Newcastle entrepreneur Matt Purcell and Boost Juice founder Janine Allis have teamed up to create The Business Academy, an four-day hands-on business education course.
Matt Purcell is an entrepreneur in every sense of the word.
A former Lake Macquarie Young Entrepreneur of the Year, since relocating to Sydney, Mr Purcell has become the brains behind strategies for some of Australia's biggest brands, such as Ford Motors and MJ Bale, and personalities, including Australia Idol winner Guy Sebastian and world surfing champion Layne Beachley.
It was on his podcast The Examined Life when he first met one of Australia's most successful businesswomen, Boost Juice founder Janine Allis.
The pair stayed in touch as "admirers of each other's work". The idea for a business course emerged out of a desire to help people.
"We had a lot of people reaching out to us individually, asking for help to grow their business," Mr Purcell said.
"We played with the idea of collaborating, but we really took our time and did our research. We fleshed out a business plan and tested different markets."
What they settled on was The Business Academy, a program that gives people the opportunity to learn directly from Mr Purcell and Ms Allis. Each day will involve a deep dive on a different topic.
Ms Allis said the program was unique and something she wished existed when she first took a major business and personal risk to start Boost Juice by selling her family home.
"Today I can look outward and say business is simple, but we over complicate it and focus on all the wrong things," Ms Allis said.
She said The Business Academy came after "all the lessons learned while actually doing business, not just studying it". "Our approach is straightforward-it's based on real-life experience, not just theory.
"I started Boost Juice with no business experience from my kitchen table while managing the chaos of three young children. We risked everything, including our family home. The journey was filled with mistakes, but each one taught invaluable lessons."
Mr Purcell said the academy's big focus was guidance over information.
"We're often overloaded with information, but information alone doesn't create understanding, guidance does," he said.
"For business owners, it's often not about a lack of resources, but a lack of clear next steps. Where do you invest? How do you manage growth?
"Guidance is incredibly undervalued in business. The best way to grow is to learn from those who've actually done it - and Janine is a prime example of real-world success."
Course modules cover a range of essential business topics, from business strategies to innovative customer engagement and team development, all grounded in real-world business experiences.
At the end of the program, participants will be left with a personalised business growth plan for the next six to 12 months. For more information, visit thebusinessacademy.com.au.
