Other programs give your business owners
more to do.

We create clarity by helping them finally see what actually matters.

Grounded Academy takes a holistic life-first approach — starting with who your business owners actually are, not just their revenue targets.
Practical tools. Real outcomes. Progress you can measure.

✓ Self-paced — business owners learn anytime, anywhere
✓ Pre and post data included — prove your impact
✓ Limited to 60 councils in 2026/27

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Close-up of wooden Scrabble tiles spelling out "WHO ARE YOU" on a white background.

A simple framework. Profound results.

Five steps. Built around the human. Not the revenue target.

1. Know who you are — strengths, working style, what fills you up
2. Know what you need from your business — honest financial picture, real numbers
3. Build your support ecosystem — right people, right roles
4. Find your levers — the two or three moves that close the gap
5. Close the gap — between where you are and the life you want

Once they see it — they can't unsee it. Building empowered business communities.

A program they complete. Thinking that stays with them.

Every business owner leaves Grounded Academy with frameworks and thinking tools that work across every decision they'll face — long after the program ends.

Flexible Learning + Real Connection

Here's how:

The biggest challenge councils face when running business programs isn't finding the content — it's getting business owners through the door.

Busy schedules. Something always on fire. The ones who don't show up are often the ones who need it most.

Grounded. Academy solves that. Business owners access the program online — anytime, anywhere, at their own pace. No missed sessions. No falling behind. No choosing between the workshop and the crisis that just landed in their inbox.

But we know online learning alone isn't the whole answer. Business owners also need to be in a room with people who actually get it. People living the same pressures, making the same decisions, lying awake at 3am about the same things.

That's why we encourage our partner organisations to facilitate a monthly informal meetup for their business community — coffee, a drink, no agenda required. The online program gives them the tools and the knowledge. The monthly meetup gives them the people. Together that's something neither could deliver alone.

Learn anytime. Connect in person. Both matter.

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A table set with turquoise coffee cups and saucers, some with coffee or tea, surrounded by papers, a smartphone, and various snacks including a slice of cake and chocolates, with people gathered around.

One platform.
Every program your business community needs.

Built with councils. Designed for business owners. Delivered with data.

Your council/organisation purchases a block of seats. Each business owner creates their own profile, chooses the program most relevant to them right now, and works through it in their own time — at their desk, on their lunch break, or at midnight if that's when they think best.

No scheduling. No venue. No facilitation required.

What's included with every council seat:
✓ Business owner chooses their program from the library
✓ Self-paced — complete in their own time
✓ Pre and post surveys — automated, data captured per council
✓ Council dashboard — track usage, completions and outcomes
✓ New courses added to the library regularly

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Business Clarity.
Already working in regional Victoria.

Pyrenees Shire Council — May 2026.

The Business Clarity Workshop Series wasn't designed in isolation. It was built in direct collaboration with Pyrenees Shire Council's Business Support department.

We talked about what local business owners were actually facing — the most reported challenges, worries and concerns coming through council's door. From that conversation the four session Business Clarity Workshop Series was born.

That's how every Grounded Academy program is built. Not from a textbook. From the real needs of real communities.

What participants walk away with:
✓ Clarity on who they are and how they work
✓ A real financial picture — what the business needs to fund the life they want
✓ Identified levers to close the gap
✓ A completed 90-day plan
✓ Decision-making tools they keep and use forever

PROGRAM OUTCOMES

I don't feel like I'm walking blind anymore. I have much greater clarity in what I am doing right and what I need to improve."

— Cafe 

"I had no clue if I was making a profit and I now have the ability to work that out."

— Convenience food business 

"More power and tools to make changes. More encouraged to ask for the price I need to stay viable."

— Retail store 

Permission to not feel guilt, and an improved sense of my worth in the business."

—Hospitality business

"Feeling energised, excited and creative."

— Retail store 

"Do it. So worth it, even if you are really tired. This might be your one lifeline out of the pits."

— Retail Store

"It is definitely worthwhile. Keep an open mind and adjust it to what works for you in your business."

—Hospitality business

"You're not a volunteer. You can have your cake and eat it. You are valuable but should be replaceable."

— Cafe

The course has really helped me value my work, and allowed me to ask myself “what do I want out of this”.

I no longer feel “stuck” and am excited about the year ahead.

— Cafe

Creating more value for your business community.

A growing library — each program targeting a specific stage, need or challenge.


Available on Grounded Academy in late 2026:

  • Grounded Business Clarity For established business owners who are overwhelmed, unclear and ready for a different approach. Life first. Ecosystem thinking. Levers. 90-day plan.

    Coming late 2026 - early 2027:

  • Grounded Business Startup For first-time entrepreneurs and new businesses. Build it right from the start — around who you are and the life you want.

  • AI for Business Practical AI for small business owners. No technical knowledge required. Simple tools, real results, immediate application.

Further programs in development. Your expression of interest input directly shapes what we build next.

Four women gathered around a table, looking at a tablet and smiling in a casual cafe or meeting space.
Two people, a man and a woman, standing inside a cafe with warm lighting. The man is holding a blue sign that reads "Yes, we're open" and the woman is standing with her arms crossed. Both are wearing aprons and looking at the camera.
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Programs built with your input - for your community.

Relevant, timely, practical. Real results

Limited to 60 councils in 2026/27.

We want to work closely with every council we partner with — understanding your community, your business owners and what they actually need. That's why we're limiting intake to 60 councils for the 2026/27 financial year.

Councils who register early will have direct input into the programs we're building. Your insights shape the library.

What's included in your council partnership:

Locked seat pricing for 3 years:
Your year one rate stays yours on the seats you commit to now. Additional seats in future years are priced at the current rate at time of purchase

Full library access for every seat:
All programs, all short courses, everything added over time included

Live progress dashboard:
See exactly who is engaging and completing. Automated, no chasing

Input into what gets built:
Your community's needs shape what we create next

Co-branded marketing pack:
Ready to send to your business community from day one

Priority onboarding:
Founding partners go first

Are you ready
to bring
Grounded Academy to your community?

"We're reaching out to all 537 councils in Australia. But we can only work with 60 of them in 2026/27."

We're limiting our first year intake to 60 councils so we can deliver exceptional support to every one of them. If your council misses out this year - you'll be first in line for 2027/28.

Tell us what your business community needs and put your council in the running.

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