Business NSW launches App – Bigger Backyard Northern Rivers | Lismore City News

An exciting new initiative launched by Business NSW Northern Rivers aims at stopping the leakage of business spending to places outside of the region and expects to see a multimillion dollar return if more business to business trade is done inside the Northern Rivers.

The initiative uses an App – Bigger Backyard Northern Rivers – aims to provide an easy way for local businesses to procure services and goods from other local businesses.

Regional Director for Business NSW, Jane Laverty said: “We get so frustrated to see our business dollars going outside of the region when we have great products, services and suppliers right here in our own Northern Rivers backyard.

“We are in an economic crisis so every dollar that is currently being spent outside of the region is critically important to us in making the Northern Rivers regional economy stronger and more resilient. Every dollar we bring back into the region has a multiplier effect of 3 – so that is powerful.

“We have created a free, easy to use App – Bigger Backyard Northern Rivers to support Business to Business procurement with every business clearly profiled in what can be easily accessed off your phone,” Mrs Laverty said.

The initiative was first created by Mrs Laverty in 2018 as part of the In Good Company Project aimed at improving business confidence post the 2017 weather event as a manual pledge-based activity with the idea of shifting business buying behaviours to be more regionally focused.

“I always envisioned we would take it to a technology-based application that would help to link businesses directly with each other and for them not be beholden to a pay per click style search engine. You want to be confident that you will find the product or service you are looking for from another Northern Rivers based business – it’s a twist on your buy local campaign but just for business – and we hope it will give businesses in our region a much needed boost.”

“If you think about what you spend on the office basics like stationery or raw materials for manufacturing through to business and professional services and trades procurement business spending adds up. We think there is an an easy shift to a local supplier but if you can’t find what you are looking for we want to know so that we can either encourage that inclusion in the app or go about attracting new businesses into the area to provide that service, ” Mrs Laverty said.

“In phase one of development we had a founding group of 150 business set up their business profile in the App and in this next phase, where we are promoting and connecting with the broader business community, we hope to get to 500 profiles and just keep growing.”

Businesses can get more information, register straight away or ask for help through the project webpage www.biggerbackyardnorthernrivers.com.au or by contacting the Business NSW Northern Rivers office on 5631 8509.

“I am inviting all Northern Rivers businesses to be part of it. We also have larger businesses such as The Casino Food Coop, Norco, Southern Cross University, Summerland Credit Union and others committing to using the App to increase their local product and services procurement, so it is a great opportunity for small to medium enterprises to win new work just by being in Bigger Backyard Northern Rivers,” Mrs Laverty said.