Case Studies / Government Funded Project

Creating a roadmap towards resilience for the Blue Mountains

KEY information
GOVERNMENT FUNDED PROJECT
completed 2023

stakeholders
BUSINESS BLUE MOUNTAINS
LOCAL BLUE MOUNTAINS BUSINESSES

Building business resilience with a simple solution

Opportunity

The Blue Mountains region was hard hit by bushfires, severe storms, floods, landslides, and the impact of Covid-19 over a three-year period. These overlapping disasters left the local business community struggling and in need of support.

A simple and accessible solution was required to build the resilience and capabilities of local businesses to ensure they could better navigate the impact of disasters on their livelihoods and remain strong for their communities.

Resilient Ready, in collaboration with Business Blue Mountains, was funded to create a free tool to support and upskill the local business community through funding from the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery (BLERF).

Our approach

The project was delivered by locally engaged Blue Mountains Resilient Ready experts, which included a stakeholder engagement lead, communications expert, and an indigenous business consultant.

The idea of a ‘Business Resilience Roadmap’ was shaped through a series of workshops held across the Blue Mountains with local businesspeople, and consultation with a local multi-stakeholder steering committee.

Sixteen local Blue Mountains businesses participated in interviews for the Roadmap, which features a combination of videos, self-directed questions, and key advice for small business owners and operators.

Our digital roadmap educates businesses about disaster preparedness and resilience through short modules, meaning they can learn wherever and whenever they want, fitting in learning around their busy work commitments.”

Renae Hanvin
CEO + Founder at Resilient Ready

Lessons in how to disaster-proof a business

Outcomes

The completed Roadmap was launched in March 2023 by visiting disaster recovery expert and Fulbright scholar, Professor Daniel Aldrich to a packed room of local business owners, chamber members, and community organisations.

The Blue Mountains Business Resilience Roadmap features businesspeople, including Indigenous business owners, from across the region sharing experiences and lessons in how to disaster-proof a business.

The Roadmap is free for all businesses operating from the Blue Mountains, with data shared with the local community to build business community resilience.

Local lived experience case studies were filmed with local business leaders

Townships benefit from the free tool across the top, middle and lower mountains

Months to co-design the Business Resilience Roadmap with the local community