Eastern Waikato

40% of the people who came along to the event told us they were unemployed at the time the event started.

There was a high number (28%) of self-employed people who came to the event.

One of the key points on an entrepreneurs journey is the first sale. The first time you hold that $10 profit in your hand. This can turn out to be the catalyst that drives you forward to build your business.

We do everything we can to help people reach their first sale with 33% achieving this during the course!

At the Rebel Business School we track four main figures for people before and after the event. We ask people to rate where they are on a scale of 1-10.

Here are samples of the websites that were built, launched and developed over the course.

It is amazing how having a website so quickly helps people to feel that their business is more real.

Connecting attendees to the local business ecosystem

At the Rebel Business School Aotearoa we make sure new businesses stay connected by providing awareness of business network support in specific areas as needed. These connections are all about enabling business sustainability. Being aware of the Bookkeepers Assn NZ or Business Mentors NZ, for example, can provide business input allowing the business to strengthen its foundations and/or its direction.

Our goal is to continue to support local business to thrive and to encourage new business into the district.

During the 2021-31 Long Term Plan process our communities told us they prefer to support local business and access things they need locally, if they can. People want more employment opportunities in the district so they can stay living in the district if they want to.

As a District Council there is a need to support local business and also attract new business into the district, because employment opportunities can arise when an existing business expands or new business is established in the district. If there are more employment opportunities and an enabling environment for entrepreneurs, skilled people will more likely be attracted to move here, creating more customers for local business.

There are many different things that attract business and people into an area, including location, housing and land availability, infrastructure, the make-up of the population, access to goods and services, recreational facilities and the vibrancy of an area.

The Matamata-Piako District Council wants a district that offers jobs and opportunities for everyone. They are already home to some significant businesses across a range of sectors, bringing opportunities, jobs and investment, for our Iwi and young people. Matamata-Piako District is a place where people can thrive and prosper. When Matamata-Piako thrives, the wider region continues to flourish. Increasingly, the district is a place where people and businesses want to come, stay, and grow.

Thames-Coromandel District Council recognises that entrepreneurs and small businesses owners are the backbone of our local economies. We have a thriving and growing business community, where a new idea can become a reality.

Thames-Coromandel District Council recognise that starting a business from scratch can be a challenging and daunting task. The Rebel Business School program will give practical advice and support to those in our community who are ready to go out on their own and help them make their business a success.

Everything has to start somewhere, many of the biggest employers in our district began as small owner operated businesses. Perhaps our big employers of the future are just about to get their start now. This program will support local innovation, an increase in new business units, more people in self-employment and more local businesses employing more local people.

We had been considering how we could support entrepreneurs more in our district’s and then Rebel Business School came along – providing what is often only available in larger cities, locally.

It has shown our local people how their idea can become a real business. These small businesses contribute to the vibrancy of our communities and we can't wait to see where our graduates end up.

We asked the participants what their Lightbulb moments were at the event. Also they left the messages for our partners and assessed our team’s efforts.