As people across NSW celebrate NAIDOC Week 2023, Minister for Small Business Steve Kamper met with an Aboriginal business owner in Redfern today to discuss the opportunities and challenges for building a small business.
Hundreds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and small business owners across NSW have received free, culturally safe and inclusive business coaching and advice through the Aboriginal Business Advisory Initiative (ABAI).
Support is exclusively for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who own a business or are thinking about starting a business in NSW. The ABAI provides independent, tailored advice face-to-face or over the phone.
The free advisory services are delivered by independent Aboriginal advisors who bring their own lived experience, knowledge of small business operations and strong community connections to the coaching sessions.
The Aboriginal Business Advisory Initiative can help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples at every stage of their business journey by supporting businesses start-up, encouraging business expansion, providing access to training and building capacity through greater connectivity to NSW Government procurement.
Arts, recreation and construction are some of the top industries supported by the Aboriginal Business Advisory Initiative, with the majority of people seeking advice on business planning and start up.
The Aboriginal Business Advisory Initiative is complemented by the Service NSW Business Connect program which has more than 100 independent business advisors, including multiple who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, who have experience running their own business and have qualifications in business-related disciplines such as business and commerce.
The program moved from Training Services NSW under the NSW Department of Education to Service NSW for Business on 1 October 2022.
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