Want to Start Your Own Business

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• Exploring Being My Own Boss
• New Business Assistance with NEIS

Exploring Being My Own Boss Workshop

Are you interested in exploring being an entrepreneur or starting your own business?

The Exploring Being My Own Boss Workshops can give you an understanding of self-employment and entrepreneurship. This might suit if you have a business idea, or dream of being your own boss, but don’t know where to start.

The two-week Exploring Being My Own Boss workshops will give you an amazing head start. By the end of this free program, you’ll be better able to identify business opportunities and understand what’s involved when starting a business. You may even want to apply to participate in the NEIS program following this!

The Workshop is conducted over 2 consecutive weeks, 25 hours per week and covers 10 core topics, including help with a business idea, marketing and business finances.

New Business Assistance with NEIS

Want to start your own business?

New Business Assistance with NEIS (New Enterprise Incentives Scheme) is a program that can help you start your own business.

The NEIS program provides:

• accredited small business training
• personalised mentoring and support from a NEIS provider in the first year of the new business to help put the business idea into practice
• income support for up to 39 weeks (NEIS Allowance) and NEIS Rental Assistance for up to 26 weeks (if eligible).

The NEIS Team will verify if you are eligible to participate, consider possible previous business experience or qualifications and will also assess your business idea to ensure it meets the business eligibility criteria.

ETC currently provides New Business Assistance with NEIS and Exploring Being My Own Boss in the NSW North Coast and NSW Greater Mid North Coast regions. If you live outside of these locations, then you will need to contact another provider for these programs. You can find a list of providers on the jobactive find a provider page.

Have a question? View Frequently Asked Questions

Good News Stories

• 
  NEIS Program helps architect follow his passion to start creative business
  NEIS Program participant learns the fundamental skills of small business After graduating from university with a Master’s Degree in Architecture, Mark had no idea how unready he was to tackle the challenges of starting his own small business. “I felt that there was a cone of silence around the business insights needed to run a […]
• 
  Business Startup Story – Just Enough Beach
  We met with Lisa Wright the Owner of Just Enough Beach who shares her business startup story and tips to help other small businesses. You can watch our interview with Lisa or read the breakdown below. Tell us about your business “We create candles and diffusers that smell as beautiful as they look. Our natural […]
• 
  How NEIS Program helps beauty therapist open a dream Beauty Salon
  Job seeker learns how to overcome her anxiety and start a flourishing small business After being bullied throughout school, 22-year-old Breanna wanted to pursue a career that would help other people to feel good about themselves – which led to the start of her own successful business in beauty therapy. Breanna enrolled into a hair […]
• 
  NEIS Program helps timber enthusiast to turn hobby into his dream job
  Coffs Coast local Ken Cowden took a leap of faith by starting his own business so he could pursue his passion for timber. After a nine-year stint working for a University, Mr Cowden found himself with the classic Monday-morning-itis and knew it was time for a change. “I got to a point where I thought, […]
• 
  NEIS Program teaches artist how to start a ceramics business
  Ceramic Artist follows her passion and helps to save the environment Sally Flannery has followed her passion by starting her own small business as a Ceramic Artist and has already received an overwhelming response since its establishment. Sally’s self-named business is proving popular due to its unique and environmentally friendly products including keep cups, essential […]
• 
  From Personal Trainer to Gym Owner/Operator
  With a fitness background and passion for the industry, Port Macquarie local Greg Gleeson loves getting up for work every day since establishing his own business. Mr Gleeson and business partner Kerrie originally started their careers running a Health and Wellbeing program for Year 11 and 12 students at the local Newman College. “We decided […]

Resources

Download the Exploring Being My Own Boss factsheet

Download the New Business Assistance with NEIS factsheet

Download the Thinking About Starting Your Own Business factsheet for Veterans