Business Matter Course Creating Livelihoods

A recent graduate of AMES Australia's Business Matters course has started her own business.

Nawal Mohammed has started a business as an NDIS service provider in Melbourne's northern suburbs with four clients.

Her work involves supporting autistic children and children with disabilities, and particularly Arabic speaking clients.

Nawal, a single mother with four children of her own, said she found her work helping people rewarding and credits the Business Matters course for helping her to get her business up and running.

“The course was very helpful in giving me an understanding of how to run a business and what you need to do," Nawal said.

“Also my mentor encouraged me to keep going when I found things difficult and she gave me a lot of positive feedback.

“I love the work I'm doing helping people. The whole process has given me confidence and the knowledge I need to run my own business," she said.

The Business Matters program helps Arabic-speaking people with disabilities start their own business. It is a free course delivered AMES Australia in Melbourne's north, for people who want to become self-employed and who have a disability, or who care for a person with disability.

AMES Community Support Worker Jolie Alotry said participants received training on: developing business plans; how the tax system and an ABN works; marketing and promotion; disability knowledge; and, budgeting and finance.

“They also receive mentoring from a successful business owner," Jolie said.