How We Work

The Ignite® model is based on working one on one with passionate individuals to turn their passion into possibility! We match the client with a facilitator who mentors them, working alongside them each step of the way, tailoring the support to the individual. If they need business support with setting up on ABN, or perhaps it is marketing support to set up a social campaign, or getting access to markets or customers, we essentially lift their exposure to customers, lift capability and elevate their support network for ongoing success.

We do all of this working at the pace of the client which might take one month, one year and more – working mindfully with people who have additional barriers and reasons that they may not be able to move quickly through the steps to starting a business.

The backbone of the Ignite® model is our Resource Team also referred to as the business Eco-system of Support, built around each entrepreneur for continued support throughout their business journey even after they exit the program. Our Resource Team consists of business professionals and experts, volunteers, students and low-bono professionals, all assisting with our four pillars around compliance, legal, marketing and finance.

Ignite Client Journey

At each stage, the Ignite Facilitator will guide, mentor and connect the passionate entrepreneur with the necessary support to assist them in their journey to establish a viable start-up business.

The Educate stage has couple of options. Potential entrepreneurs can access one of our Ignite 1-hour information sessions or 3-hour Educate workshops to learn about what it takes to run a successful business. If you have a viable business idea and are ready to jump into the business start-up journey, you can refer straight to the program.

Once your referral has been received, a specially trained Ignite Facilitator will be in touch to arrange your first meeting. As an active client of the program, you will receive 1-1 tailored support, which is ongoing and confidential.

During this stage, you will work with your Ignite Facilitator on further homework and activities to establish your ecosystem of support, product testing and marketing, business planning and confirmation of finance and compliance.

In this stage, you will have developed all the basic components of your business. This includes finalising basic trading requirements to operate in the country legally and ethically.

In the final stage, you move towards graduation. For successful business ventures, this stage is accompanied by business consolidation and independence from Ignite.

have a business idea? or running an existing business but need support? click here to refer yourself

Resource Team

Ignite® entrepreneurs are supported by a resource team, made up of passionate individuals, including business owners, finance and marketing experts, product developers, business advisors, universities and many others. Members of the resource team provide their expertise, business knowledge and skills to our Ignite®  entrepreneurs to support product development and broaden their knowledge and understanding of issues including local laws, suppliers and business networks.

Being part of the Ignite Resource Team is a rewarding experience. We are grateful and appreciate the support, however we do have some expectations to ensure best possible support for our entrepreneurs, such as:

  • professional and ethical conduct
  • confidentiality agreement
  • desirable commitment of a minimum of six months due to average business start-up timeframe

If this sounds like something you’d like to explore further, hit the button below to get in touch.

Get Involved

Frequently Asked Questions

About Ignite:

The Ignite® Small Business Start-ups Program is an SSI initiative established in 2013 to facilitate small business creation for people from a refugee and migrant background who want to start their own business or expand an existing one.

IgniteAbility®, Ignite’s sister program, facilitates business creation for people living with disability.

Ignite First  facilitates business creation for people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds- collectively known as our First Nation’s people.

Ignite head office is based in Marrickville, NSW, however we have Ignite hubs operating across Greater Sydney,  and regionally in NSW in Armidale and Coffs Harbour.    We also operate in Victoria, with a bug in Greater Melbourne and a partner organisation in East Gippsland.

Ignite Support:

On our referral form you will notice that we have three options in the dropdown list:

  • Ignite is for people from refugee backgrounds, those on bridging visas and anyone who has immigrated to Australia in the last ten years (regardless of the program location).
  • Ignite Ability is for anyone living with a disability (regardless of the program location).
  • Ignite Regional is for the anyone in Coffs Harbour and Armidale. The Ignite and IgniteAbility criteria (i.e. needing to have a refugee or asylum seeking background) does not apply.

Submit your details via our online referral form and a member of the Ignite team will contact you within 7-10 business days, sooner where possible, to organise first steps.

We suggest that you refer yourself via our online referral form and/or attend our Ignite Educate information session which will give you just enough insight into what it takes to run a successful business and what Ignite can do to support you to turn your passion into a possibility.

The short answer is no. The long answer is, we believe that providing capital funding to an entrepreneur at the outset is detrimental to their business development without assessing their product, marketing and financial wellbeing. Look at it this way; if you built a house on a weak foundation, eventually it would crack and collapse. Building a strong business foundation at the start is important to long term business success.

We have previously supported entrepreneurs in other regional areas. Email us at ignite@ssi.org.au with your enquiry and we’ll contact you to discuss.