ITeC has a host of business services available to help you grow your business. Specalising in micro, small and medium business enterprises, we have over 20 years of experience in business success.
ITeC services the NSW business community throughout the Illawarra, South Coast and Far South Coast.
Our experienced business mentors are available to offer training, mentoring and in many cases, free support for your business.
Business services can include:
- FREE support through the Business Advisory Service and the Business Enterprise Centre
- Accredited and non accredited training
- Workshops and seminars
- Networking events and business awards
- Specalised support for Indigenous business through the Aboriginal Enterprise Development Officer (AEDO)
- New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS)
- Agent for the Department of Fair Trading (Nowra)
- Facilities and Training Room Hire
- Let us steer you in the right direction through our extensive list of business contacts
ITeC is member of the national network of Business Enterprise Centres servicing the Illawarra, Shoalhaven, Southern Highlands and Far South Coast.
Click here to contact ITeC and view office locations.
BEC Australia is a not-for-profit organisation whose primary role is to support and grow the national network of Business Enterprise Centres and provide representation on behalf of its members to key stakeholders.
Through the range of Business Services provided by ITeC, we are able to support and assist small business through all stages of development including linking into extensive business networks and providing personalised mentoring services.
Through ITeC Business Enterprise Centre (BEC) we can provide you with business advice, training, seminars, business services and networking opportunities. Whether you are a new start up business or an existing business, we provide confidential and professional advice to help you realise the full potential of your business.
ITeC can help your business in more ways than you might think. We do this through providing the following:
- One-on-one business advice, counselling and mentoring - our highly experienced business facilitators can provide support and advice through personalised, confidential, one-on-one sessions.
- Continually offering professional and also industry specific training to help both the business owner and staff increase their skills ie marketing, financial management, business planning plus many others – click here for the latest workshops and training courses on offer.
- We coordinate several networking events through the Illawarra, Shoalhaven and South Coast of NSW to allow you to promote your business and also gain specific business skills to help grow your business. Contact our office if you would like a copy of the latest networking events run in the region and also to get a copy of the Six Steps To Business Networking.
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Access to Illawarra ITeC Business News fortnightly newsletter – keeps you up to date with the latest business training happening in the Region and latest business advice and assistance.
- We have extensive networks into Government and Business / Industry Associations for up to date information. Contact us today to receive information.
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Access to Business Benchmarks – through the National BEC Association we are able to provide free information to help you benchmark your business against other businesses in Australia.
- Access to a National Network of Business Advisors – if you have a question that we can’t find the answer too, then we have a whole national network of advisors that we can call on.
For more information on Business Enterprise Centres Australia click here.
WOLLONGONG Email: ibec@illawarraitec.com.au Phone: (02) 4223 3100
SHOALHAVEN & FAR SOUTH COAST Email: sbec@illawarraitec.com.au Phone: (02) 4423 3417
Would you like to spend more time running your business, and less time worrying about it?
Perhaps you're not sure which way your business should go. You might be looking for ways to reconnect with your customers, boost productivity, or your bottom line. You may be a start-up, or you might feel like there's nowhere left to grow.
The Illawarra ITeC’s Business Advisory Service (BAS), funded by the NSW Department of Trade and Investment, caters to micro, small and medium businesses and has delivered Business Assistance services to the Illawarra and South Coast regions for the last 20 years. Our highly experienced business facilitators can provide support and advice through personalised, confidential, one-on-one sessions.
The Business Advisory Service can help you:
- Gain control and find direction with a business plan and business mentoring
- Develop accountability, focus and education from a professional business mentor
- Increase revenue and productivity through strategic marketing and networking
- Make your business work for you with a professional business mentor
- Build networking connections, organising practical workshops, events, and professional development meetings and presentations on a wide range of business topics
The Illawarra ITeC has a clear understanding of business in the local area and has been an influential factor in the success of many locally owned businesses.
The BAS aims to assist in the start up of new businesses, as well as help existing businesses grow. The Illawarra ITeC offers individual and tailored support to help you overcome many of the barriers new businesses face.
This includes helping you to:
- Identify target markets through demographic analysis
- Develop a current and relevant business plan, giving your business direction and focus
- Implement bookkeeping processes and review the financial viability of your business
- Assist in linking your business into a strong and productive business network
We have Business Development managers in Wollongong and Nowra, servicing the Illawarra, Shoalhaven and the Eurobodalla regions.
Are you in receipt of a Centrelink benefit? Would you like to start your own business but not sure where to start? ITeC’s New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS) program can help.
The NEIS program is a self-employment program funded by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). NEIS helps eligible people become self supporting and independent of Centrelink by establishing and running their own small business.
Come in and meet with one of our specialist business mentors to discuss the viability of your business idea.
- Complete a FREE Certificate IV in Small Business Management BSB40407 through the Productivity Places Program (PPP)
- Access 12 months of NEIS allowance payments through DEEWR, financially assisting you through the first year of your new business
- Receive ongoing business mentoring and support, access to networking events, business development seminars and much, much more.
The Illawarra ITeC commenced the NEIS program in 1989 and has a success rate of 86%, an industry leader for the program. ITeC trainers are experienced and professional business mentors and offer each participant individualised support and industry specific assistance.
ITeC’s Aboriginal Enterprise Development Officer (AEDO) Richard Davis is a Community Elder and has been supporting Aboriginal people establish small businesses in the area for 20 years. With a wealth of business knowledge, Richard is committed to encouraging an entrepreneurial culture within the Aboriginal community.
The Aboriginal Enterprise Development Officer Program aims to assist Aboriginal people in establishing locally created and viable businesses. The AEDO program targets Aboriginal people who either wish to become self-employed or who are self-employed and require small business support.
Here is what ITeC's AEDO can do to help you:
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Assist in the development of a business plan
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Link you in with training opportunities and complementary programs
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Arrange accredited small business training
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Provide information and support on financial management
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Provide ongoing mentoring once your business is up and running
- Provide information on how to apply for funding
The AEDO program is a FREE service provided by the NSW Department of Education and Communities.
ITeC’s Business Enterprise Centre and the Business Advisory Service offers a range of workshops designed to assist you with the nuts and bolts of your business. It doesn’t matter what type of business you’re in; you will need to target your market through advertising and networking, develop and maintain bookkeeping practices that work for your business as well as the Tax Office, and plan for future growth of your business.
Regular workshops include:
SMALL BUSINESS BASICS
Are you thinking of starting a small business but confused about where to start?
The Small Business Basics workshop outlines the steps that you need to take to properly research your business idea and establish your business. You will also be provided with a plethora of free small business resources. These workshops run every fortnight in Wollongong and Nowra.
MARKETING WORKSHOP
It is not enough to just have a fantastic product or service; you also need to be able to understand how to market your product or service to potential customers and clients.
This workshop will help you understand the different aspects of marketing, how your product / service fit into the whole market and how you can market your business more effectively.
We will discuss:
- Conducting Market Research
- Who is Your Target Market
- How to Compete Against Your Competitors and Win
- The Four P’s of Marketing
- SWOT Analysis
- Requirements of Developing a Marketing Plan
BASIC BOOKKEEPING WORKSHOP
It is very important for any small business owner to know how to keep sound financial records but more importantly understand how to use those financial reports to make informed decisions.
This workshop is designed to provide an overview of record keeping responsibilities and provides practical exercises in the tasks required to manage a business through record keeping.
By attending this workshop, you will develop an understanding of financial control and the importance of cash flow, as well as practical exercises that will demonstrate how to treat petty cash, cash payments, cash receipts, daily bank balances and bank reconciliations.
Specalised workshops and seminars are regularly being held throughout the Illawarra, Shoalhaven and the Far South Coast regions. For information on other workshops in your area, click here or go to more information.
Effective business networking links together businesses who essentially become walking talking advertisements for one another.
Business networking is an effective, low cost marketing method for developing business opportunities and contacts based on referrals and introductions. This can be done face to face at meetings and gatherings, or by other methods such as telephone, email or business network websites.
There are many different types of networking groups. Some are structured, others are more casual. Some focus on exchanging referrals, while others encourage self promotion. Different types of networking groups work well for different types of people and different types of businesses. It’s simply about finding the networking group that’s right for your personality. Once you find the right group, you’ll also find the most appropriate networking leads for your business.
Networking events in your area include: 
ILLAWARRA
- Wollongong Small Business Club
- Shellharbour City Business Network
- Kiama Business Forum
- Illawarra Business Chambers
- Illawarra Women in Business - Lunch meetings, Coffee Club & Business over Bubbles
- 4 Networking
- JCI Illawarra
- Business Networking International
- Illawarra Networking Group
- Northern Illawarra Chamber
- Kiama Chamber
- Gerringong Small Business Network
- Corrimal Chamber
- Albion Park Chamber
- Port Kembla Chamber
SHOALHAVEN & FAR SOUTH COAST
- Shoalhaven Small Business Club
- BegaValleySmall Business Club
- Eurobodalla Business Forum
- Business after hours (Shoalhaven Business Chamber members only)
- Shoalhaven Business Chamber (Southern Area)
Contact ITeC to discuss which networking event would suit you and your business.
ITeC in Nowra is an Agent for the NSW Office of Fair Trading for the Shoalhaven region.
Our staff can provide you with Department of Fair Trading forms and assist you with the lodgement of your applications, including processing payments and lodging complaints.
Services include:
- Lodgement of Business name registration, including change of properties, change of particular
- You can lodge your Business Name registration renewals and restorations
- Lodgement of Licence applications including carpentry, painting and electrical
- Lodgement of licence renewals and restorations of licences
- Lodgement of Owner Builder Permits
- Bond lodgement and lodgement of bond refunds
- Lodgement of Incorporated Associations paperwork
- Lodgement of Real Estate licences
- Lodgement of Motor vehicle repairs licence
The Agency for NSW Office of Fair Trading is open Monday to Friday 9am to 4.30pm. Click here to contact ITeC and view office locations.
The NSW Office of Fair Trading administers fair trading laws and looks after the rights of consumers. At the same time NSW Office of Fair Trading advise businesses and traders on fair and ethical practices. The aim is to achieve fairness for all in the marketplace.
Informing consumers and traders about their rights and responsibilities is an essential ingredient of this work. Being informed empowers consumers to make better purchasing decisions and is the best defence consumers and traders can have against marketplace scam artists.
Click the logo below to be taken to the Office of Fair Trading website.
