Be Your Own Boss

Be Your Own Boss on ABC Radio

Our Be Your Own Boss Microbusiness Program empowers, educates and supports people with disability to develop and grow their own microbusiness.  Jocelyn Wills, General Manager of Carers Queensland NDIS LAC PITC, spoke to Matt Webber from ABC Gold Coast about how Be Your Own Boss connects aspiring entrepreneurs with mentors who are established in the business community.

Transcript

Matt Webber: What do able-bodied folks really know and understand about working with a disability?  A new program headed by Carers Queensland not only looks to create opportunities for people who might otherwise find it a bit of a struggle to get ahead, it also offers people an invaluable insight into the challenges of working with a disability.  And also, and this is the important bit, the significant possibilities attached to all of that.

Jocelyn Wills is general manager at Carers Queensland, Jocelyn hello.

Jocelyn Wills: Good morning, Matt.

Matt: What are the participation rates for people living with a disability?  Overarching employment rates, relative to the able-bodied?

Jocelyn: Yes, so we know that people with a disability certainly experience more barriers to entering the workforce.  So, about 53.4 per cent of people with disability are in the labor force, compared to about 84.1 per cent of people without a disability.

Matt: It's a hell of a disparity, isn't it?

Jocelyn: Absolutely.

Matt: And that's why this program is so important.  Tell us about it.

Jocelyn: So the Be Your Own Boss program has been running in the Gold Coast for a little while, and we're actually expanding that out to both the Gold
Coast and Ipswich.  It's about realising, as you said, the possibilities for people with disability to be their own boss and start their own microbusiness.  So a small business that may come from a hobby or something that people really love to do, that has the opportunity to support people with disability to participate economically.

Matt: So it has an entrepreneurial focus?

Jocelyn: Absolutely, yes.  So people with a disability who have an idea about something they'd like to do that they could possibly expand into an opportunity for employment are able to do that through our mentoring program and practical opportunities to to sell their wares or their ideas at marketplaces as well.

Matt: So obviously no shortage of people who want to be mentored, but you're putting the call out for mentors themselves.  Tell us about the sorts of people you want to hear from.

Jocelyn: So we would love to hear from people with entrepreneurial business experience who would like to give back, connect with the community, and take the opportunity to to really understand the great things that people with disability can do in their own their own businesses.  So particularly people with expertise in finance, marketing and sales, photography, workplace health and safety, social media, web design, those kinds of things that can really help the people with disability we're working with come up with great some great business plans and make their dreams a reality.

Matt: Jocelyn Wills is a general manager at Carers Queensland, the Be Your Own Boss program is what we're talking about this morning.  I want to hear some success stories out of this program in a few moments, just to give people a a bit of context, but what sort of commitment for a mentor, for someone who's advising, what's in it?  What's involved?

Jocelyn: Yes, so so we would love for mentors to connect with us and then come and do information sessions, be guest speakers with our people with disability that are on the program, and really share their experience.  So that's what we're looking for.  We're looking for people that can give a couple of hours of their time to come and speak to people and share their experience as as the starting point for this program for our business mentors.

Matt: Can you give us some examples of where this kind of thing has worked well?

Jocelyn: Yes, so we've been doing this for a little while, this is a little program that we're we're ramping up in Ipswich but actually started at the Gold Coast.  We've seen people who have come to marketplaces who have had their things that they wanted to sell, various products from equine products for horses right through to wind chimes and art and crafting.  They have been able to start their business, plan it, and actually go ahead and sell those things in community.  And in a number of cases have come to do that totally by themselves without any support and just really found out what it feels like to be successful in their own microbusiness.

Matt: So many of us love hearing that, getting mentors to not just celebrate the successes but involve themselves.

Jocelyn: Yes, I think there are so many wonderful people in our community, Matt, who are looking for an opportunity to do something, that little bit extra, to engage and to really offer their support.  Sometimes we're not sure how, you know, what is the right way, how can I offer my skills and experience?  And this is a great opportunity.  I think the other thing is it creates a network of mentors too.  So certainly the opportunity for people to meet like-minded entrepreneurs, business people, who are also doing the same thing.  We certainly see that as another real opportunity for people too.

Matt: Jumping speed humps, I love it, it's great.  Jocelyn Wills from Carers Queensland, how can people get involved or find out more?

Jocelyn: Yes, so we would love for people to have a look at our website which is www.carersqld.com.au and you can click on the Be Your Own Boss link under the Inclusion Projects tab that we have on the website, or if you'd like to email directly to the team that are looking after this very important work you can reach out to cq.communityandmainstream@ndis.gov.au and we would love to hear from people who are interested.

Matt: Good to hear from you Jocelyn, thank you.

Jocelyn: Thank you so much.