The Regional Business Advantage

During my time as a director in a regional creative agency I’ve had my share of rejection. I do my due diligence and ask the follow-up/feedback questions and see if there are ways we can improve the business or the process.

The ones who want it over and done with quickly will let me know that it’s price driven and won’t go much further, however when I dig further and we begin to compare apples with apples it often seems that we have been dismissed in favour of a City counterpart because we happen to live in rural Australia.

Secondly, this prejudice exists when looking for skilled labour or positions within Australia. I struggle, as I know countless other business do too to find employees. It’s not the career that’s on offer, or the salary package, it’s the perception of regional Australia and that it just doesn’t do what the cities can.

There’s an inherent assumption that a business in regional Australia doesn’t have the capabilities or skill set to deliver the project in within the same league as a City based business, and I find this fundamentally irresponsible and wrong.

A regionally based business, doesn’t have the luxury of a “specialist” tag, a regionally based business must be a jack of all and master of many to compete on a national or global platform. The skills and abilities of it’s staff must be broad enough to tackle what might seem a left field request, while at the same time remain resilient to a comparative service that might not necessarily add up. They require a unique ability to push themselves further into a profession and ensure they continue to learn. When they have the opportunity to step outside into a calm, clear environment, they can stare out over the beautiful landscapes, take in deep breaths of sweet country air, refresh themselves and begin the challenges again and again.

So why should you use a regionally based business?

We’re hungry. We’re resilient, we have something to prove, and when you combine those two values you’ve got a business that will invest with you and go the extra steps to ensure your next project, campaign, required outcome is a success.

When a regional business works with you, their values are engraved with community spirit. Although it may not be the case, a regional business will often operate with an expectation that they will bump into you at the kids soccer on the weekend, or down at the local cafe. We don’t have a concept of anonymity, and the lake we fish in has a connected network that we expect to be answerable to.

Often there is a concern surrounding connectivity, however with the gradual roll-out of the NBN (love it or hate it), we are now confidently hosting meetings with business’ in Sydney, Philippines and Tamworth with great success. We still have a face-to-face, and the advantage of these face to face meetings now means they are far more meaningful, with strict agendas, outputs and desired outcomes - so much more is achieved.

As a regionally based agency, we connect with a national client based in Adelaide and their Business Development Managers spread across Australia 3 - 4 times a month. Regionally based business’ work smarter.

Has it mattered at all where we are located? No. The work is fantastic, the clients expectations and outcomes are met every time. It should be no longer a question of location, it should be a question of how invested a business is with what you are trying to achieve, your goals, expectations and desired outcomes shape this - and a regionally based business is ready for the chance to prove to you that they give a shit.