Good business starts with Jeanette

BEHIND THE BUSINESS: Jeanette Hall runs business courses from Te Wananga o Aotearoa -- and has seen some real success stories.

All successful businesses have to start somewhere -- and in Wairarapa, a great many small enterprises have started with Masterton's Jeanette Hall.

Mrs Hall is a tutor in business management at Te Wananga o Aotearoa, and has about 160 budding entrepreneurs and small business owners passing through her courses every year.

She began teaching the national Certificate in Money Management (CMM) and Certificate in Small Business Management (CSBM) seven years ago -- and has so far provided guidance to everyone from graphic designers and beauticians, to bee keepers and farm managers.

Some of her course alumni have been recognised both nationally and overseas including web designer Nikki King of Fuzzbox Designs, whose music posters were used in the US, and Adi McMaster of MartyGirl Skinfood, who won a David Award last year.

Other successes include Strength Nation gym in Greytown, to be expanded this year, and Taniwha Takeaways in Martinborough, soon to become a larger franchise.

Mrs Hall said she is still, after many years, floored by the number of keen would-be business people signing up.

"Wairarapa is particularly entrepreneurial," Mrs Hall said. "We're a small region, and we've been getting the same numbers for the courses as in Wellington and Christchurch.

"We don't have the big businesses here, so employment opportunities are limited.

"But my students are patient, passionate and persistent people who are willing to make their own solutions."

Mrs Hall, a former IT educator, went into business with her husband Phil in 1985, setting up a silviculture company, Tree Ventures. That spurned another venture -- starting with Mr Hall putting sheets of mesh over workers' goggles, after they had complained of their goggles fogging.

The couple developed a range of similar mesh goggles, which their secondary business, Safe-Eyes, supplies to various industries.

In 2008, Mrs Hall attended a CSBM course at Te Wananga in Palmerston North.

"It was so straight forward -- everything that had taken me 15 years to learn was beautifully wrapped up in one course.

"I thought, 'this would be wonderful for Wairarapa'."

The Halls eventually sold Tree Ventures and started up a training company, which picked up contracts from Te Wananga -- and Mrs Hall has been in front of the classroom ever since. Particularly well received, she said, has been the CMM, which teaches basic skills to improve financial acumen -- setting up savings accounts, curbing luxuries to save money, avoiding debt and managing KiwiSaver funds.

For example, she said, 54 per cent of New Zealanders have their funds in KiwiSaver accounts which yield less interest.

"A lot of it is just basic common sense, but it's not being taught in schools.

"We get a few young people -- and that's important because savings and compound interest can turn into huge money later on."

The business management course is for people with existing businesses or with an idea for an enterprise.

Skills introduced include strategic planning, account management, business law, marketing and intellectual property.

One of Mrs Hall's favourite parts is learning about her students' innovative plans.

"It's pretty buzzy; I don't know where they get their ideas.

"I learn from them as well -- I'll do a class and think, 'I should update my website'".

The advice she is most keen to impart is to prepare to adapt -- "businesses close when people don't take opportunities to grow and change".