Business Talk May 2017

May 2017

Welcome to Business Talk
Business success is essential to the future of the City of Marion as a place to live, learn, work and invest.

The City of Marion's Open for Business program is here to support business community to:

Be your first point of contact at Council
Provide local business support services through business associations, the Tonsley Small Business Advisory Service and the Southern Adelaide Business Support System
Connect you with local businesses, skilled people, associations and training providers
Offer networking and information
Work with partners to deliver local initiatives such as Southern Adelaide Economic Development Board, Visitor Economy, Digital literacy projects and Workforce Development
Activate the Cove Business Hub and Tonsley Innovation District, and
Advocate on regional issues.

We are Open for Business

We have created a special guide to help local businesses grow. Find out about the services available to business in the City of Marion here.

Business SA Export Ready
Program

New or experienced exporters are invited to participate in Business SA's Export Ready Program proposed to be hosted down South between June and December.

Business SA's Export Ready Program, supported by the Department of State Development, is the first program of this calibre available in South Australia, with the added benefit of potentially being hosted in region (subject to interest received). Ten participants are required for the course to proceed. Register here before the 17 May 2017. For more information visit here .

Upcoming May Business Events

9 May @ 5:00 PM - Small Business Tax Essentials: Learn about record keeping and reporting online to save time. Presented by the Australian Taxation Office.

11 May @ 5:00 PM - Small Business Record Keeping: Learn about record keeping tips and traps and how money flows through a business. Presented by the Australian Taxation Office.

16 May @ 5:30 PM - Marketing Online without a Website. Having a website creates an informative and important online presence for your business. But what if you don't have one? How can you make the most of online technology to build brand awareness and get new customers? Presented by DIY Digital.

18 May @ 9:00 AM - Will Your Idea Work as a Business? This workshop is aimed at entrepreneurs and investors who have an idea or product but as yet have not established a business and/or achieved meaningful level of sales. Presented by the Tonsley Small Business Advisory Service.

30 May @ 5:30 PM - Google Simplified. For the do-it-yourself small business owner on a tight budget it can be hard to navigate the complexity of all the Google products and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) techniques. Understanding some key basic concepts can make a difference. Presented by DIY Digital.

To book into any of these sessions, please go to our events calendar on the website and use the hyperlinks to the booking pages.

Do you have any suggestions for the events calendar? Contact Georgie via email .

Grow Your Business Expo - Save the Date

9 November 2017 - Save the date for our Annual business and networking exhibition at Tonsley 'Grow Your Business Expo'.

More details to come, if you have any questions please contact Georgie.

Are you thinking about running a Business from Home?

There are over 10,000 home based businesses in the City of Marion. The types of businesses include finance and insurance; rental and real estate services; construction; retail and healthcare and social assistance. If a business meets criteria , it is called a "Home Activity" and no Council approval required.

Other businesses that do not meet the "Home Activity" criteria, require Development Approval from the Council. A Development Application must therefore be lodged with the Council, and Development Approval obtained, before the business starts. If you are thinking about a home based business, please read this or call us on telephone 8375 6685.

Thinking about a new sign for your business?

Advertising signs are part of today's society. There are many different types of advertising signs. Regardless of the type, no sign should contain offensive or abusive information, confuse or distract motorists, or be a hazard of any kind. Some signs require approval from the Council, while others do not. The requirements relating to the various different types of signs are discussed here . If you are still not sure if you require approval, please call us on telephone 8375 6685.

We're upgrading our website!

We are excited to announce that we are upgrading the City of Marion corporate website to provide an improved, more efficient online communications tool for our community.

As part of this project, we are currently reviewing the site and want to hear how you use it and how you would like to use it in the future.

We are holding two focus groups to obtain detailed feedback:

Thursday 11 May, 7pm-8.30pm, Marion Cultural Centre
Tuesday 16 May, 10am-11.30am, Cove Civic Centre

All focus group participants will receive a free double movie pass as a thank you for your time.

Bookings are essential and spaces are limited. More information can be found on the City of Marion website .

nbn™ Information

Choosing the right speed

Australia's new broadband network comes with a choice of superfast speeds. As a wholesaler, nbn can only offer these speeds to the phone and internet service providers that you deal with on a regular basis. This means choosing the right speed and plan through your service provider is vital if you want to transform your online experience into something spectacular. When selecting your plan, keep in mind that 25Mbps or above is considered a superfast broadband speed. Not all speeds greater than nbn™ 25 are available at all premises.

Factors that can affect your internet experience

From the equipment you use, to the network itself, there are a number of factors that can have an impact on your internet experience at home or work place. Find out more here.

How network congestion can impact your internet experience

One of the factors that can affect your internet experience is network congestion. Here, nbn takes a look at how network congestion occurs and what you can do about it.

Power blackout and landline migration

Critical information about what you need to do to prepare for power outages and emergencies, particularly important for those living in regional and rural areas.

Already connected - some useful info

For service faults, issues, pricing and packages always start with your Retail Service Provider. nbn co is the wholesaler, and we do not sell services directly to the public.

In closing ...

We hope you have found this newsletter of interest and please feel free to forward this onto your networks or others that may be interested in what's happening in the City of Marion and the greater Southern Adelaide region.