Tom Laing

"Facilitating positive change and health"

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Thinking about starting an income genertaing activity, a microbusiness, a small business or are you running around a small business, then maybe I can help you. Yes! - I am a micro business and Small Business Support Specialist having worked with, facilitated and studied small business for over 25 years.

After completing my Bachelor of Arts degree at Flinders University in South Australia, I started out as a Research Officer in community services in local government. This was followed by period with Ogilvy and Mather Advertising in their Futures Division - a social research unit examining the broad trends impacting on consumers and clients' advertising strategies.

I was raised in a community where "Work Hard and You Shall Achieve it" was the mantra of enterprise in the district (the Barossa Valley) and my peers. Not surprisingly, I formed my own consultancy Business Research and Development and consulted to government departments, local development agencies and private enterprise.

Small business i.e. small enterprise and its development became my focus in the employment, industrial and regional economic development contexts in which I worked following Ogilvy and Mather. It was there that I became familiar with the Australian Values Study and the work of the Roy Morgan Research Centre in Melbourne and their work with the Value Segments.

My back ground is Regional Economic Development in both Australia and New Zealand. You can't have economic development and employment growth without enterprise development and so the cry of attract, grow and retain is familiar to me. I have been an official, and unofficial, small business adviser for many years. I was an Accredited Small Medium Enterprise Adviser (ASMEA) through the Australasian Institute of Enterprise Facilitators.

Along the way I have not lost sight of my roots in the Barossa Valley and the cooperative way of living modelled in the Nuriootpa Community War Memorial Community Centre - a model of post World War Two reconstruction. I take great delight in the Tanderra Craft Village (no website) in Whyalla which I helped to bring into being during my time there.

When I came to NZ in 1995, I established my own consultancy business, Tom Laing and Associates, and continued to assist small enterprises with marketing and growth strategies. I became the Manager of the East Coast Business Development Board and after its disestablishment I retained a strong involvement in the delivery of the BIZ programme - including undertaking in depth capability assessments with small business owners to determine ways forward - before becoming a lecturer in small business management at the Open Polytechnic in 2002.

Involvement with community is important to me. I am currently a member of the Small Enterprise Association of Australia and New Zealand; a mentor for Business in the Community, and National Treasurer for my church _ the Christian Community. I have been a Director of the Harbour City Credit Union, an Associate Director of the Hawkes Bay Credit Union (now Wine Country Credit Union) and a past president of the Whyalla Rotary.

My extensive experience in planning, organising, facilitating, directing, coordinating, controlling, training and education in all aspects of business operations provides a unique perspective to small business start-ups and enterprise expansions.

I strongly believe that entrepreneurialism that demonstrates enterprise skill is the backbone of our economy and that a strong educational background is the foundation for effective action and ultimately, success in business.

On this website you will find a detailed description of the model I have followed for the last 20 years or so in keeping with enterprise development.

I cannot stress enough to small business operators/managers/owners the necessity of being very clear about what it is you want the enterprise to return to you. It is important for you to work 'on' the business not just 'in' it.

This model of enterprise that I have found very useful in my thinking, training, coaching, advising and mentoring is called AEIOU over M. This was first shown to me by Colin Benjamin of The Horizons Network in 1984, and further developed by Darryl Bubner of WaveGlobal Ltd.

I look forward to sharing it with you.