Scholarship winners crowned for Geelong business program

FIVE local women have inched closer to achieving their business goals after being awarded a prestigious $3,000 business scholarship with Business in Heels.

Tamara Shaw, Nicole Chambers, Terri Wilby, Jessica Kerr and Simone Araujo Gugliandolo have been selected to take part in the 12-month Business Accelerator Program.

The program, which is sponsored by the City of Greater Geelong, aims to help women start trading and making business sales as quickly as possible.

Participants learn to develop a business plan, turn leads into referrals, establish their small business and create social media and pricing strategies with the assistance of support mentors.

The scholarship features an online course, regular group sessions and 24/7 access to trainers.

Business name, domain registration, website development and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system training are also included.

Deputy mayor Anthony Aitken congratulated the five awardees for their passion and motivation to become their own business boss.

“There are so many aspects of small business to learn about, from developing a unique selling proposition and understanding who your target market is to budgeting and cash flow.

“Council is proud to sponsor and support the Business Accelerator Scholarships so that these savvy women can learn from experienced mentors and become the business owner they aspire to be.”

Lisa Sweeney, chief executive officer of Business in Heels said the scholarships help to fast-track women into the real business world.

“We’re excited to work with a fresh intake of talented and driven women and help them develop skills and confidence to become the next business leaders in greater Geelong.

“We’re grateful to the City of Greater Geelong for its support of our program, as learning from others who have business experience is really important when starting out yourself.”