IN THIS NEWSLETTER

Upcoming events and opportunities
Entrepreneur Spotlight – Alison Butler Consulting
Support Agency Spotlight – Futurpreneur Canada
In case you missed it – Recap of Cabox Art and Adventure Festival, recap and video link to our October Entrepreneur Ecosystem Coffee Break: Pre-Small Business Week Kickoff

How to connect with us!

UPCOMING EVENT

Navigate presents: November Entrepreneur Ecosystem Coffee Break –Labour Shortage Challenges and Talent Recruitment for Small Businesses

Join us and Sharon McLennon, Director of the NL Workforce Innovation Centre at CNA, to discuss the key resources and opportunities that are out there to help business owners recruit talent and address labour shortage challenges. Grab a coffee or your preferred beverage of choice and join the entrepreneur community online for this interactive discussion.

When: November 16 from 11:30 am – 1 pm

Please register in advance here.
This is a free online event.
In partnership with Spicer Facilitation and Learning

SIGN UP

JOSE LAM STARTUP EVENT November 26 – 28, 2021

The Jose Lam Startup Event addresses one of the hardest parts of starting a new business: starting! In two and a half days, you will work as part of a team to experience the thrills and pains of starting a real company, and meet fantastic mentors, coaches, and investors. The event pays tribute to one of the biggest fans of startup events: the late Dr. Jose Lam.

This event will start with an initial Meet and Pitch on Friday evening followed by a Work and Learn day on Saturday and a final Pitch Competition on Sunday. The event is open to students and members of the community who are interested in entrepreneurship and in learning more about starting a business.

The event will flow as follows:

Day 1: Meet and Pitch

• Have dinner and meet the other entrepreneurs and ‘wantrepreneurs’
• Pitch an idea to the group to have it included in the vote for whichprojects are worked on over the weekend
• Participants vote on the projects they would like to work on
• Build a dream team by pairing up with participants who want to work onthe same idea as you!Day 2: Work and Learn!

• Work with your group to further develop your idea, find out what your customers want, build a prototype, or create a brand. We will provide you with some of the things you will need to make this happen.
• Receive help from experienced mentors to help solve some of the tougher challenges that you will inevitably encounter.Day 3: Present

• Build a compelling pitch with the help of assigned coaches. You will have 5 minutes to present your business to a panel of judges, and to the rest of the group.
• Watch the presenting teams, have fun, and celebrate the work that you have done!

This event is made possible by our sponsors:

UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES

Become a change maker!

MCE Presents: Memorial University is pleased to be a partner in Experience Ventures, powered by the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking at the University of Calgary.

Experience Ventures creates paid entrepreneurial thinking placements for students with innovative companies in Canada, providing students with the opportunity to make an impact alongside real-world innovators.

To find out more about Experience Ventures, and how you can apply, contact Enaya AbdElGaber at amahmoudfahm@mun.ca or visit our website.

Aspiring entrepreneurs: Kickstart your business with a solid plan

Futurpreneur and RBC Future Launch proudly present Rock My Business, a free, virtual, three-part workshop series that will help you develop your idea, get started on your business plan and create a viable cashflow for your business— all while connecting with like-minded entrepreneurs in your community and across Canada.

If you’re aged 18-39 and need direction to develop your business idea, have a strong business idea OR recently launched a small business that you’d like to grow, register today for our next series of workshops.

Three-Part Workshop Series

Whether you need advice on shaping your business idea or want help transforming it into a solid business plan, we have three workshops to help you move your business forward.

Note: Participants who complete at least two of the workshops are eligible to receive one-on-one coaching for free from our Entrepreneurs in Residence, helping you strengthen your idea and business plan further.

BIG news for aspiring small business owners: You could win $10,000 to help launch your start-up! Futurpreneur and RBC proudly present the RBC Rock My Business Startup Awards, eight awards of $10k each given annually to diverse, young, aspiring entrepreneurs from across Canada, helping kickstart their businesses. Learn how to apply for the awards here.

Upcoming Sessions

Workshop 1: Rock My Business Idea

Take this workshop if you have a new business idea and want to test its viability before developing your business plan.

Participants will:

• Learn how to develop an entrepreneurial mindset
• Learn how to make their business idea more viable
• Identify and learn how to overcome key gaps to achieve businessviability
• Set a short-term goal with timelines and actions to move their business forward

Schedule

Sessions fill up fast, register now to guarantee your spot!

Date: Tuesday, Nov. 16

Region: Atlantic Canada

Time: 10 am – 1 pm

Register here

Workshop 2: Rock My Business Plan

Take this workshop if have a good grasp of your business idea and want to develop the foundations of a solid business plan.

Participants will:

• Learn the essential elements of a successful business plan
• Begin writing the four key sections of the business plan (CompanyProfile, Marketing Activities, Market Research, and Operations)
• Identify the gaps, goals and next steps required to complete the

Sessions fill up fast, register now to guarantee your spot!

Date: Thursday, Dec. 2

Region: Atlantic Canada

Time: 2pm – 5pm

Register here

Workshop 3: Rock My Cash Flow

Take this workshop if have completed the Rock My Business Plan workshop and want to proceed with developing your cash flow.

Participants will:

• Better understand how to complete the Start Up Cost and Cash Flow sections of the business plan
• Learn how to create realistic sales forecasts
• Understand how the business plan and cash flow interconnect
• Complete the first draft of the start-up costs and first month sales /expenses
• Set a realistic date for completing the business plan and cashflowScheduleSessions fill up fast, register now to guarantee your spot!Date: Thursday, Dec. 9 Region: Atlantic Canada Time: 2 pm – 5 pm Register hereSUPPORT AGENCY SPOTLIGHT

Sessions fill up fast, register now to guarantee your spot!

Date: Thursday, Dec. 9

Region: Atlantic Canada

Time: 2pm – 5pm

Register here

If you are ready to launch or buy a business, Futurpreneur Canada may be able to assist! Futurpreneur Canada is the only national non-profit that supports young entrepreneurs (those between 18-39 years old) with financing, mentorship and free business resources. In partnership with the BDC, they can provide financing up to $60,000 towards the start-up (or purchase) of a business for eligible applicants.

Fuelling youth enterprise since 1996, Futurpreneur Canada has now supported over 12,000 young entrepreneurs and helped facilitate the creation of over 10,000 businesses. Over the past 6 years, Futurpreneur Canada helped support over 110 youth-based businesses in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Outside of their start-up loan program, Futurpreneur Canada can also support Side Hustle (part-time) businesses, social enterprise/non-profits and a program for those new to Canada (Newcomer Program). Along with their program for assisting young Indigenous entrepreneurs, they recently launched a program for supporting young Black entrepreneurs.

For more details on programs, including eligibility requirements, please visit their website or contact Scott Andrews, Business Development Manager (NL) at 709.769.1205 or sandrews@futurpreneur.ca

ENTREPRENEUR SPOTLIGHT

Alison Butler’s drive to continue conversations around mental health and to build a business on that premise began with her own personal experiences.

After being diagnosed with depression and anxiety, she decided to make it her goal to talk about mental health and wellbeing in a way that everyone can understand.

“I want to break down barriers of what mental health ‘looks like’ and share the message that we can all work together to change our own mindset about mental health and to support others,” said Ms. Butler.

To that end, in 2019, Ms. Butler decided it was time to take up this cause professionally. Her business, Alison Butler Consulting, offers Mental Health First Aid, online training, interactive workshops and workplace needs assessments.

Ms. Butler holds a master in employment relations from Memorial University, and is certified through the Mental Health Commission of Canada to teach Mental Health First Aid (Basic/Standard).

Her workshops and courses focus on subjects such as preventing burnout and mental wellbeing at work.

The mother of two believes it is important to learn to be an advocate for being the best version of yourself.

“Taking a closer look at my own mental health has had a profound impact on my own life, she said. “I believe that my mental health diagnosis is one of the best things that ever happened to me because it has led me here to share my own experiences with others.”

When asked about what advice Alison would have for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start a business, Alison had this to say: “You will likely never feel 100 per cent ready but it’s really important to just START. Put your ideas out into the world and learn/improve as you go. Ask lots of questions and stay connected with other entrepreneurs who can help you learn and grow. I often feel like entrepreneurship is 20 per cent skill and 80 per cent bravery.”

Contact:

Alison Butler

Mental Health First Aid (Standard/Virtual)

Facilitator & Wellness Speaker

Owner, Alison Butler Consulting

Web | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | contact@alisonbutler.ca

(709) 682-8279

Upcoming Mental Health First Aid training

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

A collaborative success: Cabox Art and Adventure Festival

Earlier this fall Navigate and Grenfell Campus collaborated with Cabox Geopark Inc. and community partners to establish the inaugural arts and adventure festival in the in the Corner Brook/Bay of Islands region.

The Cabox Art and Adventure Festival took place from Sept. 17-19, 2021 and featured events for all ages from visual art workshops and exhibits, to an artisan market, indoor and outdoor entertainment, dining experiences and outdoor activities, including interpreted hikes and zodiac tours.

The festival had several entrepreneurial components for artist entrepreneurs, including a competition (call for submissions) of artwork representing the relationship between the people and the local landscape; outdoor art installations of winning submissions at various festival trailhead locations; an open-air market for artists to demonstrate and sell their work, and artist masterclass workshops for festival patrons and youth which were facilitated by paid arts professionals.

“This was an opportunity to help support and encourage local artist entrepreneurs and art students and to grow the local tourism industry,” said Allison Rowe, Manager, Navigate Entrepreneurship Centre.

For example, scenic interpretive hikes of the Three Bear Mountain trail and the Bear Head to Man in the Mountain trail brought participants to trailheads where they passed the newly commissioned art installations created by NL-based artist Jason Holley. The work invited hikers and festival patrons to “pause and think about language and land” via a series of stencils and labels with Mi’kmaq words. Trail goers were invited to take stencils with words such as Wiskiman (Partridgeberry) or Mi’kma’ki (Mi’kmaq territory) and to use them along the trail or at home to identify and label various plants, places and things along the trail.

The project was presented by The Cloud Factory in collaboration with Navigate and the Grenfell Art Gallery.

The North Arm Zodiac Tour and Group Hike was fully booked – hikers took in the beautiful Bay of Islands in two zodiacs, operated by Gros Morne Adventures and Saltbox’s Everoutdoor Adventures.

In Corner Brook on the lawn of First United Church, a number of young people participated in a youth landscape art workshop, where everyone tried oils for the first time.

“One of the biggest challenges for the artist entrepreneur is mindset – being able to see themselves as an entrepreneur,” said Ms. Rowe. “Traditionally, when we thought of entrepreneurs, it conjured up images of businesspersons in suits selling goods and services and crunching numbers, but entrepreneurs are so much more than that. All artists are entrepreneurs. They have products and ideas to sell that they put out into the marketplace.”

Navigate would like to continue to support artist entrepreneurs and new tourism ventures by offering the guidance, training, resources and connections they need to launch new businesses. Navigate looks forward to continuing this partnership with the Cabox Geopark in the coming years.

“At Navigate, we want to provide artist entrepreneurs with the basic business skills and mindset they need in order to thrive, including a willingness to approach selling their art as any entrepreneur would,” she said. “Their art and their work have value and it is important to understand that value and what it means for potential customers and clients.”

Background

The Cabox Geopark is a self-governing, non-profit organization, comprised of a volunteer board who are currently pursuing UNESCO Global Geopark status for the Cabox Geopark in the interest of developing a world-class tourism product and promoting the region’s natural and cultural heritage, while increasing localknowledge, innovative technology and rural economic development in the region.

Grenfell Campus’s Office of Engagement has already been partnering with Cabox to develop an educational website designed to identify, compile and present the geological, ecological and sociological features of the Appalachian- Caledonian region, from the southeastern United States to Newfoundland, and across the Atlantic Ocean to Greenland, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Norway. The Cabox Art and Adventure Festival was an opportunity to involve Grenfell’s School of Fine Arts and the Grenfell Campus Art Gallery.

Small Business Week Events

We’d like to send out a huge thank you to everyone who showed up to our Small Business Week events. Special thanks goes out to Alison Butler and Sharon Evans for their practical advice and wellness tips for the busy entrepreneur! We also loved seeing you at our info and networking sessions!

We kicked off Small Business Week on the west coast with our monthly coffee break.

Navigate presents: October Entrepreneur Ecosystem Coffee Break – Pre-Small Business Week Kickoff!

Join us on our YouTube Channel to find out what was happening during small business week in October. And while you’re there, check out our other videos and event recordings!