A Business Facilitator provides guidance, ideas, and accountability at every stage of a business lifecycle, from the initial set‐up, to managing growth, to overcoming the obstacles that will surely crop up along the way. Good coaching is as crucial to ongoing growth and success in sports and in business.

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that were voted as being the best performers in a national survey by Glassdoor all had a Business Facilitator either working with the business owner or their staff.

“A good Facilitator can help you see what you’re missing and identify your blind spots.”- Michael Cooper

“You get help and guidance, you learn, you stretch, you grow, and you become willing to take actions that are seriously outside of your comfort zone.” – Michael Mapes

 “A Facilitator is one who contributes structure and process to interactions so individuals, teams or groups are able to function effectively and make high-quality decisions. They are a helper and enabler whose goal is to support others as they achieve exceptional performance.” – Ingrid Bens

Founded in 1997, the AIBEF is the Peak Body for Enterprise and Business Facilitation and Facilitators.

Our mission is to be the leader in fostering excellence, integrity and professionalism in our industry, and to establish and maintain the high standard of skills required for business and enterprise facilitation.

LEARN HOW YOU CAN OPTIMIZE YOUR POTENTIAL

 With Members located throughout Australia and New Zealand, we can provide advice, guidance and solutions for every enterprise.

 Look for the AIBEF Accreditation with your Facilitator, and you know that you have a fully-accredited, experienced Professional who is a qualified and recognised expert in their industry.

Contact AIBEF for more information or to request a FREE Consult.

To establish and uphold professional standards of competency, responsibility, objectivity and integrity in business or enterprise facilitation.

• To identify, promote or provide access to training to maintain professional standards for business enterprise facilitators.
• To provide all members with current information about relevant conferences, seminars, meetings and publications to maintain professional competence.
• To promote the AIEF’s goals and objectives to the business and enterprise support industry to ensure maximum utilisation of Institute services and resources.
• To encompass all in the business support industry to uphold the AIEF’s code of conduct and high professional standards.
• To encourage, undertake and support research into the art and science of enterprise facilitation and its impact on small business performance.
• To advise and inform government, industry and business on matters relating to the building of an enterprise culture in Australia and New Zealand.

As you could all most agree, Face-2-Face Networking is a very useful tool in promoting your business as well as your own, personal, identity.

Most cities have a number of different Networking Events and Groups to choose from. By attending those that appeal to you most, you can soon see what groups are going to work for you. You could be looking for connections with other business owners to help promote your venture; you could also be looking for mentors and others in the same industry as more of Support Network or Bran storming activity.

Regardless of your Networking-Motivation, the KEYS are to:

A) Show up regularly and partake in the meeting/s – no point leaning up against a wall with your arms crossed waiting for people to approach you

B) Present yourself in a way you would like others to perceive you

C) Return the favour! If you are expecting those you network with you to help you promote and refer your business to others, do the same for them.

D) ALWAYS monitor the $ you spend and time you invest in each different networking event/meeting you attend. If you are getting profitable leads and the support you need to really grow your business, then you are on a winner.

1. Listening: an  effective  enterprise   facilitator  is  a  good  listener,  almost  like  a   ‘business  psychiatrist’.  Allowing  the   business  person  time  to  fully  articulate.  A  question  might  be  –  ‘can  you   describe  your  market  for  me?’  It  is  all   about  bringing  the  person  to  self realisation.

1. Questioning: There  may  be  questions   that  need  to  be  asked  of  the  person  to   complete  the  picture.  For  example,  if  the   client’s  issue  is  difficulty  in  reaching  the   market

1. Brainstorming and idea generation:  it   is  important  for  a  facilitator  to  not  limit   the  range  of  problem  solving  options   available  to  a  client.  Both  client  and   facilitator  will  have  ideas  that  could  be   tried.  There  are  ideas  and  potential   solutions  to  a  problem  that  may  have   never  occurred  to  either  you  or  the  client.   The  words  ‘what  if…’  should  be  often   heard  in  a  conversation  between  an   enterprise  facilitator  and  a  client.  ‘What  if   we  looked  at  the  market  differently?  What   if  you  targeted  a  different  segment  of  the   market?  What  if  you  changed  the  way  you   are  promoting  the  product?’

1. Business planning: the  process  of   building  a  business  plan  is  very  useful.   Business  planning  never  stops  and  a   business  plan  is  always  ‘work-in progress’.  What  is  valuable  is  to   continuously  work  at  it,  update  it,   improve  it.  An  effective  business   facilitator  will  endeavour  to  get  the  business  enterprise  owner  to  think  about   their  business  plan  and  how  the  current   problem  fits  into  the  plan.  The  adage   ‘working  on  the  business’  not  ‘working  in   the  business’  is  relevant  here.  You  as  their   facilitator  should  help  them  do  this.  If   there  is  no  business  plan  under  way  then   you  should  endeavour  to  get  them  to  start   to  build  one.

1. Action: he  or  she  came  to  you  to  get  a   resolve  for  their  problem.  You  have   listened,  helped  them  brainstorm  options   and  let  them  see  the  issue  in  the  context  of   their  business  plan.  Now  you  need  to  help   them  take  action.  You  will  have  other   sources  of  information,  contacts  and  networks  and  now  he  or  she  needs  a  plan   of  action.  With  your  help,  the  client  needs   to  set  out  a  series  of  steps  that  can  be   taken  to  try  to  resolve  the  problem  or   address  the  issue.

1. Reflecting: some  time  later  you  should   contact  the  client  and  check  out  how   things  are  going.  This  would  be   reassuring  for  them  but  also  provide   valuable  feed-back  for  you  on  the  process   you  used  and  the  effectiveness  of  various   actions  taken.  It  will  help  you  improve as a  facilitator  the  issue  or  problem  without   comment  or  interruption  is  crucial.  The   whole  picture  is  important.  Once  the  story   is  told  then  the  facilitator  needs  to  go   back,  ask  questions  and  clarify  any  issues   that  are  unclear.