This is my business

This is my business

Lance Butler (pictured right) was nine when he hooked his first barramundi. He’s been fishing now for 40 years, 23 of those years as a professional fishing guide.

Two years ago, Lance became his own boss, running fishing tour business Northern Australia Sports Fishing, in far north Queensland.

In going it alone, Lance became one of nearly 1900 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who own their own business in Queensland.

Nearly 700 of those are in south-east Queensland and they’re in just about all fields: from architecture to cleaning, hairdressing to cultural awareness, security to web design.

Among them is 27-year-old Allinta Rose (below right) who runs employment consultancy Deadly Solutions in Logan City.

Sharing common ground

Lance and Allinta run very different businesses but share the same principles and concerns.

Both love what they do.

“I am passionate about working with my own people. I saw a gap in the market, a need for more specialist support for Indigenous jobseekers. Through one-on-one training, I give clients the tools to succeed,” says Allinta.

“Fishing has been a way of life for me ever since I could walk,” says Lance. “I still get huge enjoyment seeing a guest land a catch because that says something about my ability to find fish for them too.”

Cash flow, they agree, can be tough.

“When I first went into business — back in 1985 — I was young and didn’t have any idea about things like money. It’s important to keep a track of what comes in, and what goes out, and factor in things like tax,” says Lance.

Lance’s business is seasonal, at its busiest in April, May and June, after the Big Wet. Guided tours of Hinchinbrook waterways, closer to his Ingham home, and hand-made wooden fishing lures, keep cash coming in during the quieter months.

Achieving life balance can be tough too. “Employees can take holidays: employers feel bad about taking time off — whether it’s a holiday or because of sickness — because that can mean lost business but it’s important to take time out to think about where your business is going,” says Allinta.

Expert advice

The Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation’s (DEEDI) has nine Indigenous Enterprise Development Officers (IEDOs) providing the building blocks for successful business across Queensland.

John Gillespie is one of them. A former primary producer and agribusiness consultant with a degree in economics, he works in the south-east corner and has 75 businesses on his books, mostly in the start-up phase.

IEDOs provide free business planning assistance and business readiness workshops.

“We work through a whole lot of issues so that an individual, or a couple, or an organisation is truly business-ready, or at least direct them towards further assistance” he says.

“Defining the business is often the hardest but it’s also the most important. If you’re opening a coffee shop, you’re not simply selling coffee and cake. You’re selling atmosphere; ambience.”

The Australian Bureau of Statistics suggests 42% of all small businesses fail in their first four years.

John reckons Indigenous businesses are no more at risk than any other business.

“Being your own boss is tough. But go into it prepared, knowing what your product is and what you want from it, and realise it won’t happen overnight but that it can happen, and you have the ingredients for success.”

Useful business contacts

Queensland’s Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI)
DEEDI’s Business Hotline can help you find your nearest IEDO: 1300 363 711
www.indigenous.business.gov.au
DEEDI runs business seminars and workshops.

A free interactive online tool, Smart Skills, helps you learn more about business planning, marketing and communication, finance, networking and running a business.
http://skills.business.qld.gov.au/

Indigenous Small Business Solutions mentors and small business workshops
www.smartbusinesssolutions.qld.gov.au
For your nearest location, call 1300 40 60 80

Indigenous Business Australia (IBA)
IBA has a network of qualified business consultants to help, whether starting out, or looking to expand your business.

It also provides small business loans (up to $20,000) with National Australia Bank.
www.iba.gov.au 
Phone FreeCALL 1800 107 107 for the office nearest you

South East Queensland Indigenous Chamber of Commerce
Network with other Indigenous business people
www.seqicc.com.au          
Phone 07 3404 3934

Questions you must ask

• What are you ‘selling’? — whether a service or a product
• Who is your market?
• Do you have competitors? What’s your point of difference?
• How much money do you need to make to live?
  How will this affect your price? Will it price you out of the market?
• Are you suitable for the venture? Do you have the skills, experience and attitude to stick with it?
• How will you finance the start-up?
• Is the time and environment right for your business to take-off?
• How will you market yourself?

Provided by DEEDI Indigenous Business Development