The Strait of Hormuz has been dominating the news cycle lately, and whether you're following it closely or just noticing it at the bowser, chances are it's already affecting your week in some way. We caught up with a few familiar faces in our community to get a sense of how it is effecting them.
What our community thinks
Thomas, Group Financial Controller at a private equity firm, summed it up best: "I saw someone filling up a 1,000 litre box of fuel. Unless you're a farmer or a truck driver, there's no way you're getting through all of that before it goes off."
Translation: the adults are managing this. The media cycle, as Thomas noted, is doing far more damage than the disruption itself. It is a demand problem due to panic buying, not a supply problem.
Craig Whitfield from MoxiWorks commutes into the office all the way from Ballarat. When we mentioned the news reports about rural petrol stations running completely dry, he was surprised - he hasn't had a problem at all. If anything, he finds it cheaper to fill up in Ballarat than in the city. He was quick to add that it might depend on how far out you are, but from his experience the blanket rural narrative feels like a big generalisation.
Selvin, also from MoxiWorks, has a different story - his train commute to the office is unaffected, but outside of work he's barely getting in the car. "I'm really reluctant to drive anywhere outside of work. It's costing me double”
The hidden impact on small businesses
Perhaps the most honest perspective came from one of our own suppliers here at collective_100 - our cleaners, who travel between jobs across the city every day.
"My margins have decreased significantly. It's not a job you can do on public transport. I've started looking at adding a surcharge just to keep things steady. It feels awkward, but when I look at the numbers, I have to be proactive."
That tension - between absorbing a rising cost and passing it on - is something a lot of small businesses in our community are quietly navigating right now.
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