Budding entrepreneurs living or working in Taranaki will have the opportunity to attend a free ten-day business course from May 24 – June 4.

The South Taranaki District Council (STDC) has partnered with the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) to bring Rebel Business School Aotearoa to Taranaki as part of its economic and social development initiatives.

Over ten days, Rebel Business School (formerly PopUp Business School) delivers twenty workshops designed to equip participants with the tools they need to start their own business. Topics include building a website for free, the quickest way to find a customer and how to start a business with no money. The course does away with traditional thinking by replacing business plans with actionable, no-cost steps.

The course is free to participants who need only to commit to the ten days of the course. Running from 9:30am – 2:30pm daily, the first seven days will be interactive online sessions with the final three days being held at the Community Centre in Hāwera, including a trade show of the newly created businesses and a graduate celebration.

STDC business development manager Scott Willson is excited to be bringing Rebel Business School to Taranaki. “This gives anyone in Taranaki the opportunity to start a business and make money doing what they love. Participants get all the support they need to turn their idea into reality and even make their first sales within ten days. After the course, an excellent alumni programme provides an ongoing support network to help people grow their businesses,” he says.

“Small business is really important to the New Zealand economy. 97% of New Zealand businesses employ up to 20 people and this represents 60% of all jobs in New Zealand. We actively encourage people to make that step of getting on their small business journey and attend the Rebel Business School, Taranaki,” says MSD National Manager Industry Partnerships, Amanda Nicolle.

The PopUp Business School was brought to New Zealand from the UK by Kiwi Tony Henderson-Newport in 2017. “More than 1,000 participants have attended our events and formed businesses as diverse as Health & Safety consultants, a drone business, florist, crafts, food and so many more. It’s inspiring to see the excitement grow in attendees as their business comes to life,” Henderson-Newport says.

While the course is free for participants to attend, Henderson-Newport says it wouldn’t have happened without the generous support of its funding partners.

“We are grateful to our partners, STDC and MSD. They recognised what this opportunity means for the community and came onboard. We are just so excited to get stuck in.”

For more information and to get involved go to: www.rebelbusinessschool.nz/events

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