THE BUSINESS OF DOING BUSINESS

A practical workshop series helping Northern Rivers business owners

Four half-day sessions focused on strategy, finances, customers, leadership and business performance.

Attend one session or attend the full series.

Most business owners spend their time solving immediate problems.

Staff.
Cash flow.
Operations.
Customers.
The next thing that lands in front of them.

This series gives you time to step back and look at the business properly.

Each workshop focuses on a different part of running a business and gives you practical ideas, tools and decisions you can take back into the business straight away.

These are working sessions built for business owners and operators.

You’ll hear from experienced local leaders, then apply the ideas directly to your own business alongside other owners and managers from across the Northern Rivers.

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WHO THIS IS FOR

Business owners and founders
Senior managers and leadership teams
Businesses dealing with growth, pressure or change
Anyone responsible for making strategic business decisions

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THE FORMAT

Sessions run from 8:30am to 12:30pm at Southern Cross University, Lismore (J Block events centre, above the gym)

Each session works as a standalone workshop and focuses on a different area of business performance, so you can attend the topics most relevant to your business.

The full series is also designed to build from one session to the next, moving through strategy, finances, customers, leadership and execution in a logical order.

Business owners attending all four sessions will benefit from the broader progression across the year.

Each session includes:

Practical presentations from experienced operators and advisors
Facilitated workshop discussions
Real business examples and lessons
Leadership insights from Northern Rivers business leaders
Time to work on your own business during the session

Light refreshments included.

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THE FOUR SESSIONS

SESSION 1 — Strategy, Growth & Transition

Thursday 4 June 2026

"Where is your business heading?"

Step back from the day-to-day and get clear on where the business is going.

This session explores growth strategy, business structure, succession, risk, and the systems needed to support growth without increasing complexity or owner reliance.

The focus is on making deliberate decisions about the future of the business, instead of constantly reacting to what’s in front of you.

Presenters:

→ Nathan McGrath, Collins Hume — Strategy, Growth & Business Value

→ John Truman, Keystone Lawyers — Legal Structures, Risk & Transition

→ Anthea Stevanovic, Intelligent Directions — Strategy Execution & Business Systems

Leadership Insight: Victoria Beattie

(Banksia Business & The Beach People)

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SESSION 2 — Money, Numbers & Funding

Thursday 2 July 2026

"Can we afford it?"

Understand what your numbers are actually telling you.

This session explores cash flow, margins, forecasting, funding readiness, insurance and financial risk, giving business owners clearer visibility across the business and more confidence in the decisions they make.

The focus is not just on reporting numbers, but using them to make better operational and strategic decisions.

Topics include:

Financial visibility
Cash flow and margins
Insurance and risk
Funding readiness
Strategy through numbers

Presenters:

→ Nicole Bryant, Macro Group — Financial Clarity for Decision-Making

→ Nathan McGrath, Collins Hume — Strategy Through Numbers

→ Matt Williamson, Good Cover Insurance — Risk & Protection

Leadership Insight: Matt Williamson

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SESSION 3 — Customers, Brand & Digital Content

Wednesday 9 September 2026

"Do they get it?"

Get clearer on who you’re trying to reach, what customers actually care about, and where your marketing may be falling short.

This session explores customer clarity, messaging, digital experience and content, with a focus on making it easier for customers to understand your value and take action.

We’ll also look at how businesses can create more consistent marketing systems without relying on constant content production or chasing every new platform.

Presenters:

→ Kate Keys & Carol Liang, Adacy — Brand, Customer & Messaging Clarity

→ Ryan McCann, Lion & Lamb — Digital Experience & Customer Journey

→ Matt Siegel, Green Thumb Media — Storytelling & Content That Converts

Leadership Insight: TBC

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SESSION 4 — Enhancing Business Performance

Thursday 12 November 2026

"Can we deliver it?"

Build a business that can perform without relying on you for everything.

Strategy, numbers and customers only work if your team, systems and leadership can support them.

This session explores people, culture, systems and technology, helping you build a business that supports staff properly, runs more consistently, and relies less on everything sitting with the owner or manager.

We’ll look at how better systems create clearer roles, stronger accountability, smoother handovers, and a better experience for both staff and customers.

Presenters:

→ Anthea Stevanovic, Intelligent Directions — Attracting, Retaining & Developing People

→ Ange Davies, Mind Your Grit — Culture, Leadership & Leading Through Change

→ Andy Vidler, Muller Enterprise / Northern Rivers Tech — Technology, Automation & Adoption

Leadership Insight: Ange Davies & Will Stuart - Byron Design Thinking

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WHAT YOU’LL LEAVE WITH

Practical actions to work through with your team
A program workbook to use across the series
Better visibility across key parts of your business
Connections with other Northern Rivers business owners and operators

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WHY THIS SERIES EXISTS

Northern Rivers businesses are operating in a tough environment.

Rising costs.
Insurance pressure.
Workforce shortages.
Constant change.

Most business owners know they need time to work on the business properly. Very few get it.

This series creates that space.

Four focused sessions across the year.

Four opportunities to step back and make better decisions before problems become expensive.

Built around the real challenges local businesses are dealing with right now.

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BOOKING FOR YOUR TEAM

Tickets are fully transferable. You can purchase one or more tickets and send the right person from your business to each session. Buy a series pass and send your operations lead to the strategy session, your finance person to the numbers session, and your marketing manager to the brand session, or attend them all yourself. However you want to use them.

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DETAILS

Venue:
Southern Cross University, Lismore
Library Events Centre, top floor of the new library building

Time:
8:30am to 12:30pm

Parking:
Free parking available on campus, close to the venue

Refreshments:
Light refreshments included

Presented by Business NSW, the peak body for business in Australia.

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QUESTIONS?

Chloe Allan
Strategic Partnerships Manager
Business NSW Northern Rivers

0490 299 913

chloe.allan@businessnsw.com

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