Running a small business can be quite costly with bills piling up including marketing, staff and postage while still managing cash flow to keep the business afloat.
According to ASIC, Christmas is a wonderful time of the year for small businesses with the average Australian spending $600 on gifts. However the rest of the year will be slower with a whopping 82 per cent of shoppers working hard for the next six months to pay off their credit card debt while shopping less.
Former state business advisory and sales manager, Leisa Papa, says small businesses need to collaborate with like-minded businesses to negotiate better postage costs and share marketing so they can better manage their overall spend.
She has created an online retail platform for small businesses to collaborate and grow beyond the Christmas ‘cash cow’ season. Little Kids Business provides a one-stop small business shop for startups and SMEs in the children’s, baby and maternity product space.
“In October 2015 I received my first copy of my picture book Daniel and the Dummy Fairy,” she explains.
“I was so proud and excited to have written a children’s book dedicated to my two children Daniel and Sophie. However, my excitement soon turned to concern as over the next year I struggled to be found on the internet and make sales.
“The realisation hit that free websites are not free and that the cost of running a small online business whilst sharing my revenue with distributors and retail stores was outweighing my tiny profits,” she adds.
With 16 years of business advisory experience behind her, alarm bells were ringing and she began to realise that this was a poor business model and it wasn’t working.
“With my vast experience working with buying groups and franchises I knew that working with like-minded people was the answer to negotiating better postage rates, sharing marketing expenses and creating a profitable business.
“Little Kids Business now provides customers with the opportunity to gain access to a large collection of talented small businesses. Each store represents a wonderful creator with passion and drive.”
Find out more on littlekidsbusiness.com.au
By Marion Gerritsen
