At BizCover we seek to recognise and reward small businesses owners who go above and beyond for their customers. For sole traders such as Josh, their clients and the services they provide are their number one priority.
The $2000 BizGiver grant is awarded each quarter to better the lives of small business owners and facilitate growth through a product or service. Our 46th round of BizGiver Australia received 200 entries, making it highly difficult to select a winner. During our selection process, we provide a space for small business owners to share their story and tell us how they plan to use the grant. At BizCover, we take this grant seriously. We share all the finalists’ stories with our staff and invite everyone to vote for who they think should receive the grant.
Congratulations to Joshua Roach for being the latest recipient of the BizGiver grant. Joshua has had Professional Indemnity and Public Liability insurance with BizCover since he started his small business in early 2021. We are proud to support Josh through his journey!
We interviewed Joshua about his passion for providing suicide prevention training and the significance of his wish. Here is his story.
Why did you start your business?
I started my business in early 2021 as a result of state government funding for suicide prevention services. This was particularly allocated to upskill members of the LGBTI+ community in delivering professional Applied Suicide Intervention Skill Training (ASIST) and safeTALK suicide alertness trainings. I was passionate about working in this area to help equip my community to better respond to people having thoughts of suicide. Since then, I have been delivering training to many different communities ranging from high school students, to veterans, nurses and more.
Why did you enter the BizGiver competition? Why did you wish for your particular wish?
I entered BizGiver because I saw the competition being promoted in an email from BizCover shortly after I purchased insurance, and thought I might as well give it a shot. I wished for a projector to help deliver my trainings because previously I had to borrow or hire this equipment. Unfortunately, I have not been able to deliver training throughout the numerous COVID-19 lockdowns, so this grant is so helpful!
How will winning this prize help your business?
As a projector is necessary for my services, winning this grant will make my business so much more professional. It will also save me a lot of hassle trying to track a projector down each time I deliver training.
What does being a small business owner mean to you? Why do you love your job?
It’s great having my own small business. It’s maybe not what people typically picture when they think of a small business, but there are many different opportunities for people to start one and build it up! I love my job because I’m doing work that is much needed and I am very passionate about it.
Where do you see your business in 5 years’ time? What are your growth goals?
I intend on delivering as many trainings as possible over the next 5 years. I am currently part of a trial project delivering training to Victorian High School students on suicide alertness and hope that in the next 5 years this project expands and becomes offered in all Victorian High Schools. This training should be offered far and wide throughout so many different communities.
What are the biggest challenges your business faces? Will winning the prize help?
The biggest challenges are probably the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. Because I deliver suicide prevention training it is unsafe to deliver them online as we can’t offer face-to-face support to participants when they need it. Hopefully the lockdowns are behind us but even in 2022 some training has been cancelled or postponed due to high case numbers. This projector will help a lot when training sessions are postponed so I don’t have to pay the hiring cost for a projector when I may not need it.
What have been your biggest achievements?
The biggest achievements have been training well over 100 members of the LGBTI+ community to better respond to suicide in the community and their professional roles. Additionally, being part of a new project to train Victorian high school students how to better respond to and talk about suicide is something I’m personally very proud of and is much needed.
If you are interested in Joshua’s services, please contact him through LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-roach-110127106/
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