(Pictured above: CEO Jacqui Attard, NSW Small Business Commissioner Robin Hobbs OAM, Marketing Manager Stevie Brown)
The BEC Southern Sydney, established in 1989 to provide advice and support to business intenders and organisations in Southern Sydney, has recently re-branded as Realise Business.
In business, a decision to re-brand isn’t something that’s taken lightly, but it’s often a necessity due to marketplace pressures or when the image, name and the way that the organisation is perceived is out of step with what’s actually doing or where it’s headed.
Jacqui Attard, CEO of Realise Business points to several things that became a catalyst for the change within the organisation she leads: ‘First, over the past few months we’ve spoken with our clients and they helped guide us about the relevance of the services we have been providing, especially related to supporting them throughout their long term business journey.
‘Second, we had support and guidance from our Board who worked alongside us to steer that change, which involved planning and market research to get our messaging and value proposition right.
Finally, the decision was reinforced when the organisation won a competitive tender to provide business advisory services for the NSW Government’s Business Connect program to an extended area which broadly covers from the Northern Beaches to Cronulla and everywhere in between.
Realise Business will now offer advisory services, training workshops, and networking opportunities to up to 300,000 businesses across the Sydney Metropolitan region which the regions from Sutherland Shire and South Sydney to the CBD, Eastern Suburbs, North Shore, and as far up as the Northern Beaches.
Experienced and qualified business advisors, who have all run their own small businesses, will be based across various suburbs and also offer mobile advisory services, visiting business owners on site and at a time that works for them.
Over the past few months the Board, staff and external suppliers have been working hard behind the scenes to ensure that the brand’s development and product offering reflected the organisation’s experience, diversity and innovative spirit.
Pip Hooper, Board member and Director of Stable Research said that market research was a key element to determining the brand’s value proposition stating ‘it was important to conduct market research with the relevant audiences to obtain their opinion and perceptions about the brand. Testing core brand messages with the audience helped the organisation to understand if they were effectively articulating the “promise” the brand is to deliver’.
As a result of the research and strategy, the main themes of CONNECT, ENERGISE and GROW will now guide the organisation’s direction and future scope.
The Realise Business name speaks to the emotional realisation business owners experience throughout their journey from start up to growth, and beyond. There are always new things to learn and new opportunities to realise. The name also speaks to the ultimate goal of all business owners, which is to realise success and growth, whatever that means for them.
The rebrand and wider remit will prove to be a boon for all members and businesses by allowing them to showcase their business on the new website, form trusted relationships with a broader number of businesses, learn and grow through leading-edge expert business and specialist advice, motivation and accountability.
Attard believes that the re-brand ‘will energise the organisation as it builds on its existing strengths, in the provision of unparalleled business advisory services and networking opportunities across Sydney’.
The January launch of the new website www.realise.business and messaging is the initial step in ensuring that organisation that was established in 1989 draws on its knowledge and experience to remain top of mind for organisations looking for professional and cost effective advisory services and assistance to help them stay on track to growth and success.
