Eleven local business owners have completed the 2026 Thrive Program, wrapping up with a final workshop at the Cockburn Health and Community Facility on 6 August.
Delivered by Business Station and subsidised by the City of Cockburn, Thrive runs across three months and three full-day workshops. It is a business foundations course built for small and microbusinesses (those with fewer than 20 employees) based in the City. The program is valued at more than $2,400 and is provided to participants for just $150 plus GST.
This year’s group was incredibly diverse. A truck sales company, a small international shipping business, a coffee roaster, a builder specialising in insurance claims, a trainer and assessor, a woman developing a Japanese language and culture school, and a man who has designed a new kind of lid for saucepans.
Business Station CEO Colin Jorgensen said the diversity was a strength but all the business owners were there for the same reason.
“They’re different industries, but the concept is still the same,” he said. “Margins are the same. How you read a profit and loss statement is the same.”
He said sessions covered business purpose and direction, a SWOT analysis, finance fundamentals, cash flow, and sales and marketing (including how AI is reshaping websites, social media and search). Each workshop ended with an action plan, and participants were followed up a fortnight later.
Mr Jorgensen said many past cohorts of Thrive Program graduates have kept in touch through group chats, with some referring work to one another or doing business together.
“They’re their own little micro economy,” he said.
CMJM Consulting’s, Caitlin said
"The Thrive workshops have been amazing. I’ve gained confidence, and they’ve helped reinforce what I want to do as a sole trader in my industry.”
Business Station is redeveloping Thrive for 2027, splitting it into seperate streams for startups and established businesses. Keep an eye out for announcements about the new program early next year.