Kick Start Your Own Business!

Starting your own business is a great way to generate income and pursue something you love but it takes skill and careful consideration to grow and manage your business right. This one day forum invited youth thinking or already starting their own businesses to learn and share experiences with other young entrepreneurs.

The event was geared towards "at-risk" youth selected from the Toronto, Niagara and Collingwood area- with the majority of participants coming from Toronto. Youth had the opportunity to work in discussion groups, network, participate in workshops and listen to the experiences of other entrepreneurs who started their own businesses.

Morning Panel: "Getting Started with Your Business"

1. Andrew Arthur Ivimey, Stand-up comedian
2. Devaki MacDonald, Raw Eco Jewellery
3. Paul Till: Photographer
4. Mika Lior: Danse Osupa, Danse studio

Afternoon Panel: "Managing & Building Your Business"

1. Carole Milon, DesignWaves Interior
2. Corey Berman, Green Students Fundraising
3. Leslie Gaynor, Mitzi's Sister
4. Denise Williams, No Strings Theatre 
   

Afternoon Workshop Themes:

Table 1: Building a Business Plan with Catherine Durante: What is involved in developing a good proposal? What should a good proposal include and look like? What are the steps involved? Where can I apply for resources and funding? How do I plan for success?  

Table 2: Building a Marketing Strategy with Denise Williams: How do you identify your target audience? How do you reach your audience? How can you advertise and do outreach on a budget?  

Table 3: Building a Financial Plan/Proposal with Canada Youth Business Foundation: What do you need to consider in developing a financial plan? How do you manage growth? How do you create a financial pitch to get investors interested in your business? What are some book-keeping tools?

Table 4: Sales and Customer Relations with Devika Macdonald- How do you increase sales? How do you develop good customer relations? How do you sell your product and build your brand? What are some strategies for dealing with customers? How do you train your staff to manage customer relations?  

Table 5: Access to Resources with Vikas Jain (Enterprise Toronto)- Find out about all the different resources and programs available to help you get your business started. Where to access seed money, grants, internships, and more.

Related documents: 

Kickstart Speakers Bios.doc

The Seven Pitfalls of Business Failure.doc

Tips Resources Websites.doc