Small businesses have been hit hard over the past months, facing challenges that they could not have imagined. In May, we announced that Salesforce had teamed up with COSBOA to offer one-off $10,000 grants to eligible Australian small businesses to help them deal with the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are proud to introduce you to a few of the small businesses that have received the grants.
Bellchambers Music School, Australian Capital Territory
For Bronwen Mackenzie and Rachel Campbell, running the oldest music school in Canberra involves teaching 700 students across 700 lessons a week. When news started breaking in January about a potential pandemic, Bronwen and Rachel started planning how they could pivot to provide their experiential and in-person lessons online.
Part of that included pre-recorded online music lessons that parents and children could stream and play along to, like an episode of Playschool. The grant will see them film another 10 episodes of ‘Music lessons on the TV’ and market them to childcare centres. Not only will the episodes bring music and joy to many more children, Bronwen and Rachel hope they will help future-proof the business.
Play along with Bellchambers Music School and follow them on Facebook.
Henry’s Ginger Beer, Tasmania
Go to the north west of Tassie and you will be hard pressed to find a cafe or restaurant that doesn’t sell Henry’s Ginger Beer.
“It took off like a rocket here. It tastes like old fashioned ginger beer. We’ve never been able to keep up with demand,” said the couple behind the popular ginger beer Marc and Carolyn Watson-Paul. But sales took a dramatic dip when restaurants, cafes, events and festivals had to close their doors.
Marc and Carolyn realised then that direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales were missing from their business model. This grant will help launch the DTC channel and introduce delivery, keeping the ginger beer flowing during these tough times.
Get your own Henry’s Ginger Beer and follow them on Twitter @henrygingerbeer.
GOGO Events, South Australia
GOGO Events is a social enterprise that creates paid employment for women at risk of or experiencing homelessness. With large corporate events usually their bread and butter, the effects of the pandemic hit GOGO Events hard.
“At the moment we’re calling our business NoGo Events because with lockdown and social distancing all our events have been cancelled,” said Founder Sarah Gun.
Now with this grant and the new backing of two organisations, Sarah can continue helping disadvantaged women – she plans to fund and find a commercial solution to end period poverty. For many young women, even as young as eight, they don’t go to school or work because they don’t have access or can’t afford period products.
“For some people this has been their life’s work. Our first step is to set up a forum for conversation through a website, with the ultimate goal to create a pathway to employment for women who are facing barriers because of period poverty,” said Sarah.
Support GOGO Events and connect with them on LinkedIn.
Linga Longa Farm, New South Wales
Linga Longa Farm is a real life Farmer Wants a Wife story! Since Lauren followed Greg Newell back to his farm 10 years ago, the couple has been hitting the road to sell cuts of certified grass-fed, hormone-free and antibiotic-free beef at The Beaches Market at Warriewood and Carriageworks Farmers Market at Eveleigh.
Linga Longa Farm has survived drought, bushfires and floods, but nothing could have prepared the business for COVID-19. Greg and Lauren have done their best to keep delivering meat to people, finding customers through Facebook and doing a lot of kerbside drop-offs. But perishable produce isn’t the cheapest item to deliver.
They’re hopeful that with this grant they can explore cold chain logistics further and send their meat out in refrigerated trucks.
“One of our greatest joys is when people carve up a Christmas roast and they can say it came from Linga Longa,” said Greg. “We feel we’re there at your Christmas table and that’s really important to us to keep that connection.”
Follow Linga Longa Farm’s story and check out its Instagram @LingaLongaFarmWingham.
Tap into Safety, Western Australia
Dr Susanne Bahn and Geoff Bahn have used their expertise in the workplace safety discipline to start Tap into Safety. As a workplace safety and employee mental health training platform they provide companies with the knowledge they need to reduce workplace injuries and fatalities.
“We were heading into a record month in March,” said Susanne. “But when talk of a lockdown started on 8 March everything stopped. Budgets were frozen and people started focusing on preparing people to work from home.”
Now with interstate travel and onsite visits no longer an option, Tap into Safety has had to pivot to training online. This grant will help Tap into Safety remove their panoramic software that is no longer suitable in this current remote environment and start developing online content built on the Codes of Practice and guidelines of Safe Work Australia.
Keep employees safe with Tap into Safety and connect on LinkedIn.
Meet our other grant recipients
(Pssst – they’re all Aussie small businesses that could use your support):
Accomodation and Food Service
- Bindaree Holiday Park Corowa
- Blue Mini – Eatery, Emporium, Events
- Platypi Chocolate
- Room with Roses
- Alice’s Secret Traveller’s Inn
- The Bower at Broulee
Administrative and Support Services
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
Arts and Recreation Services
- Peninsula Film Festival
- Peninsula School of Dance
- Thread Den
- Escapegoat Adventures Pty Ltd
- ExitLeft Productions
- Red Dragon Kung Fu School
- Merimbula Marina
Construction
Education and Training
- 100 Mile Foodie
- Paragon Work Health Safety Pty Ltd
- Tap into Safety
- We Are Rowboat
- You Study International College
- Koorimunication
- Trainix
- Murrimatters Pty Ltd
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services
Financial and Insurance Services
Healthcare and Social Assistance
- Lilley Place Clinical Psychology
- MOVE Sports & Spinal Physiotherapy
- Sydney City Psychology
- Eurobodalla Health and Fitness
- Mobi Healthcare Pty Ltd
- Quirky Kid
- Top to Toe Health
Information, media and telecommunications
Manufacturing
Other
Professional, scientific and technical services
- Freelance Robotics
- Global Path Visas
- TBF Consulting
- Untapped Agency
- LOGiT Australia
- Moroku
- Stone Drums Pty Ltd
Rental, hiring and real estate services
Retail Trade
- Hidden Treasures Mogo
- Kookaburra Caravans Pty Ltd
- Naomi Murrell
- Quarter Inch, Hugs ‘n Kisses, Pattern Press, Quilting Tasmania
- Starfish Store
- Studio Cakes
- The Little Bookroom
- Dinkums Print & Design
- Fleur Social
- Inverloch Free Range
- The Book Warehouse
- Little Polli & The Blackbird
- Pea in a Pod
Wholesale Trade
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Pip Marlow is CEO ANZ at Salesforce.
