Navii was established with the support of a Federal Government grant to support Australia’s small-business community in 2020, since when we have been helping all types of small businesses navigate their next steps of digital transformation through online and face-to-face coaching.
As a private sector organisation with long experience working with small businesses, we created a platform that would become a one-stop-shop for digital development. We set about working closely with industry and striking an ideal balance, delivering on government stakeholder needs, and working on the front line with small businesses to prove our services were sustainable and of benefit.
There are many things for small businesses to consider when it comes to applying for and leveraging a government grant. From ours first-hand experience in receiving and utilising government funding, here are some top tips for other businesses:
Make sure it’s right for you
You’ll know in your gut whether a grant is right for you. If there are big question marks, it’s probably not right. Your instinct should be that you could absolutely deliver on the requirements the government is looking for and be accountable to them with reconciliation and reporting.
Read the application forms carefully
When it comes to applying, you must read the questions carefully. Break them down into sections, answer each section of the question and substantiate your responses with evidence. They can take a substantial time to write, so don’t rush the process and give yourself a timeline with redundancy in it for final proofing.
Collaborate with the public servants
Form a relationship with government staff who are managing the grant agreement on their end. Give them plenty of well-structured information, and don’t fall short of what the acquittal reports are asking. Use every opportunity to establish a reliable, transparent relationship and if it is a sizable project offer to provide regular face-to-face update meetings.
Utilise the grant to improve business infrastructure
If possible, leverage the grant to make your business more sustainable through better infrastructure, systems and scalability. You will spend a lot of time and resources applying for and managing the grant, so you want to do your best to gain long-term benefit from your investment. Set some goals at the outset of the grant project and identify opportunities for long-term gains.
Put the right team in place
Winning a grant is exciting and worthy of celebration, but the reality is that this project will eat into your staff time, and you may not have enough of the right types of skills available to deliver the project and keep business as usual running effectively. You and your team will find it exhausting and challenging if you’re trying to do both. If possible, use some of the grant to not only resource properly, but also to up-skill your team, creating a positive legacy for the longer term in your business.
A lot of our programs were developed to address the issues of clients that receive grant money, and then to have the backend government requirements of reporting. We are geared toward making sure that organisations and small businesses can deliver these metrics and measurable outcomes.
This year, Navii introduced the government-backed ‘Digital Launchpad Program’ which involved us giving away 575 digital support packages to businesses across Australia. This package provided them with a Digital Engagement Health Check ™ and 12 months of expert support and coaching. We hope that through these programs, businesses will become more confident, and more successful, in obtaining grants and maximising their business potential in the digital economy.
