New funding for women in business!

We were excited to announce the launch of a new program for women in business at the International Women's Day event on Thursday 6 March. The program, Hello Monday Level-Up, is a 12-week business support program for micro business owners. 

The City will provide ten scholarships for business women covering up to 80% of the program costs, with a contribution of $165 from business owners.

Hello Monday Level-Up includes three core pillars: 

1. Guided strategic planning 
2. One hour of coaching one to one  
3. Powerful community connections 

The program begins with a kick-starter goal setting session in person on Monday 24 March followed by weekly activities delivered online, with group accountability.

An hour of one-to-one mentoring is included, along with two more in person meet-ups to keep you motivated and on-track.

Learn more about the eligibility criteria and sign-up using the button below. 

Image: Annette Stanton delivering a breakout session at IWD 2025.

Turn your expertise into a business book!

Ever thought about writing a book but don’t know where to start?

At our next Micro Business Networking event on Wednesday 26 March we'll hear from Karen Peradon-Alaga from Red Feather Publishing. Karen will reveal how capturing your knowledge with a business book can establish you as an authority in your field and boost your business results.

With 13 years of experience as an editor of non-fiction books, PhDs, and self-publishing guides, Karen has helped countless experts turn their insights into impactful publications. In this session, she’ll cover:

📖 Why writing a book can elevate your business
✍️ How to approach writing a non-fiction book
🌟 What makes a book stand out in a crowded market

Register now for this free event and take your business to the next level.

Boost your business: join the social media navigator workshop!

Are you looking to enhance your business's online presence? The City of Cockburn, in partnership with Business Foundations, is hosting a free workshop designed to guide you through the essentials of social media marketing.

Event Details:

• Date: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
• Time:10:00 am to 1:00 pm
• Location: Cockburn Health and Community Facility, Conference Room, 11 Wentworth Parade, Success, WA 6164

What You'll Learn:

• Understand the importance of social media marketing and its impact on your business

• Identify the most suitable social media platforms for your target audience

• Develop an actionable plan with achievable goals to establish a sustainable social media presence

How to Register:

• Secure your spot by registering using the button below.

Updated Defence Business Readiness Tool is launched.

The Defence Business Readiness Tool (DBRT) helps businesses assess how ready they are to start engaging with the defence industry as suppliers.

The Office of Defence Industry Support (ODIS) have released an updated version, with key enhancements aimed at improving functionality in the tool as well as the overall user experience.

To assess whether your business is defence ready, register for the DBRT. You'll need to have your ABN handy to set-up your free account.

The tool will step you through 21 questions to help you determine:

• Where your business is at in its journey to becoming a supplier to Defence
• What capability gaps your business might have
• How ODIS can help your business from here.

Use the button below to begin.

Funding opportunity: up to $3M for industry innovation

The Australian Government's Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) Grants are now open, offering $100,000 to $3 million to support industry-led collaborations.

If you’re a small or medium enterprise (SME) with fewer than 200 employees, you can partner with other businesses and researchers to develop new products, services, or processes that tackle industry challenges. Projects can run for up to three years and must create real benefits for SMEs.

Key details:
📅 Apply by: Thursday 20 March 2025, 5:00 pm AEDT
🤝 Who can apply? SMEs teaming up with at least one business and one research organisation
🎯 Focus areas: Innovation, commercial impact, and skills development

Don’t miss this chance to turn your ideas into reality! Find out more and apply using the button.

Image: 'Yeah Mate' at Cockburn Global 2024.

Have you explored the Cockburn Funding Finder?

Our Funding Finder helps local businesses access grants and funding opportunities quickly and easily with a customised search. You can even set-up email alerts when new grants become available in your area of interest.

Free to use, you can access a comprehensive database of grants with $71.7 billlion dollars of funding available. When you register you’ll receive personalised email alerts, and helpful tips to boost your chances of success.

Closing soon - sponsor a reconciliation street banner!

Tomorrow, Friday 14 March, is your last chance to sponsor a reconciliation street banner and help support the 2025 message: ‘Walking Together in Reconciliation’. 

When you sponsor a banner, your business logo will be proudly displayed on the banner throughout Reconciliation Week in May. Each banner is purchased in a specific location and is yours to keep after the display is completed. Sponsorship is $550.

There are ten banner locations across the City. Here's the list of locations still available (one banner per location):

• Atwell
• Bibra Lake
• Aubin Grove
• Hamilton Hill
• Hammond Park
• North Coogee
• South lake
• Yangebup

You can learn more about the program here and secure your banner today using the button below.