Nina initially applied for YEPP with a business idea to care for animals while the owners were away from home by walking, grooming and tending to the animal’s needs. 

 

It wasn’t long before the year 10 student from Trinity South realised her creative flair for fashion exceeded her passion for her former venture and the idea for an online fashion website was born. 

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During the program Nina was quick to apply her theoretical knowledge to her business concept and in true entrepreneur form, she modified and re-focused her business model to reflect the new vision of the online fashion website MERC.

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YEPP equipped Nina with the skills to identify gaps in the online fashion sector and more importantly challenged her thinking in how her business could address these gaps. Nina branded MERC as a reasonably priced, ethical, high quality, unique online fashion ecommerce business targeted at Australian millennial women, that doesn’t come at the cost of the environment.   

 

Nina’s entrepreneurial mindset allowed her to identify ways to leverage off social media platforms commonly used by millennials, including engaging with social media influencers and ambassadors to attract business to her website. 

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Throughout the program Nina continued to position herself as a positive influencer, constantly supporting her entrepreneur peers with words of encouragement and constructive feedback.  Her ability to understand her core purpose and what she can offer both her own business and potential employers will position her well for years to come.

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 “I realised that an international brand called MERC exists, so I am in the process of overcoming this issue. I know this won’t be the only challenge I will be faced with in my entrepreneurship journey, but as I continue to develop my mindset as an entrepreneur I am confident I can find a way to make it work”. 

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“The program has taught me how to quickly identify ways to adapt, change and shift my focus when required and I know this will be beneficial both as a business owner or if I choose to work for a business one day”.

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