How to be your own boss

ENTREPRENEURSHIP facilitator, a mouthful of a title, belongs to Dr Paul Miller recently appointed by the Federal government as one of 20 across the county.

Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations Kelly O’Dwyer, said the new facilitators will encourage entrepreneurship and self-employment, particularly among mature age Australians, including those at risk of unemployment due to structural changes in the economy.

“You have far more chance of being successful if you start right, and that’s what I help people do.” said Dr Miller.

Dr Miller, employed by Sarina Russo Entrepreneurs, will deliver the Australian Government’s new Entrepreneurship Facilitators Program in the Ballarat, Moorabool, Golden Plains, Central Goldfields, Hepburn and Pyrenees regions.

In what could be called a one stop shop for budding entrepreneurs over 45, he helps people navigate the maze of creating a new business. With a background in training and mentoring Dr Miller, whose services are free of charge, knows how to get through the plethora of information out there, knows the pitfalls and how to avoid them.

“We know that if you lose your job over the age of 50, it is harder and takes longer to get back into the labour market,” Ms O’Dwyer said. The programs will focus on providing support to mature-age people, but anyone wanting to start their own business can access the services.

“We don’t expect the people [who come to us] will create the next Amazon, because entrepreneurship among the mature age community is more a way of creating your own job,” said Dr Miller.

“Ballarat is very fortunate as there are a lot of things happening on the ground in terms of business start-ups, we’ve got Platypus, Runway and Upstart.”

Dr Miller will be running regular information sessions and is happy to meet with people, sit down and talk about their business idea.

“It is about talking to people about their skills, knowledge, their experience and trying to align that with business opportunities,” he said.

He could then connect the budding business owner to the right people who can provide the services needed to get their business idea of the ground, up and running at the most cost-effective price.

“It’s not just technical expertise, as a mentor I am there for the journey,” he said.

“When you are starting a business, you can feel very alone, and when you are running a business you can feel very isolated.

Dr Miller sees his role as encouraging people to network with like-minded business people going through the same types of experiences.

“You don’t need to join every network, you find the one that is right for you.

“If you want to get the word out there about your new business, find people of influence and have them help spread the word.”

Ballarat entrepreneur Ros Jennings stumbled across Dr Miller when she attended the recent Small Business Fair in Ballarat.

Ms Jennings, in her 40s and just starting out with a new business idea, said she likes to see how people do things.

“When you are a sole trader you can get quite isolated and insular, so it is important to get out and either confirm what you are doing is right or trigger ideas for other approaches,” said Ms Jennings.

“It was really worthwhile making the contact with Paul and I will certainly be following up with an appointment with him shortly.”