In This Newsletter:
Announcing the new Navigate Entrepreneur Internship Program!
Applications now open!
Website launch!
Upcoming events, opportunities and workshops
Entrepreneur Spotlight – Megan Samms
In case you missed it!
Video links to the Navigating Intellectual Property Workshop and our Ho Ho Hope for 2021 Coffee Break
Funding opportunities
Suggestion Box – Tell us what you need to succeed
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
How to connect with us!
Navigate Entrepreneur Internship
Navigate is now accepting applications for a limited number of Entrepreneur Internship positions. This new initiative will provide financial resources, support and guidance to students with a viable business plan to develop their business idea while still in
school or just graduating. The applicants must be a student of MUN Grenfell Campus or CNA Corner Brook Campus to be eligible.
Ready to forge your own career path? Want to be your own boss?
Apply now for one of our entrepreneur internship positions to immerse yourself in a start-up environment while working towards starting your own business.
As an entrepreneur intern, you will:
- Work on your business idea with the dedicated support and guidance of mentors and advisors
- Connect with a network of peers and key ecosystem players
- Have flexible hours to work on your business idea while pursuing your studies
- Receive a $3000 stipend to help support you on your start-up journey
- Connect with potential customers
- Complete a six-week internship, during which time you will work with Navigate advisors to develop and refine your business idea
Program requirements:
- Minimum commitment of 20 hours per week working on your business
- Weekly meetings with the Navigate Manager to set goals and discuss progress
- Attend meetings with designated mentors
- Must be in good academic standing
- Disbursement of funding is contingent upon program completion
Please complete the application questions and required information below and email to Allison Rowe, Navigate Manager,
at allisonr@grenfell.mun.ca.
Deadline to apply: January 8, 2021
Navigate Entrepreneur Internship Application Form
Personal Information
First name:
Last name:
Email:
Phone number:
Post-Secondary Institution:
Program of Study:
Student Number:
Country of Origin:
- Are you eligible to work in Canada? Yes / No
Motivation and Goals
- What is your main motivation for applying for the Navigate Entrepreneur Internship Program?
- What skills/background are you bringing to the internship?
Your Business Idea
- Give a high-level description of your business idea in one sentence, ten words or less.
- Business Idea Overview (Less than 500 words) Please provide a brief overview of your proposed products/services, as well as target markets. If you have not yet identified a product
or service, tell us about the problem you are looking to solve.
- What assumptions do you currently have that, if proven wrong, could cause the business to fail? Please list the top three assumptions about your business.
- Does your company seek to address a social, cultural, or environmental issue? If yes, please elaborate.
Required Supporting Documents and Information
- Please provide the following as part of your application:
- A one-page cover letter
- Your resume
- A link to an unlisted 1-minute YouTube video explaining your interest in entrepreneurship and describing your business idea (audio files are also acceptable).
- Please submit a completed Lean Canvas: Visit the links below for details.
- leanstack.com/lean-canvas
- railsware.com/blog/lean-canvas-a-tool-your-startup-needs-instead-of-a-business-plan/
Navigate Feedback
- How did you hear about the Navigate Internship program?
Upcoming Events, Opportunities and Workshops
Launch of new Navigate website coming soon!
Stay tuned for the upcoming launch of Navigate’s new website. It includes cool new features such as:
- a comprehensive toolkit with all the resources you need to start or grow a business
- an interactive entrepreneur ecosystem map with information and links to the many supports available to budding start-ups
- a directory showcasing local businesses that we invite you join
- information on Navigate services and programming
- news, events, videos, inspirational podcasts and much more!
JANUARY 6
Navigate Presents:
Navigating Uncharted Waters Workshop Series – Energize for 2021! Finding Work-Life Balance as a Business Owner
Did you know that approximately one half of entrepreneurs experience at least one mental health condition during their lifetimes? And, that doesn’t account for the added stress of a global pandemic.
If 2020 has left you feeling depleted from putting all of your energy into keeping your business afloat, we have a New Year’s resolution for you.
Join Alison Butler, entrepreneur, wellness coach and mental health first aider to learn the skills and tools every entrepreneur needs to kick 2020 to the curb and get energized to thrive in 2021.
This session will cover:
- Alison’s personal story of business ownership and health struggles
- What does wellness look like for you?
- How to build wellness into your busy day
- Practical tips to make new practices stick
- How to creatively support your own wellbeing when it feels like there is no time
- How to feel motivated and find support
When: Wed, Jan 6, 2021, from 9:30 am – 11:30 am
Open to all. Free to attend.
Register now
here.
JANUARY 14
Navigate Presents:
Taking your Business Online
Curious as to what it takes to create an online store?
Not sure where to start?
This session will teach you the basics of what you need to create an online store.
Join us, for a free online workshop.
When: Thurs., Jan. 14th, 2021, from 3 pm – 5 pm
Facilitated by: Sheldon Payne (Newfound Marketing)
Register
here or email rbmendis@grenfell.mun.ca
Presented by:
Grenfell Campus
CBDC Nortip
Navigate
Funded by: Mitacs
JANUARY 15
Navigate Presents:
Entrepreneur Ecosystem Coffee Break – Panel Discussion – Local entrepreneur success stories from 2020
Nearly every entrepreneur story starts with a lemonade stand. Join us to hear from local entrepreneurs who embarked on new business ventures in 2020 and made lemonade from pandemic lemons.
When: Fri., Jan. 15, from 11:30 am – 1 pm
Open to all. Free to attend.
Register now
here.
In partnership with Spicer Facilitation and Learning
Please share with your network!
Genesis Evolution Program
Applications now open for January 2021 cohort!
Great learning opportunity for early-stage entrepreneurs!
Navigate is collaborating with Genesis to assist eligible Navigate clients to access the new online version of the Genesis Evolution Program. Evolution is an 8-week, pre-incubator stage intensive program designed for early-stage start-ups with a technology
focus or component.
With experiential learning at the core of the program, Evolution immerses entrepreneurs to engage their potential customers, while receiving mentorship from Genesis’ extensive advisor network. The program helps entrepreneurs quickly identify their markets,
validate their idea, and find Problem Solution Fit. For program details visit:
www.genesiscentre.ca/evolution
Save the date!
Healthy Futures Forum – January 27
Are you a health pioneer?
Are there healthcare problems that you would like to help solve?
Or perhaps you have a solution to an unmet healthcare need?
Join us on January 27 to hear how NL entrepreneurs and innovators are making waves in the health and wellness sector and to discuss the problems and novel solutions that will shape the future of health in our province.
Covid-19 has precipitated a new era of healthcare, moving innovation forward at unprecedented speed with 10-year advances in technology happening
in mere months. Breaking down the barriers of health innovation through multidisciplinary collaboration is creating new and unexpected opportunities for entrepreneurs in a field once reserved for medical experts.
Come flex your entrepreneurial mindset and tell us what potential you see for the region.
Stay tuned for details!
Presented by Bounce Health Innovation and Navigate
Entrepreneur Spotlight
A Q&A Spotlight with Codroy Valley’s Megan Samms, Indigenous artist, cloth maker, entrepreneur, owner of Live
Textiles and co-owner of Katalisk Sipu Gardens
How would describe Live Textiles? Live Textiles – which is also the name of the company – are naturally dyed, handwoven, and finished by hand in my studio in rural Ktaqmkuk at the Katalisk
Sipu (Codroy Valley, Newfoundland), near the house I came up in and where I learned to spin yarns and knit them together as a youth. Nowadays, I design textiles and weave together carefully considered fibres after applying natural dyes to them. I make functional
pieces meant for everyday use — kitchen towels, bath towels, wash-up cloths, purposeful cloths, runners, shawls, pla’kit (blankets), etc. We also have a Lesser Waste Line which are products made with so-called “loom waste” — eye pillows filled with lavender,
stoqn (fir) sachets, pin cushions, soap saver bags, throw pillows, etc.
Live Textiles are designed to be intergenerational pieces, staying with a person or family for a long time, to care for them and be cared for.
How and where do you find your dyes? My natural dye palette is seasonal; I grow and harvest dyestuff from the land around my traditional territory home and farm. I have been sampling colours
for years and now have a vast and ever evolving library of colourway; I draw on that sampling practice to create new combinations, hues and shades. Due to the nature of this method, colours that I produce, although reliable, can be quite varied.
Why is it important to you to use traditional methods? My home community is called Millville (in Codroy Valley), so named for a (non-functioning, these days) wool mill right next to my
parents’ home. There are long roots of textile work and weaving in the Valley, specifically on the North Side of the River, where I am from. Mi’kmaw were known for basketry and hand weaving on looms right here; a loom is only a tool and allows efficient production
of work and a means to make a living in a creative, ecologically sustainable way.
Like all craft, contemporary practitioners work is built on the shoulders of those who came before. Maintaining tradition in my work, while staying contemporary and relevant, is in respect to my ancestors, the land and place and also, traditional hand work
and dye work is inherently more sustainable than mass production. When textiles are handmade, with natural fibres and with a keen eye and intelligent hands, they will last generations. My intent is to integrate usefulness, beauty, tradition and a sense of
shelter in a living cloth while paying mind to those who came before and those who will come after, on this land.
Not to mention, the quality of traditionally produced textiles cannot be imitated!! They’re beautiful!
What sorts of activities go on at Katalisk Sipu Gardens? Katalisk Sipu Gardens is an off-grid mixed mini farm and apothecary in Codroy Valley that I co-operate with my partner in love
and life, Ash Hall. We offer fine body-care goods, soap, herbs, produce, cut flowers, honey, bees and more from the land. We raise up honeybees and mixed-use, heritage chickens.
What’s different about the way you grow produce? We grow produce, herbs and fruit with care and without pesticides, herbicides or fungicides. We feed our food with high-quality compost
and cultivate a closed-loop system focusing on minimal wastage and maximum health and wellness for people, the community and most importantly, the land.
Where else can people find your products? We organize quarterly markets in Codroy Valley. Makers & Gardeners Markets take place seasonally and are a place to purchase produce, craft, baking
and more. The markets are community events too – there’s always live music, food and friendly faces! The next market will be in the Valley in Spring 2021 (venue and date TBD).
You also have some new and exciting initiatives in the works. Tell us about those.
Yes. In 2021, we will be undertaking a community-based studio and greenhouse build in our home, Katalisk Sipu, Ktaqmkuk//Codroy Valley, Newfoundland on our family land. The studio, like our home, will remain off grid and will house looms, dye materials, fibre
and yarn, a library of books, tools and dye samples. The studio will be my working space, but more importantly, this studio will also be a place for community art events. It will be a learning hub for people (all ages) interested in textile arts and it will
also be an artist in residence (AIR) space in the future. The greenhouse will be part of the farm, but will be where we start most dye plants (some take a really long time to germinate and some require higher temps). The greenhouse will also assist in feeding
the resident artist for their stay. Really, Live Textiles and Katalisk Sipu Gardens are inseparable, sibling business’. Textiles are agricultural after all!
When the time comes (hopefully 2022) to roll out an AIR program, we will fully and independently sponsor an emerging, established or simply interested textile artist to come develop a body of work, to learn to weave and/or dye, play and live in Codroy Valley
for one to three months. At the end of their stay, we anticipate organizing a show to provide the AIR participant with an opportunity to display and (if interested) sell their work. If they are able, they will also be given the opportunity to host a workshop
or artist talk during their stay. They can also learn about bees and our small farm, if interested. Aside from the AIR program in the studio, we will also host music, comedy and other forms of art shows in a post-pandemic world!
We’ve already saved most of the funds to build, but will be launching a small fundraising effort in February 2021 to help with unforeseen costs. Also, when the AIR launches, we will be supporting and sponsoring the artist through money raised from the farm
and any further monies raised will help with the longevity of the sponsorship.
How can people connect with you? Live Textiles can be found at livetextiles.online,
on instagram, Outport, Citizens
of Craft and I am a juried and exhibiting member of the Craft Council of
Newfoundland and Labrador. I am the NL Representative and the VP of the Guild
of Canadian Weavers and can also be reached through the GCW. Email: kwe@livetextiles.online.
Upcoming Events:
On Jan. 6, join Megan at Craft Conversations with Craft Council NL: https://fb.me/e/60Y98Zhck
Stay tuned: Natural Dyes of the NE Conference; exhibitor and speaker http://www.naturaldyeconference.ca
Stay tuned: interviews in the New Year; please watch craft streams, local newspapers and magazines
In case you missed it!
Thank you to everyone who attended the
Navigating Intellectual Property Workshop! And special thanks to Kara Strickland for introducing us to
the main types of IP, including copyright, trade secrets, patents, trademarks and branding Thanks also for explaining important IP considerations for commercialization and how MUN’s Technology, Transfer and Commercialization Office can help.
For those who missed it, you can view the recording of the session
here.
Thank you to everyone who attended and participated in the
Entrepreneur Ecosystem Coffee Break: Christmas Edition – Ho Ho Hope for 2021!
2020 was quite the year and local businesses weathered the storm. Many heroes emerged and entrepreneurs, the backbone of our local economy and communities, were among them. Watch the following video to hear some of their stories.
For those who missed it, you can see the recording of the session
here.
Funding Opportunities
Government of NL
Tourism and Hospitality Support Program
Eligible tourism operators may apply for a one-time, non-repayable contribution of either $5,000 or $10,000, dependent on gross sales. In the event of applicants with less than $10K in annual sales in 2019, the contribution rate will be calculated at 50% of
total sales or 50% of expenditures for new start-ups.
Click
here for more information.
Support Program for Professional Artists and Musicians
Eligible art and/or music businesses can apply for a non-repayable, one-time contribution of up to $5,000 to provide relief for the impacts felt as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Click
here for more information.
Suggestion Box
Tell us what you need to succeed!
The world of business is changing at lightning speed. Innovation and disruptive technologies are changing the way we work, the skills we need, and the tools we use. It can be challenging for entrepreneurs and small business owners to keep up, but we’re here
to help.
– Is there a tool or skill that you need in order to operate, thrive and grow?
– Are there workshops, topics, programs or other knowledge and equipment that you need access to take your business to the next level?
– Is there a great speaker or business that you think should be featured during one of our events or would you like the opportunity to speak about your business or upcoming event?
– Did you start a new business in 2020? We can help you promote your business!
Let us know. We want to hear from you!
