After living in metro Melbourne his entire life, Mike Soccio made the move to regional Victoria when his employer requested he worked from home. He was working for a national IT support company and was looking to become his own boss and work for himself.
He reached out to a Facebook group seeking advice on how to set up an IT business. Luckily for Mike, Sarina Russo Entrepreneurship Facilitator Dr Paul Miller connected with him. As an Entrepreneurship Facilitator, Paul provides a range of free services to budding Entrepreneurs like advice on starting and running a business, providing tailored mentoring and assistance and linking and referrals to appropriate services to assist with running a business.
Following very successful market testing, Paul encouraged Mike to apply for the Self-Employment Assistance program (previously New Business Assistance with NEIS). Mike was able to successfully launch his business – Mike’s IT Services – and has been helping people with their day-to-day IT issues ever since.
Despite the challenges a new business faces, Mike had been able to build a solid business and has a reputation for great customer service which has served him well living in a small country town.
For more information about Mike or Mike’s IT Services, click here.
Entrepreneurship Facilitator provides Government Funded assistance for new business startups
Our Sarina Russo Entrepreneurship Facilitator will support you not just for the startup phase, but can also provide ongoing support and mentorship once your new business is underway. We help you expand your business knowledge and experience with access to:
- practical assistance and support that will help you get things right, right from the start, to save you time and money
- the most up-to-date information and advice about starting your own business to improve your management skills
- an experienced mentor who can help you maximise your business performance, build your confidence, and develop your problem-solving and leadership skills
- referral networks and links to relevant services to expand your business contacts and potential customer base
We currently deliver this program in the Ballarat, Moorabool, Golden Plains, Central Goldfields, Hepburn and The Pyrenees regions.
For more information, please click here.
