QLD SMALL BUSINESS WEEK GOES BIG

BRISBANE has been given a taste of the Ivy League this week, when Harvard Business School came to Queensland Small Business Week.

2014 Queensland Small Business Week commenced on September 1, instigating more than 200 activities for business, government, industry and community figures.

The initiative will wrap up on September 6 with 'Buy Locally Queensland', a statewide event to promote the importance of buying locally, banking on offers being promoted through the social media hashtag #BuyLocallyQld.

The week's events have been and will be held across diverse locations including Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, the Gold Coast, and Roma.

The theme – When small business thinks BIG – has been telling of the week’s instalments.

Local, national and international identities have been put under the spotlight for small business owners, start up founders and industry figures to probe for knowledge and advice.

The first event was a panel discussion hosted by QUT, focusing on 'small business tigers', those being businesses expected to grow revenue substantially in the next 12 months. 

"Research has shown that Queensland has proportionally more small business tigers than any other state or territory," says minister for tourism, major events, small business and the Commonwealth Games Jann Stuckey. 

One of the larger Brisbane events took place on Tuesday, spotlighting professor Josh Lerner from Harvard Business School at City Hall. 

Lerner is the Jacob H. Schiff Professor of Investment Banking at Harvard Business School, head of Harvard’s Entrepreneurial Management unit, and also sits on the World Economic Forum.

“We have invited professor Josh Lerner from Harvard’s Business School to discuss how Queensland business is performing on the world stage,” says Stuckey.

“I am excited about the opportunity to join some of our 400,000-strong hard-working small businesses in celebrating the 2014 Queensland Small Business Week.

“Small businesses employ about one million Queenslanders, that’s more than 50 percent of all private sector workers.

"The week celebrates the important role small business plays in the Queensland economy, considering it accounts for around 95 per cent of all business in the state."

To find out more visit www.business.qld.gov.au/smallbusinessweek.