The Year Of Opportunity For Peninsula Small Businesses

Our first event for 2020 was a huge success. It was attended by almost 60 local business owners to hear our panel speak on the opportunities for Peninsula small businesses.

Our panelists were Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland CEO Stephen Tait, President of the Brisbane Junior Chamber of Commerce Nathan Schokker, and Director of Open Architecture and the Moreton Maritime Alliance Michael Bailey.

With three very different viewpoints, yet all with the common goal of building more successful small businesses, the answers were varied and eye opening with the audience deeply engaged.

Some of the biggest opportunities from our panelists included this being a year for local and state elections and for our members and business owners to clearly articulate what they want from our representatives. In particular, the opportunity presented by Moreton Bay Strategic Plan for Redcliffe. This includes requesting masterplans be carried out for Scarborough Harbour and the Woody Point foreshore, enhanced jetty and pontoon facilities, barge and ferry facilities, a centre for ocean robotics and research, and even ocean baths.

The more 'outside the box' ideas the panelists discussed were finding ways to make the Peninsula completely self-sufficient from a power perspective through solar panels; changing the current government grant focus into a venture capital scheme funded by the government but administered by venture capitalists; and free high speed internet for everyone.

The key theme that came through from all the panelists was around that of coming together and collaborating more as a community, in particular with the millennial and emerging generations. History has shown that every generation has had an issue with the younger generation coming through ' why not make this a different paradigm and find a way to understand each other and work together?

Our next event is on Tuesday 4 March from 6-8pm upstairs at Mon Komo. 

This will be our Meet the Candidates event, an opportunity for local businesses to find out more about what the candidates' policies around small business as well as the future direction the council will be heading on various issues.


WHY YOU NEED TO FOCUS ON THE QUESTIONS, NOT THE ANSWERS, AS A BUSINESS OWNER.

More often than not when we are faced with a challenge in our business, we get fixated on finding the answer to our challenges. If you think about it though, it's the question just before we get the answer that gives us the breakthrough we need.

One of the things I focus on with my clients is teaching them how to ask great questions. In fact, I get them to set aside 30-60 minutes a week to take time and think about certain questions.

Here are some questions for you try out some think-time with.

• What would you need to provide to your clients so they would be crazy to ever want to leave you?


• What if every client who bought from you in the past, still did. How do you make that happen?


• If you were to become a global leader for just one of your products or services, what would it be and why?

Brad Flynn is President of the Redcliffe Peninsula Chamber of Commerce and a licensed ActionCOACH Business Coach (www.bradflynn.actioncoach.com). Visit www.redcliffepeninsulachamb... for details of our upcoming events and testimonials.