Calling All Budding Young Entrepreneurs!

Campbelltown Council is partnering with Business SA to sponsor one local resident aged 18 to 35 years to participate in the upcoming SAYES program commencing April 2024.

The SAYES program is a business mentoring and learning program designed to help young South Australian entrepreneurs aged between 18 to 35 years to establish a business or further develop and grow their existing business. This is a 12-month program including learning workshops, online webinars and face to face mentoring sessions with industry experts valued at over $1600.

The key to the success of the program is the ongoing support from experienced mentors and industry leaders who present comprehensive workshops, providing participants with all the essentials to launch and run a successful business. Workshops are held monthly with topics including Business Modelling, Business Planning, Finance, Sales and Customer Service, Marketing, Leadership and Entrepreneurial Thinking, Legal, Risk, Digital Strategy, Human Resources, Media and Public Relations. In addition, participants are allocated their own dedicated mentor to guide them throughout the program with monthly one on one mentoring sessions.

For more information visit www.business-sa.com/LiveMenu/How-We-Can-Help/What-is-SAYES

Participants will also have the opportunity to take out the coveted South Australian Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Business Plan of the Year or Business Growth awards.

Duration and Commitment:

12 months comprising 1 x 2.5hrs training session and 1 x 1 hour mentoring session per month.

How to Apply:

Applications are to be made to the SAYES program directly, who will assess all submissions for suitability to the program and for the sponsorship.

Please get your application in as soon as possible.

Apply Now

Timing:

The next intake is in April 2024.

Contact:

For any queries please phone SAYES on 8300 0114 or email sayes@business-sa.com.

Meet Council's 2020 SAYES Scholarship winner Christian Canala from Vinify Wine Co:

We recently asked Christian Canala, Council's 2020 recipient of the SAYES scholarship, about his experience with the SAYES program. Read his responses here:

1. Can you tell us a little about your business?

I started Vinify Wine Co with my business partner in 2016. We are a fine wine distributor selling wines from Australia, Italy and France to restaurants, wine bars and fine wine retail stores across Australia.

2. How did you hear about SAYES?

I am subscribed to the Business SA newsletter and saw a mention of it there. I am massively interested in developing my skillset as a businessperson and it’s been a while since I had done any formal training so I decided to apply. I saw there was a sponsorship offered by the City of Campbelltown and thought it couldn’t hurt to put my name forward for that. Fortunately I was sponsored to undertake the program!

3. How did you decide you wanted to start a business?

It was almost not even a question for me, I was raised by an entrepreneurial family (I think I am a fourth generation entrepreneur) and I grew up believing it was the only way to be. The reason I have stayed in business is very different though. The chance to positively affect and even change people’s lives – my customers, my suppliers but especially my staff – is highly motivating. Fortunately I am not too bothered by having work-life balance, annual leave, a 9-5 or a stress-free lifestyle!

4. What were the main challenges you faced at the early stages of your business? Do you still encounter them to this day?

It might be quicker to tell you the aspects that weren’t challenging! The biggest challenges were two, cashflow and financial reporting. Then there were issues around attracting customers, attracting suppliers, attracting the right team, trying to do everything, FOMO, comparing myself to every other business owner, supply chain, knowing where to focus and spending way too much money.

5. Can you give us a few examples of how the SAYES program has helped you?

SAYES has an excellent community of young entrepreneurs all at different stages of their business, and a cohort that doesn’t have just one specialisation but many. I’ve learned a lot from my peers about improving many areas of my business that I’m not so great at. It also provides a great chance once a month to step back from the running of my business and think about how I can improve, re-engineer or re-imagine certain areas of Vinify.

6. What motivates you as an entrepreneur?

When my team speak about our business as if it’s their own. Truly the most fulfilling moments in my business have been when I could step back and my colleagues relay what we are doing with all the passion and excitement as I would.

7. Do you have any advice you can share with other young entrepreneurs?

​The first one is boring, but it’s the main thing I would change about how I ran my business, and that is to find a good business accountant that you can work with monthly to get accurate financial reporting. We tend to see our businesses with rose tinted glasses which is the quickest way to failure. The second is similarly boring, don’t stick your head in the sand when things aren’t going well, prioritise it and do something about it without waiting. I’m also a believer in achieving quietly, paying your staff very well (turnover is so disruptive to progress) and making your staff the heroes of your business.