Business mediation can sound a bit intimidating – and expensive – but at SBC, this is not the case.

What kind of business problems can the Small Business Commission SA (SBC) help with? Perhaps your small business has a problem with another business, but you still need to work together, or maybe you’re a subcontractor and the head contractor is now not paying your invoices or getting back to you? What about if your small business has an issue you’re trying to resolve with your local council or a government agency? If negotiations aren’t working and you’re feeling like you’re getting nowhere, or don’t know what to do next, SBC’s business mediation could be for you.

A mediation session at SBC essentially involves inviting all concerned parties to talk in the same room, with an accredited mediator facilitating and guiding the conversation towards a resolution. Mediation aims to keep you out of the court system, allowing you to resolve disagreements and preserve ongoing business or leasing relationships. This service is heavily subsidised, costing each party involved just $195, and in some instances is completely free.

The value of SBC business mediation

Save money

Mediation sessions with SBC are capped at a daily rate, unlike court mediation fees that can skyrocket. While we always encourage seeking legal advice, the service we provide aims to resolve your small business matter outside of the formal court process.

Save time

Once business mediation is decided as a way forward, we will proactively work to secure a date and location that works for everyone as soon as possible. Court mediation can take months to organise, with the possible need to reschedule completely blowing out the timeline for resolution.

Save stress

When your business relies on maintaining professional working relationships, conflict is the last thing you need. We are here to listen to your concerns and talk everyone through the process step by step, to ensure everyone feels comfortable and focused on the same goal – and get all parties back to business as soon as possible.

SBC’s business mediation process

Our mediators are independent, impartial and not employees of SBC – each specially selected for their expertise in dealing with small business matters. One of SBC’s accredited mediators explains: “Ideally, mediation is a process that brings people to the table to discuss what has caused the dispute. I'm not there as a mediator to advocate for one or other position.”

There is a lot of flexibility in how we can conduct business mediations at SBC. We make every effort to tailor the delivery and approach to what works best for everyone involved, to get the best outcome. For example, if your business is in a regional area, we can easily conduct sessions online. If parties don’t feel comfortable being in the same room as one another, we can conduct a “shuttle mediation” where parties remain in separate rooms and the mediator acts as a conduit, going back and forward between the parties. Importantly, everything discussed remains confidential following a mediation.

Remember, business mediation at SBC is not about providing legal advice, or making a finding in favour or against one of the parties. It is about finding the middle ground that all parties can live with so that they can get back to focussing on running their business without the lingering stress created by an unresolved business dispute.