Supporting Territorians during their business journey
If you're a Northern Territory business, Aboriginal enterprise or not-for-profit, you can get help from a Small Business Champion (SBC) to identify the types of support your business can access that is relevant to your current and future business needs.
Mick Sinclair is a member of the Top End Business and Workforce team that services the rural area of Darwin, the Daly region, including Wadeye, Tiwi Islands, and West Arnhem including Jabiru and Maningrida. There is a Territory-wide network of SBC’s based in all major regional NT centres on hand to give you this support.
“I love working with inspirational business people and I get a real kick out of seeing them succeed,” says Mr Sinclair. “People have great ideas and overcome all sorts of adversity, I have seen them adapt to the challenges and diversify their streams of income to great success.”
Mr Sinclair was a Defence contractor in North Queensland and here in the Territory before joining the NT public service five years ago. His current business clients in the Darwin rural area are diverse and includes Aboriginal tourist operations, organic farmers, food van operators and everything in between.
Curled Ice Cream is a husband-and-wife food van business based in Darwin’s rural region that has grown over the last few years from trading locally to now be able to offer franchise opportunities nationally.
Owners Craig and Darlene Finck acknowledge that their success has been helped greatly by ongoing support on their journey from NT Government Small Business Champion Mick Sinclair.
Specifically Mr Sinclair was able to offer support to the owners under the Business Pivot Program to create a new frozen product line now available at the Deckchair Cinema. They also accessed the Business Growth Program for development of the franchise contract package.
“The timing was right after the COVID challenge to ask businesses to think differently about what they offer to manage changing operating risks and to support it with the appropriate funding to find alternatives ways to operate”, Mr Sinclair clarified.
The Territory SBC teams continue to support business to navigate the extensive range of support and funding programs available to them in their business journey.
Get in touch with our Small Business Champions by calling 1800 193 111 or email businessinfo@nt.gov.au
