Contact First Business Solutions

Indigenous Business Development

Indigenous Business Development

Taking pride in our successes

Contact First takes pride in the successes it has achieved to date of working with Indigenous people looking to establish successful financial viable business enterprises. During the years, some 30 Indigenous businesses have been assisted. Principal, Melanie Lavelle-Maloney is an Indigenous woman of the Bundjalung peoples of Northern NSW.

Contact First’s key objectives to working with both potential Indigenous business owners and existing business owners is ensuring that the Business Development Programs they have devised are primarily culturally appropriate and utilise a wholistic approach throughout the client/consultant engagement process. Melanie has assisted clients to be ‘business ready’ and to develop clients business skills further by the transfer of skills from them to their clients.

Melanie has over 30 years ‘real time’ business experience of successfully owning, managing and running successful business enterprises within Australia and Overseas. Melanie is proud of the fact that all Indigenous Businesses she has worked with todate, have been successful at obtaining either private or government finance to support their business development.

Contact First provides a variety of programs to assist Indigenous business owners develop successful business enterprises. These programs include: Facilitation of Business & Marketing Plans, conducting Feasibility Studies, Mentoring & Coaching, Training & Facilitation, Business Development Workshops, Advice/Assistance on Business Growth, Advice/Assistance on Buying/Selling Business, Project Management, Community Engagement & Facilitation.

I have been so hectic trying to get this little venture off the ground that a person sometimes forgets to be appreciative of things and more so people that have made this all possible for us to be where we are today. It is only in the last couple of weeks that I have had time to reflect on where we are and how we got here that I came to the realization that if I had never stumbled across you our business idea would have been exactly that an idea. Melanie I can’t put into words what you have done for us . If I think back to my first call to the council and the response I got that day I must of spoken to every single person imaginable and nobody could direct us in the right direction in fact most people told us that it is highly unlikely that council would approve such a venture. So after a day of no results I saw you and the services you provide on the Redlands council website . I still remember my call to you like yesterday ,there was no beating around the bush no nonsense just straight talk with in 20 minutes our conversation had concluded and our meeting with you was scheduled. I think it was there that it dawned on me that it could become a reality. Well from our meeting at your office’s right through to our meeting with council was all so much less daunting for us ,as we knew we were being guided by the ultimate professional .As you know we are now operating in various parks with our karts and doing birthday parties and functions , all which would not have happened without you. It is not every day a person come s across someone with your traits and care so in that regards from not just me but my whole family I would like to thank-you from the bottom of our hearts for everything you have done for us .My only hope now is that one day down the track I will be in a position to help you out with something as I really feel indebted to you.Thanks Melanie words can’t express.
- • Bredon Bernardie, Business Owner - Cool Ryda Pedal Safaris -