‘Don’t wait for a crisis’: free help available to struggling businesses

SMALL business owners struggling with mounting bills, tax debts or cash-flow problems are being urged to ask for help early rather than waiting until their finances reach crisis point.

Small Business Financial Counselling Service Southern Queensland financial counsellor Brigid Duncanson delivered the message at the Nambour Chamber of Commerce breakfast on September 3.

Ms Duncanson said financial difficulty was rarely caused by one catastrophic decision.

Instead, problems tended to accumulate. “Rising costs, a quiet month, a delayed payment from a customer or an unexpected bill – before you know it, the paperwork is piling up and the weight of it becomes overwhelming,” she said.

The service offers free, confidential and impartial financial counselling to eligible small businesses, including assistance with cash flow, ATO debt, creditors and commercial lease negotiations.

Ms Duncanson said the personal toll could be as damaging as the numbers on a balance sheet. “Financial stress isn’t just about spreadsheets and balance sheets,” she said. “It steals your sleep, strains your relationships and makes it almost impossible to think clearly when you need to most.”

She stressed counsellors did not take control of businesses or dictate what owners should do. “You stay in the driver’s seat,” she said. “We sit down beside you, helping you make sense of the numbers, lay out the priorities and options available.”

Nambour-based Tide Productions owner Lauren Panrucker then gave business owners a candid example of how the service had helped her own company through a difficult year.

“The snowball effect that I have seen in my company getting back on its feet is unbelievable,” she said.

Ms Panrucker said one of the service’s greatest benefits was having someone independent to ask questions without worrying they had another motive. “Finding somebody that you can really trust, that is not in it for any other reason than to help you, is absolutely amazing,” she said.

Ms Duncanson said business owners should make contact while they still had the widest range of choices available. “Please don’t wait for the situation to become a crisis,” she said. “The sooner you reach out, the more open the doors stay.”

The Small Business Financial Counselling Service can be contacted on 1300 732 777.

Small Business Financial Counselling Service Southern Queensland financial counsellor Brigid Duncanson.