Business grants for small business owners/founders with Liz Fleming

Hello there and welcome

back to another episode

of Unleashing Brilliance.

I'm Janine Garner.

And if there's one thing I

know, it's that the journey

of building a business is

a mix of dreams, grit, and

let's face it, a constant

need for resources.

So what if I told you

that there's free money

available out there

for your business?

Yep.

You heard that right.

Free money.

Today, we're diving into

a must listen conversation

about business grants

for small business

owners and founders.

Grants can be

a game changer.

Governments and

organizations across the

globe offer grants to

support innovation, growth,

and community impact.

But here's the catch.

Many of us don't know

where to look, how to

find these opportunities,

Or even how to craft a

compelling application.

That's why I'm excited

to have Liz Fleming

on the show today.

Liz is an expert in

navigating the maze

of grants and funding

options, and she's here

to guide us through the

ins and outs of accessing

this financial lifeline.

In this episode,

we'll explore how to

uncover hidden grant

opportunities, Demystify

the application process

and most importantly,

discuss why tapping into

these resources can be

the key to accelerating

your business growth.

We'll also share real

stories and practical tips

so that by the end of our

conversation, you'll be

armed with the knowledge

and inspiration you need

to seek out and secure

grants for your business.

So if you're ready to

discover a new avenue

for funding that could

take your business to

the next level, make sure

to stick around because

trust me, this episode

could open doors that you

didn't even know existed.

So let's dive in.

Good morning, Liz.

How are you?

So wonderful to have you

on my podcast this morning.

I'm great.

Thanks Janine for

having me here.

I'm excited to be

talking with you today.

Well, I'm just super

excited to share your

thought leadership

and genius with

the wider world.

you are such a important

part of my Elevate

community and I want to

say thank you first up

for your intentionality

around giving and

supporting others.

The way that you show up,

the way that you provide

support to people in our

community and the help

that you give of navigating

the world of grants.

I'm seeing and

I'm noticing.

So thank you for

showing up, being

you and constantly

being in service.

It's exactly the sort of

people I love working with.

You're amazing.

Oh, thank you.

That's very kind.

And I do love the

Elevate community

and the connections.

And yeah, as you say,

I do just love helping

people to find grants

because not enough

people know about them.

Well, that's what we're

talking about today.

Um, because you run a

session for me and the

mic drop moments, the ahas

that, oh, my goodness,

I didn't realize that

that came out of the

session that you run

just blew me away at the

end of that, that time.

And the amount of feedback

that I got was phenomenal.

And I know that my little

ecosystem is such a

tiny blip the universe.

compared to how many

business owners are out

there that could get some

real, uh, insight and

value from hearing, what

is your passion piece,

which is, is grants.

So that's why we're here.

We're going to spend

this morning talking

all about grants.

let's kick it straight off.

Um, you know, this is

something that you are

really passionate about.

You live and breathe it.

your name pops

up on so many.

Social media as the

recommended guru of

all things grants

your perspective,

Liz, why are grants

something that people

should start exploring

and even considering

as part of their

business growth plans?

I think with grants, I

think they're a bonus.

The governments at

all levels, council,

state and federal have

money to give away.

It's our taxpayers money

it's my philosophy that

if we're eligible and

there's always eligibility

criteria and application

forms to fill out.

Then we need to be

in the charts for the

approval to get that

money in our bank account.

And this all started

when I did a couple of

stints in government a

few years ago and was just

blown away that there's

grants even existed.

I think we go into

business using our own

savings, and we think,

Oh, the government's

not going to help us.

We're a private business.

Um, and that's where

people, get it wrong,

where there are lots

of opportunities and

that's across community

groups, sporting clubs.

businesses, not

for profits.

Um, there's more than 2,

000 grants out there in

Australia at any one time.

That doesn't mean to say

that you're eligible for

all of them, but let's

try and look and see

if there's at least one

that we can apply for.

Um, but yeah, they're

to be deemed as a bonus.

to fast tracks and

projects and to have

a greater impact on

the world as well.

So your point there,

around the fact that

the government here in

Australia is actually

making funds accessible

through grants that

businesses can apply

for, as you said, they're

not always going to get

them, but fundamentally

there is money out there

that we, as business

owners can apply for to

support our businesses.

Can you just share.

a little bit more about

what some of those

grants can be used for.

What have you noticed

in the last sort of few

months in terms of the

categories of availability?

Yeah, so we've got to think

about what the government

priorities are and what

they're trying to achieve.

Essentially grants are

being outsourced by

the government to do

projects on their behalf.

They're saying rightio.

Other organizations are

better and more efficient

at doing these projects

and getting a wider

reach across Australia,

across the area that

they're trying to target.

But in terms of categories,

energy efficiency

is a massive one.

I've just had eight

clients all get their

25, 000 grants for

energy efficiencies.

And for all of those

businesses across

Australia, they were

absolute game changers.

Um, there were 1, 700

businesses, approved

for that particular

program, that was one

of their priorities,

and they've, they've

followed through with it.

So for the government,

grants are an easy way

to get everyone else to

do the work for them,

and all they have to do

is hand out the money.

But, so energy efficiency,

sustainability, workforce,

obviously mental health

and social belonging

are probably the key.

categories at the moment,

um, but in saying that

though, if you look

for a grant, there

will be one somewhere.

Um, we just have to get

smart about what we're

looking for, what kind of

themes and opportunities

are within our business.

And that's what I

help people with in

terms of the strategy.

You might have a project

that you want to do or,

or, Um, expand on something

you're already doing and

you might think that,

Oh, well, there's never

going to be a grant for

that particular project.

There's probably

not, but what does

that project bring?

What does it achieve

and what objectives

does it cover off?

That's what we need to

start thinking about.

And I promise you every

single project that you

come up with, if it's a

growth project, we'll have

at least five to seven.

themes or categories

that we can start

looking for grants for.

And that's what blows

people's minds that

they start thinking

differently about it.

So for example, I

use a simple example

of a yoga workshop.

There's never going to be

a grant that says we want

to run yoga workshops.

But what does that

yoga workshop bring?

It brings social

belonging, community,

health, exercise,

sports and recreation,

all of those things.

And they're the

types of grants that

we'd be looking for.

And you're going to

be using the vehicle

of your project of

The yoga workshop

as your application.

That's amazing.

I'm imagining there's grass

that people can access for

technology or improvements

in their business.

I saw you pop into our

group this morning, an

opportunity that Queensland

at the moment, where

people can apply for a

grant to support their

professional development.

So, it's anything,

any project that

fundamentally is about

growth of some kind.

If you can put in the

time and effort, there

is likely to be something

somewhere that you

might be able to access.

Is that right?

Correct.

Absolutely.

And if it's not through

your organization on

your own, you need to

think about who can

you collaborate with?

Um, as I said earlier,

all grants have the

eligibility, some grant

programs, only not

for profits can apply

for example, but you

might have a project

that fits beautifully

to the eligibility for

the project part of it.

Um, So go and team up

with a not for profit, go

and offer your services

to them and, and do

a joint application.

so that's the type of

opportunity and strategic

thinking that we need to

get into, um, at the same

time, the funding pool, uh,

of funds is diminishing and

the number of businesses

and applicants is

increasing, so it's getting

more competitive and you

only get one chance, just

like an exam, to showcase

your project in plain text.

And normally in about

300 words, so that's

also the art of it.

You might have a amazing

project and I've got a

grant that I'm actually

applying for at the moment.

And I've got to write

about 600 words for

the entire project.

I've got about 20

pages of brainstorming.

So now I have the task of

distilling that down to

the four questions of only

150 words per question.

And that's the only

words I can include in

that application and

no other attachments.

You see, that I think

is where the hard work

comes in, isn't it?

You mentioned a couple

of times there that

there's a strategic way of

applying for these grants.

Before we get into

that, um, can we just

go back a step and talk

about what are some of

the biggest pitfalls?

that you see, or what

is stopping businesses

from taking advantage of

this opportunity, or even

putting the time in to get

curious about how can I

get financial support from

the government through

grants to help my growth.

This is a backlog, right?

yep, that way grants you

don't have to pay back.

So that's a big advantage

if you are successful.

But the biggest

pitfall is time.

Grants are a long game, so

you have to be proactive,

you have to be thinking

about them, you have to

be looking for them, you

have to know what you want.

And as a Chartered

Accountant, first

thing I always say to

everybody, I'm always

thinking about the money.

What are you going to

spend the money on?

You can have a project,

but if there's nothing

to spend the money on,

what are we applying for?

That's a big pitfall,

but not being ready.

And the other thing

with grants is they

normally open only

for four to six weeks.

So if you only find

out about that grant

on week two or three,

you're running your

businesses, you're

doing everything else.

It all just seems way

too hard and ends up at

the bottom of the pile.

All of a sudden, it's

the night before.

It's due, those submission

dates don't change,

and it's too late, and

they've just simply

missed that opportunity.

So it's about being on

the lookout, but being

prepared, having your

financials up to date.

That's a big one.

Um, some grants might be

a 50 percent matching,

so they'll only give

you 50 percent of your

project, and you need to

have those other funds.

Uh, if you don't know

your cash flow or your

forecast cash flow, then

you don't even know if

you can apply for it.

So that's the first thing

we need to work out,

whether we're eligible

and also thinking about,

are we set up properly?

Have we got our business

set up in the right?

entity?

Are we registered

for GST in Australia?

If you're in business, you

need to be registered for

GST because you will just

miss out on the opportunity

to apply for grants.

In the first instance.

So there's all these

little things that add up.

but I always talk about

being grant ready and

starting on that process

of getting your ducks

in a row so that when

that perfect grant

program comes out, you're

ready to apply for it.

And you can do a really

sound, application and

the other thing is, is

making sure that you are

relationship building.

So most of my grant

applications, we're going

to attach what's called

a letter of support from,

other businesses that

we're working with or

other communities that

are going to benefit

from this project.

And if you haven't created

those relationships,

it's way too hard to

bring them up the night

before and say, Hey, this

project would be great.

You're going to

benefit from it.

Can you please write

me a letter of support,

but it's due tomorrow?

They're just

going to say no.

So we need to be prepared

and we need to be thinking

about what type of grants

we can apply for, who we

are going to involve and

how are we going to do it.

how do I actually find out?

What grants are available?

You mentioned, just now

that sometimes it pops up

and you've got two weeks

notice and I'm imagining

that's when people go,

Oh, it's all too hard.

what advice would you give

to people to essentially

increase their awareness of

what's actually out there?

How do we find

out about grants?

grants as they come up,

um, so that we can start

increasing our awareness of

the opportunities out there

for us to apply for grants.

I would sign up to all

the newsletters from

your local council, from

your state government,

any grant providers that

you are aware of, go

onto their website, sign

up to their newsletter.

I know we don't want a

jammed up email box, but

these ones are important

because Quite often the

governments will send out

one email and one social

media post and that is it.

They do not

advertise the grant.

they're not readily

there Um, we need to

be looking for them

at being proactive.

There are search engines,

search directories,

such as the grants.

Which is a paid directory,

uh, that you can sign

up to, and you can

create your own alerts

for certain grants and

certain categories.

and that's actually also

a service that I offer

where you can outsource

that to us And we can be

doing that searching for

you as the starting point.

Because as you say, if we

don't know where to look

and we don't know where

to find them, we can't

apply for any grants.

So we need to start

from the beginning.

And we also need to be

looking and talking to

other business owners

about, you know, if you

notice that someone's had

a big development, ask

them, how did they fund it?

What grant was it?

You know, go and look

it up, go and look up

those past projects.

And I promise you, if

you start thinking about

grants, Something will

come up reasonably quickly.

and if you're starting

to plan what you're

wanting, uh, you'll find

what you're looking for.

I do remember you talking,

about the fact that

the location of your

business, the need or

requirement around that

has evolved quite a lot

since the, uh, pandemic.

Can you maybe talk to

that for, for a couple of

minutes in terms of that?

That location, um,

you know, the thinking

used to be I'm residing

here or my business

is registered here.

Therefore, I must,

or I'm only able

to apply for grants

where I'm registered.

you were saying recently

that that's evolved

since

It has.

Yeah, definitely.

And today, as you say

that Queensland grants

come out and they've

been very specific that

to be eligible, you

have to be headquartered

in Queensland.

So we've all got a

business registered.

We've got our ABN

registered with a postcode.

That is where you

are registered.

You can only have

one of those.

So you're probably

thinking, well, hang

on, I operate in 20

different areas, five

different states,

but I've only got one

company and that's fine.

Some people would, might

tell you and be careful

here, go and register

a business in every

different or territory.

Don't go and do that.

But you do have

to be careful.

So some grants will

say it is on your

postcode of your ABN.

And unfortunately

there's nothing we

can do about that.

So again, be strategic

about where you

register your business.

Where is most of

your work done?

If you were living in

a country town or, and

now you live somewhere

else, go and change it.

Go and change it.

Take that five

minutes to change it.

And the other thing

that the grants programs

have done is now they've

said as long as you

operate in a location.

So remember you'll be

registered in one postcode,

but if you can say we

operate in this other

location, then the councils

will allow you to apply

for those during COVID.

So many people missed

out on so much stuff

because they were

multiple locations and the

governments were simply

saying, no, whatever

your postcode is on your

IBM, that's the only

place you can apply.

So that's how it's evolved,

which is great because

they were missing out.

There were people locally

operated because they're

only registered once.

And that doesn't change

and that's correct.

Then we need to be able

to, um, be aware of that.

And again, be able to

know how to read the

eligibility criteria and

what are they asking for?

So Queensland, you could

be registered somewhere

different for this

particular grant, but if

you can prove you've got a

headquarters in Queensland,

then you can apply.

And the other thing

is, remember with the

eligibility, they're

trying to catch people out.

They want as least people

as possible to apply

because they know it's

going to be oversubscribed

without them trying.

So they put in all these

finicky little requirements

and we need to make sure

that we match them all.

I had one client recently

where she'd read the 30

pages of the guidelines

and I was thinking, I don't

think you're eligible.

And she'd picked out one

line on about page four.

She's like, Oh,

but I've got that.

I said, yes, but

you don't have the

proceeding requirements

on page two and three.

So you just have to

be really careful.

And that catches

people out.

I've had no of people that

have applied for grants.

They were a winery.

This particular grant said

wineries cannot apply.

Actually said that.

And they still put

an application in.

And then wondered why

they got rejected on day

one after they said that.

So that's what

I'm here for.

I'm happy to chat to anyone

about eligibility because

that is the first tick.

If you're not

eligible, you're just

wasting your time.

Forget about it.

Move on, find something

that's more relevant

and that you can

actually apply for.

But yeah, the location and

actually thinking about,

How can you justify how you

operate in that location?

So yes, I've got clients

all over Australia that I

work remotely online with,

but I would never say that

I actually operate in any

other areas apart from

Melbourne and Queensland.

So just think about that

of how you could write

it in an application to

say, this is why I think

I operate in X, Y, Z area.

I hope my listeners

can pick up on your

passion on this.

And I think, um, you

know, one of the things

I know about you, you

are absolutely passionate

around helping businesses

access these funds.

It gets you, it's

the thing that I know

gets you out of bed.

It's a thing that, uh,

gets you on the phone at

crazy hours of the day.

It's the thing that,

you know, it's the thing

that gets you That I know

keeps you up at night

as you're determined to

try and get these grants

approved for businesses.

As you said earlier,

there's money available

and businesses, which

are the lifeblood of

our economy, are missing

out on the funds that

could potentially help

them, uh, employ people.

put in place new business

initiatives, get the

training they want,

invest in technology,

whatever it is.

This is, this is what

gets you out of bed.

So I've what would you say?

Do you know what your

win

Yeah, my win rate's 85%.

Look at that.

85%.

So

out

And 100 percent

submitted on time.

Look at that.

That's amazing.

Cause as you're talking,

I'm going, Oh my God,

that sounds like too

much light hard work

applying for those.

which is why we engage

people like you.

Right.

Um, what's your

favorite win?

What's your favorite?

The one that makes your

heart sing that you went,

Oh my God, gosh, thank

goodness we did that.

Oh, I mean, there's been

so many and I have worked

across, you know, sports

clubs, um, businesses, not

for profits, but I think

recently the eight clients

that we applied for the

energy efficiency grants,

simply because I sat there

for two whole days pressing

refresh on the website

because the system crashed.

And I had to, I got my

clients to apply for

them and do submission.

But a couple of them

I did myself and they

were, everyone was

texting me saying, can't

get in, it's crashed.

I'm like, keep going.

And we got them all in

through that perseverance.

And I truly didn't

think that we'd get

them all approved.

So that day, a few weeks

ago, when I started

getting the texts.

We've got it.

Thank you.

And they didn't even

say what I knew what

they were talking about.

And then they all

came through and

ate out of eight.

So, you know, that was a

25, 000 energy efficiency

grant for new ecom systems

and a cafe and a office

and a um, on a farm and one

was for a pool filtration

for a swim school and

that 25, 000 is a game

changer because that is

going to not only increase

the efficiencies of the

energy bills so decrease

their costs but also it

elevated one of them sold

their business recently

and that was the reason

behind because they had all

the infrastructure there.

so, you know, you would

say, well, 25 grand, I was

going to spend it anyway.

Well, a lot of these

businesses have

struggled through COVID.

A lot of these businesses

I've worked with for years,

they're still hanging on

and it's just given them

the boost to keep going.

And that's why I truly

do it because that 25

grand has made such

a big difference to

them, as opposed to a

government agency or a

not for profit getting a

million dollar program.

Like they're great.

Don't get me wrong, but.

To me, small business,

most of them were also

regional, and so I've

been able to have a,

you know, to have that.

perseverance, the

government delayed the

announcement by two

months, um, they were

hanging on, I was getting

texts every now and again

saying, have you heard?

And I'm like, no, um,

but yeah, to get eight

out of eight, I think

I surprised myself.

And the equipment grants,

I think, are probably my

favorite because they're a

bit more black and white.

You've got the quote for

whatever you're going

to get, and then you can

tell the story of how

this is going to have the

impact for that business.

Congratulations.

That's just awesome.

And as you said, generally

you don't have to

pay it back the cash.

no, no.

With grants, you don't

pay it back at all.

So, um, unless, I will

say, unless you don't do

what you, what you said

you were going to do, then

you do have to pay it back.

Um, and there's always

a little bit of wriggle

room as well in that

once we've got it.

And I think that's the

other thing that I sort

of forget that I do.

I do that advocacy.

I will contact the

providers and it's much

easier to say, oh, my

client is asking this.

Um, and I've had non

responses from government

agencies when the

client has rung up and

tried to contact them.

They just haven't got back.

Um, whereas they then

recognize that they're

paying a consultant

to help them and so

I get a response.

So it's all those

other little things.

Um, and also where people

are like, Oh, maybe

we could add this in.

And they're like,

Oh, I'm not sure.

And I'm like, Yeah.

let's do it.

You know?

And I think the other

thing is, um, is

Till Bobby Syndrome.

We are so bad at

writing about ourselves

in a positive light.

So I write grants in

a really positive way

that we're going to get

them and that it's going

to have that impact

and we make sure we

include all the great

things that we've done.

And I think I have that

ability to be able to

extract that from people

to say, Hey, you tell

me what you've done.

They'll give me a couple

of sentences, and I will

build that out to the 500

words or whatever it is,

and if there's a 300 word

limit, I will use 299 of

it to showcase, um, so

we can stand out, and get

that big tick, and get that

money in our bank account.

So this is essentially what

you do to help businesses.

Um, as I said,

it's your passion.

You've talked about

being able to proactively

look for grants.

You've talked about

it's important to

be grant ready.

And then obviously

there's that final

piece of submitting the

grants and keeping on

top of the application.

knowing you and how you

work, um, I know that

this is your gift and what

you give to your clients.

I think there's

so many of us.

it's just goes in

the hard basket too.

Hard basket, and I think

depending on the scale

or size of your business,

having the capacity in

your team to be able to

invest that time, the

reality is it's often

challenged on other things

like getting leads and

getting sales and managing,

managing the business.

So, can you just, line

for me a little bit

more about how you work

and how you support?

Because I think the

fact that this, money

is actually available.

It makes absolute sense

to me that as business

owners looking for

growth, we should be

thinking strategically

about how to access grass

to facilitate the next

stage in our business.

so what support

do you give?

Um, essentially is

it you do all of that

for your clients?

I do.

Yes.

And, uh, I basically say

if you're thinking about

growth and grants, just

get in touch because every

business is different.

Every grant application

is different.

And depending on your

skills and capability and

time and resource, I have

Clients that I'm doing

the searching for the

grants for them, and then

when we find the grant,

I help them write it.

I have some clients that we

might write one grant, and

then they've gone off and,

and used that and written

the rest of their grants.

And then I have

other clients?

that go, Oh, that

seemed way too easy.

You can do it again.

And off you go.

One thing I will

say with grants is

they're an investment.

So there's a, there's

a long game and

they're an investment.

So it'll pay off over time.

I promise you that it

just won't be immediate.

Uh, especially when we

have to wait three or four

months for the outcome,

but like an exam, we do

it, submit it, forget

about it and wait for the

approval to come through.

And then I also help people

develop their strategy of

if there was a grant or

what does your growth look

like in your business?

And that's probably my.

most important

step in there.

If you don't know what

you're looking for,

don't know how you're

going to grow your

business and what are

all those options, that's

where we need to start.

And then of course, I

can write the grant,

uh, for you and I

love a good deadline.

So as I say, a hundred

percent, uh, submitted

on time and we can

also develop the

project as we go.

So there's some grant

writers out there

that they literally.

Get people to tell them

what their project is

and you never see them

for two weeks and they

go off and write it.

I work in a very

collaborative style, taking

that strategic approach

and you might start off

with a really basic idea

and by the end of it it's

turned into something

amazing and you might have

thought you're applying

for a hundred thousand

and all of a sudden we're

applying for six hundred

thousand because we thought

of all these other things

that can fit into the

eligibility criteria.

So, that's how I help and.

I can help you in any

way for grants depending

on your budget and where

you're at and the size

of your business, the

areas that you're in.

And that's, that's why

I do it the way I do it.

So it's not

just writing it.

and also I do

mentoring as well.

So I'm working with an

organization at the moment

where we are working

together to build their

capability and capacity so

that they can write their

own grants in the future.

So that's been a really

fun project, um, to

work with them as well.

I am going to put, or

for my listeners, anyone

listening in that's

interested, I'll put Liz's

details in the show notes.

Um, and I also know

Liz has got a whole

heap of resources, that

she constantly shares.

So, this has just been

an awesome conversation.

Um, The three key things

that stick, stick out

for me all those around,

you know, proactively

looking for grants.

It's almost a level

of responsibility that

as business owners, we

should be doing because

that curiosity identifies

opportunities that we

can apply for the piece

about being grant ready.

I know is one of your

bug bears and also huge

opportunities because then

you can move quickly and

that final piece around.

actually taking a

strategic lens to what

grants you apply for and

how you go about it and

playing that long game.

Not just about, oh my

god, I need to do this,

I need cash, let's,

is there a grant?

But actually thinking

strategically about

how you're going to

use those grants.

my final point, anyone

listening in here to

think about is, uh, and

I'm quoting you here

Liz, you said, if there

was a grant, what is

the growth opportunity

in your business?

And I think that anyone

listening here, I

highly recommend you

spend some time just

thinking about that.

Thinking about your

business, thinking about

those growth opportunities.

Thinking about if you could

access a grant, where is

that growth opportunity?

Because you know,

you know, it could be

building capacity in

people, building capacity

in your processes,

building capacity in your

infrastructure, building

capacity in terms of

new market opportunities

or product development.

So I really encourage

you listening in to

take some time to

just think about that.

And if you need any help,

Liz Fleming is your girl.

I will put her contact

details in the show notes

and Liz, just thank you.

Um, your generosity exceeds

in leaps and bounds.

You are such a gift to

so many business owners

and I'm so Grateful

that you're in my world.

Um, thank you for letting

me pick your brains this

morning and sharing you

with a wider audience.

and thank you for

everything you do.

It really helps businesses

continue to thrive

and continue to grow.

Thank you.

Thanks for having me.

And um, yeah, start

looking for those grants.

Thanks Liz.