Starting a business is an exciting time, but it’s easy to become overwhelmed. You have lots to learn, decisions to make and risks to assess. It can feel like a daunting and sometimes complex process, requiring careful planning and strategic decision-making. The City provides numerous resources and support programs to assist you with starting your business.
Business Mentoring Program
In collaboration with Business Foundations, and the Federally funded Digital Solutions program, the City of Cockburn funds up to four hours of customised one-on-one support to eligible small businesses at no cost.
How it works
Businesses can receive up to four hours of one to one support to help them identify and implement the right digital tools for their business.
In the first hour you will work with a Digital Advisor who will prepare your Digital Action Plan. From here areas for further development can be identified and you will be referred to a digital expert in a specialist area for more tailored approach.
Eligibility and how to apply
To qualify, you must have an ABN, own a small business in the City of Cockburn and employ fewer than 20 employees.
Apply for Business Mentoring by emailing our Business Engagement Officer at
[email protected]. In your email please provide your the following details:
- Your ABN
- Your business address including postcode
- A sentence telling us what your business does and why you want to receive Business Mentoring.
Workshops and training
The City engages business professionals to provide workshops for City of Cockburn business owners on topics from sales and marketing to productivity and work life balance.
Our workshops are held regularly on a variety of topics. Visit
Business Events and Workshops.
You can also
subscribe to the business newsletter for monthly updates.
SBDC resources for business planning and research
The Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC) provides a wealth of resources to guide you through the early stages of your business journey.
These include:
- Essential business skills: Recognise and develop the skills needed to succeed in your venture
- Business planning: Understand the importance of business planning and how to craft an effective plan.
- Business structures: Explore various legal structures to find the best fit for your business.
- Business names: Choose the right name to reflect your business identity.
- Buying a business: Understand what to consider when buying an existing business.
- Franchising: Discover the opportunities and challenges of franchising as an option for starting your business.
Visit SBDC – Starting and Growing
Financial support and business grants
As a start up business in the City we have a suite of sponsored programs, financial support services such as financial counselling and annual business grants.
Our sponsored business programs include:
- Amplify: A marketing intensive over four weeks, facilitated by Business Foundations. Application open in 2024
- Thrive: A business strategic deep dive facilitated by Business Station Application open in 2024
- Blue Gravity: A program designed to grow marine innovations in the blue economy. To find out more visit the Blue Gravity website
- Curtin Ignition: Facilitated by the Curtin Business School, Curtin Ignition opens for applications in May/June 2024.
To find out more visit our
Grants and Business Financial Support section.
Stay updated with Business News
Subscirbe to Business News to stay connected with the latest opportunities, news, and updates related to starting and growing your business in Cockburn.
More information and contact
For more advice on business planning and research, please contact the City’s Business Engagement Officer on 08 9411 3444 or email
[email protected].