About The Program
The Small Business Friendly (SBF) Program is open to Queensland local governments, Queensland Government departments and agencies, and large enterprise.
Being small business friendly means recognising and considering small businesses as an important customer, recipient, and supplier to your community, services and/or organisational activities.
Central to the SBF Program is a set of simple and clear commitments that all members agree to fulfill. These commitments help set a course for members to initiate, implement and sustain policies and practices that are small business friendly.
Upon joining the program, each member commits to:
- Actively communicate and engage with small businesses
- Raise the profile and capability of small businesses
- Promote and showcase small businesses
- Develop and promote place-based programs for small businesses
- Simplify administration and regulation for small business
- Ensure fair procurement and prompt payment terms for small businesses
- Support small business resilience and recovery
- Measure and report on our performance.
Members of the program must actively engage with their small business community. Putting people at the centre of these activities ensures small businesses are heard and that your decisions and activities are well informed.
With a collaborative relationship, organisations will be better placed to enhance the operating environment for small businesses and help our economy thrive.
Member Benefits
Members enjoy a range of benefits including:
- A framework and tools to support you to create a strategy and action plan to help you be more small business friendly
- Access to a facilitated community of like-minded organisations to discuss experiences, inform your own efforts, and provide support
- Regular forums to learn more about what others are doing, discuss ideas and what you can do to support small businesses
- Opportunities to showcase your activities that support small businesses, promote your efforts, and provide inspiration to others
- Use of the SBF Program logo to promote your commitment to small businesses and raise awareness of your involvement in the program
- Dedicated advice and support from the QSBC including statewide advocacy and small business assistance.
Member Obligations
Members of the SBF Program are required to:
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Ensure the organisation meets or exceeds the SBF Program charter commitments
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Work collaboratively with small businesses, stakeholders, and other members to enhance the operating environment for small businesses across Queensland
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Fulfill the SBF Program member requirements.
This includes the following member requirements each financial year:
- Nominating an authorised representative and proxy for SBF Program activities
- Actively participating in at least four online Roundtable meetings
- Actively participating in at least two Community of Practice meetings
- Providing at least one showcase submission to the QSBC
- Attending the annual conference (in person or virtually)
- Submitting the Accelerator Action Plan to the QSBC within 6 months of joining the program
- Submitting an annual report to the QSBC by 30 September (for the previous financial year).
If an organisation does not meet its member obligations, the QSBC may ask the organisation to provide further information as to why they have not been met. The Small Business Commissioner may then take further action, including but not limited to:
- Providing further assistance
- Cautioning the organisation with suggested steps for improvement, and/or
- Deciding to rescind membership.
Applying To Join
Organisations interested in joining the SBF Program are required to:
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Apply to join the SBF Program
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Sign the charter.
STEP 1
To apply to join the SBF Program, an interested organisation will need to:
- Engage with their local small businesses to seek their feedback about how they can collaborate better and share ideas
- Obtain approval from the organisation’s leadership to apply to join the program (for councils this should be by a resolution at a council meeting)
Submit the completed SBF Membership application form to the QSBC via sbfprogram@qsbc.qld.gov.au
STEP 2
If the application to join is accepted by the QSBC:
- The QSBC will issue a membership letter, and then liaise with the organisation’s authorised representative/s to arrange the charter signing event
- The charter signing event is then hosted and arranged by the applicant. The event is attended by the organisation’s leaders, local small business leaders, the Small Business Commissioner, and where possible, the Minister for Employment and Small Business and Minister for Training and Skills Development
- The charter is signed by the Mayor, local small business leaders, the Small Business Commissioner, and where possible, the Minister for Employment and Small Business and Minister for Training and Skills Development.
Upon completion of these steps the organisation will then become a member of the SBF Program.
Program Elements
Roundtables
A roundtable meeting of all members occurs every two months (six per year) to discuss challenges, share ideas and develop networks. Members are required to participate in at least four roundtables each financial year.
The roundtables are an opportunity for members to:
- Discuss small business friendly activities
- Celebrate small business friendly successes
- Make connections with like-minded organisations.
The QSBC will facilitate all roundtables and may invite guests to provide updates and information to members. The QSBC will circulate an agenda in the week prior to each meeting and a high-level summary will be provided to members in the week following each meeting.
Workshops
Workshops, related to the charter pillars, are delivered on an adhoc basis and at the annual conference. Members are required to participate in at least two workshops each financial year.
The four Charter Pillars are:
- Productivity: growing small business economies
- Placemaking: providing places that help small businesses thrive
- Streamlining: reducing the time and cost of doing business
- Insights: enabling more informed decisions and innovation.
The QSBC facilitates the workshops with relevant experts to lead the group’s discussion.
Annual Conference
The Small Business Friendly Program Annual Conference provides an opportunity to hear from industry experts and other leaders about innovative and best-practice ideas to help small businesses thrive across Queensland.
All members are required to have at least one person attend either in person or virtually. The QSBC will invite senior leaders and the two authorised representatives from each member to the conference.
The annual conference is delivered in person and virtually. Attendance is complimentary for members and invited stakeholders; however, attendees are required to cover travel and accommodation expenses to and from the conference.
Accelerator
The Accelerator is a set of self-support tools and guidance to help members create a simple and powerful action plan to help their organisation be more small business friendly. It provides a framework to identify your priorities, build support and create an action plan.
New SBF Program members are required to use the Accelerator to create a Small Business Action Plan (Accelerator Action Plan) within six months of joining the SBF Program to guide their small business friendly activities.
Existing members are encouraged to use the Accelerator process to identify priorities for action and create a Small Business Action Plan each financial year in line with their organisation’s broader strategic plans.
Throughout all activities, members should engage and collaborate within their organisation and across their small business community. Collaboration is essential to putting people at the centre of your effort to enhance the operating environment for small business.
Showcasing
The QSBC is committed to showcasing the various small business friendly activities undertaken by members across Queensland. Members are required to provide at least two showcase submissions to the QSBC each financial year.
Showcases will be considered for promotion on the QSBC website, via social member and in person by the Small Business Commissioner and others. Members can submit a showcase to the QSBC at any time by sending the completed showcase submission form to sbfprogram@qsbc.qld.gov.au
Annual report
Members are required to provide an annual report to the QSBC each financial year. The report helps members reflect on their efforts in relation to the charter commitments and highlighting their small business friendly activities and outcomes.
The SBF Program is a journey and there is always room to do things differently. Members should be proud of their efforts and promote their achievements. This report may be accompanied by one or more showcase submissions highlighting key achievements.
Members must submit the report to the QSBC using the Annual Report Template by 30 September each year (for the previous financial year).
Awards
The SBF Program includes annual awards to celebrate and reward excellence in the program. Nominations for awards must demonstrate achievements under the program in the current financial year. The winners are announced at the annual conference in May.
The awards are:
- Member of the Year
Awarded to the member who has demonstrated overall excellence across the SBF Program and delivered significant enhancements to the operating environment for small businesses - Regional Member of the Year
Awarded to the member, in an area with a population under 50,000, who has demonstrated excellence across the SBF Program and delivered significant enhancements to the operating environment for small businesses - Activity of the Year
Awarded to the member who has implemented a small business friendly activity that has had significant outcomes for a local economy.
Members may nominate for all awards and can win only one award. The awards are decided by the Small Business Commissioner from a list of finalists.
