A new program that offers free workshops designed to help build confidence for rural business owners will be held in Wellington later this month.
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Startup business centre The Exchange, successfully delivered their first two workshops, in Narromine and Trangie. This week they will be in Coonamble and Dubbo. The program focuses on targeted topics including problem solving and building business confidence.
The first workshop 'Lean Canvas Workshop Wellington' will be held on November 13, with the second session 'Small Business Finance Wellington' scheduled for November 20. The Exchange community member Minna Demetriou said is excited to bring the program to Wellington.
Ms Demetriou said the Lean Canvas workshop, which will be held at the The Old Printery from 12pm-2pm, was essentially a 20 minute business plan that applied to people at all levels of business.
"So instead of having to write an eight or nine page business plan, this is a real condensed version that helps to streamline different parts of a business into a one page document," she explained.
The following week's workshop focuses on a small business, finance, which will be run in conjunction with facilitators from Martel Wheatly Accountants.
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The Exchange program manager Malaika Mfula said they have received good interest for the two Wellington workshops.
"It's a really good opportunity for people who would usually travel into Dubbo, (now) we can take something directly to them," she said.
One of the driving forces behind the workshops was the drought and how small, rural businesses have been affected by it, Ms Demetriou said.
"With the drought it's just such an uncertain economic time, especially for people within a small business. Not only those in the ag industry, the drought affects the town's and communities across the board, regardless of what industry they are in," she explained.
"This program is a program that literally is designed to help gain clarity and business confidence, which is for want of a better word, lacking at the moment."
Ms Mfula added that small, rural business owners are extremely courageous and they deserve to be supported.
"Our main purpose at The Exchange is to support them and provide them with a bit of a platform that they can connect with other business owners and community members, to say 'hey I'm in the same situation as you'," she said.
Ms Mfula said while The Exchange are not business consultants, or counsellors, they have been equipped with tactics and amazing resources thanks to the workshops.
"I think they main thing we hope for people feel like they are connected with the community and they're surrounded by people who are like-minded but also that they can use these things as tools to help them in the future when they're facing issues in their business," she explained.
The workshops are being rolled out across the region thanks to grant funding from the Primary Health Network.
To register your interest in the Wellington workshops please visit www.yourexchange.co