✦ If you haven't yet met the friendliest professional business network in the Port Macquarie-Hastings region, you'll want to jump in on their next forum!
Community First
Brilliant-Online has always been a supporter of small businesses in our communities. Every month we get to listen to so many different stories of people who have found what drives them to continue every single day, bringing their best creations or service to the community, and always finding creative ways to grow.
We spoke to Micro Business Forum (MBF) recently about their upcoming Small Business Forum. They are affectionately known as the friendliest professional network in the Port Macquarie-Hastings region, and rightly so. Ask around in the community, and you'll find people who know someone who is a regular there or who knows members of the MBF.
If you don't know MBF yet, here's a teaser to get you started.
What do you do, really?
We help micro business owners (those with fewer than five employees) connect and find support on their business journeys. It can feel like a scary, arduous and confusing journey to be a micro business owner, to go from setting up a business to maintaining it, to expanding it. And like parenting, there is no instruction manual you can buy from Amazon that tells you exactly what to do, step-by-step, so you never make a mistake and are guaranteed success.
MBF organises events, forums and get-togethers for micro business owners in the community to have a place where they can come together, regardless of their level of experience, industry or where they're at on their business journey to share their stories, their skills, the tools they used, to spark some inspiration, bring insights, and to offer acknowledgement of the challenges micro business owners face.
Here you'll find people who understand your difficulties as well as your joys. And we have such a variety of skill sets, experience and industries that micro business owners sometimes attended our events thinking to get some ideas and walked away instead with collaborations and solutions!
What makes MBF stand out?
1) We understand micro business owners.
People wonder why someone would want to go through all the hard work of setting up one's own business when you can easily get a stable job at an established company. At MBF, we get it.
Thing is, micro business owners all have a seed they wish to plant and nurture and grow, and there is a sense of pride in building up something with your own two hands, sometimes literally. As we well know, micro business owners have to do many things on their own at the very beginning. If a nail comes loose, you'll get the hammer and fix it yourself, because there isn't a maintenance department you can call and get help from.
And every single 'small' thing these owners put in is part of the pride they take in creating something from scratch. You could even say setting up a small business is like creating a work of art. At MBF, we understand how micro business owners feel about their endeavours.
Because we understand micro business owners so well, we are able to offer what they need to assist, support and encourage them through their business journeys.
2) We have been doing this since 2003.
MBF has earned a good number of years under our belt, and we are also proud of what we have created and which we can share with so many others now. We have grown with our micro business members over the years, and have been constantly updating what we offer according to market trends and developments.
Every generation of micro business owners requires different skills and tools, and MBF is always ready to innovate, create and find fresh ways of doing things.
3) We offer diversity.
We started off small at the beginning and we are always amazed every day when we look at the incredible diversity of products and services our members have been bringing to the region over the years.
Check out the variety of members we have at MBF here, - it is something we are really proud of. We get to hear so many different ideas and points of views, people share different experiences and ideas, and while our industries may be different, the essence of what it takes to keep a small business going is the same. So essentially we all speak the same 'language' here, and we always learn something new because of the diversity at MBF!
MBF's open and friendly nature attracts innovative, creative and business savvy businesses who are all hungry to learn, and eager to listen to others.
4) A focal point for small businesses.
Small businesses are really not that small if you look at them as a collective whole. They are actually vital in contributing to the prosperity, energy and vivacity of the Port Macquarie-Hastings region.
That is why MBF is proud to be a focal point for micro businesses to gather, recharge, inspire and keep going. We are all helping each other grow, and it is a healthy and sustainable environment we are creating, for business to grow together, as opposed to competing with one another. We are all helping each other win, and we celebrate each other's little and big victories along the way.
When we grow together, the region prospers. An absolute win-win situation for everyone.
5) We are FUN.
Because all work and no play makes Jack a seriously dull boy.
And having a small business is rather like adopting a certain lifestyle rather than a job that you can punch in and punch out of at specific times of the day. With the amount of time and energy we put into our small businesses, it would be so much more enjoyable if we have fun while we are at it.
What MBF provides is a reprieve and time away from the necessary everyday tasks of running a small business to allow people to step back and look at their business from a wider angle. It's about working ON the business as opposed to IN the business.
That's why it is important for us to run meetings, deeper learning workshops, and our very friendly coffee connects to provide that opportunity for micro business owners. This is where people get support, networking and learning activities. Here, people explore business ideas, learn from subject-matter experts and speakers, form worthwhile business alliances, share insights and build relationships.
And all in a friendly and fun environment. No stress, no shoulds, no have-tos and no running against deadlines.
Tell us about your upcoming forum.
MBF is always abuzz with energy and brimming with creative ideas at our events. We have one coming up on 16th March and we have Daniel O'Brien from Chicken Caravan as our keynote speaker at this forum.
Daniel has got a great story and lots of experience to share. He started off his business as a small workshop in the Port Macquarie industrial area. Fast forward in time and now he is exporting his products to over 17 countries around the globe. Daniel now has staff in three countries. He will also be bringing his "Results Mindset Quadrant" to help small business owners take their business to the next level.
Details of forum:
- Wednesday, 16th March 2022, 5.50pm for a 6pm start ending at 8pm
- CWA Port Macquarie, Corner of Chop and Chill, 11 Horton St, Port Macquarie NSW 2444, Australia
- $15/pp
Register for MBF's Small Business Forum here.
*Participants can also book an expert at the forum to discuss business ideas, marketing, finance and technology. There will be stalls from the MBF Members and participants can browse, purchase or talk to members about their products and services.
Growing together
Every community needs support to grow together, and Micro Business Forum is doing just that. It is a steady harbour for small businesses to dock, recharge and get ready to sail again on the next leg of their journey.
If you haven't had a friendly chat with someone from MBF yet, this next forum may well be a good opportunity to start. Who knows what ideas you could walk away with, and your input may very well inspire someone else too.
Join the Micro Business Forum
t/ 040 777 9828
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