Young Entrepreneur Stepping Up Program

Young Entrepreneur Stepping Up Workshops
Young Entrepreneur Stepping Up Mentoring Assistance
Costs
Eligibility Criteria
Would You Like to be a Mentor?
How to Access the Program

Young Entrepreneur Stepping Up is a program focusing on entrepreneurs aged between 18-35 who have been running their own small businesses for at least a year and are committed to growing their business.  Through the Program, participants have the opportunity to:

• target issues which significantly impact on their business development, such as business planning, marketing and business operations (but excluding compliance and regulatory issues);  and
• tackle key concerns relevant to small businesses operating in specific industry sectors.

The Young Entrepreneur Stepping Up Program is typically 6-8 weeks in length and includes a series of workshops and individual mentoring.

Young Entrepreneur Stepping Up Workshops

The Young Entrepreneur Stepping Up Program includes at least 10 hours of small group workshops and seminars on topics that are relevant and real to young business entrepreneurs, such as cash flow management, strategic planning, information technology management, marketing and risk management.  The specific topics will be determined prior to the commencement of each Young Entrepreneur Stepping Up Program to suit participants' needs.

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Young Entrepreneur Stepping Up Mentoring Assistance

The Program will match you with an experienced business person as a mentor.  They will be available to your business for at least eight hours over the course of the Program to help you develop strategies to overcome a specific business hurdle or pursue an identified business opportunity or market with a "voice of experience".

Your mentor can act as a sounding board  and help you focus on the "big picture" issues that your business faces.  The mentor does not offer professional advice or consulting services.

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The cost is in the range of $220 per participant.  The NSW Government contributes a total of $1,250 per participant.

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Eligibility Criteria

An aspiring participant must be based in New South Wales and meet the following criteria to be accepted into the Young Entrepreneur Stepping Up Program:

• Be aged 18-35 years.
• Be the current owner of a small business.
• Have operated a small business for at least one year.
• Be able to identify a business goal or hurdle suitable of being addressed through this Program.
• Be prepared to commit to the implementation of the outcome of the Program.
• Be prepared to respond to DSRD monitoring and, after the project has been completed, co-operate with promotion opportunities for the Program following participation.

Not all eligible business owners may be accepted into the Young Entrepreneur Stepping Up Program.

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Would You Like to be a Mentor?

If you have a minimum of five years recent experience as a business owner or manager and would like to be considered as a mentor, then we would like to hear from you.

Mentors need to have strong communication skills and be prepared to sign agreements that preclude conflicts of interest and breaches of confidentiality.

Mentoring is a rewarding experience as the mentor can pass on knowledge, insights and skills to help young business owners overcome hurdles and create new sales, jobs and profits.

If you would like to register your interest in becoming a Young Entrepreneur Stepping Up Program mentor, please contact DSRD on 1300 134 359 or email first@business.nsw.gov.au.

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