Partnership between Black Coffee and Dilin Duwa
Black Coffee and Dilin Duwa Centre for Indigenous Business Leadership are proud to announce a partnership that aims to elevate Indigenous entrepreneurs engaged in the extensive national Black Coffee network through scholarships to Australia’s number one Indigenous business program.
Dilin Duwa will support Black Coffee to identify and develop areas in which grassroot Indigenous entrepreneurs require support. This includes providing fully paid places for Black Coffee members in the award winning MURRA Indigenous Business Masterclass Program , the unique and award- winning education program for Indigenous business owners established since 2012.
“Having completed MURRA in 2015 myself, I absolutely understand the power of the program,” says Black Coffee Founder Leesa Watego.
“It gives you the skills to understand how to grow your business, but also an amazing network of like-minded people across the country and world leading teachers who can provide support throughout your business journey.”
For Dilin Duwa Director Associate Professor Michelle Evans, the partnership with Black Coffee was a natural progression for the Centre.
“I’ve been an admirer of Black Coffee for such a long time now,” reflects Michelle. “That idea of a locally driven initiative is a powerful example of community leadership in action. Leesa saw the need for a local support network to encourage new businesses, so she set up a platform to allow people to connect and yarn once a month. This is now a national movement.”
Dilin Duwa plans to work with Black Coffee to see what other support can be provided to the network, including access to the MURRA Online Platform for Black Coffee members to access quality learning material in areas such as Marketing and Strategy. There is also the potential for research collaborations to empower the Indigenous business sector to ask and answer the questions that are important to them.
Black Coffee members who have run a business for at least two years are invited to apply to MURRA. Successful applicants will be supported to attend the program in Melbourne which runs over 12 days (3 modules x 4 days each). They will receive travel, accommodation and full tuition support.
“When Black Coffee was founded in 2014, we had a lot of people who were just starting out on their business journey,” says Leesa.
“In the past decade, many of those people have been running their businesses for several years now and they are ready for this next phase to supercharge their growth. MURRA is an amazing opportunity and I can’t encourage people enough to apply. It really will change your life!”
SUPERCHARGE YOUR BUSINESS THROUGH THE MURRA INDIGENOUS BUSINESS MASTERCLASS PROGRAM
EOI
Indigenous businesses in the Black Coffee network are invited to apply for the MURRA Indigenous Business Masterclass Program at Melbourne Business School. The program is best suited to individuals operating an Indigenous business for at least 2 years.
MURRA is an award-winning program with 243 alumni from across Australia who run successful businesses across all fields and sectors. Participants will gain knowledge and skills in six core areas which are vital to growing your business – marketing, strategy, finance, managing people, negotiations and leadership. The program is designed specifically for Indigenous businesses owners and managers.
To apply:
- Complete the application form at mbs.edu/murra-program and attach all relevant supporting documents
- In the referral field, insert “Black Coffee”.
- The application will be assessed by an admission panel.
- Successful Black Coffee candidates receive full travel, accommodation and tuition scholarship over the 12 days of the program (3 modules x 4 days). Participants will need to cover some evening meals, transit costs to and from the airports and personal expenses.
Applications close 1st April 2024 for the Program Start on 13th May 2024. However, places are limited, and the application period may be closed earlier if the program is fully subscribed – we encourage you to apply early.