Overview

We are looking for volunteer business mentors to support young entrepreneurs in the Young Entrepreneurs in the North Program (YEN). The YEN program, now in its third year, is an entrepreneurial program that helps youth in the community to start a business. It has been developed for 17-25-year-old youth to address issues of youth unemployment and underemployment in the City of Yarra and Moreland.  

Some of the youths coming into the YEN program will have been disadvantaged in their young lives - for example, we have participants from refugee backgrounds. This program acts as a launching pad for them to build a good life by providing access to education, knowledge, networks and a community they may have otherwise not had access to.

Why

Given the growing evidence that our country’s future economic strength will rely heavily on the contribution of entrepreneurship and enterprise, it is vital that we build an environment that supports young Australians to succeed in social and business entrepreneurship. Ensuring that the next generation can create solutions to our national challenges and have the potential to become job creators and employers, not just job seekers.

However, unless there is a strong history of self-employment or entrepreneurialism in their own family, our analysis indicates young people aren’t likely to even consider starting their own business as a career option, let alone have the skills and confidence to do so. We know that mentorship plays a huge part in the success of these youths.

You

The young entrepreneurs in this "starting up" phase need business mentors and role models who aren't afraid to take risks and who have shown resilience in the face of failure. We are particularly interested in senior professionals who have run their own businesses or who have pioneered their own big projects as you'll have your own experiences in “starting up” to share with these young entrepreneurs.

You will be assisting young entrepreneurs through different stages of planning and setting up a business. As a result, you will share skills, insight and professional knowledge to assist in the development of the mentees business skills. You will therefore, be providing guidance around areas such as:

• People skills: good communication, negotiation, conversation skill and business writing,
• Planning skills: Prioritisation and managing life
• Administration skills: record keeping, using database and calendars
• Sales and marketing: Business development, marketing channels
• Finance and Legal: Managing the business finances,
• Accessing networks

 We are looking for diverse businesses mentors from a wide variety of backgrounds.

About us

Two Square Pegs is a social enterprise, we look at ways to connect experienced business professionals to mentor, advise and collaborate with younger entrepreneurs who are starting out. The goal of our work to create jobs and reduce discrimination by encouraging collaborations of diverse groups in business.

Mentorship program

Here are some overall details about the mentorship program:

• Business mentors are required for 3 months, starting the 13th of June
• Mentors will aim to meet with the youth for approximately 1 hour each fortnight. We strongly recommend meeting face to face to help the youths build skills in business interactions
• There will be a number of events including a:
• Optional training workshop for the mentors on the May 22nd from 6.00-8.00pm  covering the entrepreneurship education delivered in the program, business tools for startups and advice on empathising, mentoring and coaching young people
• A meeting each other dinner which we hope all mentors will attend on the 13th June from 6.00 - 8.00pm
• A pitch night in mid-July
• A graduation event in mid-August

Please apply if you are interested in supporting these young entrepreneurs.