Supporting small business, entrepreneurs and innovation to start and grow in regional, rural and remote Australia

Are you a small business or home-based business looking to grow online?

Are you an entrepreneur or young person with an idea for a business but unsure how to start?

Are you a regional council looking to increase digital literacy and build capability in small businesses, tourism operators, local entrepreneurs or young people?

Regional Rising is a purpose-driven small business that exists to create economic opportunities for people living in regional, rural and remote Australia and contribute to the ecosystem that supports small business, innovation, local entrepreneurs and communities.

We do this through the design and delivery of online and in-person coaching, workshops, programs and services to build capability and:

  • increase digital literacy across regional communities

  • drive innovation and entrepreneurial behaviour in people of all ages

  • support the development and growth of new and existing small businesses

  • develop Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) skills and career pathways for young people.

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How can we help?

We exist to create opportunities for…

New and startup businesses

  • Let us help you navigate the early steps - from idea all the way through to launch and beyond!

    Some of the things we can help you with include, but are not limited to:

    • Developing a business plan (business model)

    • Registering an Australian Business Number (ABN)

    • Registering a business name

    • Registering domain names for your website and business email

    • Registering and setting up social media profiles

    • Registering a trademark

    • Designing a logo

    • Developing a website and/or e-commerce store online

    • Applying search engine optimisation (SEO) best practices to your new website

    • Setting up professional email

    • Setting up your Google My Business profile

    • Developing an email marketing strategy

    • Putting in place cybersecurity best practices for all of your accounts, passwords and devices

    • …and more!

    No matter where you are located in regional, rural or remote Australia we can help you take your first steps and create a solid foundation for your business idea.

    Learn more

  • Joining a small group of likeminded people is rewarding on so many levels. You meet new people, learn how to build a website using Squarespace with your own hands and it is a great option for people on a budget.

    We also offer personalised 1:1 options for people who want the flexibility to build their own website at their own pace and at times they want.

    Discover our website design classes

    • Is your new website discoverable by search engines such as Google and Bing?

    • Do you know the most common ‘keyword phrases’ your prospects use in a search engine to find products and services such as yours and your competitors?

    • Are you tracking your website’s performance against your strategic keywords and are you creating new content and taking steps to improve your rankings for these keywords?

    Get in touch with us if you answered “no” or “I don’t know” to any of these questions and we can discuss strategies to help you take steps to improve your “findability” in search engines.

    We can help you through our consulting services and our small group workshops.

    Discover our SEO coaching online options.

  • In this uber-connected world every office and home seems to have dozens of devices connected to the internet 24/7.

    As a new business it is critically important that you put processes and safeguards in place to protect both yours and your customers’ personal information.

    Rarely a week passes that there isn’t a story about another big business that has had its systems breached and customer data stolen.

    At a minimum you need secure and up-to-date networks and use multi-factor authentication (MFA) and password managers. If you’re not ticking those boxes then you are simply asking for trouble.

    Talk to us about becoming my cyber safety aware and setting up a solid foundation for your business.

  • Before Regional Rising our co-founder Paul Dillon managed a portfolio of more than 2,000 domains names across 50 countries for Allianz Global Assistance.

    Today Regional Rising registers and manages a much smaller portfolio of 100 domain names and growing for new and small businesses across regional Australia.

    If you want to take the guess work out of domain names and deal with a human contact us for a chat.

  • Say hello to business grade email on Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace and goodbye to the days of using consumer-grade platforms such as Bigpond, Live and Gmail.

    Not only does sales@yourbusiness.com.au look more professional than yourbusiness@gmail.com but business grade email comes with more features and enhanced security.

    For the cost of three lattes a month you can grow your business securely on the world’s leading platforms.

  • Regional Rising has been delivering low cost workshops for regional businesses, entrepreneurs, councils and community groups since 2015.

    We provide workshops on:

    Our workshops are either delivered online or locally in-person if funded by a local council.

    Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date on new workshop dates.

Small and medium businesses

  • Does your business have a vision and coherent plan to leverage digital technology to grow your business?

    Are you present online in various ways but unsure how effective your presence and activities are?

    We guide new and existing businesses to develop digital strategies that are aligned with overall business goals.

    If you’d like to know more about how we can help you put a plan in place for sustainable growth please reach out to us.

  • Websites are incredible beasts and everybody loves a new one!

    But life can get in the way, people do get busy and in the blink of an eye months and years have zoomed by and your website is no longer an accurate reflection of your business and its activities. Or perhaps your site looks OK but it isn’t getting the traffic and sale leads from Google you expected.

    We’ve planned and developed new websites for global companies such as Allianz (prior to Regional Rising) all the way through to small businesses in regional communities.

    If your website has seen better days or is under performing please get in touch to discuss an audit or a redevelopment and redesign.

    Learn more

    • Is your website discoverable by search engines such as Google and Bing?

    • Do you know the most common ‘keyword phrases’ your prospects use in a search engine to find products and services such as yours and your competitors?

    • Are you tracking your website’s performance against your strategic keywords, creating new content and taking steps to improve your rankings for these keywords?

    Get in touch with us if you answered “no” or “I don’t know” to any of these questions and we can discuss strategies to help you take steps to improve your “findability” in search engines.

    We won’t promise that you’ll be ranked in the top 5 on Google for your products and services - that takes a lot of work and there’s a fair chance other businesses are already a few steps ahead of you on this journey. Leapfrogging them takes time, creativity and hard work.

    We can, however, help you through our consulting services and our small group workshops to plan a path to improving your rankings over time.

    Learn more about our personalised SEO coaching online, our SEO workshops and other SEO services.

  • Getting online and growing is one thing but your customers expect your business to adhere to cybersecurity best practices to protect their personal data and yours from malicious actors.

    Whether you are a new or established business we can guide you through cybersecurity basics at any stage of your business journey.

    Contact us today and start your journey towards a safer presence online.

  • Would you like to train your staff to manage your company website, social media presence and email newsletters?

    Are you looking to increase digital literacy in your managers and staff around emerging digital topics such as cyber security, social media and so on?

    We’re big believers in the expression “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.”

    We like to share knowledge and train your managers and staff how to build and manage your online presence (and develop processes and guidelines) than to do it for you. After all, nobody knows your business better than your people and we’d love to empower them to give you the capability “in house” to drive your digital presence.

    We’re very flexible on our approach to supporting businesses: we can visit and train your people on-site, provide training using platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, or a blend of both.

    No matter where you are located in regional Australia we can help build capability in your people.

    Learn more about digital skills training for staff

  • Regional Rising has been delivering low cost workshops for regional businesses, entrepreneurs, councils and community groups since 2015.

    We provide workshops on:

    Our workshops are either delivered online or locally in-person if funded by a local council.

    Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date on new workshop dates.

  • Before Regional Rising our co-founder Paul Dillon managed a portfolio of more than 2,000 domains names across 50 countries for Allianz Global Assistance.

    Today Regional Rising registers and manages a much smaller portfolio of 100 domain names and growing for new and small businesses across regional Australia.

    If you want to take the guess work out of domain names and deal with a human contact us for a chat.

  • We can help businesses grow online through our consulting services which include:

    • website audit and recommendations

    • new website development and design

    • digital marketing strategy development including social media

    • search engine optimisation (SEO)

    • email marketing

    • copywriting and blogging

    • videography and photography

    • graphic design for social media campaigns

    Visit our dedicated homepage for small business.

Councils, schools and community

  • Regional Rising has been delivering low cost workshops for regional businesses, entrepreneurs, councils and community groups since 2015.

    We provide workshops on topics such as:

    Our workshops are either delivered online or locally in-person if funded by a local council.

    Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date on new workshop dates or contact us.

  • We are currently developing some programs to help schools build an entrepreneurial mindset and capability in students.

    Currently under development as we talk with educators, these programs will likely target years 5/6 and 7/8 and focus on government schools.

    We are looking to partner with schools in South West Victoria (where we are based) to pilot and test new programs. We are also seeking to engage philanthropic and industry partners to fund our incursions to reduce costs for schools.

    Whether you are in South West Victoria or elsewhere in Australia we’d love to begin a conversation with you about entrepreneurial education in your school.

  • Our mentoring is flexible and accessible - whether you’re really young or your idea is at a very early stage we encourage you to get in touch.

    If you’re keen to take your first steps as an entrepreneur then this is the opportunity for you.

    Learn more

  • We’re passionate about keeping people safe online and have supported regional schools to participate in national cyber security defense challenges.

    We are currently finalising our planning in this area and are open to approaches from educators and industry about introducing more young people to cyber security to keep communities safer while opening new career pathways.

    Please get in touch if you’d like to have a chat.

  • Families and businesses are connected to the internet 24/7 through endless devices: phones, iPads, laptops, computers and more and more home devices.

    The ubiquity and ease of this connectivity also presents opportunities for malicious “actors” to deceive users and steal personal information and identities and money!

    Regional Rising and its partners can deliver cybersecurity educational webinars and workshops for councils and government on the steps communities can take to reduce the risk of becoming a victim of cyber crime.

    If you are a council feel free to contact us to discuss providing an educational program in your community.

  • Stay tuned for future dates for our online code club.

    No matter where you live in Australia you can take your first steps in coding and a STEM career with us.

  • Are you a regional council, TAFE or university exploring opening a coworking space to create connections between business, community and entrepreneurs?

    Are you looking to build an ecosystem of soft (workshops, mentoring etc) and physical (buildings) infrastructure to spark innovation and nurture early stage entrepreneurs?

    Learn more about how we can help regional councils support entrepreneurs in their community.

Spotlight on regional entrepreneurs

Upcoming online courses

DIGITAL SKILLS

Would you like to learn how to build a website and learn web design with your own hands?

Website design - online workshops

Joining a small group of likeminded people is rewarding on so many levels. Meet new people and learn how to build a website with your own hands using Squarespace - a great option for people on a budget!

No matter where you live in regional Australia, if you have access to the internet and a computer we can help you build your very own website and grow your confidence with digital technology!

  • Participants will learn how to use the popular website building platform Squarespace.

    This course is run online on Monday nights from 7-9pm and will run in a small group workshop format which enables us to train more people and keep costs down for participants.

    The course will run for 5 weeks.

  • Participants will be guided over 5 weeks and taught how to build a website using Squarespace. Includes weekly online small group sessions and several 1:1 personal check ins.

    Each participant will see their website go live if they have completed their work.

    All of this for a special introductory price of $500 per participant. Excludes Squarespace and domain name costs.

Website design - personal coach

Sometimes it’s just easier to work 1:1 with a coach to get something done faster or on a day and time that suits your schedule. We’re available to guide you with a personalised experience to build your own website at a time that suits you.

No matter where you live in regional Australia, if you have access to the internet and a computer we can help you build your very own website and grow your confidence with digital technology!

  • Participants will learn how to use the popular website building platform Squarespace.

    This service is delivered online and each participant has their own coach to guide them every step of the way.

    This is the ultimate in flexibility: learn and build your website at your own pace and at times and days that suit you: complete your new website within a week or take your time - we’re led by your availability!

  • Our one-to-one coaching costs $100/hour and projects are typically completed within 15-20 hours. While no two businesses or projects are the same the time to complete a website can vary.

    In a similar way to a relationship with a physiotherapist participants pay for their session on the day and take an appointment for the follow-up session or sessions (if locking in dates).

Website design - we do it for you

We understand that people are busy and may not have the time or interest to get down amongst the weeds to build a website with their own hands. Once you provide us with your requirements Regional Rising can do it all for you!

Since 2014 (and post-leaving Allianz) we’ve helped dozens of businesses get online and grow using platforms including Squarespace, Shopify and Webflow.

  • We’ve got international experience with websites dating back to 1999 and our co-founder Paul Dillon had global responsibility for around 40 corporate websites within the Allianz insurance group from 2005 - 2014.

    Since 2014 (and post-leaving Allianz) we’ve helped dozens of businesses get online and grow using platforms including Squarespace, Shopify and Webflow.

  • It is difficult for any business to provide an upfront quote for projects that we haven’t seen yet.

    A client that only wants a “simple website” could cost as little as $2,000 but in our experience both parties benefit from a discussion to define real needs and requirements in order to provide an accurate cost estimate.

    Discussions spark ideas and requirements that weren’t originally “in scope” which increases time and hence cost to complete a project.

    Our aim is transparency and clear communication to avoid frustration for both parties and to deliver effective projects for satisfied clients.

    If you’re after a new website and like the sound of our philosophy on helping regional communities we’d love to talk.

We support you every step of the way

Let us show you how to build a website with your own hands: it’s a fun and rewarding learning experience!

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NEW & STARTUP BUSINESSES

Ready to be your own boss?

Do you have an idea for a new business but don’t know where to start?

Let us guide you to Plan, Register, Setup and Grow your new business. Are you ready?

DIGITAL SKILLS

Learn search engine optimisation (SEO) with us and watch your website’s Google rankings climb!

SEO coaching - online workshops

Joining a small group of likeminded people is rewarding on so many levels. Meet new people and learn how search engines work and actions you can take to improve your website’s ranking on Google - a great option for people on a budget!

No matter where you live in regional Australia, if you have access to the internet and a computer we’ll coach you and grow your confidence with digital technology!

  • Participants will learn how search engines work, understand their own website and the many actions they can take to improve rankings for strategically important keywords improve on Google and Bing.

    It is foolish to guarantee any business will rank on the first page of Google results but we are confident participants will see their rankings climb as well as understand the path to one day crack page one on Google for some keywords if they apply themselves.

    This course is run online on Wednesday nights from 7-9pm and will run in a small group workshop format which enables us to train more people and keep costs down for participants.

    The course will run for 6 weeks.

  • Participants will be guided over 6 weeks. Includes weekly online small group sessions and several 1:1 personal check ins.

    Each participant will see their website rankings improve on Google if they complete coursework.

    All of this for a special introductory price of $600 per participant.

SEO coaching online - personalised

Sometimes it’s simply easier to work with an SEO coach to get things done faster or at a time that suits your schedule. We can guide you with our personalised SEO coaching experience to improve your website’s ranking on Google at a time that suits you.

No matter where you live in regional Australia, if you have access to the internet and a computer we’ll coach you and grow your confidence with digital technology!

Contact us and start as soon as next week!

  • You will learn how search engines work, understand your own website and the many actions you can take to improve rankings for strategically important keywords improve on Google and Bing.

    This service is delivered online and you will have your own coach to guide you every step of the way.

    This is the ultimate in flexibility: learn at your own pace and at times and days that suit you - we’re led by your availability!

  • We are conscious of the rising cost of living and take these pressures into account with our pricing which has not risen since 2017.

    • 5 hours - $500 inclusive of GST ($100/hour payable in advance)

    • 10 hours - $800 inclusive of GST ($80/hour payable in advance)

Too busy? Let us do SEO for you

We understand that people are busy and may not have the time or interest to get down amongst the weeds to update their website with their own hands. Once you provide us with a background into your business, industry and competitors Regional Rising can do it all for you!

Since 2014 (and post-leaving Allianz) we’ve helped many businesses get online and improve their rankings on Google.

Contact us and start as soon as this month!

  • We’ve got international experience with websites dating back to 1999 and our co-founder Paul Dillon had global responsibility for around 40 corporate websites within the Allianz insurance group from 2005 - 2014.

    Since 2014 (and post-leaving Allianz) we’ve helped dozens of businesses get online and grow using platforms including Squarespace, Shopify and Webflow.

  • It is difficult for any business to provide an upfront quote for projects that we haven’t seen yet.

    A client that only wants a “simple website” could cost as little as $2,000 but in our experience both parties benefit from a discussion to define real needs and requirements in order to provide an accurate cost estimate.

    Discussions spark ideas and requirements that weren’t originally “in scope” which increases time and hence cost to complete a project.

    Our aim is transparency and clear communication to avoid frustration for both parties and to deliver effective projects for satisfied clients.

    If you’re after a new website and like the sound of our philosophy on helping regional communities we’d love to talk.

 

Online events by third parties

We’ve scoured the web to pull together a calendar of capability building events so you don’t have to hunt for learning opportunities. Regional Rising has no commercial arrangement or affiliation with the providers of external events listed below.

Free on-demand learning

We've pulled together and curated a list of links to externally-run on-demand courses to help entrepreneurs, small business and innovation start and grow in regional, rural and remote Australia. Regional Rising has no commercial arrangement or affiliation with the providers of external programs listed below.

External courses and programs

We've pulled together and curated a list of links to externally-run online courses and programs to help entrepreneurs, small business and innovation start and grow in regional, rural and remote Australia.

We support the Sustainable Development Goals

  • Sustainable Development Goal 4

    Education is the key that will allow many other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved. When people are able to get quality education they can break from the cycle of poverty.

    Education helps to reduce inequalities and to reach gender equality. It also empowers people everywhere to live more healthy and sustainable lives. Education is also crucial to fostering tolerance between people and contributes to more peaceful societies.

    Regional Rising aims to contribute to Goal 4.4:

    By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.

    Learn more
  • Sustainable Development Goal 8

    Goal 8 is about promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all.

    Providing youth the best opportunity to transition to a decent job calls for investing in education and training of the highest possible quality, providing youth with skills that match labour market demands, giving them access to social protection and basic services regardless of their contract type, as well as leveling the playing field so that all aspiring youth can attain productive employment regardless of their gender, income level or socio-economic background.

    Regional Rising aims to contribute to Goal 8.3:

    Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services

    Learn more
  • Sustainable Development Goal 9

    Goal 9 seeks to build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation.

    Inclusive and sustainable industrialization, together with innovation and infrastructure, can unleash dynamic and competitive economic forces that generate employment and income. They play a key role in introducing and promoting new technologies, facilitating international trade and enabling the efficient use of resources.

    The growth of new industries means improvement in the standard of living for many of us.

    Regional Rising aims to contribute to Goal 9.1:

    Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all.

    Learn more
Discover the 17 global goals