The Journey
Louise Earnshaw founded EXI Pty Ltd and the Chutzpah Factory College of Entrepreneurship Inc (Chutzpah Inc.) to provide accredited real-world entrepreneurship training to Australian and International people and communities under threat.
Both EXI and Chutzpah Inc. are spin-off ventures from Earnshaw's PhD research into Chutzpah in entrepreneurs and maverick youth. The word "chutzpah" is Yiddish for cheek, audacity, guts and gall, in other words, an entrepreneur! The research found similarities (chutzpah!), between successful entrepreneurs and youth at-risk.
Earnshaw recognised that her research model and findings had international application and proceeded to establish EXI Pty Ltd and Chutzpah Inc.
In March 2002 Earnshaw introduced her methodology to the public as training workshops in youth entrepreneurship development, and since then has completed:
- Workshop tours in seven countries working with in excess of 10,500 participants resulting in skilling high-risk youth to launch micro-enterprise
- Founding EXI Pty Ltd and the Chutzpah Factory College of Entrepreneurship Inc.
- Trialling Certificate II in Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Skills in five Australian states
- Launching three Australian Chutzpah sites including two Indigenous sites in the Goldfields and Western Desert
- Facilitating in excess of 100 high-risk indigenous and non-indigenous youth to create micro-enterprises, leading to employment, education and training, work placements, traineeships and apprenticeships
- Identifying a number of mirco-enterprise projects for the purpose of cultural preservation in the Indian Himalayas and Sri Lanka
And the winner of a number of prestigious awards including:
- 2007: The Endeavour Executive Award to work with remote Himalayan-desert Villagers on the Indo/Tibetan border
- 2004: Queensland Government's Smart Women Smart State Award
- 2004: UniQuest Trailblazer Award: Student Category
- 2003: UQ Research Travel Award to visit Wall St New York and Denmark
- Finalist: UQ Business School's Enterprize Competition 2004
- Extensive acclamatory print, television and radio reports in Australia, NZ and Denmark.