06/10/2026
Bit of a Sunday thought from the other side of the counter.
Owning a small business in Australia right now can be incredibly defeating.
People see the 20c price increase.
They donāt see the 80ā90 hour weeks behind it.
They donāt see the weeks I pay myself $0.
They donāt see the 10pm stock orders, rosters, payroll, cleaning, broken equipment, supplier increases or the million other little things that happen behind the scenes.
And the funny thing is⦠I donāt get that extra 20c. š
It disappears into wages, rent, electricity, card fees, insurance, ingredients and suppliers whose prices have gone up too.
Sometimes I genuinely look at it and think⦠Iām doing more work than I ever have, for less money than I ever have š
And THAT is the part of small business I donāt think people see.
Thereās so much āsupport small businessā online, but sometimes the smallest price increase from a local business gets absolutely hammered.
Meanwhile, weāll spend more at a giant international chain without giving it a second thought?
And before anyone gets the wrong ideaā¦this isnāt a āplease come and spend money with usā post. Our regulars are bloody amazing. We see you guys every day and youāre genuinely the reason we love what we do. š©·
Itās also not a whinge. Itās just the reality for a LOT of small businesses in Australia right now.
So if your favourite local cafĆ©, bakery, restaurant, hairdresser or little shop puts something up by 20cā¦
Just remember thereās probably someone behind that business who fought like hell not to put it up by 50c.
Small business owners arenāt sitting out the back rubbing their hands together over your extra 20 cents. š
Weāre just trying to make sure thereās still a small business here for you to support next year.
Anyway, Sunday TED Talk over.