Growth Gurus Share Expertise

CHDC was fortunate to recently host The Growth Manager’s Angie Martin and Fresh Perspective’s James Parker as part of the Queensland Government’s Mentoring for Growth (M4G) Program. Their visit to the Central Highlands in late April brought valuable insight, encouragement, and actionable support to local businesses.

We engaged this program as part of the Central Highlands Business Excellence Awards to offer local business owners the opportunity to gain a fresh perspective and new ideas from successful business operators outside the region. It’s an important part of building resilience and adaptability across our local business community.

We kicked off their visit with a workshop, Building Your Brand and Your Team. This session was designed to help regional business owners tackle two of their biggest challenges—attracting and retaining staff, and creating impactful marketing strategies.  Following the workshop, Angie and James spent the next day and a half in one-on-one mentoring sessions with local businesses, diving deep into individual challenges and opportunities.

Angie shared her reflections on the experience: “Being involved in such a powerful initiative supporting the Central Highlands business community was an absolute honour. From the moment I arrived, we were welcomed with warmth, enthusiasm, and a genuine passion for growth.” 

She highlighted some key observations:

• A strong community spirit – Many business owners are driven by a desire to create positive local impact, not just profit.
• A clear need for support – Especially around marketing, social media, and understanding the customer journey.
• Common scaling challenges – Many business owners are wearing too many hats and need strategies for sustainable growth.
• An openness to learning – Mentees approached the sessions with humility, gratitude, and enthusiasm for practical next steps.

The M4G program is a free initiative that connects eligible Queensland businesses with experienced volunteer mentors who can provide practical advice and guidance across a range of business challenges. From scaling operations to sharpening marketing strategies, the support offered is tailored to each business’ unique needs. If you’d like to explore how the M4G program could benefit your business, please reach out – I’m here to help connect you to the right support.