The Tourism Entrepreneurs Advice and Mentoring Services (TEAMS) began in 2020 with support from the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) Tourism For All programme. Establishing TEAMS - Timor-Leste's first business coaching service - recognises the emergence of a new generation of Timorese tourism, food and coffee entrepreneurs. Having started from scratch to run our own social enterprise (Agora Food Studio) in one of the toughest business environments in the world, we have experienced the thrill of thriving with tailored coaching and mentoring support along the way. When you're flat out trying to make ends meet and ensure customer satisfaction, one-off training sessions that interrupt your business imperatives can become counter productive. Our business coaching philosophy is that entrepreneurs benefit from their peers asking the right, and sometimes forthright questions, to enable them to resolve their own challenges. 

Even though we're dealing with the reality of COVID-19, TEAMS has commenced via online video platforms and will emerge into more face-to-face coaching as the situation allows. Partner businesses receiving business coaching include tour operators such as Timor Unearthed, Maddog Adventures and Timor Fixer. In the hospitality sector we are working with Fatima Cafe and Agora Food Studio's management team. We are also working with local producers of food, coffee and craft products including Gili Coffee, Timor Mie and Centru Sover. For more information on how you or your staff can receive business coaching, in either English or Tetum, email us at timorlestefoodlab@gmail.com.