Kickstart your business with DARe’s Micro Business Bootcamp

Take an inside look into the pilot cycle which took 32 businesses from ideation to execution

Many still believe starting – and running – a sustainable business to be a mysterious amalgamation of luck, connections and inner skill. And while starting a business isn’t easy, it isn’t a distant, exclusive path that can only be hacked by a select few.

If you’ve been sitting on an idea, or perhaps just started developing a product or service, but unsure whether you’re taking the right measures along your entrepreneurial journey, Darussalam Enterprise (DARe) is inviting you to join its new Micro Business Bootcamp (MBB) –  a comprehensive three-week programme with six months of guidance and mentorship that will help you strategically navigate the setting up and growth of your business.

Take an inside look into the pilot cycle of MBB earlier this year – which took 32 businesses from ideation to execution.

Ideation and entrepreneurship course

Within startup jargon, ideation is really just a fancy way to describe the process of developing an idea for a business and subjecting it to some rigorous questions on whether the concept is viable – and whether you have the tools and resources to sustainably execute it.

After a day-long ideation workshop by the trainers of consultancy firm Startup Hub Bimp-EAGA (SUHBE Co.), MBB participants had a two week’s course to learn the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and the core competencies in running a business including marketing, financial management and HR capability.

Building a team

Interpersonal skills are essential – and in business, often critical; internally, your ability to lead and work as a team will determine your productivity and consistency, and externally, your ability to influence and connect with customers and businesses can make or break deals, investments and sales.

While nature and the recluse of Temburong isn’t the most obvious destination to improve interpersonal skills, the Outward Bound Brunei Darussalam (OOBD) site and its seasoned instructors are highly rated – albeit lesser known to the public – for simulating survival scenarios outdoors to build character, teamwork and leadership.

The aspiring and new entrepreneurs also spent a week at OOBD – where they were also put through the paces physically.

Following through

After lessons within classrooms, walking on stage to present their ideas, and forging bonds with their fellow entrepreneurs, the 32 participants are now delivering on the reason they first signed up: operating their very own micro businesses.

Smooth sailing isn’t likely – stumbling blocks will be aplenty, as you start to grow and progress. Six months of continued mentorship and one-on-one guidance will be provided by SUHBE Co. to bootcamp participants immediately after the programme, with DARe opening up financing options for businesses looking to the funds to scale.

DARe’s Micro Business Bootcamp is open and free for Brunei citizens and permanent residents. To sign up, email your interest to microbusiness.bootcamp@dare.gov.bn