The axing of the Business Connect program for NSW small-business owners has advocates worried about the accessibility of business support services in the region.
The service provides free, independent, tailored business advice from qualified business advisors in one-on-one sessions. But from October 1, 2025, the program will close its doors to the state’s small-business owners – at a time when the need for support is particularly high.
Martin Rogers, whose not-for-profit Realise Business is a Business Connect provider, told ISB that the service has an irreplaceable role when it comes to connecting business owners with specific tools they need.
“The NSW Business Concierge will direct small-business owners to the Business Connect program, where we will engage with the business owner and then identify what their need was and help them with the expertise that they need,” he explains.
Business Connect’s network of advisers come from a range of industries – from finance to marketing to sales. Without a body to bring them together, Rogers is concerned that small-business owners will find it much harder to access the specific services they need – or to even know what they need in the first place.
“They’ll have to navigate it all themselves,” he said. “The good thing about the Business Connect program is that it’s state-wide – call one number, talk to the concierge, get connected to an expert. Now you have to go and self-navigate.”
A crucial network to be lost
This is a familiar story: There are resources for business owners out there, it’s just that finding them can be next to impossible for busy entrepreneurs.
With the Business Connect program now due to end, Rogers is worried that business owners will be overwhelmed by the task of searching for help – and miss out on support altogether.
“The challenge will be that people are going, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing – I’m stuck’, and then they might not do anything,” he said. “Therefore we lose the future businesses and the future entrepreneurs.”
Business Connect is not the only Government-funded program to be axed recently. Over in Victoria, the Partners in Wellbeing small business support program wrapped up earlier this week. It provided SME owners with wellbeing support, business advice, and financial counselling.
