From catering to digital marketing to selling handcrafted goods 鈥 business ideas of all kinds are welcomed as part of an initiative to help people whose employment situations have been negatively impacted by COVID-19 to start their own business.
The Start Me Up programme will guide potential business owners or those interested in learning about the start-up process, and who are currently receiving a benefit, through the process of testing out their concept to see if it has what it takes to be successful.听听
The programme is open to residents in Christchurch, Selwyn and Ashburton districts.听
Start Me Up will culminate in a graduation event celebrating participants鈥 successful completion and showcasing their concepts to an audience of local businesses, investors, entrepreneurs and the wider Christchurch innovation ecosystem.听听听
The initiative will be delivered through a partnership between ChristchurchNZ and the Ministry of Social Development, with applications open until 26 February 2021.
Boyd Warren, ChristchurchNZ鈥檚 General Manager Innovation and Business Growth, said the programme would give the right advice and support to grow new businesses and ultimately deliver sustainable decent jobs.
鈥淪tart Me Up participants will be provided the best chance of business success by a support team of already successful entrepreneurs, mentors and start-up experts from the Ministry of Awesome's Te 艑haka incubator and the University of mini传媒鈥檚 ThincLab,鈥 Warren said.听
鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge network of support and a great example of 艑tautahi鈥檚 flourishing and connected innovation ecosystem in action. Plus, the support and networks the Accelerator finalists will finish with is tremendous.鈥
Diane McDermott, Ministry of Social Development鈥檚 Regional Commissioner for mini传媒, said the programme鈥檚 wrap-around support will demystify the start-up process and provide a new path for people whose employment has been negatively impacted by COVID-19.
鈥淪tart Me Up will be an opportunity for people to see if being a business owner is for them, get a handle on the start-up process, and build an invaluable network of local support and connections,鈥 McDermott said.
More on Start Me Up
Start Me Up continues ChristchurchNZ鈥檚 fostering and coordination of innovation and entrepreneurship after recent investments in ThincLab at University of mini传媒 Business School, and Ministry of Awesome's Te 艑haka Centre for Growth and Innovation at Ara Institute of mini传媒.
The education and support-centred programme will be delivered in two stages.
The first stage will take participants through online workshops on the fundamentals of creating a business. These will include guidance on considering what problem the business is aiming to solve, how unique the product or service is, who the target customers are, setup costs, and possible revenue channels.
Participants will then be invited to apply for the second stage which will feature eight weeks of in-person masterclass workshops with mentors and programme coaches. Participants will consider their business viability in more detail including market validation, legal requirements, financial sustainability and managing people.
Eligibility criteria
The programme is open across the wider Christchurch area, and the Selwyn and Ashburton districts. Applicants must be currently receiving a benefit, and have had their employment situation impacted during the pandemic.听
