The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) may be no fan of the 2011/12 federal budget however there is one small business resource that received attention from Treasurer Wayne Swan.
The Small Business Support Line has been awarded $7.1 million in federal funding for the next four years. The support line has received over 30,000 calls from small businesses since its inception in September 2009.
The resource acts as a one-stop shop for free advice on issues including finance, cash flow management, retail leasing, contracting and marketing. It also offers personal stress and hardship counselling.
The office for the Minister for Small Business, Nick Sherry, revealed 93 per cent of businesses utilising the service are newly established or have been in operation for less than 10 years. Around a third of calls come from those in regional Australia.
The latest funding follows the original $10 million budget allocated to get the Small Business Support Line established and running during 2009/10.
Small fashion businesses can reach the line on 1800 77 7275.