Budding entrepreneurs living or working in the Eastern Waikato will have the opportunity to attend a free 10-day business course in Paeroa from August 22.

Hauraki District Council has partnered with the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs, Gr8 Job Hauraki, Thames Coromandel District Council, Matamata-Piako District Council and the Ministry of Social Development to bring the Rebel Business School Aotearoa to Eastern Waikato as part of its economic and social development initiative in the wake of Covid-19.

Over 10 days, Rebel Business School will deliver 20 workshops designed to equip participants with the tools they need to start their own business.

Topics include building a website for free, business structure and compliance, social media and marketing, 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 and then, only during school hours.

'Small business is really important to the New Zealand economy - 97 per cent 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,” says Amanda Nicolle, National Manager Industry Partnerships for the Ministry of Social Development.

The Rebel Business School was brought to New Zealand from the UK in 2017 by Tony Henderson-Newport.

The first course ran in Porirua in October 2017 and has now been held in various centres and regions throughout the country.

'So far more than 1000 participants have attended and formed a vast array of product and service related businesses in a number of different industries including retail, food, craft, service consulting and many more. It is inspiring to see the excitement grow in attendees as their businesses come to life,” says Tony.

While the course is free for participants to attend, Tony says it would not have happened without the generous support of its funding partners.

'We are grateful to our partners: Mayors Taskforce for Jobs, Gr8 Job Hauraki, Hauraki District Council, Thames Coromandel District Council, Matamata-Piako District Council and the Ministry of Social Development. They recognised what this opportunity means for the community and came on board. We are just so excited to get stuck in.”

For more information about Rebel Business School Aotearoa, go to: www.rebelbusinessschool.nz