I’ll be honest — I’m not an economist. I’m a business owner in a small country town, doing my best to make sense of what’s going on in the world and figure out what it means for us here at home.
We started 2026 with cautious hope, didn’t we? Things felt like they might be settling. That hope hasn’t disappeared, but it’s fair to say it’s been replaced by something more uncertain. A watchfulness. A sense that just when you find your footing, the ground shifts again.
It’s Not Just in Your Head
If you’ve felt the pinch lately – at the bowser, at the checkout, in your own business – you’re not imagining it. What’s happening globally is filtering straight down to us, and for small independent businesses in regional areas, there’s very little cushion between world events and our daily reality.
When conflict drives up fuel costs, our freight costs rise. When energy prices climb, our overheads follow. When wages and superannuation obligations increase (and they should) we feel every dollar, because we don’t have a head office absorbing the impact. We are the head office. We’re also the purchasing department, the HR team, the marketing manager, and sometimes the one sweeping the floor at closing time.
Passing some of those costs on to customers is often the only option. And that sits uncomfortably with most of us, because we know our customers. We know what they’re managing too.
The Part That’s Unique to Rural Businesses
Here’s what gets missed in the national conversation: rural and regional businesses aren’t just businesses. We’re infrastructure.
When a business closes in the city, there’s another one nearby. When one closes in a small country town, there isn’t. The local store, the rural merchandise supplier, the café where people go to connect and catch up – these things hold a community together. Once they’re gone, they don’t easily come back.
That’s not being dramatic. That’s just (real) rural life.
So What Can We Actually Do?
I don’t have all the answers. But here are a few things I genuinely believe in.
Know your numbers. You don’t need fancy software – just a clear, regular picture of what’s coming in, what’s going out, and where your break-even point sits. When margins are tight, flying blind is a risk you can’t afford.
Ask for help before you’re desperate. Talk to your accountant, your bank, other business owners. The conversations are easier and the options broader, before things become urgent.
Look after your people. Your team is one of the hardest things to rebuild if you lose them. In a rural business, that’s even more true.
Stay visible. People genuinely want to support local. But don’t assume they always know what you offer or what you’re going through. Now is not the time to go quiet.
Talk to each other. Organisations like your local Chamber or The Wheatbelt Business Network exist because there is real strength in sharing knowledge, collective action, and advocating together for what our region needs. If you’re not connected, now is the time to hook in.
A Final Thought
As Rural Australians we’re used to unpredictable conditions, where resilience isn’t a buzzword, it’s just how things work.
This moment is hard. But the businesses that stay informed, stay connected, and keep showing up for their communities will find a way through.
We always have.
Amanda Walker heads up The Walker Group, which includes Yerecoin Traders, The FarmCo Rural Merchandise stores, and The Little Country Store in Bindoon.
