You have a great idea for a business, youB次元官网网址檝e got the knowhow to run it and youB次元官网网址檙e eager to get started.
But what do you need to do to make it happen?
That question was addressed at the second annual Global Summit of Leaders, held last Wednesday (Aug. 22) at Royal Roads University (RRU).
The summit brings together 100 CEOs, private equity investors and business leaders from five countries to teach young entrepreneurs.
Dean Lindal, League Financial Partners vice president of global business development, is an RRU commerce alumni and organizer of the event. The summit is a great opportunity for the business leaders of tomorrow to meet successful veterans and glean vital information off of them, he said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 important to have mentors,B次元官网网址� Lindal said. B次元官网网址淧eople who are 15 or 20 years older than you, that have kind of been there, done that, and they can share experiences and words of wisdom.B次元官网网址�
Among the many successful businesspeople that worked with students to educate and inspire were Jon Swartz, a technology reporter for USA Today, and Lori Stewart, who helped build eBay Canada.
One fun part of the summit was a DragonB次元官网网址檚 Den style pitch session.
Five groups of RRU students and recent grads were given the opportunity to bring their business ideas to the pros to get advice and potentially make some important connections.
Among those pitching was ex-Olympic luge athlete Jeff Christie. A resident of Calgary, Christie is a recent RRU commerce grad and a two-time Olympian, having competed in both the Turin and Vancouver games. Knowing that his career as an athlete has an endpoint, Christie has turned to his second love: beer.
Christie pitched an idea for a microbrewery that would focus on producing a real lager, something not often found in Canada. He explained that ales and lagers have different yeasts and different brewing processes, but most lagers available here are actually made using an ale brewing process, which affects quality.
B次元官网网址淚 spent a lot of time travelling through Germany on sports teams ... and kind of fell in love with the beer there,B次元官网网址� Christie said. B次元官网网址淚 just thought it would be a great idea to pitch it.B次元官网网址�
Michael Munro and Miles Garvey are on the verge of graduating and are hoping to launch their business idea, Career Ever After.
The concept is to build a job search website, inspired by dating websites, that focuses as much on culture and values B次元官网网址� of both employer and employee B次元官网网址� as it does on qualifications.
B次元官网网址淚f that little purple monster from Monster.com and eHarmony had a love child, thatB次元官网网址檚 us,B次元官网网址� Munro said.
The young entrepreneurs expressed similar sentiments as Lindal as they talked about what they need to take the next step in developing their business.
B次元官网网址淚 think we just need commitment and maybe possible mentorship to get us through to the next phase,B次元官网网址� said Garvey.
B次元官网网址淧assion,B次元官网网址� Munro said, is the key to success. B次元官网网址淚f you see something that fascinates you or that you can obsess over and be passionate about, thatB次元官网网址檚 whatB次元官网网址檚 going to drive any idea forward.B次元官网网址�
These young entrepreneurs are the real key to the future of the economy, Lindal said.
The League VP said statistics show 80 per cent of all new job creation is generated by companies less than five years old.
B次元官网网址淧eople are in the mindset that itB次元官网网址檚 going to be the big companies,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淏ut itB次元官网网址檚 wrong. Unless youB次元官网网址檙e cultivating that underlying entrepreneurial economy I think communities are going to be in trouble.B次元官网网址�
kwells@goldstreamgazette.com
