As business confidence weakens and growth slows; many SMEs are looking for new ways to fund expansion and stay competitive. In this episode, Kate Whitehead, MD of strategic grants and government funding advisory, Avant Group, explains what the 2026 Federal Budget means for business grants, innovation funding and where future government investment is likely to flow.

Then, Ilona Charles, CEO and Co-Founder of HR consultancy Shilo explains why startups and scaleups so often run into people and culture problems as they grow. From hiring too quickly to promoting unprepared leaders, she shares the common mistakes businesses make early, and why they become much harder to fix later on.

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Business Essentials is produced by soundcartel.com.au