Recently, the Waalitj Hub team travelled to Mandurah to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people looking to start, grow and strengthen their businesses.
With the support of the Alcoa Foundation, we host Business Builders across the Peel and Upper South West regions. These events provide a platform for Indigenous entrepreneurs to network, meet procurers and explore new business opportunities by creating direct connections with industry and corporate leaders. They play an important role in empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to enter business and grow their presence in the market.
Following the success of our Business Builder in Bunbury earlier this year, the Mandurah Business Builder further expanded on the new format, designed to create more meaningful connections between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses and organisations with real procurement opportunities.
Organisations with current and upcoming projects met directly with businesses that had relevant capability, helping to facilitate stronger connections, clearer conversations and more practical outcomes.
Businesses were given individual meetings with representatives from Alcoa, Western Power, City of Mandurah, ACCIONA and Genus, providing valuable access to organisations and decision-makers that can otherwise be difficult to secure. These conversations allowed businesses to explore upcoming opportunities, better understand procurement requirements and gain insight into tender and engagement processes.
Building on the Bunbury event, a Yarning Circle was also introduced in the centre of the room, creating a space for businesses and corporate representatives to connect in a more informal setting throughout the day. This allowed for relationship building and conversations that extended beyond the scheduled meetings.
Waalitj Hub Business Coach, Michelle Bailey, spoke about the success of the event and the value of creating direct pathways between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses and industry.
“Business Builders are all about creating connections that lead to real opportunities. By bringing businesses and decision makers together in a more personalised setting, we’re helping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander entrepreneurs build relationships, better understand procurement pathways and showcase the value they can bring to major projects and organisations,” she said.
“The Yarning Circle was a fantastic addition that created another layer of connection, giving participants the opportunity to continue conversations, share experiences and build relationships in a more informal setting. It’s been great to see this approach evolve following the success of our Bunbury event, and we’re excited about the opportunities it creates for the businesses we support.”
The Waalitj Hub supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people wanting to start, grow or sustain their businesses through a combination of in-house business coaching and access to professional support. The program is supported by the National Indigenous Australians Agency and corporate partners.
