Many businesses need to get a website up and running urgently at present in order to start selling or promoting their services online in order to keep operating during the COVID-19 shutdown. However, with financial uncertainty, businesses may also be concerned about how they’re going to afford to get a website built.

GippsTech’s mission is to make world-class digitisation and innovation accessible to regional businesses and startups. We feel that financial accessibility is very important during this time in particular, so we’ve created this guide to help businesses understand ways they can access funding for technology services to help them stay in operation.

There are a range of government grants that can be used to fund development of a website, digital marketing campaign, or software integrations to enable your business to deliver services remotely. These grants can also be used for our innovation consulting package, where we work with you to develop and test new services that there may be increased demand for at this time. 

If you’ve never applied for a government grant before, we can talk you through the process and provide quotes and project proposals to help you get your application in quickly. We’ve assisted over 30 businesses to apply for grants over the years, with a success rate of over 70% (50-60% is considered a good success rate for grant applications). While a government grant is never guaranteed, we’re happy to make our experience available to support you at no charge via our free consultations.

We also offer payment plans (such as our six month payment plan option on our Restaurant Website Package) and staged development processes to reduce initial costs and make our services more accessible to small businesses and startups. Even if you’re not eligible for a grant, these options make our website development services accessible on a small business budget.

In times of crisis, there is funding available to help you digitise and innovate in your business. Businesses that innovate and adapt are the ones most likely to survive and thrive in times of crisis, so adapting quickly is critical to business continuity at this time.

We’ve provided more detail on government funding options and ways we’re making our services financially accessible to small businesses below.

Government funding and grants

There’s been a vast array of grants and funding options announced for businesses affected by COVID-19, and with new stimulus packages being announced regularly, it can be overwhelming to keep track of what’s out there. Our team at GippsTech has experience in supporting clients to access grants for digitisation, web development and innovation in business processes, so if you’re looking to get funding for any of these types of services, we have a directory of grants which may be suitable for your business. 

Given the cash flow difficulties faced by businesses at this time, grants and funding can be extremely beneficial in ensuring that your business can survive this tumultuous time. Both state and local governments have recognised the need for businesses to access professional support in order to stay in operation, and have provided funding to make it affordable for them to do so.

We can offer assistance to help you find suitable funding for business digitisation or innovation services, and a free 30 minute consultation can provide the first step. 

Depending on your location, there are 5 main grants that are most relevant right now for getting funding for a website, digital marketing strategy or moving your business operations online.

1. Baw Baw Shire Business Grant Program: (Please note that applications for this grant are currently closed as all funding has been allocated) up to $5k for the development of e-commerce platforms, websites, online content development, and training in these subsequent online activities. Up to $2k is also available for digital marketing and promotion, and online training, courses or workshops for staff. This grant applies to businesses in the Baw Baw Shire only. 

2. Latrobe Valley Business & Industry Capability Fund: (Please note that applications for this grant are currently closed) up to $5k for professional services or training, which can include website development or digital marketing strategy and campaign management. Applies to businesses in Baw Baw Shire, Latrobe City or Wellington Shire only. This funding is intended to be utilised on local professional services that can be found on Gippsland Business Connect, to ensure that funding creates local jobs, which GippsTech is eligible for.

3. Melbourne City Council COVID-19 Quick Response Business Grant: up to $5k for websites or digital marketing strategy, and up to $2k for training and professional development which can include ongoing training for your team on managing your operations online. Applies to businesses with a location in the City of Melbourne only.

4. Victorian Government COVID-19 Business Support Fund: up to $10k for businesses located in Victoria that employ staff, with a turnover of at least $75k.

5. New South Wales COVID-19 Small Business Support Fund: up to $10k for businesses located in NSW, with 1-19 employees and a turnover of at least $75k.

The most important thing to remember when applying for a grant is to address the key selection criteria outlined. Our team at GippsTech have experience in writing proposals to ensure our digitisation and innovation packages reflect the grant that is being applied for. Addressing and answering the key selection criteria will greatly enhance your chance of success in securing a grant for your business. 

Some of the assistance we can offer your business include:

• Providing a list of grants we are aware of that may be suitable for your business.

• Discussing whether the project you have in mind is a good fit for the grant you’re considering applying for.

• Providing a detailed project proposal and delivery partner experience statement that can be included in a funding application.

• Providing a review and feedback on your completed application to assist in your success rate. 

If you would like to learn more about how our team at GippsTech can help you find and apply for suitable funding to assist in digitising and innovating your business at this time, contact us for a free 30 minute consultation HERE.

Payment plans and staged development of GippsTech’s services 

Our team at GippsTech can also support your business digitisation by offering payment plans or a staged development approach to your project. These can assist with your cash flow management through this crisis, so that you can both afford the new developments, and utilise them right away.

We have recently rolled out a payment plan over 6 months, to assist businesses in this crisis. These payment plans allow us to develop an eCommerce website for restaurants or retailers, which can be paid over a 6 month period. This allows you to access a high quality website package with us, while assisting with your cashflow management to navigate this crisis. Whilst in these circumstances, it can be convenient to want a basic package or platform that will meet your initial needs right away; but we recommend that you keep the future direction of your business in mind, as having a website that only meets short term needs will mean that months down the track you will need to invest time and money, again, into upgrading your website. 

GippsTech can also offer your business a staged development approach. If you have an idea for a complex website with high functionality that you don’t need access to right away, we can build your foundation website, which can be easily added to when you require the higher tech components of the site. The reason why we recommend a WordPress website in these circumstances is because it allows you to build on it in any way in the future. We’ve recently launched a Restaurant Website Package to enable restaurants and cafes to quickly start selling takeaway orders online. By utilising WordPress as the website platform, these businesses have started with a very basic site, but when they want to expand on it, and have the funds to do so, they can add more features to their website. To assist you in maintaining a cash-positive position, you will only pay for your foundation or basic website; and each time you require additional features, you will pay for them as they are built and delivered upon. 

Speak to our team today about how we can help you digitise and innovate your business during this time, without adding additional stress to your hip pocket. 

Our highly skilled team at GippsTech are available for free 30 minute consultations to discuss your needs and how we may be able to assist you through this pandemic.