ETIC (Entrepreneurial Training for Innovative Communities)’s Post

When I embarked on the journey to deliver five Afropreneurs Summits in 2024, I knew it would be a challenge, but my team and I didn’t fully grasp just how difficult it would become. Organising events is never easy, but the task becomes even more complex when you’re trying to pull off five large-scale summits across five different states—all within a 5 months period and without any funding (the Afropreneurs Summit platform is not funded by any government or external body). Instead, my team and I relied on the power of our vision to generate interest, mobilise volunteers, and build momentum across the country. In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing key insights from all the 2024 summits to help strengthen our community’s capacity for successful entrepreneurship. We owe it to ourselves and our future generations. Stay tuned for valuable lessons and strategies that can drive growth and empower your entrepreneurial journey, now or in the future LESSONS LEARNED BUILD YOUR NETWORK BEFORE YOU ACTUALLY NEED IT  Despite the hurdles, we successfully delivered summits in five major Australian cities: Adelaide (28 June), Brisbane (14 September), Perth (19 October), Melbourne (16 October), and Sydney (16 November). This was made possible by two critical factors. The first is the power of a network. Savvy professionals and entrepreneurs understand that, in any endeavour, your network ( or social capital) is just as essential—if not more so—than financial capital. Since arriving in Australia in 1999, I knew that as a migrant with limited connections, I needed to build a robust network of resourceful people and develop relationships long before I needed their help. This foresight paid off. Over the years, I cultivated connections that I was able to leverage to set up teams in each state, enabling us to deliver these summits successfully. The Afropreneurs Summit itself is a social entrepreneurial project, and without this network, my Melbourne team and I wouldn’t have been able to organise four interstate events successfully. The main takeaway here is to build your network before you need it and continue nurturing it by offering value to others. THE POWER OF COMMUNITY MOBILISATION  The second factor was the immense power of community mobilisation, especially within African-Australian communities. The Afropreneurs Summit vision resonated widely, and it was through collective effort that we brought people together to create impactful events. This highlighted the potential and entrepreneurial spirit of African Australians... READ the rest of the article on AMA' site: https://lnkd.in/gVgi-SG ---- You can join the afropreneurs summit network and build useful connections to help you with your business or social entrepreneurship endeavours. https://lnkd.in/gB386RbU More information is also available at https://lnkd.in/gqZ3JYmu

[𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐋] 𝟬𝟳𝟬𝟴. 𝟬𝟵. 𝟮𝟰 I was the 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 for Youth to Business Carnival. It was an astonishing moment to cherish. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 is a 2-day event organized by AIESEC in Cambodia to uplift and inspire innovation as well as creativity in business modeling and startup pitching. We believe in the stems of your imagination and vision in shaping your dream a reality. With this, Youth to Business is a catalyst for driving start-up ideas into practical solutions for every dreamer. 📌 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟭 There were keynote speeches and breakout sessions where delegates and youth were able to communicate and train the tools as well as resources of a functional business. 📌 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟮 All delegates get to form a group and challenge one another in creating a sustainable and profitable business model. There are trainers and assessors to track the process of how they create and write their business proposal. [𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀] ➡️ 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗲𝗱. Around the world, the business aims to solve the problems faced by different stakeholders including, students, policymakers, environmental activists, and more. These problems can be grouped into categories to tackle. A great example of this is the sustainable development goals of UNDP. ➡️ 𝗗𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗽𝘂𝘇𝘇𝗹𝗲. You may think that start-up is the only business phase that having a hard time for entrepreneurs. Guess what? Every business has a weak point hidden in its mechanics. Sure, running a perfect and successful business can result in a healthy and growing competitive environment, but the odds are very high. ➡️ 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲. Entrepreneurs are not great because they create business successfully. Not all entrepreneurs can have the perfect plan for a smooth-riding business. They are great because they take the resources and opportunity they have to mold into what wish to see in their life. In the eyes of entrepreneurs, every opportunity is a gift. However, to make that gift a reality, you should catch those opportunities. 📢 Heartfelt gratitude toward AIESEC in Cambodia, all speakers, and delegates for making the event a reality. All of you play an important role in developing a bright future for youth as the next generation. 🫶🏼 Lastly, a big thank you to my organizing committee teams. I can’t say enough about the road we just crossed, wave we just survived. A lesson I learned from everyone is “𝗧𝗼 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝗨𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝗿”. #Youthtobusiness #aiesec #aiesecincambodia

I’m excited to announce that I’ll be one of the panelists at the Afropreneurs Summit Australia Summit Australia, an event focused on empowering African-Australian entrepreneurs and driving real change. Thank you Clyde Salumu Sharady for the opportunity. This summit is not just an event; it’s a movement: 💡 Celebrating the entrepreneurial spirit while pushing for meaningful change in our communities. 🌍 Highlighting the vital contributions of African-Australians to the broader economy. 💼 Promoting wealth creation and social impact through community-led enterprises. 🤝 Encouraging collaboration among Afro-entrepreneurs across Australia, building stronger ties between Africa and Australia. 🎯 Connecting African youth with business leaders, professionals, and activists to help them reach their career aspirations. This event will bring together a diverse group of entrepreneurs, social activists, professionals, and young people. It also opens doors for collaboration with Australian businesses, universities, and African entrepreneurs—all united to create a brighter, more prosperous future. What makes this summit special? It’s not only for established entrepreneurs but for anyone—from aspiring business owners to young professionals and change-makers—looking to connect, grow, and make an impact. If you're committed to building something meaningful and driving change, this is the place for you. As we gather to inspire and support one another, let’s remember: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Looking forward to building and uplifting our communities together!

✨ INTERCULTURAL UNDERSTANDING AND SOCIAL ENTREPRENURSHIP DEVELOPMENT One of the most fulfilling experiences is watching a wonderful idea develop over the years. For IISEN, as an advanced stage in our dedicated work, the time is yet to come. It seeks to foster social entrepreneurship initiatives and intercultural collaboration through innovative forms of non-formal education and networking. 📣 IISEN encourages networking and cooperation, fostering an environment that promotes collaboration and mutual support. We truly believe that everyone's potential comes to the fore if there is a supportive environment along with the appropriate competencies. Especially, we aim to: ▶️ Encourage the creative individuals who embrace their cultural identity to draw inspiration for social entrepreneurship from their values and traditions ▶️ Support existing social entrepreneurs with different cultural background by exploiting resourceful social network ▶️ Promote inclusive community governance as a way to more just and resilient society. 🎯 The platform will be presented to stakeholders from different sectors through various upcoming activities and projects. Moving forward, to turn our dreams into reality... 

What a start! Last week, a room full of people from all over the world came together for the first time to kick off the Migrants and Refugees Entrepreneurship Programme. This group is something special. They’ve come from Chile, Iran, Poland, Turkey, Hong Kong, and beyond—bringing big ideas, determination, and the kind of courage it takes to build a business from scratch. The programme Marta Zukowska and I run for Haringey’s migrants and refugees isn’t just about teaching business skills. It’s about creating space—space to try, to grow, to stumble, and to get back up. It’s about learning to navigate the UK business culture, so different from those our participants - and ourselves - come from. And it’s about building a community where every participant knows: Yes, I can. The programme has just started, and already participants are making progress: - "I applied to design my startup’s website here in the UK." - "I got my first UK customer for a consultancy on sustainable sport management!" - "I found a new business partner I can work smoothly and effectively with." - "I came up with ideas to refine our business plans." Amazing things happen when people share their ambitions and take action together. A huge thank-you to Haringey Council for making this possible and to Clockwise Offices for going above and beyond by giving each participant a free membership for the duration of the programme. How many places step up like that? What’s your biggest win in the last week? #BusinessSupport #Entrepreneurship #MigrantBusiness #Haringey Javad Ossoulian Keith Trotter Graham Philpot Sam Costello Waad Ahmidi

👋 Introducing The Good Talents: Creating a space for young people to grow 🌱 ✨ Since 2012, The Good Talents has been empowering young people in areas facing socioeconomic challenges. “We recognized that potential was being wasted and wanted to address this issue.” 🎯 The Good Talents' purpose is to equip young people with tools and skills that they can use to address local challenges and improve their lives. The organization creates spaces for young people to grow and be challenged on their personal and entrepreneurial journey, connecting them with relevant business professionals and hosting engaging lectures. 🤝 Looking for collaborations The Good Talents are looking to connect with like-minded organizations to share insights and collaborate on initiatives that support and inspire the next generation of changemakers. 💡Key lessons for those just starting out “Stay connected to your purpose and the community you serve. Start small, test your ideas, and listen to feedback. Build a strong network of mentors, collaborators, and supporters who believe in your vision. Don’t be afraid to pivot if something isn’t working—flexibility is key to creating sustainable impact. Lastly, remember that progress takes time, so celebrate small wins along the way and stay resilient in the face of challenges.” - 🌐 The Good Talents is a member of the Baltic Sea Impact Network, a peer-learning network gathering social entrepreneurs from Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, and Ukraine, supported by the Svenska institutet.

🌍 How the Baltic Sea Impact Network Fosters Collaboration and Learning Across Borders ✨ We believe in the power of learning from each other. The Baltic Sea Impact Network unites over 50 social entrepreneurs from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Sweden, Denmark, and Ukraine, creating a space for collaboration. Peer-learning sessions 💡 Each month, members gather online to share ideas, insights, and experiences. The sessions vary between expert sessions, where we invite external speakers, and peer-learning sessions, where the floor is open for members to share their expertise with one another. Last week, Network member Bart Cosijn, founder of the Estonian Dialogue Academy, led an interactive workshop, demonstrating how dialogue can be a powerful tool in achieving our goals. Member Spotlight  🙌 We kick off every session with a Member Spotlight, giving members the chance to introduce themselves to the group.  These spotlights often lead to deeper connections among members - after Bart shared about his work, it sparked a conversation with Elena Frantskevych from Perlyna, a school in Riga nurturing Ukrainian culture in Latvia. Network Mobility ✈️ Our Network isn’t just about online interactions—we also provide opportunities for members to meet in person to work on ideas together. This month, Bart travelled to Riga to visit Perlyna and led a workshop for their teachers on building dialogue between children. This visit has sparked plans to apply for joint funding, with potential partners from Norway and Poland. In-person events 🌐 Sometimes, the entire network comes together. In October, 30 members met in Tallinn to connect, network, and attend the Impact Day sustainability festival. Through these sessions, visits, and events, the Baltic Sea Impact Network continues to create opportunities for learning, collaboration, and connection across borders. Stay tuned! 🔥 – 🤝 Baltic Sea Impact Network is done with the support of the Svenska institutet and in partnership between Reach for Change Sweden, Reach for Change Latvia, Social Enterprise Estonia, Social Entrepreneurship Association of Latvia (Latvijas Sociālās uzņēmējdarbības asociācija), and the Lithuanian Social Business Association. #FundedbySI #socialentrepreneurship #peersupport

𝑯𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝒇𝒐𝒓 NBSO Nantes 🚀 ⏪As we look back on an incredible year, we’re filled with pride and gratitude for the milestones we’ve achieved with 🫵 Dutch entrepreneurs 🇳🇱, our partners 🇳🇱🇫🇷 and the incredible people we’ve worked with along the way Here are the key highlights✨ that shaped our year and set the tone for an exciting 2025 💫: 🟠 𝑾𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑬𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 👩💼: A central theme for us this year! From insightful events to impactful collaborations in France & in the Netherlands, we've championed the role of women in entrepreneurship. And this is just the beginning—stay tuned for even more ambitious actions in 2025! 🟠 🇳🇱𝑺𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑫𝒖𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝑬𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒖𝒓𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝑭𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 🇫🇷: Through trade fairs & business missions (𝟐𝟎+), and personalized guidance, we’ve worked hand in hand with 𝟏𝟗𝟓 𝐃𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬, helping them explore and thrive in the French market. Together, we’re making great strides for Dutch innovation in France!  💡🚀⚡ 🟠 𝑼𝒏𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝑻𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝑴𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 🤲🏾: From the thrill of the Corporate Rowing Challenge 🛶 [Cercle de l'Aviron de Nantes (CA nantes ), to brainstorming during the Heisessie 🧠 [Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in France ] & strategizing at the Strategy Days 💡, with NBSO Network colleagues from all over the world, 2024 was filled with camaraderie, creativity, and collaboration 🤝 🙌 | These moments have strengthened our team and reinforced our commitment to excellence 👌💯 Thank you to our partners, entrepreneurs, and colleagues for making 2024 an incredible year. We can’t wait to build on this momentum in 2025! 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲? NBSO Nantes is here to support your export ambitions to France! 🌍 Whether you need market insights 📊, sector reports 📈, introductions to French companies 🤝, or connections with local authorities 🏛️, we provide practical support for Dutch companies looking to expand internationally. Let’s connect! 💬   📧Maret Reinders: m.reinders@nbso-nantes.fr 📧Anaëlle Fer: a.fer@nbso-nantes.fr 📧Fleurine Hugo-Kalff : f.hugo-kalff@nbso-nantes.fr #innovation #businessgrowth #Entrepreneurship #businessnetworking #womeninleadership #genderequality  #Netherlands #France

🔥When along with Viktoryia Zakirava we established Ladies Business Club ASA almost two years ago, we couldn't have imagined that our regular Friday meetings would evolve into a 3-day course on how to start and run a business in Poland specifically designed for migrant ladies. 🚀This ambitious initiative came to life thanks to a grant from Kuchnia Konfliktu under the Refugee Fund Project Luiza Orpik by HIAS and cozy place provided by Młyny Rothera. Creating this intensive weekend course was a significant challenge for us. We had to not only deepen the core topics but also simplify them for easy comprehension. The course had to cover the whole path from developing initial startup ideas to selecting the appropriate legal entity. Within just 24 hours, our workshop accomplished: ▫️ Generated a variety of startup ideas using Design Thinking tools and selected the most promising one for further development. ▫️ Analyzed the chosen idea using the Business Model Canvas. ▫️ Delved into the intricacies of crafting a comprehensive business plan. ▫️ Explored essential elements of effective marketing strategies. ▫️ Explored the basics of three primary business structures in Poland: entrepreneurship, sole proprietorship, and limited liability company. ▫️ Discussed stress management from a physiological perspective and practical coping strategies. ❣ The course was filled with team-building activities, creativity workshops, networking sessions, and moments of enjoyment like indulging in ice cream — overall, it was a fantastic experience for us all! 🎯The overwhelmingly positive feedback reaffirms that we've achieved our goal! We're confident we were able to inspire each lady Tatiana Safonova, Alina Petrashyna, Iryna Mankovska, Tatiana Szymańska, Yana Vyshnevska, Juliia Matviishyna, who completed the course not only by providing essential knowledge but also a boost of motivation and bravery. They now have a clearer path forward and potential collaborators to bring their ideas to fruition 😉 💥 As experts and trainers, our commitment remains strong in empowering migrant women in Poland through our own examples and providing them with practical tools to create and manage their own small businesses. 🤗 ❤️🔥Moreover, we're excited to continue supporting them on their entrepreneurial journey and building a stronger ladies community! #BusinessLadies #WomenEntrepreneurs #Empowerment #SmallBusinessPoland #MigrantWomen #Entrepreneurship #BusinessSkills #LadiesBusinessClubASA #Networking

An update on what's been happening in Victoria this month from our VIC lead Paul Mitchinson ------------------------------------------------------------------- This month we’re talking about putting Victorian startups on the Global stage.   We’re starting to see globalisation efforts increase across both public and private sectors as we’re trying to build out of 2023. The local Victorian (and wider AU) market, like all markets is tight, with a cautious approach to how we move forwards, which means we’re looking further a field for growth. Victoria hosted a number of international focussed events during March.   The 2024 ASEAN-Australia Special Summit was hosted in Melbourne where leaders shared their vision for our region, and discussed ways to strengthen our practical cooperation, from deepening ties between our people and economies, to boosting our cooperation on education, and environmental issues.   Whilst traditionally growing businesses have their eyes firmly set on the bright lights of the US, we have a huge region on our doorstep with huge potential for Victorian businesses to scale into.   There’s absolutely no issues of scaling into the US, after all it is one of the biggest markets, but it should be for the right reasons for the business. Global Victoria ran a great in person session in March on fund raising in the US, with two prominent US based VC’s in attendance.   Our local export agencies, alongside international agencies are also recruiting for a number of trade missions gearing up for three major conferences in Europe: London Tech Week, Viva Tech, and Money 20/20. If these markets are of interest, make sure you make cont.   Last but not least, HEX have put a call out for all Melbourne based entrepreneurs looking to launch their startup into the Ho Chi Minh City ecosystem with their MELB <> HCMC Entrepreneur Exchange. Join the waitlist for their next program here: https://lnkd.in/g_rd-WhN