Frequently Asked Questions

Who we are and what we believe

  • 25eight is a twice-certified B Corporation that builds capability in small and medium-sized business leaders. We combine diagnostic tools, structured learning, business coaching, and intentional AI integration so that the people running businesses can think more clearly, lead more confidently, and make decisions that are genuinely aligned with where they want to go.

    We work across two pillars. The 25eight Business Growth Architecture delivers programs directly to SME leaders and through government and council partnerships. We also train and accredit the coaches and practitioners who deliver capability development on behalf of 25eight and in their own contexts.

    Our team is remote and based across Australia. Our aim is to always build local capability.

  • Human-centred means designing systems, products, or services by prioritising human needs, behaviours, emotions, and values. It is a problem-solving approach that fosters empathy, ensuring technology and processes serve people, rather than forcing people to adapt to technology. It focuses on usability, accessibility, and improving overall human experience.

    Our programs are designed around that reality. The diagnostic, the coaching, the way AI is integrated, the peer learning; all of it is oriented toward building the human being who runs the business, on the understanding that when the leader grows, the business follows.

  • The Capability Era is the frame through which 25eight understands the current moment in business. We are past the point where access to information is the bottleneck. Business owners can find almost anything online. The real constraint now is the human capacity to process that information, know what matters, and act on it effectively.

    In the Capability Era, the competitive advantage does not come from having the right tool or the right data. It comes from the leader's ability to think, to decide, and to direct their business with confidence. That is what 25eight exists to build.

  • We help business leaders get clearer on where they are, where they are going, and what is actually in the way. We do that through a diagnostic that surfaces the specific gaps in business capability and leadership readiness, followed by structured programs that build those capabilities over time, supported by coaching and mentoring from people who have operated in the contexts our participants are navigating.

    We also help leaders think clearly about how to use digital tools and AI in ways that make sense for their business, rather than adding complexity to a system that is already stretched.

    Ultimately, it’s about making them their own business guru, exercising the ‘human’ muscles that will help them thrive in a modern world and help them feel confident to lead, rather than needing to be led.

  • B Corp certification means we are legally and operationally accountable to a broader definition of success than financial return alone. We track participant outcomes, business impact, and the wider effects of our work on the communities and regions we operate in. The certification is not a marketing choice - it reflects the way 25eight was built and the standard we hold ourselves to.

Our approach

  • Most business education is built around information transfer. You attend a workshop, you receive content, you leave with notes. 25eight is built around capability development, which is a different thing entirely. Capability is built through application, reflection, and supported practice over time — not through a single learning event.

    The practical differences are: we diagnose before we deliver, so participants are not sitting through content that is not relevant to them; our programs are structured around real business artefacts rather than case studies; coaching and mentoring are built in as core components, not add-ons; and we measure outcomes rather than completions.

  • The Small Business Capability Gap diagnostic is our complementary tool that helps you understand exactly where you are, what your gaps are and what your opportunities are. It is a structured assessment that identifies where a business leader is across the dimensions of business, leadership, digital and AI. The output is a capability profile that shapes the, coaching focus, and program recommendations we make.

    It is not a quiz and it is not a marketing funnel. It is a genuine diagnostic tool, built on research into how small and medium businesses grow and where they tend to stall. Business owners who complete it get a clear picture of their own starting point, which makes any future action more precise and progress accelerate.

  • This is the four dimension model that sits beneath all of our programs. Business capability without leadership capability is difficult to sustain — the business can grow beyond the person running it. Leadership capability without business capability tends toward good intentions without commercial traction. And both without digital capability increasingly means operating with unnecessary friction and missed leverage. If the human behind it doesn’t believe they can succeed, this impacts too.

    25eight builds across all dimensions, in proportion to what each participant actually needs. That balance is what the program commencement diagnostic surfaces, and what the coaching holds..

  • AI is integrated across 25eight programs deliberately and with a clear logic. It is not used because it is fashionable, and we do not encourage participants to use it to automate or accelerate processes that are already broken. That approach produces faster versions of the same problem.

    Instead, AI is introduced in three ways. First, as a thinking tool; participants use AI to test ideas, stress-test assumptions, draft artefacts, and push their own thinking further than they might go alone. Second, as an enabling layer; AI tools are used to build smarter systems within the business, but only once the underlying process is understood and sound. Third, as a reflection partner; in structured ways, AI can help a leader examine their own decisions and patterns.

    All of this rests on a foundation of AI readiness. Before a participant is encouraged to rely on AI for any meaningful task, we establish that they understand what they are asking it to do, why, and what good looks like. Intentional use of AI is a capability in its own right, and it is one we build explicitly.

  • Yes. We use AI across program design, content development, diagnostic systems, and the capability infrastructure we are building through our diagnostics and learning platforms. Our AI use is governed by the same principles we teach: intentional, grounded in a clear purpose, and never used to substitute for human judgement on things that require it.

    Our terms and conditions describe how participant data is handled in relation to our systems, and we do not use participant data to train AI models or for profiling beyond the diagnostic and program context.

  • Coaching in 25eight programs is not pastoral support; it is a structured, artefact-driven process. Each coaching session is anchored to a specific piece of work the participant has produced in the program. The coach reviews the artefact, challenges the thinking, and helps the participant refine both the output and the reasoning behind it.

    Mentoring is different. Mentors are industry practitioners who bring sector-specific or functional expertise. They are not there to coach the leader on how they think; they are there to provide informed perspective on specific decisions, particularly in contexts like government contracting, supply chain, or scaling.

    Both are designed to ensure that learning translates into action.

25eight Programs

  • The Next Level Growth Program (NLGP) — a structured 8-week growth program for business owners ready to move beyond the early stages of business scale their sales and/or systems. This focuses on helping you to develop a tailored growth strategy, operational clarity, and leadership capability.

    The Industry Growth Program (IGP) — is a 12-week program for SMEs transitioning into new sectors, supply chains, or markets. Includes deeper capability building across business, leadership, and digital dimensions, with mentoring from industry practitioners.

    Lead with AI is a focused program for business leaders who want to understand AI clearly, assess what it means for their business specifically, and develop a practical AI strategy grounded in their actual context and future opportunities. This goes beyond the gimmicks and mass automation to develop competitive advantage at scale. Designed for leaders who are thoughtful rather than reactive about technology.

    The AI Opportunity Workshop is a half-day facilitated session for business owners to map AI opportunities across their operations. A useful entry point before committing to a fuller strategy process.

    CEO Circle is a peer advisory and accountability program for SME leaders who have completed a 25eight program and want to maintain momentum and connection with other leaders navigating similar territory.

    Capability Coach Training is an accreditation pathway for coaches and practitioners who want to deliver human-centred capability development in their own contexts, aligned to the Association for Coaching competency framework.

  • The capability diagnostic is the clearest way to answer that question. It takes less than 10 minutes and produces a profile that maps your current business stage, capability gaps, and readiness for specific programs. We use that profile to make a specific recommendation rather than a general one.

    If you prefer to talk it through first, you can contact us directly and we will have a conversation about where you are and what you are trying to achieve. We will not recommend a program that does not fit.

  • The core program content is delivered online and is structured to work around the demands of running a business. Coaching and mentoring sessions are conducted via video call. Some programs include facilitated workshops, which may be in-person depending on the cohort and delivery context.

    Programs delivered through council or government partners will have in-person workshop components that are specific to that cohort. Those details are provided at the time of enrolment.

  • The NLGP and Lead with AI programs are 8 weeks and the IGP is 12 weeks, with a weekly time commitment designed to be meaningful without being unmanageable for a working business owner. The AI Opportunity Workshop is a single session over a half day.

    We are direct about this: the programs work when participants engage genuinely, with the activities and with the group and individual coaching and mentoring, This is about building capability, which cannot be done passively.

    However, our programs have been designed with time poor business owners in mind and are flexible to fit with busy schedules. To get the best results, a minimum commitment of 2-3 hours a week is ideal.

  • Some of our programs are delivered through local council and government partnerships, which means participation is either fully funded or substantially subsidised for eligible businesses.

    The best starting point is to submit and EOI for the program of your choice so you can be kept up to date with upcoming programs in your region.

  • Costs vary by program. For programs not delivered through a government partnership, pricing is listed on the relevant program page. We offer discounts for eligible organisations, scholarships for eligible applicants, and occasionally partner discounts through industry bodies and economic development organisations.

    If cost is a consideration, contact us. We would rather have a conversation than have someone assume a program is out of reach.

Practical questions

  • Our programs are designed for small and medium business owners, founders, and senior leaders who are running real businesses and taking that seriously. We work with people at a range of stages from those who have been in business short time and feel like they have hit a ceiling, to those who are preparing to grow into a new market, sector, or scale.

    We do not require prior business education. We do require a genuine intention to engage with the program and apply what is learned. The diagnostic helps us confirm fit before enrolment.

  • No prior technical knowledge is required. Our approach to AI starts with foundations: understanding what AI is, what it is and is not good at, and how to think about its role in your specific business. From that foundation, we build practical capability progressively.

    Participants who are already confident with AI tools will find the programs extend their thinking into strategy and systems. Those who are earlier in their AI journey will find the approach grounded, clear, and free of hype.

  • Our base and most cohorts are Australia-based, and government-funded programs are limited to eligible Australian businesses. However, because our programs are primarily delivered online, we can in some cases accommodate participants from other countries.

    If you are based outside Australia, contact us with your location and business context and we will be honest with you about what is possible.

  • While each business is different, participants typically experience:

    • Greater clarity on where to focus and what will make the biggest difference in their business.

    • Increased confidence and strategic capability as a business leader.

    • Actionable plans to improve revenue, profitability, systems or growth.

    • Access to industry networks and mentorship connections.

    • Better work-life balance (doing less, more impact) and being more strategic vs reactive.

    • Because we measure outcomes, we know our approach works — we focus on real results for business and leader.

  • Your diagnostic data is used to generate your capability profile and to personalise your program experience and coaching. It is stored securely and is not sold, shared with third parties, or used to train AI models.

    Aggregated and fully anonymised data may be used to develop insights about SME capability trends in regions and sectors. No individual is identifiable in that use. Our full data and privacy terms are available at 25eight.co/terms-conditions and 25eight.co/privacy-policy.

  • If circumstances change, contact your program coach or our team as early as possible. Depending on the program and the timing, we may be able to offer a deferred place in a future cohort or another arrangement. Our terms and conditions outline the specific conditions for each program. We are reasonable people and we would rather find a workable solution than lose a participant to a difficult season.

  • During the program: access to online learning materials, self-scheduled coaching and mentoring sessions, and a peer cohort of leaders going through the same process. We also use AI-assisted tools within the program to support your artefact development and reflection.

    After the program: alumni community access, and where relevant, pathways into CEO Circle for ongoing peer accountability. We believe the real work begins when the program ends, and the alumni community is designed to support that continuation.

  • The quickest starting point is the Small Business Capability Gap diagnostic at 25eight.co/the-small-business-capability-gap. It takes less than 10 minutes and gives you a clear profile and program recommendation.

    Alternatively, go to the Programs section of the website and read through the program that seems most relevant. Each program page includes eligibility information and a way to register interest.

    If you would rather talk to someone first, contact us at hello@25eight.co or call 1300 171 363. We will have a conversation, not a sales call.

Map your capabilities

Take the Small Business Capability Gap diagnostic to get insight into your current business growth potential and AI readiness. The diagnostic is complementary and also highlights your strengths and program recommendation.

Map my capabilities