Building stronger, more profitable small businesses
The Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC) engaged Emergination to create and deliver the Propel Program — an intensive business development program designed to help established business owners improve performance, strengthen profitability and build a clear plan for growth.
Following a successful delivery to more than 100 business owners in 2024, the program returned in 2025, supporting a further 115 business owners over 90 days.
The opportunity
Business owners are often immersed in the daily demands of running their businesses. While they may recognise opportunities for growth, finding the time and structure to step back, assess performance and set priorities can be challenging.
Propel created a structured environment in which participants could work on their businesses, build practical management capabilities and apply new ideas to their own circumstances.
The approach
Emergination delivered a series of interactive, three-hour online workshops covering five critical areas of business performance:
Trends: Understanding the market
Participants explored the economic and market forces affecting their businesses. The workshop helped owners identify emerging trends, consider potential market risks and recognise opportunities within a changing business environment.
Time and Priority Mastery
This workshop focused on helping owners regain control of their time. Participants examined how they allocated their attention, identified competing priorities and developed practical ways to focus on the activities that create the greatest value.
Marketing and Sales: Priming the growth engine
Participants worked through the foundations of sustainable growth, including target markets, customer needs, value propositions, marketing activity and the sales process. The emphasis was on creating a more deliberate and effective approach to generating revenue.
Profit Improvement
The Profit Improvement workshop helped owners examine the drivers of financial performance within their businesses. Participants considered opportunities to improve margins, increase efficiency, manage costs and make better-informed commercial decisions.
Strategic Planning
The final workshop brought the program’s learning together. Each participant used the insights developed throughout Propel to create a practical one-page strategic plan, establishing a clear direction, priorities and actions for the business.
Learning through shared experience
Regular group sessions complemented the workshops and gave participants an opportunity to discuss the challenges they were experiencing in their businesses.
These facilitated sessions helped owners apply the program’s concepts to real situations, learn from the experiences of other participants and maintain momentum throughout the 90-day program.
The combination of structured learning, practical tools and peer discussion created an experience that was both commercially focused and directly relevant to the realities of running a small business.
The result
Across its 2024 and 2025 deliveries, Propel supported more than 215 Western Australian business owners.
Participants completed the program with:
- A stronger understanding of their market and operating environment
- Clearer priorities and a more deliberate approach to managing their time
- Practical frameworks for improving marketing and sales
- Greater visibility of the factors influencing efficiency and profitability
- A concise one-page strategic plan to guide future decisions and action
Propel demonstrated how a well-structured online program can deliver practical, scalable support while giving business owners the space, tools and accountability needed to move their businesses forward.
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