Get your skates on for Bootcamp
We have two Seedlab Tasmania Bootcamp Programs starting in March. One in Seedlab Sisters, predominantly for women in agri-food industries in West and North-West Tasmania who may want to investigate what being entrepreneurial means for them, or to investigate starting or growing a specific business.
Our Seedlab Tasmania Bootcamp program is for people with an agri-food, value-added food or alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink business. You apply for either of these programs online on our website:
Bootcamp runs over 5-6 weeks to help you identify what you don’t know, that may not even be aware of, about starting and growing a small business. We’ve found people about Bootcamp simply “don’t know, what they don’t know”.
What do we do at Bootcamp? You’ll receive a Welcome Pack and Field Guide with necessary materials in it, including samples which we’ll get you to test in Bootcamp. Our Seedlab Team will then take you through 5-6 different topics that are important for starting and growing a business. The Bootcamp Program uses engaging and informative content provided by the Seedlab Team, and some of our Seedlab Alumni. We connect you up with other people in Tassie who can help you, as well.
The program covers these topics, and is built around the Seedlab Startup Plan, which for those of you in the know, is a lean business canvas (we provide this for you too):
- Who you are, and why you want to develop your business. This is about developing your brand story and vision.
- What exactly is your product or business, and who needs this? This is about understanding what makes your product unique, and who values this (your target customers).
- Where can you sell your product, and how do you tell more people about it and get it to them. This is all about understanding different sales and marketing opportunities and channels.
- What does the future look like? This is about setting goals and action plans.
We provide video, audio and worksheet materials via our online learning management system, the Seedlab Academy. You watch those in your own time, and have a think, and maybe do some preparation (we don’t call it homework, anymore!). Then when we get together live, online for 1 ½ hours per week – we discuss each topic. You get to know the other people in your group, and the Seedlab Team.
Everything is done online (a lot of it live), so you will need access to a computer with a camera and a microphone, an internet connection, and you’ll need to use Zoom, which is our preferred meeting software. Bootcamp includes people from other parts of Tasmania, and we may even Zoom in team members from the mainland.
We have an informal Cuppa and Chat a few times as well, which is actually the best part of the whole program. And an optional dinner in different regions, at the end, which is usually a hoot! When you’ve completed Bootcamp, we’ll send you a “Certificate of Germination” for your wall (or office drawer).
Seedlab Tasmania has already taken over 100 Tassie businesses through Bootcamp, and we’ve seen some amazing developments many of them have gone on to achieve. For example Michael from MAK Draught Coffee launched into Woolworths Southern Tasmania in 2021 and is now expanding into Victoria. Simon and Dani from Lauds Plant Based Foods were later purchased by Pure Foods Tasmania and are now distributing widely. Ricardo from Canopy Ice Cream went on to invest in product development, packaging, an ice cream van, and has won several Fine Food Awards. And Anita Long from Coolgardie Farm has gone onto support women to become bee keepers in Sister Hives.
People report back (via our surveys) that they have more awareness of their business challenges and what to do about them, they know more about how to understand their target customers, they have more confidence, and are clearer about how to tell their unique story. The biggest growth comes from understanding what is the minimum viable product they can market test – some people are keen to perfect everything before they launch a product, and sometimes what you have already is good enough to start (more on that at Bootcmap).
We asked Bootcamp graduates to put a value on the Bootcamp info for their business over the next 12 months. The average response was $16,500. Emily Quintin, from OMNI Salt said of her Bootcamp experience: “From the very first sessions Bootcamp helped me feel more confident in my idea, something I lacked prior to Bootcamp. I knew I had a good idea but I lacked the confidence needed to start imagining my future, I was very much taking each day as it comes. Now I want to start planning my short term and long term success with more of a concrete vision in place”. The most exciting news is that since completing Bootcamp and the subsequent 6 month Accelerator Program Cultivate, Emily is now full time in her business.
Seedlab Tasmania makes dreams real!
Dates for Bootcamp:
Seedlab Sisters Bootcamp 1: Starts Thursday 24th March 12-1.30pm then weekly until 22nd April 2022
Seedlab Tasmania Bootcamp 1 Starts Wednesday 23rd March 12-1.30pm then weekly until 4th May 2022