Every month we have more than 30 budding entrepreneurs making a booking with our business growth advisors to talk about the right pathway to kick start their innovative business.

In 30 minutes, you can learn a lot about your business; which can either help you gain confidence in continuing with your idea or perhaps a small pivot from your original idea could make the difference between getting off the ground and becoming global.

We sat down with the growth team to find out the top 3 frequently asked questions that get brought up in an intro meeting.

1. I’ve built my product; how do I find customers?

You’ve made the classic mistake of building something before speaking to customers. Better late than never though – get out there and speak to your potential customers, find out if your product will work for them, and make some sales! This process can be daunting, but we teach several strategies in our workshops; particularly our Idea to Impact, Lean Innovation Bootcamp, and Selling to Grow workshops. In the intro meeting we’ll learn a bit about your idea and then we’ll talk about how you can start to make some progress on your idea using the least resources possible.

2. What types of funding opportunities are out there for start-ups?

Canberra has several high-quality funding opportunities for startups, but what stage your business is at determines which one is most relevant for you.

For idea stage startups, the Innovation Connect Grant is one of the most accessible grants in Australia in terms of barriers to entry. You need be doing something innovative obviously, but all you need to do to apply is come and talk to us and make a 60 second pitch video.

For startups that have a prototype and maybe a few customers, an accelerator program like the GRIFFIN Accelerator as well as tapping into angel investor networks like Capital Angels or Sydney Angels, can be a great source of mentoring as well as funding.

For startups that have revenue and are looking to scale-up or build out the product, the Accelerating Commercialisation Grant can provide up to $1M in matched funding.

3. Where can I find advisors or mentors?

 The only way you will find people to advise or mentor you is by getting out there and talking to people about your idea. Every month at First Wednesday Connect, hundreds of people gather to talk about innovation, this is exactly the type of place to find interesting potential mentors.

Get the ball rolling. Book an Intro Meeting today.