IN THIS NEWSLETTER

Upcoming events and opportunities
Entrepreneur Spotlight – PhoneTech Voice & Data Ltd.

In case you missed it – Recap and video link to our January Entrepreneur Ecosystem Coffee Break: The Importance of Mentorship

How to connect with us!

UPCOMING EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES

As Albert Einstein once put it, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”

Perfecting your business pitch is one of the most important skills every entrepreneur must master. Why? Because a compelling clear pitch is what tells the story of your business. It is your “why” and is ultimately what will convince someone to believe in your product or service as much as you do.

Join us on February 22 to discuss the critical elements of an effective pitch and how to develop a dialogue that will help you connect with the head, heart and gut of your future clients and investors.

February 22, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Please register in advance here!
This is a free online event.
In partnership with Spicer Facilitation and Learning

The Mel Woodward Cup is an exciting startup competition organized by the Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship (MCE) and generously supported by members of the business community. The primary objective of this competition is to help accelerate the most innovative and high-potential student-led startups at Memorial University.

Annually, two students or teams respectively win $25,000 and $15,000 of leverageable funding and additional in-kind prizes from partners. All applicants will also receive feedback from judges on their startup idea and be able to share their applications with partners for further opportunities. For the 2022 Mel Woodward Cup, MCE will also award an “Entrepreneurship Award for Women or Non-binary Leadership” ($2,500) and an “Entrepreneurship Award for an Early-stage Idea” ($2,500).

This competition has been built on the memory of Dr. Mel Woodward, an entrepreneur who started his journey on a dream and a truck. Read more about Dr. Woodward HERE.

Applications close – March 1 @ 6 p.m.

Top eight interviews (in-person) – March 8 Top five finalists announced – March 11 2022 MWC Finals (in-person) – March 23

For details and eligibility requirements visit the website.

Atlantic Women’s Business Series

Rural Women Entrepreneurs Leading the Way in Tourism

Atlantic Canadian Women in Growth Partnership (ACWGP) is thrilled to announce the next event of their Atlantic Women’s Business Series.

This webinar series features interviews with distinguished women entrepreneurs from Atlantic Canada who will share their personal journey: how they got started in business, what obstacles they encountered, what they learned along the way, from whom they got the support and advice they would give to new businesses and those ready to expand.

When: February 9th, 1 – 2 pm

Get tickets here for free.

Tell us about your business profile/how your business got started?

I started PhoneTech in 2004 when I moved home from Kingston, Ontario. While in Kingston, I worked for an independent telephone repair company for six years, where I learned my skills. When I moved home, I tried getting a job with local companies, but nobody was hiring so I decided to start my own business with support from government programs and local contacts. My first contract was wiring chalets at the Humber Valley Resort which allowed me to purchase a service van and tools. My office was based out of my basement on Country Road. From there, I slowly built the business up to acquire new contracts from both local business and national companies. I was able to hire my first employee in my second year and by my fifth year, I had three employees and my own office away from my home. Today, I own five different businesses all related to telecommunications and have over 30 employees across the island.

We are a dealer for Xplornet Communications, Bell Canada, Shaw Direct, CareHawk, NEC, Lenovo, DSC, and Kantech security. We offer services in Business Phone Systems, security systems, nurse call, paging, structured cabling, computer services, cell phone repair, satellite systems, high-speed internet, cell phone boosters, and point-to-point wireless systems. In 2022, we will open our first retail location in Corner Brook at the Valley Mall and from there I plan to expand into Gander and Marystown. I am 45 years old and hope to be able to pass this business down to my kids.

What are some successes/achievements you’d like to share?

We are one of the largest independent telecommunications companies in NL. Over the past 17 years, we have completed some larger structured cabling projects in NL and currently, we maintain service contracts with Western Health, Labrador Grenfell Health, Xplornet Communications, Shaw Direct, Bell Mobility, RCMP, Bell Canada, Government of Newfoundland, Federal Government and many more. We have over 600 residential and commercial alarm accounts. We also have a full- service cell phone and screen repair shop. Our technician base covers the entire island and offers more remote service to residential customers than any other local telecom company on the island. Our technicians are all fully trained in their skills and carry the latest tools required to do the job. Our company is COR certified, and we maintain an up-to-date safety policy that is updated and maintained frequently along with all the required training and equipment needed.

What is your role with Navigate?

This is my first year with Navigate as a board member. I was asked by Adam Anderson, Navigate Co-chair, earlier this year to get involved and I took on the role.

What is your vision for growing entrepreneurship in Western NL?

My vision has been to grow a business to be sustainable that will continue to grow into the future. I have many colleagues who are entrepreneurs, and I look to them from time to time for advice or to lend an ear. I do the same for them. The reasoning to join Navigate is to meet new people with the same drive and hopefully learn from them and in the same manner, pass my experiences on (good and bad). NL has a lot of potential, however, we are a very sparse population, so it’s important to understand your customer base and meet their needs while still making a profit.

What advice would you give to new entrepreneurs?

Develop a business plan based on the geographic area you plan to set up the business in and make sure it is a plan that truly makes you feel happy and fulfilled. It is crucial to speak with people and local businesses about your idea to obtain feedback to determine the need for your product or service. Research local government programs as they can be critical to getting you started and follow up on these programs regularly and develop a budget that is smart and makes sense. It will take a few years to make real profits, so expect this and work it into your plan. If you set real expectations, then success is much more likely.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Navigate Entrepreneur Ecosystem Coffee Break – The Importance of Mentorship

January was National Mentorship Month and so January’s Entrepreneur Ecosystem Coffee Break was about the importance of mentorship. Several support organizations from our ecosystem joined us to share information about their mentorship programs, and we heard stories from mentors and mentees alike about their valued mentorship experiences.

A recording of the coffee break is available here. We’d like to send out a huge thank you again to everyone who shared their expertise and mentorship experience stories.

During January’s discussion, we talked about the purpose of mentorship, the types of mentors and mentorship available, the different stages of mentorship as well as what support a mentor can provide to an entrepreneur or startup. We also talked about the key ways a mentor can support you including:

• Sharing their entrepreneur journey and hard-earned experiences (the do’s and don’ts of starting a new business or growing an existing one)
• Advice on strategic planning, operations, HR and more
• Help solving problems and identifying solutions
• Motivation when things get tough
• Guidance in establishing goals and targets
• Connection to a broad network of contacts and resources to help open doors