We know that right now is an incredibly difficult time for many people.

And know because we have spent time on the phone with many of you over the last week and these conversations have been simply heartbreaking.

We want you to know that we hear you and we are here for you.

Worth noting we too are affected heavily but are we’re still ready and willing to help in ANY way we can:
#allinthistogether #stopthespread #flatten the curve

Though we are now all working from home as a safety measure, our phone line and web cam is always open to anyone that needs it, that has always been and will continue to be our policy.

Book a NO OBLIGATION chat with one of our friendly team here.

Stay strong & don’t be afraid to ask for help

SUPPORT FOR YOU & YOUR WELLBEING

We also want you to know that there are many, many resources available to you on a personal level.

If you’re feeling distressed or overwhelmed, Beyond Blue mental health professionals are available 24/7 on 1300 22 4636 or at… beyondblue.org.au/get-support/… for online chat and email (responses within 24 hours).

For immediate support call Lifeline on 13 11 14 and in an emergency, always call triple zero (000).

‘Head to Health’… is a great government initiative that helps people find the right digital mental health resources for their needs.

Career Development Association of Australia has a directory allowing you to search for career counsellors. Here’s the link:… cdaa.org.au/find-a-practitioner

You can also:

• talk to someone you know & trust
• contact your GP, a counsellor, psychologist or psychiatrist
• visit a hospital emergency department
• contact your GP, a counsellor, psychologist or psychiatrist
• visit a hospital emergency department

This is only temporary. We are all in this together. Support is available to you.

FREE WEBINAR RECORDING:… 
Communicating Through a Crisis

Last Friday 27 March we held a webinar on Communicating Through a Crisis. We’ve made the decision to make this information available to everyone. The recording will be available soon and this blog post will be updated.

What’s it about? During the COVID-19 crisis, more than ever, there is a strong need to communicate appropriately to your clients, regularly and in a timely manner. This may mean placing prominent updates on your website, posting a carefully crafted news item on your blog, preparing and issuing an email out to your database and/or social media posts. Our webinar explained how to communicate through a crisis with many handy tips and tools.

FACEBOOK ARE GIVING OUT $100M in cash grants and ad credits

Facebook is offering $100M in cash grants and ad credits for up to 30,000 eligible small businesses in over 30 countries where they operate. We’ll share more details as they become available.

In the meantime they’ve launched a business hub with free resources:
https://www.facebook.com/business/boost/resource

MORE WAYS WE MAY BE ABLE TO HELP YOU OR PEOPLE YOU KNOW

WEBSITES

Do you or your clients need to update their website with a prominent banner about COVID-19?
… Do you or your… clients need to… start selling online right now? Would they like guidance on how to add their own products to their Shopify or WordPress or Wix site?
Do you or your… clients need to start… taking online classes?
Do you or your… clients need to add a log in area or membership area?
Do you or your… clients wish to use this time to overhaul their websites or finally get a website?

Read more:… www.thecreativecollective.com.au/websites

SOCIAL MEDIA SERVICES

Do you or your… clients… need to START a social channel?
Do you or your… clients… need to ACTIVATE their social media channels previously set up posting more frequently based on what they do and how they are affected by a crisis (for instance if they are in essential services this is a time to communicate more.
Adjust – does the content being shared need to adjust instead of stock standard content they may need to do responsive/relevant posts on their changing work hours or location/stock levels/methods of service i.e. online/takeaway etc.
Outreach – Do you need help posting in relevant groups to promote your business?
Training – Do you or your clients need training in how to ‘Go Live’ with addresses from their CEO, key staff members conveying important messages.

Read more:… www.thecreativecollective.com.au/social-media

SEO SERVICES

Do you or your clients need to improve their rankings asap so they can be found with the onslaught of people searching for everyday items online instead of at their usual bricks & mortar stores?
Do you have a website but no idea how to set up basic search engine optimisation? We can share our screen and walk through how to set up a SEO plug in on their website (for WordPress sites or Wix sites)
Do you need to start monitoring how much traffic they are getting to their website and what their ROI is? We can help set up on Google Analytics, Google Webmaster Tools, conversion tracking and more and show them EXACTLY what is happening and what it means.… … 

READ MORE:… HTTPS://WWW.THECREATIVECOLLECTIVE.COM.AU/SEO/

GRAPHIC DESIGN/PRINT

Do you or your clients need updated email signatures communicating change of hours/online working/varied services?
Do you or your clients need to prepare flyers and distribute them in a local neighbourhood so people know their store supplying essentials is still open for business/or to promote special services to the vulnerable or elderly or non online people?
Do you or your clients need new cover graphics prepared for their social media channels to communicate change of hours/online working/varied services or simply a COVID-19 Kindness message?
Do you or your client need professional prepared social media templates to use in Canva so they can then go and use their down time wisely?
Do you or your clients need help with a professional looking email marketing template so they can send out a professional communication or regular communications with COVID-19 updates?
Do you or your clients need a new website design mock up?

CONSULTS

Do you or your clients just want a 1:1 session online on what to do marketing wise at this difficult time?
Would you or your clients like some 1:1 help online on how to do something they don’t know how to do such as update their website, prepare and schedule social media posts themselves, run their first zoom session etc.
Would you or your clients like to know how to create a basic set up of Facebook Funnels, including creation of a landing page using i.e. lead pages, set up custom Fb events through GTM or Facebook Pixel new tool, and create the TOF, MOF, BOF campaigns.
Need to better understandwebinar & video conferencing platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, Crowdcast, WebEx, GotoWebinar and more to take your meetings and events online? There are a lot of options out there these days when it comes to using these technologies and talking to us about your options will save you time in research to find the right one for you and get the most out of it.

Again, we are here to help. Our contacts:

Phone: 07 54511315
Email: admin@thecreativecollective.com.au
Schedule a chat:… https://calendly.com/the-creative-collective/exploration

RUNNING MULTI-PERSON MEETINGS, WORKSHOPS & LARGE SCALE EVENTS ONLINE

Need to better understand webinar & video conferencing platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, Crowdcast, WebEx, GotoWebinar and more to take your meetings and events online?

There are a lot of options out there these days when it comes to using these technologies and talking to us about your options will save you time in research to find the right one for you and get the most out of it.

Book in a paid one hour or two hour consult or group training online and we can teach you!

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

• If you are a sole trader without employees
• If you employ people
• Government stimulus for small businesses

For more information on financial assistance, eligibility and timing for the new government support for Australian businesses, visit business.gov.au.

Boosting cash flow for employers

• The earlier $20,000 Cash Flow for Employers measure has been enhanced
• Up to $100,000 to eligible small and medium-sized businesses, and not for-profits (NFPs) that employ people (could also be sole-trader), with a minimum payment of $20,000. These payments will help businesses and NFPs with their cash flow – so they can keep operating, pay their rent, electricity and other bills and retain staff
• Small and medium-sized business entities with aggregated annual turnover under $50 million and that employ workers are eligible. NFPs, including charities, with aggregated annual turnover under $50 million and that employ workers will now also be eligible
• Employers will receive a payment equal to 100 per cent of their salary and wages withheld (up from 50 per cent), with the maximum payment being increased from $25,000 to $50,000. In addition, the minimum payment is being increased from $2,000 to $10,000
• An additional payment is also being introduced in the July — October 2020 period
• Eligible entities will receive an additional payment equal to the total of all of the Boosting Cash Flow for Employers payments received
• This means that eligible entities will receive at least $20,000 up to a total of $100,000 under both payments

Cash flow assistance for businesses

Temporary relief for financially distressed businesses

• Providing a safety net is to lessen the threat of actions that could unnecessarily push business into insolvency and force the winding up of the business
• Increasing the threshold at which creditors can issue a statutory demand on a company and the time companies have to respond to statutory demands they receive
• The package also includes temporary relief for directors from any personal liability for trading while insolvent, and providing temporary flexibility in the Corporations Act 2001 to provide temporary and targeted relief from provisions of the Act to deal with unforeseen events that arise as a result of the Coronavirus health crisis
• ATO will tailor solutions for owners or directors of business that are currently struggling due to the Coronavirus, including temporary reduction of payments or deferrals, or withholding enforcement actions including Director Penalty Notices and wind-ups

Providing temporary relief for financially distressed businesses

Increasing the instant asset write-off

• Increasing the instant asset write-off threshold from $30,000 to $150,000
• Expanding access to include businesses with aggregated annual turnover of less than $500 million (up from $50 million) until 30 June 2020

Cash flow assistance for businesses

Backing business investment

• Time limited 15 month investment incentive (through to 30 June 2021) to support business investment and economic growth over the short term, by accelerating depreciation deductions
• Businesses with a turnover of less than $500 million will be able to deduct 50 per cent of the cost of an eligible asset on installation, with existing depreciation rules applying to the balance of the asset’s cost

Delivering support for business investment

Supporting apprentices and trainees

• Eligible employers can apply for a wage subsidy of 50 per cent of the apprentice’s or trainee’s… wage for 9 months from 1 January 2020 to 30 September 2020
• Where a small business is not able to retain an apprentice, the subsidy will be available to a new employer that employs that apprentice
• Employers will be reimbursed up to a maximum of $21,000 per eligible person

Cash flow assistance for businesses

Support for Coronavirus-affected regions and communities

• $1 billion to support regions most significantly affected by the Coronavirus outbreak.
• Funds will be available to assist during the outbreak and the recovery
• Assisting the airline industry by providing relief from a number of taxes and Government charges estimated to total up to $715 million

Assistance for severely affected regions and sectors

Coronavirus Business Liaison Unit

• A Coronavirus Business Liaison Unit has been established within Treasury to engage with business on a regular basis and provide updates to government on crucial issues

Assistance from Banks and ATO

Tax payments
These can be deferred, contact the Australian Taxation Office. The ATO will continue to update their
website on advice to business.

Business loans

• An assistance package of more than $100 billion will be provided
• Australian banks will defer loan repayments. Packages include the pausing of loan repayments and interest charges for six months

HOW CAN I GET ASSISTANCE FROM MY BANK?

• Any business that has not been contacted should call their bank to apply for assistance. Be patient as there could be an influx of people seeking help

WHAT HAPPENS AT THE END OF THE DEFERRAL PERIOD OF REPAYMENTS AND INTEREST
CHARGES?

• Businesses will not be required to pay the deferred interest in a lump sum. Either the term of the loan will be extended or the level of loan repayments will be increased. You can also extend your loan period

More information contact the Financial Hardships team of your own bank

HOW CAN BUSINESSES KEEP THEIR COSTS DOWN?

Look at costs including staffing levels, electricity bills and rent charges and see if any reductions
can be given. Speak to people including your landlord, energy provider and accountant.

Centrelink Payment for Employees

Staff may be able to get a Centrelink payment if they are isolated at home