Home Smart 100 2014 Walkabout Your Business Pop-up Village (NT) — 2014 SMART 100

Walkabout Your Business Pop-up Village (NT) — 2014 SMART 100

0

This SMART 100 profile and the information it contains is a duplication of content submitted by the applicant during the entry process. As a function of entry, applicants were required to declare that all details are factually correct, do not infringe on another’s intellectual property and are not unlawful, threatening, defamatory, invasive of privacy, obscene, or otherwise objectionable. Some profiles have been edited for reasons of space and clarity.

1. THE BEGINNING

This innovation came to life when…

This innovation initially came to life while working in remote Australian communities. I recognised the need for business training, inexpensive business infrastructure and access to finance to enable self-employment.

I am the MD of Ambrose (Winner Small Business Champion Award 2014 for Indigenous Services). We run Walkabout Your Business – business training designed for understanding. CommBank sponsor the delivery of Walkabout Your Business™ to Indigenous Australians as part of their RAP.

To make the training relevant in remote communities we developed the Walkabout Your Business Pop-up Village™. It provides business infrastructure, training and access to finance to enable self-employment.

2. WHAT & HOW

The purpose of this innovation is to…

The purpose of this innovation is to provide a solution to the complete lack of Indigenous businesses in remote Australia. The reason for this centres on a lack of business infrastructure, appropriate training, access to finance and visible success stories.

It does this by…

It does this by working with remote communities, corporate Australia, government and other stakeholders. It provides low-cost infrastructure in the form of fully fitted out shipping containers, effective business training and support through Walkabout Your Business and access to finance through CommBank.

3. PURPOSE & BENEFITS

This innovation improves on what came before because…

This innovation improves on what came before because there are no effective, efficient and economic approaches to solving the problem of remote employment. There are no current solutions to enable remote Indigenous Australians in to self employment on off welfare.

Too often training programs have been delivered to ‘tick boxes’. The Pop-up Village is a complete solution for economic development.

Its various benefits to the customer/end-user include…

Tangible:

  • Economic development
  • Reduced requirement for welfare
  • Increase capacity
  • Community engagement

Intangible:

  • Individual pride
  • Community empowerment

4. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

In the past, this problem was solved by…

In the past this problem was solved by funded training programs that prepare participants for low-level, ‘employer-dependent’ employment. This results in short-term outcomes and doesn’t allow for differentiation, is uninspiring and employer-specific. When employers move away from communities, participants are left with non-transferable skills.

Its predecessors/competitors include…

Its predecessors include funded employment programs. However training needs to be more agile, flexible and tailored to the communities it serves.

5. TARGET MARKET

It is made for…

It is made for the end user but the funding bodies need to be kept in mind.

Consumers:

  • Indigenous individuals aspiring to self-employment and business ownership; and
  • Indigenous boards and associations.

Customers:

  • Government (relevant departments across Federal and State Governments, including semi government funded organisations);
  • Social enterprises; and
  • Corporations.

It is available for sale through…

It is available for sale through a Walkabout Foundation. This raises funds for community consultation, feasibility and project management. We are currently considering launch sites in Galiwinku, Weipa and the Utopia Homelands.

Our marketing strategy is to…

Our marketing strategy is to continue to lobby government, pitch to corporates, grow the ‘Friends of Pop-up’ program that includes high-profile ambassadors who support the innovation.

We have also signed MOUs with CommBank, Anglicare, Karen Sheldon Catering who plan to work with us in the delivery of this solution for generational change.

Your Turn — VOTE!

The Readers’ Choice Index was created to provide an opportunity for Anthill readers to vote on SMART 100 applications, in one of three ways:

  1. Tweet it: Top left of each page (3 points)
  2. Trigger a Reaction: Facebook ‘Like’, etc (2 points)
  3. Leave a Comment: Anonymous comments excluded (1 points)

We’ll use your vote to create the 2014 SMART 100 Readers’ Choice Index.

FINE PRINT
This SMART 100 profile and the information it contains is a duplication of content submitted by the applicant during the entry process. As a function of entry, applicants were required to declare that all details are factually correct, do not infringe on another’s intellectual property and are not unlawful, threatening, defamatory, invasive of privacy, obscene, or otherwise objectionable. Some profiles have been edited for reasons of space and clarity.