Business hopefuls in South Taranaki to receive tools on how to make ideas reality with return of Rebel Business School

South Taranaki Mayor Phil Nixon talks to Janelle Ferries of the Rebel Business School at the business exhibition event in 2021.

Budding businesspeople in South Taranaki will be able to take part in workshops on how to turn their ideas into reality when the Rebel Business School Aotearoa returns to the district.

The school is one of South Taranaki District Council’s economic and social development initiatives, and council development manager Scott Willson said it was very successful the last time it was run in 2021.

“The course does away with traditional thinking by replacing business plans with actionable, no-cost steps,” he said.

Over 10 days, the free course will deliver 20 workshops designed to equip participants with the tools needed to start their own businesses.

It includes classes on building a website for free, the quickest way to find a customer and how to start a business with no money.

Running daily from 9.30am to 2.30pm, the first seven days will be online sessions and the final three days hosted in Hāwera, including a trade show of the newly created businesses and a graduation ceremony.

Wilson was excited by the positive impact the school brought to the region.

“This gives anyone in Taranaki the opportunity to start a business and make money doing what they love.

“Participants get to turn their idea into reality and even make their first sales within 10 days.”

After the course was over, there was an excellent support network in place to help the businesses grow.

“We had some success stories last time we hosted the course and I’m sure we will see some fantastic businesses emerge again this year.”

The school was brought to Aotearoa from Britain by New Zealander Tony Henderson-Newport in 2017. Since then, more than 1400 people have attended the school’s events.

The course was brought back to Taranaki thanks to the council and partners the Ministry of Social Development, Mayors Taskforce for Jobs, Venture Taranaki, Bizlink Hāwera and Fonterra.

For more information and to get involved in the course, visit the Rebel Business School’s website www.rebelbusinessschool.nz