After helping 40 businesses implement new ideas to help them increase efficiency and navigate COVID-19 impacts, a second round of the Warrnambool City Council's Business Initiative Grants (BIG) is now open.
Warrnambool-based businesses can apply for a grant of up to $3000 to assist with new ideas, projects or programs.
Warrnambool Mayor Cr Vicki Jellie said that the funding guidelines were kept broad to allow businesses to decide how the grant funding could be best used.
"While COVID-19 has had a widespread impact on the Warrnambool business community, no two businesses are the same," she said.
"These grants are an important part of Council's Get Around Warrnambool Business Support Plan which has a respond, recover and rebuild strategy.
"So as well as helping businesses navigate the current COVID-19 situation, we also hope the grants will help encourage businesses to implement solutions that will help them in the long-term."
Fiona and Craig Hanks of Coastal Pure Water successfully applied for a grant as part of the first round of funding in 2020, with the money used to help them implement new software that streamlined their ordering and invoicing processes, freeing up time to focus on other parts of the business.
One requirement of the Business Initiative Grants is that local suppliers need to be used where possible, with Coastal Pure Water engaging Welcome Computers to set up their new system.
Ms Hanks said that strong relationships between businesses and a commitment to local products and services was an integral part of their business.
"We felt as a local business that we couldn't be a local business and grow if we didn't have the support of other local businesses," she said.
"We pride ourselves on being local and supplying local products. We are a local Sungold distributor, we make and bag our own ice, we filter and bottle our water on site and distribute as well and we put together and provide local hampers that support up to 20 other local businesses.
"The software has allowed us to bring all of these together in one system."
Mr Hanks encouraged all Warrnambool businesses to look at the funding available and to not be afraid to ask questions.
"We hadn't used grants prior to COVID and this grant was very beneficial to our business," she said.
"We encourage other businesses to utilise the local funding to the best of their ability to allow their business to get the benefits that we have been able to get through the grant system.
"Don't be afraid to reach out and ask those questions."
