Unsurprisingly, the new Activate Tāmaki Makaurau fund for free business advice is a hot topic in Auckland right now. It goes without saying, Aucklanders have felt more than just a pinch during this lockdown. They deserve a hand. Hence why we’re especially excited to have been accepted as Service Providers for this new programme.
Activate Auckland fully funded grants open 1 December for small Businesses
Fortunately, help is on the way as of 1 December for Auckland SME business owners. To the rescue are Auckland Unlimited and the RGBN – Regional Business Partner Network NZ. With urgency, they’ve created a plan to allocate government funding for Aucklanders. It takes the form of a purpose-built funding platform, Activate Auckland. It’s going to be awesome. So, if all you want for Christmas is some extra business support, your Growth Advisor might be able to help.
We’ve jotted down some FAQs on how to apply to get funding for a Business in Auckland.
What does the Activate Tāmaki Makaurau Fund offer?
In contrast to the last Covid-19 Fund (which was focused on coaching), the Activate Tāmaki Makaurau support offers a perfect blend of Business advice and Implementation grants. There’s other cool stuff available but we’ll focus on these offerings which we can help with. So, if your business needs support with value proposition development; digitisation; client interaction strategies; website strategy and marketing strategy read on.
Last year, our team had the pleasure of working with some amazing clients in a coaching capacity operating within the Regional Business Partner Network NZ. But as digital strategists, we’re even more excited about this new setup which includes implementation. Kudos to Auckland Unlimited for adding in this piece. Because while we can’t agree enough that digital enablement of teams is extremely important, the set-up needed for some technical capability requires specialist development skills.
Also, time is of the essence right now. Undeniably, Auckland businesses need more than just band-aid solutions to help them scale or come out of hibernation, let alone grow. As a result, the gleaming combo of proper business advice and implementation will mean ‘cabs off the rank’ faster, and onto a roadmap towards stability.
What type of Business Advice is funded through Activate Auckland?
As aforementioned, we’ll be listed to support Business Advice and Implementation as a service provider through the scheme.
RGBN Business Support Advice Packages
- Up to $3k + GST is available through Business Support
RGBN Implementation Grant
- Up to $4k + GST
- This will be to implement an existing business plan reflecting advice gleaned – we’ll update you when we hear more.
Is your Auckland business is eligible for funding?
Firstly, filling out an Expression of Interest survey will help your business case be considered for funding.
If you’ve already got a Growth Advisor at Auckland Unlimited, you’ve probably been sent the link. All decisions are completely at their discretion. Naturally, this funding is needs-based and set out especially for businesses that have faced real challenges due to the Covid Lockdown. So, if you’ve considered closing, hibernating or scaling, this funding is there to help create plans to elevate the situation and look actively forward.
Criteria for business eligibility includes:
- having less than 100 full-time employees
- a current New Zealand Business Number and GST registration
- private ownership
- a commercial environment (ie. not a charity)
- main operations taking place within the Auckland boundary
- the business has been trading before 22 October 2021
How we can help activate your Auckland Business with funding
We’d love to help you scope opportunities to strengthen your business. Namely, this includes:
- helping you consider the changing market;
- how needs have changed and
- how customer segments have been affected
Understandably, digital marketing plans for accessible online presence are hot property. But telling the story with a new perspective and relevance is key right now. As always, we start by looking at experiences first; understanding how people are feeling and how those emotions drive purchasing and decision making.
Currently, we envisage this means we’ll be focusing our services on value propositions but also applying this to content and SEO. As we say, we’ll know more next week. Subsequently, we’re taking a punt that likely types of implementation to be largely made up of SEO content mapping; UX fixes and customer journey deliverables. We’ll know more after 1 December, so watch this space.
Are we the right business advisors to boost your brand?
The best part of the RGBN funding has been meeting amazing people we click with and being able to get clear on their stories. Ultimately, we like to have chemistry with our customers so we always suggest having a call before commencing any work.
Here’s what one of our favourite Regional Business clients, Bonita Nuttall, had to say: “Having someone handle my ideas, the essence of my business, can feel vulnerable. It requires trust. Trust, knowing that someone else will handle it with care, yet candid honesty. That they’ll see its sparkling potential, hear its heartbeat and share in the excitement of its unfolding. That’s my experience of working with Good CX.”
5 Quick and easy ways to get started early (and be considered for funding)
Finally, if you’re thinking of applying for support of any kind:
- make sure you’ve registered with the Regional Business Partner Network NZ
- filled out the Expression of interest survey
- if you have a Growth advisor and want to work with us, mention Good CX as the provider you have in mind.
- ensure you have your NZBN, GST number handy
- Give us a buzz if you have questions about looking into the Activate Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland programme
ps. We’ve so felt this lockdown too. It’s been intense! We want to thank our amazing clients and partners everywhere for working around homeschooling; Zoom workshops and late nights. Onwards and upwards!
NB: Remember, all funding and eligibility decisions are at the discretion of your Growth Advisor. After all, this programme would be possible without their hard work setting this up, along with the support of The Pacific Business Trust. For up-to-date information, visit the Activate Tāmaki Makaurau website; call 0800 500 362 or e-mail your Advisor or info@businesshelpline.co.nz
One Comment