Small business owners across South Australia are being encouraged to take part in this year’s Small Business Week, running from 22 to 26 September, with events in Adelaide and regional centres supported by online content now available.
The week will open with a welcome event headlined by demographer and author Bernard Salt AM, alongside a panel featuring Tyson Gundersen of Bureau, Brandon Reynolds from The Yoghurt Shop, Nick Palousis of 2XE, Alison Milisits from Villi’s Family Bakery, and Rebecca Hunter-Harvey of Ochre Dawn.
Workshops and forums across the program will explore cyber security, finance and cash flow, digital marketing and AI, workforce planning and mental health. Among the highlights are a Cyber Roadshow and Meta Boost workshops hosted by the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia, and cash flow and diversification sessions in the Riverland delivered by the Small Business Commission SA.
Events will be staged across the Adelaide Hills, Yorke and Mid North, Eyre Peninsula, Riverland, Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island.
Minister for Small and Family Business Andrea Michaels said the week was designed to support growth and resilience among local operators. “Small Business Week is about empowering business owners with the tools, skills and networks they need to strengthen their capability and keep growing. I encourage all business owners across Adelaide and our regions to explore the full program available to them, connect with peers and be inspired by success stories and expert insights. Small businesses are the heart of our economy and the Malinauskas Government is committed to supporting them to grow and succeed,” she said.
South Australia has nearly 160,000 small businesses employing more than 300,000 people, making up 98 per cent of the state’s business community.
Bernard Salt said demographic trends would continue to shape opportunities for growth. “Scope for business growth in the construction, financing and furnishing of housing; this demand will rise in South Australia and elsewhere within Australia as Millennials move from their 30s into their 40s. They will seek out their ‘forever home’ and may be helped in this quest by early inheritance support from baby boomer parents,” he said.
He noted that sole traders were an increasingly important part of the sector. “SA added more than 5,000 net new sole trader businesses during the 2024 financial year. Sole traders are the bedrock of the small business ecosystem. They provide gateway access to business formation.”
Salt also pointed to rising demand linked to the return of international students. “International student numbers in SA are greater now than was the case prior to the pandemic. This creates business opportunities in the delivery of student services including in accommodation as well as in (curated) food supplies,” he said.
Small Business Week is part of the Malinauskas Government’s Small Business Strategy 2023–2030, delivered by the Office for Small and Family Business with the Industry Advocate, Small Business Commission SA and the Commissioner for Consumer and Business Services.
Registration and program details are available at business.sa.gov.au/week.
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