop and Events Calendar allows you to search for business training and events in metro Melbourne and regional Victoria.
Keep updated with upcoming events and workshops in your area, along with business news and regulation advice, by subscribing to the Small Business Victoria Update, sent fortnightly.
If you don't have time to make it to one of the many workshops and seminars find handy tools and templates from the popular Starting a Business, Achieving Financial Success and other workshops in the Operating a Business section of this website.
Small Business Information Centre
Visit the Small Business Information Centre in Melbourne's CBD for face-to-face assistance and access to information on starting, planning and growing a business.
Within the centre you can get fact sheets and how-to guides covering common business issues including setting up a retail store, starting your business and promoting you business to customers.
Resources onsite include access to the Business Victoria website and tools, plus Victorian industry snapshots and current industry and consumer research reports from IBISWorld. Use these valuable reports to research your customers and current market trends.
The Small Business Information Centre address is 113 Exhibition St, Melbourne.
Business Victoria phone line
Call 13 22 15 8am-6pm Monday to Friday (TTY: 133 677) for guidance on government resources and support systems for small business operators in Victoria. You will receive free business help for start-ups and existing businesses, including regulatory compliance and licences required and referrals to advisers and government agencies.
Small Business Mentoring Service
Most business owners can benefit from helpful advice from other business owners and managers. Sign up for the Small Business Mentoring Service to meet with a mentor to discuss key issues in your business, including your business plan, business growth and marketing ideas. You can search the Find an Adviser tool for a mentor in your area
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Mobile Business Centre
The Victorian Government's Mobile Business Centre is a free and confidential business mentoring and face-to-face assistance service. In conjunction with the Small Business Mentoring Service, the Mobile Business Centre travels to all regions of Victoria to provide free mentoring sessions and assistance to help you get your business started, or give your existing small business a boost. Find out where the Mobile Business Centre will be and book a session in your area.
Victoria's Small Business Festival
Held annually in August, Victoria's Small Business Festival has hundreds of events that are aimed at providing inspiration, ideas and information to start, run or build your small business. SBV collaborates with industry groups, private organisations and agencies to offer events in metropolitan Melbourne and across Victoria throughout the month of August.
Find out more about upcoming events, or register as an event host.
Grow Your Business program
Grow Your Business helps small businesses to develop and implement strategies to become internationally competitive by offering a range of planning and management services. Businesses can engage the services of an independent specialist to undertake either one-on-one or group programs.
