YES is a business mentoring program designed for business owners and managers wanting to maximise business potential and improve their entrepreneurial skills.  

The next series of group mentoring sessions commences in Sydney in November 2008. Session one will take place on Friday 28 November and session two on Saturday 29 November.

The first Brisbane session will be held on Wednesday 10 December 2008.

Registrations can be made online and it is a quick and easy process.

Registration for all five sessions is $250.00. If you book and pay for all sessions by 14 November 2008 there is an early bird discount - pay only $220.00. 

Single session registration is $55.00.

Registration includes attendance, access to online learning material, handouts on the day and morning and afternoon teas (bring lunch or purchase lunch at the venue on the day - this is done to keep costs to a minimum).

There are a limited number of Creative Economy Scholarship positions available. If you think you and your business could benefit through participation, but cashflow is an issue right now, email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   with your details and ask to be considered.

Course Details

Session 1: Entrepreneurial Advantage (28 November 2008)

Know your own entrepreneurial advantage

·    Assessing your entrepreneurial skill set

·    What are the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs?

·    Self assessment of your business potential

Through case studies and live examples, investigate the "Opportunity"

·    What are the characteristics of long-term, quality opportunities?

Session 2: Strategic Marketing (29 November 2008)

A fast track guide to the most influential theories in marketing of the last 40 years.

Strategic Marketing

·    Market segmentation (clarifying who to sell to)

·    Understanding, creating and delivering value

·    Establishing a sustainable competitive advantage

·    Developing a seven step marketing plan

Defining Brand and Market Positioning

Construct your own brand analysis and product positioning for your business.

Key Value Proposition

Develop your own key value proposition. 

Session 3: Growing Your Business:  Attracting Investors (7 February 2009)

Growing Your Business

Keys to successful growth

Why does success and growth kill so many businesses?

How does a business grow without losing its mojo?

Develop strategies that avoid the pitfalls and plan for growth  

Beyond the three F's of investment (Friends, Family and Fools) what do external investors invest in and how?

What Do The Investors Say?

In preparing a recent Australian Investment Report, Creative Economy talked to angel investors, venture capitalists, financial institutions, government funding bodies and business owners. This session shares these findings and describes how they affect your business.

Getting Your Business Investment Ready

This is more than just about building a business to the point where investors will buy in, it's also about the long-term planning of a business. How will you build value, what is the exit strategy, when to sell and achieving maximum price? Always begin with the end in mind.

Session 4:  Tactical Marketing: Increasing Sales (7 March 2009)

Tactical Marketing

Construct a tactical marketing strategy to acquire, retain and grow customers by

·           Developing and using market intelligence

·           Creating the essential marketing mix for your business

Elevator Pitch

Learn the elements of pitching then design your 90 second elevator pitch. Perfect your pitch  with instant feedback from fellow participants.  Practice makes perfect.

Digital Marketing

Digital marketing has brought extraordinary opportunities for small businesses who have traditionally not been able to afford mass media advertising. Suddenly highly affordable, targeted, ‘pay by results' advertising has arrived and the benefits to entrepreneurs and small businesses are enormous. Assess the right digital marketing strategies for your business.

Session 5a: Legalese for Entrepreneurs (2 May 2009)

Knowing the legal framework within which your business operates can mean the difference between the success and failure of the business.

Securing the Deals

Understand the key legal concepts and issues, case studies that are central to deal making in creative businesses such as contracts and licensing.

Intellectual Property - The New Currency

Businesses that are founded on creativity and innovation need to be able to effectively understand and manage their valuable intellectual property rights. Find out the tools of the trade.

Session 5b: Entrepreneur's Presentation (2 May 2009)

Each participant makes a short presentation to the group drawing on tools and techniques learned during the course. Participants can choose to pitch their business to the group Dragon Den's style or they can present their own business as a case study to highlight any aspects of the course that were meaningful to them during the course.