Small businesses are getting a helping hand from big corporations such as Telstra, NAB and Suncorp. With small businesses driving the economy, these companies are seeing the benefits of helping SMEs grow and flourish.
Its in our DNA, its something were very passionate about, and we think theres some unique opportunities out in the market…with everything moving so fast in an agile world, says Brendan Donohue, Executive Director of Telstra Small Business.
Donohue is also one of the board members of a new SME platform, headed by Telstra and NAB, called Proquo. Taken from the Latin saying quid pro quo (meaning this for that), Proquo is a platform for small businesses to share services between each other. The differentiator is that the SMEs can use their services as currency as well.
For example, if a web designer needed a marketing strategy, and a marketing strategist needed a website, they could exchange services rather than cash. This is particularly helpful for SMEs struggling with cashflow.
Proquo is a marketplace for SME's to share services. Source: Proquo
Leigh ONeill, Executive Manager Micro & Small Business at NAB, and board member of Proquo says, This is about evenly sharing our services, this is about saying, want to work together to enable both of our small businesses.
In its first two months of launch. Proquo attracted over 700 businesses.
While NAB and Telstra are collaborating with each other, other big businesses are calling on help from successful startups.
9 Spokes is a cloud app integrator that allows a small business to pick and choose which cloud applications are suited for their operations. It then creates a simple dashboard for the SME owner to keep track of their expenses and performance, rather than having to access multiple apps.
There were all these cloud applications, theres a lot of confusion in the market about whats right - what are the right apps and what are the wrong apps for small businesses, says COO of 9 Spokes Brendan Roberts.
Small business owners and operators dont have the time to make decisions or work on the business. We wanted to enable them to do that and really move their businesses forward, so there was an obvious opportunity there.
Its why the New Zealand-based app has collaborated with companies such as Barclays Bank in the UK, Deloitte and now Suncorp Group. This joint initiative will see Suncorp Group use 9 Spokes white label product to offer to Suncorps SME customer base.
Gary Dransfield, CEO of Customer Platforms at Suncorp Group says, We think its really important for small businesses to get started, but be able to get going and giving them the tools to run their small business in a way that makes them sustainable.
Passion can overcome a lot of difficulties in a business. I think passion for your business, passion for your customer.
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