How Petch built Little IT Co into a booming business with Self-Employment Assistance

Petch had more than a decade of IT experience, a clear gap in the market, and the drive to do something about it.

What he needed was someone to help him turn that idea into a real, sustainable business.

That moment came when he met APM Self-Employment Assistance Consultant Ashley at a City of Gosnells event.

Petch had recently left his job and was ready to launch, but he was honest with himself about what he didn't yet know.

Small businesses around him were consistently missing out on reliable, affordable IT support, and he wanted to fix that.

He just hadn't yet learnt the operational side of running a business.

Ashley outlined two practical first steps: applying for the Self-Employment Assistance program and lodging a JobSeeker Payment application, allowing Petch to focus fully on developing his idea without financial pressure while he built his skills.

Regular check-ins with Ashley and enrolment in the Microbusiness Skillset classes gave him the structure to move forward with confidence.

He tested his assumptions about his target market, mapped out a cashflow budget, learnt how to read monthly financial performance, and worked through practical considerations like business insurance.

Piece by piece, a solid business plan took shape.

Networking became a natural extension of that work.

Petch joined Business Armadale, the Rotary Club of Southern Districts and Superior Business Networks, growing his client base by two to three customers every month through the connections he made.

Within twelve months, Little IT Co had grown from zero to more than 30 clients and was performing strongly.

Petch was named a finalist in the National Self-Employment Association's Small Business Awards and earned a finalist place in the 32nd City of Belmont WA State Small Business Awards.

"I started Little IT Co because I saw a real gap in the market. Small businesses were being left behind when it came to reliable, affordable IT support. 

"I wanted to create a business people could trust. I could not have done this without Ashley and the APM Self-Employment Assistance program," Petch said.

In under a year, Petch went from a new idea to a profitable business with a growing client list and industry recognition to match.

If you have a business idea and want to explore whether Self-Employment Assistance could help you take the next step, APM is ready to talk.

Visit apm.net.au/sea to find out more, or share Petch's story with someone who is ready to back themselves.