Initiative aims to have a long-term positive impact on Australian small businesses, as business failure rates reach a 15-year high 

The Access Group (“Access”) has announced $100,000 in Small Business Software Grants to ten selected businesses, as well as free software health checks for anyone who enters – designed to help diagnose and solve software-related business challenges.

Business failure rates are at a 15-year high, with 58.5% of small businesses failing between June 2019 and June 2023 (ABS) – and according to Gartner, these organisations are spending $38 billion on software alone, each year.

That’s not about to change either, with IT spending in Australia expected to grow by 7.8% in 2024, compared to the previous year, according to Gartner. This is thanks largely to the well-researched link between suitable software, productivity and profitability.

Access APAC President Kerry Agiasotis commented: “Businesses are having a challenging time keeping up with technology driven change and increasing costs of doing business, so as a global software provider with more than 30 years’ experience providing solutions to more than 60,000 customers, we're putting our money where our mouth is.

“We want to use our scale and expertise to give something back when businesses are doing it tough, so we’re giving away ten $10,000 grants for small businesses in Australia and New Zealand. Forget Black Friday discounts, this goes beyond a promotion and delivers real and lasting value, to positively impact the survival rates of the businesses that our country relies on.

“Whether you're experiencing cash flow pain, slow or no growth, out of control costs, or you can't quite put your finger on it, we want to help you diagnose the problem and set you on the path to recovery.

The Access Group software solutions cover a whole range of industries and job functions, so there really is a solution that can help every kind of Australian small business. From warehouses to restaurants, doctors to accountants, recruiters to payroll professionals, not for profit to construction - Access is not just giving out grants; it is also offering every single business that puts their hand up a free software health check to help them diagnose and solve their biggest business problems.

“The vast majority (81%) of Access software products cost less than $10,000 a year, meaning our grants are set to make a tangible difference when it comes to providing access to leading business management software. In fact, 42% of our solutions are priced so that the grant will cover the cost of the software for three years,” Mr Agiasotis continued. 

“This will truly offset the real costs of doing business for these organisations, and has the capacity to have an impact on productivity and profitability for years to come. This is not a short-term fix or momentary promotion, rather a chance for businesses to get their systems in order and get ahead of what is likely to be another challenging year in 2024.

“Importantly, we don’t want to give better rates to new customers than we do to our long-term and loyal ones. And that’s why we’ve been sure to open the grants up to our existing customer base as well,” Mr Agiasotis concluded. 

THE DETAILS

The grants are open to any Australian or New Zealand business with a turnover of $10 million or less.

To enter, businesses need to complete this form. They will then be contacted by an Access software expert relevant to their industry and needs, within 10 days.

Every business that submits an application will receive a free software health check.

10 businesses will receive a $10,000 grant, redeemable on suitable Access software.

For full terms and conditions, visit the campaign page.

For more information on The Access Group Great Software Giveaway, visit: https://www.theaccessgroup.com/en-au/campaigns/small-business-software-grants/ 

The Access Group is one of the largest UK-headquartered providers of business management software to small and mid-sized organisations in the UK, Ireland, and Asia Pacific. It helps more than 60,000 customers across commercial and non-profit sectors become more productive and efficient. Its innovative Access Workspace cloud solutions transform the way business software is used, giving every employee the freedom to do more of what’s important to them. Founded in 1991, The Access Group employs approximately 6000 people globally.