Regional businesses aren’t lacking ambition. For many, limited access to business advice outside of the big smoke remains a barrier to growth – but it doesn’t have to be.

Of the 2.5 million small businesses in Australia, 31 per cent are located in regional areas.

Yet Findex’s 2026 SME Growth Index (Growth Index) revealed that within this cohort, 78 per cent of business owners report facing additional barriers to growth, saying it often feels “just out of reach”.

Business Builders spoke to Michelle Sinclair, head of business performance at Findex, about these additional barriers and how quality advice can help regional businesses overcome these hurdles.

The tyranny of distance

Unlike capital cities where advice, expertise and networks are readily accessible and embedded into the business environment, regional areas can be more fragmented. Business owners often find themselves needing to actively seek out support rather than always having it on tap.

“There’s a massive support infrastructure in capital cities: Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney – they have access to specialist advisors,” says Michelle. “There are really strong networks there, whether they’re professional or industry networks.”

Isolation for regional businesses often goes beyond physical distance; one of the less visible challenges is isolation in both operations and decision-making.

Wearing too many hats

With fewer local specialists to lean on, many business owners end up taking on responsibilities well outside their core expertise.

The Growth Index found that nearly a third (31 per cent) of regional small and medium business owners handle accounting and financial tasks themselves, compared to just under a quarter (23 per cent) in capital cities.

This ‘DIY approach’ to taking on additional roles is often beyond a preference. As the report highlighted, “when the nearest qualified accountant is an hour’s drive away, or when available advisors don’t have the sector expertise you need, DIY becomes the default not because you want to, but because you have to”.

Wearing too many hats doesn’t only lead to a heavier workload, it can often mean making high-stakes decisions without a sounding board.

“It’s so lonely as a business owner, you’re responsible for this business, you sit at the top of that business,” says Michelle. “So it’s [about] having that connection, that relationship with somebody else who’s objective – that you can start bouncing ideas off. It’s not so lonely anymore.”

Lack of understanding of regional context

For regional businesses, getting advice from people who understand their unique context and position within their community is critical.

The report stated that “[quality strategic advisory] requires local presence combined with deep expertise and advisors who understand both the technical complexity of growing a business and the specific context of operating in regional Australia”.

Finding an advisory service that understood their communities was pivotal for Boys to the Bush, a not-for-profit providing programs and mentoring to connect children with their community from 11 regional and rural locations across Victoria and New South Wales.

“When we started looking for support, it was important to us that it was people regionally based,” explains Alison Lee, head of corporate services for Boys to the Bush.

“Findex understands our regional footprint as well as [providing us] access to metro and other specialists as required.”

To bring support closer to where it’s needed, Findex has more than 90 strategically located offices across Australia and New Zealand, with more than 70 in regional areas.

Boys to the Bush engaged Findex’s services to help increase their level of financial reporting. This relationship has helped Boys to the Bush save time and make more informed decisions about the organisation’s long-term direction.

“[Our work with Boys to the Bush] really reflects how Findex is committed to regional businesses… not just backing businesses in the regions, but also backing their communities,” says Michelle. “Having a strong regional community supports strong regional businesses as well. They go hand in hand.”

This regional footprint allows for Findex’s clients to develop a relationship with a local advisor, while also having access to specialists across areas like tax, business advisory, wealth management and business performance across the network virtually.

Waiting until crisis to get quality advice

Many businesses only turn to support when issues escalate – a trend that is heightened in regional areas where support is harder to access. This can lead to making decisions reactively as problems arise rather than strategically.

Small issues, whether in cash flow, staff or planning are more likely to build over time without regular input, making them harder and more expensive to resolve later.

“Be open to seek advice early and be open to that virtual aspect as well,” explains Michelle. “Don’t wait for a physical connection. Connect with an advisor early.”

The outcome is not just better problem-solving, but regional businesses’ ambition to prepare for the future.

As Michelle puts it, “regional businesses are just as ambitious and they’ve got just as much growth opportunity, [despite not] having that same support infrastructure on their doorstep like the capital cities do.”

See how Findex can help support your business growth here.

This article is bought to you by Business Builders in partnership with Findex.