Starting your business

From Brighton to Beaumaris and inland through to Cheltenham, Bayside has a number of strengths for starting a business including:

• central location in the surrounding region
• proximity to Nepean Highway and arterial road network
• good public transport and rail access
• proximity to a broad range of recreational, leisure, sporting and entertainment opportunities
• access to a highly skilled and educated workforce
• clean and safe local living and working environments

Fact sheets and booklets

To help you get the foundational components of your business together, browse the following for helpful tips and to get a clear understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks that your business will need to comply with:

• How to start a business
• Starting your business booklet
• Choosing the best business structure
• Tax basics for business operators
• Scams to be aware of (Consumer Affairs Victoria)

To give you a clearer picture of the local area to invest in, a range specialised publications and data are available:

• Who lives in Bayside?
• Bayside Business Monitor 2012 (A detailed analysis of local trends and economic characteristics of the major commercial centres in Bayside)

Applications and licences

• Apply for a business tax file number (Austraian Tax Office website) 
• Apply for an ABN and GST (Australian Tax Office website)
• Register a business name (Australian Securities and Investments Commission website)
• Other registration and licences for business (business.gov.au)

A new national business names register, managed by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC), replaced state and territory business name registers from 28 May 2012.

Business names that were registered (as at 28 May 2012) have been transferred to the national register.

Commercial permits

Click below to find out the details of permits your business may need to conduct operations and how to get one:

• Footpath trading
• Filming and photography
• Register a new food business
• Register a new personal care or body art (tattoo and piercing) business
• Health and fitness providers
• Hall hire
• Other commercial licences
• Sale of tobacco

Bayside Business Network

Starting a new business can be very daunting and it can be difficult to know where to look for local help and ideas. The Bayside Business Network runs over 30 events a year ranging from:

• business seminars on a wide range of topcis
• business breakfasts with keynote speakers
• informal networking evenings at local venues (NB: network members only)

Find out more about the Bayside Business Network

Page last updated: 04 Jul 2012