COVID-19 Small Business Adaptation Grant

Mark
Today we have Seamus Campbell from Boldacious Digital on the phone with all things IT but we’re talking about something different today.
G’day Seamus, how are you?

Mark
Okay, so we were discussing before I thought it’s a good idea of course COVID-19 we’re seeing some restrictions, but you found out about some grants ‘cos I do know the state government has these big grants for councils, but you found that they’ve also got grants for small businesses.

Seamus
Yeah, they have to their credit they’ve put in a fair bit of money. So they’ve, they’re looking at businesses that have been hit quite badly by COVID-19 and there’s a lot of them. And the best thing – I’ll say this URL now but I’ll say it later, as well. Go and have a look at business.qld.gov.au, and they’ve got a lot of information there but they’ve also got – if you type in “grants” in the search bar up the top right or the search box up the top right, then you’ll see all the different grants that they’ve got. And they’ve also got a thing called the “Business Assistance Finder” – and you just fill in a few criteria of what sort of business you are, and then it shows you all the grants that you are eligible for. So that’s really quite handy because there’s there actually is a lot there, but often small businesses just don’t know that what they are. Yeah, something like that. I mean, there are so many businesses that would be hurting at the moment. Now there is a criterion – I think you said before, for those businesses that have lost a certain percentage of their income over the COVID-19 shutdown.

Seamus
Yes, so I thought I’d talk today about the COVID-19 small business adaptation grant programme, which is a grant, we got a Round 1 of it back in April, I think, which I forget how much money they put into it but you applied and the applications were all filled within two days. So it was very very popular so they did Round 2, which is going now. And by the way the government, the Queensland Government is actually suggesting that if you missed out on round one to try again for Round 2 to reapply. Originally they had 100 million dollars for Queensland businesses that they wanted to give out up to $10,000 per business. And they split it as 50 to Southeast Queensland and 50 million to regional Queensland. Well, the Southeast Queensland grants ran out in about two days, but the regional ones we’ve still got about 50% of that money is available so there’s about 25 million there available for small businesses, obviously, who are eligible. But it seems to me, a really good chance to just try and see if you are eligible for this. There’s a thing called an “Eligibility Finder”. And that’s about I think six steps to see if you are eligible. So the first one, the main one is that you’ve got to have experienced a minimum of 30% decline since the 23rd of March 2020. So, only businesses who have lost money which is fair enough. Now, one of the things is that for tiny little businesses, as in like mine, for instance, I don’t employ anyone. For this grant, you need to employ, at least one staff, and it doesn’t include the business owner, so it’s for the sort of next level up businesses you have to have at least employ one person, got to have valid business number, be registered for GST, have a Queensland headquarters, have an annual turnover of over $75,000, and not be insolvent or have owners or directors that are undischarged bankrupts. So, it’s fairly easy and quick to see if you’re eligible. And you can complete that thing and then go in and they’ll show you, they’ll give you a link straight to go onto the grants. And the grants – it’s between $2000 and $10,000. And basically what you’ve got to do is get an invoice or a quote from a service provider or some sort of business that’s selling you a product, and then put those quotes in with reasons that you want to do that and if you’re successful the government will give you the total amount of those quotes and then you pay the service providers or the providers of whatever you’re getting. So, a lot of grants, you’ve got to put out money before you get them but this one. It’s not, it’s really worth doing for small businesses, and the funding can be used for financial legal or other professional advice to support business sustainability, continuing to make business operational costs, including utilities, council rates, rent phone charges insurance, strategic planning financial counselling, or business coaching, building the business through marketing and communication activities eg web pages visual and audio media digital technology strategy development, digital training or retraining or upskilling employees, or even capital costs associated with meeting the COVID-19 safety requirements. So it’s quite broad as to what you can apply for. And I honestly don’t know why more businesses haven’t applied there’s still 25 million out there.

Mark
Would it be that it hasn’t been as widely known as it should?

Seamus
Quite possibly Yes, I, that’s what I would say would be the thing, and I think a lot of writing grants is a pain in the bum actually. It’s a fair bit of work but this is not too bad this one, and it’s good that it will give you the, they’ll give you the money as soon as they, you know, worked out that you’re eligible. So you’re going to get the money, relatively quickly, and then you just give it to, you’ve got to have obviously have the invoices or the quotes from another business who’s going to provide you with whatever you’ve asked for.

Mark
What was that web address for people to apply again

Seamus
It’s business.qld.gov.au. You can probably also just type in Queensland Government grants or something like that but just business.qld.gov.au. I’ll put the link up on my website bit after lunch today as well.

Mark
They’re very simple names, as you said it’s pretty amazing we’ve got $25 million in grants for businesses, small businesses in Far North Queensland that haven’t been accessed yet.

Seamus
Yes. Yeah. And still the southeast Queensland one went in about two days, and we’re about 10 days into this one now and we still got about 25 million left. So essentially that the government’s trying to give us give small businesses money and for some reason, small businesses aren’t sort of taking it up, and I think you should if the government wants to give you money as a small business – it’s your moral duty to accept, I think.

Mark
Totally agree with that because there are a lot of small business but I think also, I’ll just go back to it, but it hasn’t been as widely known as it should be. There are so many businesses throughout Far North Queensland, the Gulf and other areas that this could apply to

Seamus
Oh definitely yeah. So, yep, sorry, I just gonna say yeah i agree with you that it’s I think it’s just not been publicised enough and people just don’t know what’s out there.

Mark
Okay so, business.qld.gov.au

Seamus
Yep.

Mark
And that’s the one to do it. Seamus, mate, thank you so much for sorting out that information. That’s very very handy.

Seamus
And the whole website is worth looking at because the Queensland Government probably, out of all the state governments is more helpful to small business than any other I think. I mean I’ll probably get people from New South Wales, Victoria saying no no no but they are very very open and thinking about small businesses.

Mark
In other words, I think the word is proactive.

Seamus
Yeah. Yes.

Mark
OK Seamus appreciate that mate, appreciate that you sorted out and got that information was much appreciated.

Seamus
No problems.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

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