PNG: It takes a village network, to build a business!
We have all heard the saying ‘it takes a village’ to raise a child; in business, it takes a network.
In the Pacific, BLP is helping build a strong network to support the development of small to medium-sized businesses across twelve Pacific Island countries – from Chambers of Commerce to financial institutions, private business organisations and BLP-accredited business advisors.
In PNG, SME business Abus Na Kumu is a great example of hospitality business flourishing with the support of a great network.
Five years ago, Richard Mark started cooking his family-famous Texas barbeque in the front yard of his home and selling it to anyone passing with a little cash. The weekend-only informal business originated with Richard’s love of cooking barbeque. Garnering a following, Richard posted about it on LinkedIn and other social media, and so Abus Na Kumu began in earnest.
An accountant himself, over the next two years, Richard formalised the business, registering with IPA, addressing tax and other compliance issues, and opening a bank account. “Where we had previously had families placing orders with us, as soon as we moved to a formal structure, our customer base changed, and we saw an increase in turnover from corporate houses and SMEs coming to us for catering services.”
COVID caused a rethink for many businesses, and Richard’s business was no exception. “I had heard of other small local businesses receiving assistance from this ‘Business Link Pacific’, so I looked into it.” He applied then and, although he was not successful, Richard Busby from BLP had seen the application and identified Abus Na Kumu as a business with potential. He connected Richard with BLP business advisor Pius Kuku of PK Business Consultants and Advisors. Pius had joined the BLP Network in 2019/2020.
Pius recommended Richard apply for a BLP Business Support Grant. Richard supplied the information to generate two years of financials to Pius Kuku. These demonstrated the business did indeed have real growth potential.
Working with Pius towards meeting BLP’s criteria made me realise it was necessary to do that anyway. Turnover doubled from the first to second years.”
Utilising a Business Support Grant from BLP as capital, Abus Na Kumu was able to successfully apply for a loan from the Bank of South Pacific, again with support from Pius, Richard Busby, and from Gabriel Iso and others from BLP’s PNG offices. The Grant and the bank loan mean Abus Na Kumu was now scalable and could finally move out of the home kitchen into a leased property.
We are now refitting this great space, turning it into a restaurant, bar, lounge and business centre with a fully compliant commercial grade kitchen. It’s an exciting time, creating this venue with a great vibe where people can meet to do business, but also to eat my great Texan barbeque! Securing this funding and having the outside views and advice of this wider team has given me a big boost in confidence.”
Richard Mark speaks highly of the advice and support he has received from within the BLP Network.
I didn’t know about accreditations, compliance and safety standards before this. In PNG most businesses get by without it. We have improved our business systems, investing in QuickBooks for easy accounting and securing the right insurance. I really believe this is all very important for credibility and reputation. We have put a lot of effort in up front, and it feels good to know we are now running our business properly.”
He continues,
We are in a better position to keep growing. We are more confident, and the team and my family are excited – it touches a lot of lives. Fifteen people currently work with us full-time, and this will grow as the business grows. We will need maybe 40 or 50 people working in shifts in restaurants, sheds and smokehouses.”
Richard has a lot of passion not just for this business but for doing his bit in the community. Many of his current staff are women – mothers – and often not literate.
I’m really big on employing diverse people, and BLP has forced me to think more deeply about this, and I now do so daily in my business decisions, and I hope this has a huge impact on the lives of these people.”
BLP facilitates access to business advisory services and financial support. To start your journey with BLP, you can self-assess your needs by using the free online tools available to help small- and medium-sized businesses diagnose areas in their businesses that an advisor could improve.
The first step can be the online Business Health Check. You can also check your business’s resilience to respond to crises or climate change challenges on the Business Continuity Planner and the Climate Action Sensor. If you prefer to meet a local BLP representative in person to discuss your business, get in touch with our local partners to arrange a face-to-face Diagnostic.