SOLOMON ISLANDS: The Ginger Beach Retreat. Paradise just got better!
Like many small business owners supported by Business Link Pacific, Danielle Garo had never received financial assistance or advisory services before. BLP supported her business, Ginger Beach Retreat, with both a business grant and subsidised advice.
Before, all construction at the Ginger Beach Retreat had been paid for with the little money she and her family had. When paying customers arrived, any money received was reinvested into the resort to continue development and maintenance.
Just 20 kilometres from Honiara, north-west of Guadalcanal, Ginger Beach Retreat is a perfect location to get away from the city – and right on the beach. “We have four beach front bungalows, one large enough for a family and the other three standard size. When Covid came along we changed our business model away from tourism to corporate clients. It was very successful and many of our clients now are government ministries or NGOs running corporate retreats and keen to get out of town.”
When Danielle heard about Business Link Pacific through social media advertisements, she thought she would give it a go – she had big plans for Ginger Beach! Danielle received advisory services from Loretta Roke, a BLP approved advisor who provided assistance preparing the project plan for the grant application and getting her documentation in order.
“I didn’t like to believe we could be successful, and it was such a blessing to receive the financial support from BLP. It will make a really big difference to the retreat.”
The plan included long-term objectives such as improving business efficiency, reducing costs, improving resilience, gaining new clients, and gaining a competitive advantage over local competitors.
As part of the bigger plan, the grant contributed to re-roofing the kitchen and office space and building a new ablution block, which should be ready for use before the season gets underway. Battling bad weather, these improvements have been carried out during the low season and will enhance the experience of customers attending Ginger Beach Retreat. “Business has been slow to pick up this year because of the general election, but things are looking up now and we already have a long line of bookings.”
The grant will move Ginger Beach Retreat forward, helping Danielle support employment in an area where jobs are hard to find. The retreat sustains over 17 jobs in the low season, and this number doubles during the high season.
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.