Start-up hub helps to take businesses to the next level

A geographical imbalance around access to support networks for budding entrepreneurs led Wānaka-based Richard Liew to address the issue, Steve Davie reports.

Wanaka entrepreneur Richard Liew launched an online start-up learning hub just as the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

As he was building the Startup NZ online learning hub in 2019, Richard Liew identified a significant gap in the ability of many to take their idea to the next step, simply due to where they were born or lived at the time.

Through Startup NZ, aspiring entrepreneurs - those with an idea but still a long way off determining a business plan, taking a product to market or attracting investment - were introduced to the basics of "lean start-up" business-building methodology.

The tool was launched just as the Covid-19 pandemic hit in early-2020 and Mr Liew was inundated with "cool ideas but because of where they lived, they had no access to any sort of support network".

"The east coast of the North Island or the west coast of the South Island don’t have the same or even any networks that people with great ideas can approach.

"The opportunities for people looking to lift themselves up were dramatically different to those living in major cities or larger urban areas. It seemed very unfair that people who could most benefit and lift the prospects for themselves and their families were disadvantaged.

"Startup NZ provides a simple online programme to ensure there is no further reinforcement of systemic inequality."

Suzie Mulvihill is the founder of functional mushroom blend business Soulshine Spores.

Backed by Callaghan Innovation, 60 scholarships were being offered to Startup NZ, a partnership Mr Liew described as a "game changer in terms of scaling up the entrepreneurial skills and understanding of New Zealand innovators".

Designing and building the platform was a long way from Mr Liew’s early years as a self-described "bored" accountant in Auckland.

"I could see my life ebbing away in a job I didn’t really enjoy and left three years after graduating," he said.

In the two decades between that resignation and launching Startup NZ, Mr Liew’s work life has been spent in HR recruitment and training and digital publication.

He started his entrepreneurial journey designing spreadsheets for small businesses and then worked with a start-up company that went through the Icehouse incubator programme in Auckland.

"Start-ups were on the rise, transitioning out of the dotcom bust and it was a great time to be involved.

"After the GFC [Global Financial Crisis] I pivoted out of HR and moved into producing digital magazines - fishing, photography, NZ Manager and NZ Entrepreneur, which is still running today," Mr Liew said.

When Mr Liew moved to Wanaka in 2015, he looked around to see how he could contribute to start-ups in his new community.

"We arrived just a year or two after the Chorus Gigatown ultra-fast broadband competition. Wanaka made it into the top five and local business owners wanted that momentum to continue - they had seen how the competition had galvanised the town and business community.

"They wanted to make the town attractive to people to move here and establish tech-based start-ups."

That group morphed into Cube (Centre of Unique Business Evolution) and has now transformed into the Startup Queenstown Lakes Trust, which was established three years ago to help offset the downturn in tourism and construction in the region. Mr Liew is a trustee.

After consulting with other founders, investor groups and economic development agencies in 2019 to assess if there was an appetite for an online learning tool, Mr Liew began designing Startup NZ.

"When Covid hit, we were inundated by business owners and employees who had had the rug pulled from under them and needed to reinvent themselves. They wanted to learn about entrepreneurship and start again on their own terms.

"It was great to be able to fill the gap and give people a sense of self-belief and confidence, opening the way for them to go into business with their eyes wide open. Entrepreneurs are problem solvers and change makers.

"The online platform is a tool to help them before reaching the stage of becoming a business owner. That’s a tricky place, where you have the idea but have no feasible business, and it’s often where people give up and write it off forever. It’s a real shame," Mr Liew said.

Having more New Zealanders learning to think in an entrepreneurial way would help them cope with the types of changes and disruption seen in the last few years.

Mr Liew said he felt "privileged" knowing Startup NZ was offering tangible support and knowledge.

"Hearing stories from participants in the programme who have come back and told us they had been given the courage and insight to bring ideas to fruition is really fulfilling."

Suzie Mulvihill, founder of Soulshine Spores, is halfway through the online course and praises the benefits she has received.

Based in Wanaka, Soulshine Spores promotes the use of functional mushroom blends and Ms Mulvihill said her self-belief had grown through her participation in the programme.

"The primary thing I’ve learned and valued the most is the concept of the entrepreneurial mindset.

"Although I had previously read extensively about starting a business and being an entrepreneur, the course presented this material in a fresh and impactful manner.

"Understanding and embracing the entrepreneurial mindset has been instrumental in propelling various aspects of my business forward. It has provided me with a solid foundation to approach challenges, make informed decisions, and pursue growth opportunities with confidence."

Ms Mulvihill said a significant personal development for her was "overcoming the fear of rejection" and recognising it as a natural part of the process.

"Embracing rejection has prompted a reassessment of my approach and motivated me to make necessary improvements. This mindset shift has allowed me to navigate setbacks, and there have been a few, with resilience and continuously refining our strategies for success," she said.

Soulshine Spores was launched in December last year. It’s Rise & Shine blend was a finalist in the Food Product of the Year category at the NZ Organic Awards in April. The next step is breaking into the Australian market.

Story by Otago Daily Times