Martin Bell - former Director of Entrepreneurship at AUT"CO.STARTERS is a fantastic programme for any organisation looking to foster entrepreneurship in their community, whether it be among first-time start-up founders, established business owners who feel "stuck," or intrapreneurs working inside a larger organisation. With over 320 New Zealand graduates over the last 7 years and 96% of Alumni indicating they would highly recommend the programme, the highly experienced team makes the programme easy to understand and implement."
Help entrepreneurs build thriving businesses with CO.STARTERS / Ignite Leap
Teaching entrepreneurial skills and building entrepreneurial capability has become more crucial in the wake of the worldwide pandemic in order to help economies all around the world recover.
In addition, whether someone chooses to launch their own firm or work for someone else, having enterprising talents is increasingly seen as a necessary 21st-century ability (World Economic Forum, 2019).[1]
Why choose the CO.STARTERS Business Development programme?
CO.STARTERS is building entrepreneurial capability by providing successful and proven turn-key programmes which can work alongside your other programmes.
We have over seven years of experience in implementing CO.STARTERS successfully in New Zealand and Australian communities.
97% of Alumni would recommend this programme.
Who is this for?
Economic Development Agencies looking to support local entrepreneurs and business owners in building entrepreneurial capability.
Organisations looking to provide an exciting professional development opportunity while building entrepreneurial capability and innovation skills for their staff.
Programme details
Week 1: Knowing yourself - assumptions, working styles, team building, obstacles
Week 2: Knowing your customer - problem, solution, benefit, competition, advantage, customer
Week 3: Getting the relationship right - marketing and message; getting, keeping and growing customers
Week 4: Building the model to scale - starting small, distribution, revenue, typical sale, price
Week 5: Business structures and legal considerations - registering a business, licenses and permits, IP, hiring
Week 6: Discovering your bottom line – startup and ongoing needs, fixed and variable costs, break-even point
Week 7: Accounting for growth - break-even point, sales projections, cash flow, accounting
Week 8: Planning for the future - raising capital, growth plans, goal setting, pitch prep
Week 9: Practice pitch
Week 10: Showcase/celebration night - sharing your story and pitching
[1] World Economic Forum. (2009). Educating the next wave of entrepreneurs: Unlocking entrepreneurial capabilities to meet the global challenges of the 21st century.
What we provide
During CO.STARTERS entrepreneurs and business owners develop and fine-tune their ideas, critically examine every part of their business or idea and determine the next steps, all through real-time feedback from people in the community.
We offer two options for your convenience: you can tap into our network of skilled facilitators or we can provide training to members of your community, either in-person or online. This will help enhance the overall quality of your programme.
Ongoing support
Our team is committed to providing comprehensive support throughout the entire process of planning, marketing, and evaluating your programme. Through continuous training, our collective expertise, and extensive network, we aim to assist you every step of the way.
Proven programmes
Our programmes have received endorsements from entrepreneurs both locally and internationally, with over a decade of feedback and support. Additionally, we have had the privilege of building entrepreneurial capability in the New Zealand community for seven years.
A globally, proven programme
CO.STARTERS is an established entrepreneurial capability programme that has been run in communities around the world for over 10 years. Become part of this global success story.
350+
Communities served globally
24,000+
Entrepreneurs & small businesses served
95%
Business 1-year survival rate
