Mosese Raqio 
[File Photo]
For two young entrepreneurs, the Graduate Business Start-Up Grant Scheme has turned ideas into opportunity — and uncertainty into confidence.
Amelia Nadau, owner of Amelia Nadau Investment, says she never initially saw herself as a businesswoman.
Encouraged by a friend to apply, Nadau says the programme changed how she approaches business, teaching her the importance of compliance, marketing, pricing and valuing her time and resources.
She says she previously undervalued her products and often sold them too cheaply.
Her business now transforms traditional tapa into earrings, journal covers, passport holders and accessories, while using leftover pieces that would otherwise go to waste.
The venture builds on her family’s tapa-making tradition while creating new commercial opportunities.
For Kava Masilagi, the grant is helping expand Etch Employment and Talents Consultancy Hub, a business that started with resume writing for friends and family and has grown into skills mapping and career planning.
Masilagi plans to invest the grant in equipment, advertising and administrative costs.
She says the programme provided practical training in branding, finance and business development, but the biggest hurdle for young entrepreneurs can be self-belief.
Her message to other graduates is simple and that is not to be afraid, and take the chance.
For Nadau and Masilagi, the grant has provided more than financial support it has helped turn their skills, ideas and ambitions into businesses.
