'Not just bricks and mortar' as Wagga small biz gets helping hand

The expo was organised by not-for-profit groups as a chance for small businesses to seek free advice from services like Many Rivers and Indigenous Business Australia.

Matthew Eschler represented VERTO, an organisation that specialises in small to micro businesses with less than four employees, at the expo.

"We're contracted by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations to provide up to 12 months support," Mr Eschler said.

"We look at business health checks, which are further events, sessions and detailed analysis on the business to actually show improvement and improve viability going forward."

"Currently we're dealing at the moment with up to 45 small businesses here in the Murray River region... we're looking to obtain another 52 businesses next year into the program.

"We've got people, authors through to carpenters through to electrical trades persons as well as some very new services."

The expo comes as a number of small businesses along Fitzmaurice Street have closed or moved from the city centre.

The Daily Advertiser last week reported The Huntress relocating to the Blue Mountains, with the owner stating they're moving to receive more foot traffic as they believe the retail industry in Wagga is struggling.

These are issues Wagga mayor Dallas Tout is hoping to address with an expo like the one put on by the Enterprise Plus.

"These are the sort of things that promote those things because a number of people here today could have a thought about a small business, or be operating a micro business right now from home," Cr Tout said.

"They can be the one of the ones in a couple of years that going into an empty shop that is available, so we've always got to keep on that cycle of business.

"I look on that as part of the dynamics of Fitzmaurice Street and Baylis Street in that, for all these years, it's been changing all the time.

"There's multiple ways to run a business now, it doesn't have to be bricks and mortar."

Court Sayer-Roberts is the program lead for Enterprise Plus's Business Connect program, a NSW government-funded program that offers free support and advice for anyone hoping to start, grow and adapt their business.

"We cover everything from marketing, social media, business planning, finance, advice," Mr Sayer-Roberts said.

"We're all about educating and building capacity for regional businesses, so we see our role as Enterprise Plus as being a connector.

"Today's expo is all about networking, connecting and really just showcasing, not only the business connect program and Enterprise Plus and our role in the community, but also the other service providers and their important role in terms of building and strengthening regional communities."