BLP Support for Creatives in Samoa

Fine Mat Creative owner Liz Ah-Hi has been a Business Link Pacific business service provider since 2019 and she encourages small business owners to take advantage of the services available to them.

Working with BLP as a business service provider, Liz has observed a noticeable improvement in BLP’s processes and procedures related to grants and subsidies, making them more aligned with the nature of business in developing island nations.

Reaching this point in her career didn’t happen overnight. After nine years running a small business in Wellington, New Zealand where she developed her expertise in digital and social media marketing, an opportunity arose for Liz to pursue an unfulfilled passion for storytelling through journalism in Samoa.

After relocating to Samoa in 2017, Liz refined her writing skills during her tenure at the Samoa Observer and had a unique advantage of networking with many diverse individuals and groups across broad areas in Samoa which later played a key part in her pursuing a career in communications, public relations and content development

During her stint at the Samoa Observer, Liz observed that local individuals, businesses and organisations relied heavily on one communication channel, mainly newsprint, to convey their stories, despite the plethora of other avenues available, such as their own digital media platforms and community engagement initiatives that would put them directly in touch with their target audiences.

As a creative entrepreneur at heart, Liz recognized the untapped potential for these entities to better connect with their audiences by improving and further developing their own communications channels. This led her to establish Fine Mat Creative, a creative communications agency that uniquely merges the age-old Pacific tradition of storytelling with modern brand marketing strategies.

Their aim is to craft impact narratives and raise the visibility of their clients’ brands. A large proportion of Fine Mat’s clients are SMEs – like you – working to establish brand identities and needing help to effectively communicate and flourish in their respective markets.

“As I have developed my career over the years, I’ve lived through some major challenges in Samoa, including the wide impact of climate change on our livelihood and environment, national and global health crises as well as political crises. It has shown me how vital effective media communications are in sustaining a resilient, prosperous, and stable nation.”

“In the last three years, my business went to another level once I really began to understand big picture communications and I was able to put together 3-5 year comprehensive communications strategies for my clients. Since I was also a content creator, I was also able to implement these strategies and deliver them to completion.”

“Recently, I’ve expanded my services to train and mentor essential personnel in businesses and government ministries on social media management, content creation, interviewing skills, media release writing and media campaign strategies. This ensures my clients have a sustainable succession plan after I’ve established a communications strategy for them.”

Employing two full-time and contracting up to 10 local freelance creatives, 90% of whom are women, Fine Mat Creative is now a well-established and successful business. However, Liz didn’t do it all alone.

The Business Link Pacific grant and subsidy program has played a pivotal role in shaping the sustainable growth of my business throughout the past six years. Thanks to the invaluable support of BLP, I’ve had the privilege of making connections and utilising the services of BLP service providers within Samoa and around the Pacific region, which has also helped generate more business referrals and fostered relationships within Samoa’s SME community.”

Using a BLP grant to extend her offering to remote regions in Samoa, and for periods spanning up to 12 months, Fine Mat Creative was instrumental in demonstrating tangible improvements in customer traffic and revenue. Building the business portfolio from this launch pad, Fine Mat Creative was able to attract business from larger clients.

A second grant led to the establishment of the Samoa Country Magazine in 2021, an online lifestyle and travel publication dedicated to showcasing the best of Samoa – its people, places, and products.

“This innovative platform has not only given me a creative outlet to demonstrate my passion for promoting the best of beautiful Samoa to the world but has also provided my clients with an additional channel to share their brand narratives with their target audience, further strengthening their market resonance,” explains Liz.

“The support from BLP has been amazing and I’m truly grateful to them. I would strongly recommend other businesses to engage with BLP if they are keen on creating businesses that are resilient and sustainable as it has significantly benefited mine.”

Find out more about the business advisory services available from BLP. From there you can assess BLP’s free online tools such as Business Health Check and Business Continuity Planner.

These tools will help to identify areas in your business that could benefit from business advice. From there you can identify and connect with a local business advisor such as Fine Mat Creative. BLP approved advisors can guide you to access subsidised services.