As we all continue to grapple with the challenges of Covid-19, HOST International is responding to community requests for support to manage in the current situation and to plan for their futures.
HOST’s Emerging Communities Incubator program in South Australia recently conducted an introductory workshop on ‘Starting a Sustainable Business in Difficult Times’. The workshop was led by Will Sami, HOST’s volunteer business mentor, who is an entrepreneurial professional with 15 years of international experience managing start-ups and scaling businesses across various industries.
According to the CGU Migrant Small Business Report, which involved research with more than 900 business owners, 83 per cent of migrant business owners started their first business venture after moving to Australia. The report shows that these businesses supported job creation and innovation in the Australian economy.
HOST’s workshop was designed to meet the needs of diverse communities seeking to start or sustain a business during difficult times. The workshop covered business model development, identifying tools and resources including financing, market testing products and services, managing and monitoring growth and development, and planning for sustainability, particularly during hard times.
Attendees came from a range of backgrounds including Bhutanese, Congolese, Iranian, Pakistani and Egyptian. Participant feedback was extremely positive, with surveys indicating high levels of satisfaction and requests for follow-up workshops. Participants also valued the opportunity to network and meet other people from diverse communities on the path to building their own business.
“That was spot on! I will register with HOST so I can start the one-on-one mentoring for my business idea,” said one participant.
“Amazing and attentive participants; their eyes lit up with motivation and ambition,” said Will after leading the workshop.
Comentários