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Taking the guesswork out of starting a business to give Entrepreneurs the best chance of success in a crowded market.

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The Business Model Canvas (BMC) is a strategic management tool that helps entrepreneurs and businesses visually describe, design, and pivot their business models. It was created by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur in their book Business Model Generation. The BMC allows businesses to map out the key components of their operations on a single page, making it easier to understand how all parts of the business interact.

The 9 Components of the Business Model Canvas:

1.     Customer Segments:

Example Source: Market research reports, customer interviews, surveys, competitor analysis.

Explanation: Defines the different groups of people or organizations a business aims to serve. These are the target customers or users of the product or service.

Startup Group

2.    Value Propositions:

  • Explanation: Describes the unique value or solution that the business provides to its customers. It explains why customers should choose your product or service over others.
    • Example Source: Customer feedback, product testing, competitive analysis, unique selling points (USP).

3.    Channels:

  • Explanation: Outlines the different ways the business delivers its value proposition to its customers. This could include online platforms, physical stores, partnerships, or delivery methods.
    • Example Source: Customer journey mapping, logistics analysis, marketing strategy plans.
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4.    Customer Relationships:

Example Source: Customer service data, CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software, competitor relationship models.

Explanation: Describes the types of relationships a company establishes with specific customer segments, such as personal assistance, self-service, automated services, or community building.

5.    Revenue Streams:

  • Explanation: Identifies how the business earns revenue from each customer segment. This could include sales of products or services, subscription fees, licensing, or advertising.
    • Example Source: Pricing strategy, sales data, market demand analysis, financial projections.

6.    Key Resources:

  • Explanation: Lists the essential assets that are necessary to deliver the value proposition, reach customers, and sustain the business. These can be physical, intellectual, human, or financial resources.
    • Example Source: Company inventory, intellectual property listings, workforce analysis, financial statements.

7.    Key Activities:

Example Source: Operational workflows, supply chain management, service delivery processes.

Explanation: Describes the most important actions or processes a business must perform to create and deliver its value proposition.

8-steps-Kotter

8.    Key Partnerships:

  • Explanation: Identifies the network of suppliers, partners, or other external organizations that help the business operate. Partnerships can include alliances with suppliers, distributors, or technology providers.
    • Example Source: Partnership agreements, supply chain data, industry networking events, legal documents.

9.    Cost Structure:

  • Explanation: Details all the major costs involved in operating the business. This includes fixed and variable costs, costs of key resources, activities, and partnerships.
    • Example Source: Financial statements, expense tracking, budgeting forecasts.

How the Business Model Canvas is Used:

  • Business Planning: Helps new businesses design their operations and understand how each part of the business connects.
  • Pivoting and Innovation: Established businesses use the BMC to re-evaluate and adjust their models in response to market changes or new opportunities.
  • Team Alignment: Provides a shared understanding of the business model across teams, ensuring that everyone is aligned with the company’s objectives.
  • Investor Communication: Entrepreneurs can use the BMC to explain their business models to investors clearly and concisely.
VA working from home

Example of Filling in a BMC:

Imagine you’re creating a business that offers your typical home gardening services:

  1. Customer Segments: Homeowners, rental property managers, elderly people needing help with garden maintenance.
  2. Value Proposition: Convenient, affordable, and expert garden care that enhances the beauty of homes.
  3. Channels: Website bookings, mobile app, phone service, community events.
  4. Customer Relationships: Friendly, personalized service, loyalty programs for repeat customers.
  5. Revenue Streams: Service fees, subscription plans, upselling products like fertilizers or tools.
  6. Key Resources: Skilled gardeners, gardening tools, vehicles for transportation, proprietary software for managing bookings.
  7. Key Activities: On-site garden maintenance, customer service, marketing, tool maintenance.
  8. Key Partnerships: Tool suppliers, local nurseries, community organizations for referrals.
  9. Cost Structure: Wages for gardeners, fuel costs, tool purchases, and marketing expenses.

By filling out the BMC, you gain a comprehensive view of your business and how to execute your strategy.

Introducing Local Home and Garden Repairs Marketing cooperative

Local Home and Garden Repairs is not your “typical” business setup. For a start, It’s a marketing cooperative, which means that it only generates revenue if it gets work for the service providers who join the cooperative. Think of it like having franchise support systems, but without the expensive franchise fees that are usually a large barrier to starting a new business in an industry.

Another way it is different is Local Home and Garden Repairs gives back to the community through a Social enterprise business model, which looks after the triple bottom lines of People and the planet, and the purpose of the business, which relates to the “Circular Economy”.

What’s The Circular Economy?

The Circular Economy looks after the physical environment by repurposing or reusing products that would normally go to the dump as landfills. It is also different to recycling or a 2nd hand market, although that may be part of it.

New products are reused first, and then find new uses for products when it comes to the end of its life-cycle. Products are then repaired until they are worn out to the point they no longer work, and are replaced by new products, and the old products are mostly recycled to make new products, and the cycle starts again.

This circular approach to products and resources aligns perfectly with the mission of Local Home and Garden Repairs. By extending the life of tools, equipment, and materials, we’re helping reduce waste while ensuring affordable service options for pensioners and low-income households.

At Local Home and Garden Repairs, our cooperative model also means that we’re supporting local tradespeople. Each service provider in the network is handpicked based on their commitment to quality and sustainability. As a member of the cooperative, they benefit from a steady flow of work within their community, while customers enjoy fixed, affordable pricing with the confidence that the work is being done by trusted professionals.

By choosing Local Home and Garden Repairs, you’re not just getting your lawn mowed or your garden maintained—you’re becoming part of a movement that values people, the planet, and purposeful business practices. We’re here to make a difference in our local communities, one garden at a time.

Business Model Canvas: Local Home and Garden Repairs

Aussie home

1.     Customer Segments:

  • Primary: Pensioners, low-income carers, elderly homeowners, and their family members seeking affordable, reliable home and garden maintenance services.
  • Secondary: Community service providers (local tradespeople, gardeners, and handymen), and carers looking for trusted service providers for the people they care for.
    • Niche: Environmentally-conscious homeowners who prioritize sustainability and community-driven initiatives.

2.     Value Proposition:

  • Trusted and Vetted Providers: Only uses trusted, vetted local tradespeople to ensure high-quality work.
  • Affordable and Fixed Pricing: Provides pensioners and low-income families with transparent, fixed-price services.
  • Local Community Focus: Supports the local economy by partnering with local service providers, ensuring jobs stay within the community.
  • Social Enterprise Model: Gives back by prioritizing affordable services for those in need while contributing to the community through environmental sustainability.
  • Circular Economy Commitment: Focuses on reducing waste by reusing, repairing, and recycling products and materials where possible, minimizing the environmental footprint.

3.     Channels:

  • Website and Online Platform: Easy booking and information access via a user-friendly website.
  • Local Community Networks: Promotions through word-of-mouth, community groups, and local events to reach elderly homeowners and their carers.
  • Social Media: Targeted Facebook ads and social media presence to reach younger family members of the elderly and environmentally-conscious individuals.Partner Networks: Referrals through affiliates, aged care providers, local councils, and community support organizations, and full-service operators looking for easy to do regular local work.
    • Phone Support: Accessible phone service for customers who may not be comfortable with online bookings.

4.     Customer Relationships:

  • Personalized Service: Provides a human touch, with empathetic customer service focused on the needs of elderly and vulnerable individuals.
  • Trust and Reliability: Building long-term relationships by being a trustworthy provider that prioritizes customer satisfaction.
  • Loyalty Programs: Rewards for repeat customers and discounted rates for carers or those booking multiple services.
    • Community Involvement: Active participation in local events and charity activities to reinforce trust and connection within the community.

5.     Revenue Streams:

  • Service Fees: Fixed prices for basic home and garden repairs and maintenance “do and charge” services with no upsells, making the cost predictable for customers. Full-service options add on extra costs.
  • Subscription Plans: Monthly or seasonal subscription services for regular home or garden maintenance at a reduced rate. 3-star service options and priced accordingly.
  • Social Enterprise Grants: Possible funding from government programs or non-profit organizations supporting the circular economy and community welfare initiatives.
    • Partnerships: Revenue through partnerships with local businesses that provide equipment, tools, or eco-friendly products for home use.

6.     Key Resources:

  • Local Service Providers: Skilled tradespeople, gardeners, and handymen who are members of the cooperative and share the business’s social and environmental values.
  • Digital Platform: An efficient booking and management platform that matches service requests with local providers based on location.
  • Sustainability Network: Partnerships with recycling centers, eco-friendly product suppliers, and repair services to support the circular economy.
    • Marketing and Community Engagement Teams: Teams responsible for community outreach, marketing campaigns, and customer relationship management.

7.     Key Activities:

  • Service Delivery: Coordinating and delivering home and garden services using local tradespeople and a fixed pricing structure.
  • Provider Vetting and Onboarding: Ensuring service providers are vetted, trained, and aligned with the business’s sustainability and social values.
  • Circular Economy Practices: Implementing strategies to repair, repurpose, or recycle materials and products, minimizing waste in home and garden services.Community Engagement: Actively participating in local events, charities, and workshops to stay connected with the target market and promote sustainability.
    • Marketing and Promotion: Promoting the business through digital marketing, local community groups, and word-of-mouth recommendations.
Team-building

8.     Key Partnerships:

  • Local Tradespeople and Service Providers: Engaging trusted local providers who deliver quality services within their postcode areas.
  • Community and Government Programs: Collaborating with organizations that support pensioners, carers, and those focused on environmental sustainability.
  • Recycling and Repair Centers: Partnerships with recycling depots and repair centers to support the circular economy initiative and reduce waste.Product Suppliers: Collaborating with local suppliers of eco-friendly or refurbished home and garden products that align with the company’s sustainable values.
    • Local Councils and Non-Profits: Partnering with local councils, aged care facilities, and non-profit organizations to offer subsidized services for those in need.

9.     Cost Structure:

  • Service Provider Wages: Payments to local service providers, based on cooperative agreements that ensure fair wages and benefits.
  • Marketing and Outreach: Costs for digital marketing, local advertising, and community outreach programs.
  • Operational Costs: Expenses related to the digital platform, booking system, and phone support infrastructure.Sustainability Initiatives: Costs associated with recycling, repurposing, and repair activities to maintain the circular economy model.

What Makes Local Home and Garden Repairs Different?

  • Triple Bottom Line Focus: Unlike traditional businesses, Local Home and Garden Repairs emphasizes the welfare of people, the planet, and purposeful growth through a social enterprise model.

  • Community-Centric Approach: The cooperative only succeeds if it benefits both the local tradespeople and the community it serves, with profits reinvested into creating a sustainable and socially responsible operation.

  • Circular Economy Practices: Most competitors are not focused on sustainability, but Local Home and Garden Repairs actively reduce waste through repair and reuse, distinguishing itself from businesses focused solely on cost-cutting and quick fixes.

Interested in starting your own local service business?

Go to the Local Home and Garden Repairs website and see if your postcode is still available.

Local home and garden repairs logo landscape

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Navigating Career Pathways from VA to DBM, and Cybersecurity Professional

Cybersecurity Professional at work

Navigating Career Pathways from VA to DBM, and Cybersecurity Professional

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In today’s evolving digital landscape, many professionals are seeking pathways that not only align with their skills but also offer growth potential. Among the most popular roles are Virtual Assistants (VAs), Digital Business Managers (DBMs), and Cybersecurity professionals.

However, transitioning from one role to another isn’t always straightforward, especially when it comes to moving from a VA to a DBM. In fact, for every 100 VAs that apply for a DBM role, only 3 applicants typically have the necessary experience. So, what exactly differentiates these roles, and how can you assess the right career path for you?

Let’s break it down, and if you want to see if you have the skills to be a DBM, take our free skills check, it only takes 5 minutes. –>

Suitability skills check
Suitability skills check

1. Virtual Assistant (VA)

Role Overview:

A Virtual Assistant is a remote administrative professional who supports businesses by handling various tasks such as scheduling appointments, managing emails, bookkeeping, customer service, and social media management. They are the go-to person for day-to-day administrative tasks, helping business owners free up time to focus on bigger-picture strategies.

  • Calendar management and appointment scheduling
  • Email management and response handling
  • Data entry and bookkeeping
  • Basic social media management
  • Customer support and communication
VA working from home

Common Job Tasks:

Skills Required: Action Skills

  • Strong Collaboration skills
  • Excellent communication skills (both written and verbal)
  • Proficiency with office software (e.g., Google Workspace, Microsoft Office)
  • Problem-solving and customer-focused

Level of Expertise:

VAs typically operate at an administrative or junior level. While many are highly efficient, the tasks are often task-specific and operational in nature, requiring proficiency rather than strategic expertise.

2. Digital Business Manager (DBM)

Role Overview:

A Digital Business Manager (DBM) takes on a leadership role, managing the operations, strategy, and implementation of digital projects. Unlike a VA who focuses on execution, a DBM is responsible for overseeing the entire business or project operations, making strategic decisions, and ensuring that goals align with business objectives. The transition from VA to DBM is challenging because it requires not just a shift in tasks but a fundamental change in mindset and skill set.

Common Job Tasks:

  • Project management and overseeing digital operations
  • Developing and implementing business strategies
  • Managing teams, freelancers, and other VAs
  • Monitoring KPIs and ensuring business goals are met
  • Financial oversight and budget management
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Skills Required: Personal Skills

  • Advanced project management skills (e.g., familiarity with tools like Asana, Trello, or Monday.com)
  • Strategic thinking and business acumen, ethics and empathy
  • Leadership initiative and learning skills
  • Strong communication and cultural awareness decision-making skills
  • Experience with budgeting, forecasting, and digital marketing

Level of Expertise:

DBMs are mid-to-senior-level professionals with a deep understanding of business strategy, digital operations, and team management. The skill set is broader and more complex than that of a VA, which is why only a small percentage of VAs successfully leap to a DBM.

VA skills map
VA skills map
DBM skills map
DBM skills map

Closing the “Suitability Gap”

Inception Network Australia has recognized this significant skill gap in the market and partnered with Brimble Recruitment to screen and identify DBMs who are ready to work for Australian small businesses. This partnership includes a certification process where accredited DBMs earn the BSBSS00102 Micro Business Skill Set certification*, which includes competencies like BSBESB301 Investigate Business Opportunities and BSBESB401 Research and Develop Business Plans.

With this certification, DBMs are equipped with the skills and knowledge to research new business opportunities and write comprehensive business plans that help create jobs for Australians. This is crucial in a landscape where 25% of all Australian businesses employ four or fewer staff (classified as micro-businesses), and 60% operate without any employees at all—relying solely on contractors like VAs.

These figures only account for businesses registered for GST (those turning over more than $75,000 annually). When you consider all the individuals working under an ABN for side gigs, the skill gap becomes even more apparent. There is a clear need for skilled DBMs to fill this gap and support the growth of small and micro-businesses across Australia.

3. Cybersecurity Professional

Role Overview:

A Cybersecurity Professional is responsible for protecting an organization’s digital assets. This includes safeguarding networks, servers, data, and systems from cyber threats and ensuring compliance with security protocols. Cybersecurity is a technical field that requires specialized knowledge of security frameworks, threat detection, and risk management.

Cybersecurity Professional at work

Common Job Tasks:

  • Implementing and managing security protocols
  • Monitoring networks for security breaches and responding to incidents
  • Performing security audits and vulnerability assessments
  • Educating staff on security best practices
  • Developing and enforcing security policies and procedures

Skills Required: Thinking Skills

  • Proficiency with security tools and technologies (e.g., firewalls, encryption)
  • Knowledge of network architecture and security frameworks
  • Problem-solving and analytical skills
  • Continuous learning and adaptive mindset (cybersecurity threats evolve rapidly)
  • Certifications in both business management and formal training in Cybersecurity

Level of Expertise:

Cybersecurity professionals typically operate at a technical level but can advance to senior roles such as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) with experience and further education. The field requires a deep understanding of complex technical concepts, making it a highly specialized pathway.

Comparing the Pathways

VA to DBM Transition: While VAs excel in task execution, DBMs require a more strategic, leadership-oriented approach. For many VAs, the leap to DBM is challenging because it requires not only advanced project management skills but also an ability to think holistically about business growth and digital operations. For every 100 VAs applying for DBM roles, only a few have the combination of experience, strategic insight, and leadership skills needed to succeed.

DBM to Cybersecurity Transition: Moving from a DBM role to a cybersecurity position is an even more complex transition, as it involves acquiring technical skills in network security, threat management, and risk analysis. DBMs have a strategic mindset but would need extensive technical training and certifications to pivot into cybersecurity.

Choosing Your Path

If you’re considering transitioning from a VA to a DBM or exploring cybersecurity, assessing your current skill set and identifying the gaps that need filling is essential. Inception Network has a free Skills check to do that for you that matches the skills you need for each job role above.

Suitability skills check
Suitability skills check

If you’re considering transitioning from a VA to a DBM or exploring cybersecurity, assessing your current skill set and identifying the gaps that need filling is essential. Inception Network has a free Skills check to do that for you that matches the skills you need for each job role above.

For VAs, pursuing advanced project management courses and gaining experience in business strategy can help bridge the gap to a DBM role. For those interested in cybersecurity, acquiring certifications and technical training is the key to entering this highly specialized field.

Understanding these differences and preparing accordingly will set you up for success as you navigate your career journey. The right pathway is one that aligns with your skills, interests, and long-term goals.

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*Skill Set Issued by Skills Recognition International, RTO 32373

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Why you need to do Workforce Planning right from startup.

Today’s talk is about workforce planning for micro businesses and why you absolutely need to do it.

Scroll down to the end to view the webinar, If you prefer reading, here is a summary…

“The first question that I normally get is, “What is a micro business? Is it like a small business?” Well, yes, it’s a type of small business. When you look at how businesses are categorized in Australia, you see that a small business is any business employing fewer than 19 staff. But within that category, there are other types of businesses that make up the general population of all businesses called Micro-Business. This includes self-employment opportunities such as entrepreneurs, sole traders, and contractors working in professional services.

It’s important to note that these figures exclude people in the gig economy because the Australian government figures from the ABS only count businesses registered for GST. So, they are not just side gigs. Interestingly, 61.2% of all businesses in Australia do not employ any staff. However, this figure can be misleading because these businesses often employ a bookkeeper, a virtual assistant, or someone to handle their marketing and SEO. Technically, they might be classified as non-employing businesses, but they fit into the category of micro-businesses, which are defined as any business in Australia employing between one and four staff.

When you reach businesses employing 5 to 19 staff, they are defined as small businesses. Currently, small business employers make up 8.9% of businesses in Australia. Before COVID and the increase in automation, that figure was around 12%. Microbusinesses made up around 24%, and self-employment was about 59 to 60%. Because of automation, many jobs in smaller businesses have been contracted out, transitioning them from small businesses to micro businesses.

As micro businesses grow, they have different needs. This seminar focuses on workforce planning for micro businesses, showing you the models and how you can implement them. Many employers make the mistake of trying to do everything themselves. Training often targets small, medium, and large businesses, particularly in the qualification framework. There is a micro business skill set, but it only includes two units at the Cert III or Cert IV level of new business and entrepreneurship.

When starting up businesses, people often think of the startup game in universities focusing on young people under 30. However, the average age of a business owner is now 50. Fifty years ago, around 15% of businesses were owned by people under 30, while about 30% were owned by those over 50. Now, only 6% of businesses are owned by people under 30, a figure that is slowly increasing towards 8%. Many under-30 business owners do not register for GST, so they do not appear in these statistics until they start earning a full-time income.

Moving on, we will discuss workforce planning using the Eisenhower Matrix, also known as the Urgent and Important Matrix. Microbusinesses generally have four types of people in their organization. The business owner handles urgent and important tasks. As the business grows and you delegate tasks, you can hire someone to handle urgent tasks, often using automation and digital technology. This is where the synergy between under-30s and over-50s works well, as the younger generation is comfortable with technology and AI, while the older generation provides strategic insights.

As your business grows, you will need people to handle more critical tasks such as strategic thinking, creativity, adaptation, and innovation. These are the important tasks that help your business grow. Trainees, casual workers, or partners often handle urgent tasks, earning an income while discovering what they love to do. As they gain experience, they may take on more important tasks, becoming proficient and potentially business leaders. Having someone handle both urgent and important tasks allows the business owner to focus on working on the business rather than in it.

For a business to thrive, it needs employees with various skills. Personal skills include learning, initiative, ethics, empathy, and cultural awareness. Thinking skills encompass critical thinking, creativity, adaptation, and innovation. Action skills involve using digital technology, communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and customer focus.

The next two sections are just an overview of what we go through in detail in the full video above. We could spend a whole course on these 2 parts, but for now, lets just start with the end in mind and come back to it after your have developed your workforce plan.

The last part of the video relates to how you can use the talent you bring into your business to specific job roles to scale up, using your workforce plan as a launchpad. It will help you craft vision and mission statements that will attract the right type of talent you are looking for to help you along on your business journey.

  1. Understanding buyer behaviour is crucial for sales and marketing strategies. The five steps of buyer behaviour include need recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision, and post-purchase experience. A solid understanding of these steps helps in crafting effective marketing strategies.
  2. To achieve sustainability, businesses must consider the triple bottom line: people, planet, and purpose. A sustainable business looks after the environment, and its people, and fulfils its purpose. Workforce planning models help determine the type of people needed for different aspects of the business, such as product development, market placement, and promotion of the business’s purpose.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at jobs@inception.net.au.

For more free training, visit our website inception.net.au/blogs where you can find detailed blogs explaining the topics discussed here.

I’m Brett from Inception Network, and I look forward to talking to you soon.

Click play to watch the full video from the Founder of Inception Network, Brett O’Connor