Zeroing in on small business
THE FORUM 4 BUSINESS GROWTH PRESIDENT IS DEDICATED TO ENABLING THE SMALL END OF TOWN TO WORK TOGETHER IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS THROUGHOUT THE REGION, WRITES HAYDEN SMITH
Tony McInnes (above) is the president of Forum 4 Business Growth, a tightknit group for small to medium enterprises.
FORUM 4 BUSINESS GROWTH IS A GROUP AIMED A SUPPORTING SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES IN THE REGION
A GRASSROOTS Far North business group is steadily building momentum.
Tony McInnes of Trinity Beach is the longstanding president of Forum 4 Business Growth, a tight-knit group for small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Far North.
Founded in 2011, the group aims to pave the way forward for “the heartbeat of Cairns”.
“The basis of the organisation is to give people the ability to prosper in their business life,” Mr McInnes said.
“Many small businesses might only have one or two people. This allows people to bounce ideas off each other.”
Raised on the Sunshine Coast, Mr McInnes spent almost two decades working in hospitality and tourism.
After leaving school, he studied hotel management in Switzerland, an experience that proved fulfilling.
“You learn the art of human interaction, which is the most important thing,” he said.
In 1995 he moved to Port Douglas for a position at Treetops Resort, now called the Ramada.
After nine more years, which included a stint in Perth, he decided on a change.
It was then that he took on a management role at Cairns’ Lotsa Printing.
“I saw it as an opportunity to diversify my career,” he said.
In 2011 Mr McInnes joined printing and IT specialists Fuji Xerox Cairns, where he is the senior account manager.
He said his two decades in hospitality and tourism gave him an invaluable grounding.
“It’s a character-building industry that teaches you how to be an all-round business professional,” he said.
His business acumen has sharpened further since 2012, when he took the reigns at Forum 4 Business Growth.
While the Far North is experiencing a tourism boom, Mr McInnes said the benefits were not flowing through to many SMEs.
“Tourism is not the economy’s only linchpin,” he said.
“We will make more substantial growth out of construction because it employs a lot more people and the money flows into more areas of the economy.
“Where we do benefit is when tourism operators renovate, buy new cars and equipment and deal with the growth.
“But a lot have been bitten by the Global Financial Crisis, so they are a bit shy.”
He said it would take time for the small business community to benefit from the economic effects of sustained tourism growth.
“Having two cranes on the
IT’S ADDRESSING A NEED FOR GOOD HEALTHY COMMUNICATION IN SMALL BUSINESS, WHICH IS WHERE A LOT OF THE JOBS COME FROM IN CAIRNS
TONY MCINNES
Cairns skyline is a good cause for optimism,” he said.
Cairns Aquarium chief operating officer Andrew Hearn yesterday addressed Forum 4 Business Growth members on the potential partnerships between grassroots Far North ventures and the $50-million tourist attraction.
With several big-ticket projects underway, including Cairns Aquarium and Nova City, Mr McInnes said there was a “pent-up optimism” among Far North SMEs.
“People have been talking for a long time,” he said.
“But the projects that actu- ally get done will make the difference in Cairns.
“People need physical evidence.
“They have heard enough of the rhetoric.”
Holding monthly meetings, Forum 4 Business Growth comprises a “cross-section” of industries including legal, finance, human resources and IT.
Mr McInnes said the organisation had started to gain more “relevance” but was not in competition with larger business bodies such as Cairns Chamber of Commerce and Advance Cairns.
“Advance Cairns is for the big end of town ... we’re about working at a micro-level,” he said.
“It’s addressing a need for good healthy communication in small business, which is where a lot of the jobs come from in Cairns.”
Mr McInnes, whose wife Helena is a marketing and communications specialist at Shangri-La Hotel, said his goal as president was to attract quality guest speakers while growing the group’s membership base.
“I want to provide leadership and give it a firm and controlled direction over a long period of time,” he said.
“It’s a volunteer role and is about seeing others prosper and grow.
“Cairns is in growth mode when small business is firing.”