His battle with his business insurer, Chubb, was finally resolved, and Mr Flanagan knew he would keep his home.

"I finally got a good night's sleep last night," he said on Wedesday, June 24.

"I'm over the moon. I'm so humbled by the support I got because that's what did it."

Mr Flanagan said after his story became public, Chubb was flooded with messages from his supporters. He beleives that was the final push for them to resolve his claim.

"It was a joint venture between me and the Australian public that won," he said.

"I couldn't have done it without everyone's support. Now I can save my house, pay my debts, and walk away."

Mr Flanagan's fishing and camping store lost 43 per cent of its usual income this summer due to the bushfires. In a seasonal economy, that's the cash that keeps his business ticking over for the rest of the year.

Unable to see a way to keep the business on its feet until next summer, Mr Flanagan set about figuring out how to square the balance sheet with suppliers before it folded.

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It relied on receiving a payout from his business disruption insurance, which he thought would be straightforward, as his business had been impacted by fire-related highway closures all summer.

He said Chubb refused the claim, but after taking his story public they reversed the decision.

Mr Flanagan said he understood there were other business owners in similar positions up and down the coast.

He recommended seeking professional help.

"As business owners our skills lie in our business," he said.

"We don't do our accounts ourselves, we get an accountant. We don't solve legal problems, we get a lawyer.

"I went to Darren Vardy, his business manages insolvency, options for closing down, bankruptcy, and insurance and he was instrumental.

"Quite often we're reluctant to seek help but having an expert in your corner makes all the difference."

Mr Vardy said businesses struggling with insurance claims after the bushfires and through the pandemic need to know when to reach out.

He said with more claims than usual coming in, and work from home practices adopted by many businesses, may mean claims are processed more slowly than usual.

"If you don't have a broker, I'd recommend seeking help immediately," he said.

"If you do have a broker, have lodged your claim and it's been a month without a response, it's time to look at pursuing it with outside help."

He also recommended businesses who are worried about their financial situation get an online business health check.

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