PowerUp Business Ready Empowers Local Entrepreneurs

Thirteen Taranaki entrepreneurs with big ideas are on their way to success, as the new PowerUp Business Ready programme from Te Puna Umanga/Venture Taranaki kicks off.

PowerUp Business Ready is designed to equip aspiring entrepreneurs and early-stage enterprises with the skills and knowledge to take their business to the next level.

Delivered in partnership with SODA Inc. over six weeks, participants will engage in a series of workshops led by trained facilitators, that cover topics including business planning, marketing, and financials.

Participants are all at different stages of their entrepreneurship journey, from exciting initial idea concepts to early-stage businesses and span a wide range of industries including Māori medicine, food and fibre products, HR, tourism, fashion, and energy.

Andrea Rowe, owner of 8 Acres Orchard in Hāwera, hopes to power up her early-stage orchard enterprise, with big dreams of producing food and beverage products.

Andrea says, "Venture Taranaki have put us in touch with some incredible people, enabling us to grow our capacity to show up and make our dream more of a reality, much quicker than we had anticipated."

"The networking opportunities through PowerUp Business Ready, along with their recent food industry networking events, has given us a network that we would not have otherwise tapped into."

Business Ready participants will also have the unique opportunity to learn from seasoned local entrepreneurs, with guest speaker appearances from Juno Gin, Design Garage, GQ Law, and BDO, who will each share their valuable insights into building a successful business.

"We are thrilled to launch PowerUp Business Ready in collaboration with Soda Inc. and with great support from our business community. By empowering our Taranaki entrepreneurs with strong skills, resources, and local connections, we can foster a thriving and innovative entrepreneur ecosystem in Taranaki." says Jennifer Patterson, GM Economic Development, Te Puna Umanga/Venture Taranaki.

"Business Ready participants join an impressive list of previous PowerUp success stories, including Kinda, Sol + Sea, and Tokaora Diagnostics. We are very excited to support our latest entrepreneurs on their journeys and see where their big ideas take them."

PowerUp Business Ready ends on Tuesday 27 June and participants will then engage in one-on-one support with a Venture Taranaki Business Advisor to review their learnings and business plan, and ensure they have a strong foundation for growth.

For more information visit: www.venture.org.nz/enterprise-and-entrepreneurship/entrepreneurship/power-up/

About SODA Inc.

Soda Inc. is a business growth ecosystem supporting start-ups, SMEs and businesses to grow for the benefit of New Zealand. Soda connects entrepreneurs, business owners and key decision makers with the right people, tools, resources and programmes to accelerate business growth.

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