In the dynamic world of entrepreneurship, North Forge (NF) hosted an immensely successful event for the Global Entrepreneurship Initiative (GEI). The Start Your Business in Canada event, held on September 27th, 2023,  had 220 registered and over 10 service provider booths. NF’s President and CEO, Joelle Foster, opened the event by sharing insights on the importance of increasing the number of newcomer entrepreneurs.

“It’s a road that requires knowledge, perseverance, and the support of a community that understands the unique challenges that you face,” said Foster, during her opening remarks, “We at North Forge understand these challenges, and as a result, we created the Global Entrepreneurship Initiative to help guide you and others to ease some of the uncertainties that come with starting a business.”  

In a whirlwind of engaging discussions, the event became a playground of ideas exploring the long list of resources that newcomers can tap into. The GEI course is an empowering initiative that continues to gather momentum, consisting of 32, and growing, online webinars covering a wide range of topics to build a robust foundation for aspiring entrepreneurs venturing into the Canadian business landscape. The webinar topics include Why Canada, Financial Basics, and many more. Each of these knowledge-packed webinars are freely available to the public, conveniently housed on NF’s website.

Sachit Mehar, Founder and Owner of the East India Company, served as the keynote speaker of the event and shared his motivating story about his start running a nationwide restaurant chain. With candor, he spoke of the relentless drive that fuels every entrepreneur’s heart, lighting the path to success.  

“I want you to know that there’s a different path between you doing your thing and getting to where you want to go,” said Mehar as he emphasized the importance of taking the first step and reaching out to the available resources, “There’s no 100% right answer that I could give you or that anybody else can, you will need to chart your own path.” 

Following Mehar’s Keynote speech were two resourceful panel discussions, the first being the Service Providers panel. The panelists included Joelle Foster (President and CEO of North Forge Technology Exchange), Nikhilesh Verma (Associate of Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP), Dr. Wendy Yan (Senior Business Development Manager from Futurpreneur), Paul Keefe (Business Advisor of World Trade Centre, Winnipeg) and moderated by Jackie Wild (Founder of Tito Boy Restaurant & Delight Digital).  

Alongside the Service Providers panel, over 10 organizations such as Women’s Enterprise Centre, SEED Winnipeg and Economic Development Winnipeg were available at the event to provide support to the attendees.

The event closed off with the Founder panel moderated by Whitney Moir (Program and Communications Director of North Forge Technology Exchange). Local business owners, Alexis Ojo (Owner and CEO of Dark Shugar), Brett Zahari (Co-founder of Bronuts Donuts + Coffee) and Andriy Rudnyk (Founder of Good Subscription Agency), shared their experiences using the resources of the business community and their drive to establish themselves as entrepreneurs.

“Manitoba has a fantastic startup community. Everyone’s open to help,” says Rudnyk about Manitoba’s supportive business ecosystem and putting yourself out there, “Everyone’s okay to sit down for a coffee and you just ask them whatever questions you want about starting a business.” 

We extend a warm invitation to all those who couldn’t join us at the event. While each attendee was fortunate to receive a complimentary booklet summary of the GEI program, we believe in inclusivity and want to ensure everyone can explore the world of starting a business in Canada. To learn more, simply visit our website at https://northforge.ca/programs/gei/ and discover information that will guide you on an exciting entrepreneurial journey.