Chamber of Commerce is here to help

MOORABOOL business owners experiencing isolation or facing a drop in trade under the current state of the economy can rest assured that there’s local help at hand.

For example, as well as the Shire’s Business Support and Economic Development team – which provides tailored advice for startups and small businesses – they can also reach out to the Ballan and District Chamber of Commerce, which is approaching 35 years of operation.

Spanning the entire Moorabool Shire – from Ballan to Bacchus Marsh, Myrniong, Greendale and Gordon – the chamber brings together businesses of all sizes, from solo operators to enterprises employing dozens of staff.

Chamber president Laura Sims, of third-generation family-owned Ballan Builders, said the not-for-profit organisation – which meets on the third Tuesday of every month – is a small, volunteer-run group that gets “big results”.

“It’s a great opportunity to network, collaborate, and share ideas in a supportive environment where you can discuss how we can best do business together in our community,” she said.

“You can find people that are dealing with the same great highs that you go through and also the great lows that you go through.

“We have members who’ve been in business for 45-plus years that have so much experience and are always willing to share what they’ve learnt over the years.

“If people have something that they’re looking to resolve, we usually have a contact that we can put them in touch with, whether it be an employment issue or a HR issue or a safety issue. There’s always someone.

“That’s great for any business owner, whether or not they’ve been doing it for six months or 10 years.”

Membership information is available on the Chamber’s website, while the Moorabool Shire Business Support and Economic Development team can be contacted on 5366 7100 or business@moorabool.vic.gov.au .