August 2023 Newsletter

IN THIS NEWSLETTER

UPCOMING EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES

Join us for another in-person entrepreneurs’ coffee break at the Centre for Research and Innovation! Navigate is bringing back a regular, in-person Entrepreneurs’ Coffee Break, and we love seeing you!

Come down for our third in-person coffee break on Wednesday, Aug. 16th, at 1 pm!

The Entrepreneurs’ Coffee Break is a free and informal networking opportunity to connect with entrepreneurs, support agencies, and innovators. If you are around Corner Brook, please feel free to drop by between 1-2 pm. Coffee, tea and light refreshments will be provided. See you all at CRI!

The Jose Lam Start-up Event is designed for aspiring entrepreneurs! If that’s you, then this will be your extra motivation to take that extra step, connect to a wide network of support, and start that business. In this exciting 1.5-day event, participants will work as part of a team to experience the thrills and pains of starting a real company, while engaging with skilled mentors, coaches, and potential investors.

This annual event is held in honour of the late Dr. Jose Lam, Professor of Business at Grenfell Campus and a passionate supporter of the entrepreneurship community in Western Newfoundland. This year, Navigate is excited to announce that the Jose Lam Start-up Event will be held on Friday, October 20^th and Saturday, October 21^st at the Centre for Research and Innovation! The event will start with an initial Meet and Pitch on Friday evening (Oct 20^th), followed by a Work and Learn session on Saturday morning, and a final Pitch Competition on Saturday afternoon (Oct 21^st).

The Jose Lam Start-up Event is part of BDC’s Small Business Week (October 15th-21st), organized locally by the Greater Corner Brook Board of Trade. The event is free and open to anyone interested in entrepreneurship and learning more about starting a business. Meals will be provided for the duration of the event, and winning teams will win exciting prizes ranging from cash to valuable services provided by local businesses.

Look for more updates on Navigate’s social media or at https://navigatesmallbusiness.ca/events-news-media/

ENTREPRENEUR SPOTLIGHT

Now Open in Downtown Corner Brook!

Navigate is excited to feature a brand new start-up that is serving up summer treats in downtown Corner Brook!

Kosuke Toba recently completed the Navigate internship program, and is the owner/operator of Ugly Stix Mobile Food Stand. Ugly Stix started as an idea for the Jose Lam startup weekend at Grenfell Campus and has finally become a reality. Kosuke saw this as an opportunity to gain valuable business experience by doing something he loves, while hiring other local youth to give them an opportunity to earn some summer cash to pay for their post-secondary schooling.

Ugly Stix offers hot dogs, hamburgers, and sausages served with house-made, specialty sauces, and is open from 11 am – 7 pm, seven days a week. The cart is setup in downtown Corner Brook, on the corner of Main Street and Mill Road, across from Esso.

For more information, visit Ugly Stix on Facebook!

ENTREPRENEUR SPOTLIGHT

A recent graduate of Navigate’s Entrepreneurship Internship Program has some exciting updates about their new outdoor learning experience.

Twisted Tuckamore Forest School is an early childhood outdoor education and recreation program. Through repeated access to our forest site, children lead their own learning and play in connecting to food, art, and the land.

Our program offers children from all backgrounds the opportunity to build relationships with the land. And our Wild Strawberries program (flexibly ages 7-10) still has spots available this summer!

At Wild Strawberries, we are thrilled to offer:
🍁 Outdoor emergent play-based experiences
🌱 Opportunities to deepen our love, literacy, and stewardship of the land
🖍  Activities that expand creation-based skills, such as arts, crafts, and building
🐝 Hands-on experience growing, caring for, and cultivating food

Our Wild Strawberries program weaves between open-ended, child-led play and skill-based activities to dynamically meet the needs of diverse children and groups.

LOCATION – Blow Me Down Trails, Corner Brook NL
COST – $195/wk, Monday to Thursday, 9 am – 4 pm

Week 6: July 31st – August 3rd       (1 spot left)
REGISTER: https://tinyurl.com/sh2f7zj6
Week 7: August 7th – August 10^th      (8 spots left)
REGISTER: https://tinyurl.com/35mctcvh
Week 8: August 14th – August 17th    (8 spots left)
REGISTER: https://tinyurl.com/ymtpjehd

Learn more at our website: https://www.twistedtuckamore.com/

NAVIGATE NEWS

The fun and fast-paced workshop, held June 28 at the Centre for Research and Innovation, was a hybrid event that connected entrepreneurs and mentors both in-person and online.

During the session, about 15 entrepreneurs had allotted time with each mentor to pick their brains for ideas and advice regarding their start-ups. These aspiring entrepreneurs, which included a group of Grenfell and CNA students who recently completed an eight-week entrepreneurial internship program with Navigate, also had a chance to build networks and acquire valuable knowledge.

Navigate would like to thank the following people who volunteered their time as mentors:

• Denise Gibbons, CAN- Corner Brook Campus
• Sonja Mills, Port Rexton Brewery
• Scott Andrews, Futurpreneur
• Neil Nordeje, Ecobloc
• Steve Churchill, Phone Tech
• Morgan Payne and Megan Walsh, MP Business Solutions Ltd.

“The value of events like this is that they can provide aspiring entrepreneurs with valuable knowledge and expertise to guide their start-up journey,” said Dr. Brennan Lowery, manager of Navigate. “As well, bringing back in-person events is an important part of maintaining and growing the entrepreneurship community. That said, Navigate also recognizes the value of online events to ensure accessibility to people across western Newfoundland, and we want to keep offering high-quality hybrid options for our entrepreneurship events.”