By CASEY NEILL
A CUP of coffee can help businesses to tackle isolation and find support.
Casey Cardinia Business Coffee Club holds a monthly event in various locations at differing times across the two municipalities.
Participants can share or listen to first-hand knowledge, hear from a guest speaker and meet council economic development team members to find out about additional support.
Porto Grace and Drew Lawyers practice manager Matthew Drew didn’t know what to expect at his first coffee club.
He found close to a dozen people from like-minded micro business or home-based businesses – plus coffee, tea, cakes and fruit.
“The first part of the session was great to network and talk to people before any presentation was on,” he said.
“You’d rather do business with people that you meet face-to-face as opposed to somebody out of the Yellow Pages.
“The presentation was also reasonably informative, too. It’s information that you can take back to your office and work with a partner, or if you’re by yourself you can go back and, hopefully, apply it to your business.
“Every single presentation I think I’m learning something.”
Mr Drew said presenters were often happy to make appointments for further discussion, too.
“It’s a great, organised group and I give them credit for trying to assist those businesses that are starting up or are just small and they want to get out and network,” he said.
“They want to get out of the solitude of where they are and what they’re doing.”
Mr Drew has run his Narre Warren North commercial law firm with wife Sarah for 10 years.
“We started the business up underneath Sarah’s dad’s house,” he said.
“We had to move out of there when we got married. We moved into our own place in Narre Warren.
“We purchased this property where we are now about eight years ago and we lived and worked in here ever since.”
Sarah had worked for large law firms in the Melbourne CBD.
“We were able to bring the expertise out into the suburbs without the price tag,” Mr Drew said.
“We do the same work.
“I don’t think we’ve had a corporate commercial matter we haven’t been able to take on.”
Another employee, Van, now assists the husband and wife team.
And Mr Drew loves to assist new businesses.
“I don’t see any advantage in keeping things to yourself,” he said.
For more information, phone Tom Tzsolt on 9705 5189 or email tzsolt@casey.vic.gov.au.
