Entrepreneur students gain wisdom from Windsor business leaders
The Downtown Windsor Business Accelerator hosted its 10th annual Entrepreneurs’ Summit on Wednesday, marking the first in-person return of the event since the COVID-19 pandemic began over three years ago.
Nearly five dozen high school student entrepreneurs from Assumption Collegiate Catholic High School mingled with half a dozen local business leaders to gain entrepreneurial wisdom.
“This is the first time where we can actually get the kids back on site face-to-face interacting with local business owners,” said business teacher Jeremy Bracken, who also serves as a board member at the accelerator.
Bracken said it’s refreshing to be back in person, hoping the summit can inspire resiliency in students while helping them identify successful business opportunities.
“Not every kid in their family necessarily has an entrepreneur that they can lean on and if we can open those doors and get kids forming genuine connections and you know, ‘add me on LinkedIn’ and ‘come to me for questions,’ because as a business teacher and business owner, I can only give them my own personal experiences and that's only a few industries,” he said.
“On a day like this, they’re exposed to six additional industries that I’m not even part of and we're hoping that those genuine relationships formed can last a lifetime.”
“If you want to live in Windsor and this is your home, entrepreneurship should be an option because you can have a great lifestyle,” said Downtown Windsor Business Accelerator CEO Arthur Barbut. “It's a beautiful place to be, it's an amazing location, it's still much more affordable than moving to Toronto or KW (Kitchener-Waterloo), so why not?”
Barbut said given the recent events surrounding the battery plant in Windsor, this summit highlights why there should be enhanced focus on supporting and growing local companies.
“I think for us if you want to change our and take more control of our economic future, we really have to invest in Windsor, in people, in companies that want to stay here want to build our region up,” he said.
According to Barbut, about 20 per cent of high school students surveyed after the inaugural summit in 2013 expressed interest in joining or starting a start-up business of their own.
“In 2019, when we hosted the last live one before today, it was 87 per cent,” he said. “So we're seeing a massive shift in that mindset in embracing that culture of like, ‘hey, you know, entrepreneurship is a valid career for me, or at least working for a start-up is not something that's as scary as it used to be in the past.’ So that's very, very positive.”
“Seeing what they've been during COVID is really uplifting and just it's such a good experience and such a good opportunity for us to learn from people already in the sector and implement in our own daily lives,” said grade 12 student Maya Mikhael.
“And just understanding all the different aspects that go into a business,” added classmate Shahnda Shaker. “Because obviously we have some understanding of it but we don't know everything that goes on behind the scenes. So I thought it was really interesting.”
Some students have already launched their own small business, like Reni Babs-Olorunfemi. “So my business is Virtual Tours 3D. So basically what I do is I go to real estate agents and offer my services which is creating 3D models of homes for them to sell.”
Babs-Olorunfemi told CTV News the main goal is to gain as much experience and knowledge as possible, while admitting post-secondary education will lead away from Windsor-Essex.
“For me, the city has done a lot. I immigrated to Canada with my family in 2015 and being here for like eight years now, it made the transition easier from Nigeria to Canada so I'm really grateful for the city. And being here gave me perspective on meeting so many different types of people because we are such a diverse city.”
Summit keynote speaker and Tepperman’s president, Andrew Tepperman, said there’s hope in the future, suggesting students would be wise to consider a return to the region should their education take them elsewhere.
“A lot of them are going to go to other universities,” Tepperman said. “The teacher was saying one of his students got into Stanford. That's excellent. You know, you have to be happy for that person. And I went away to New York. My brothers went away in the US for school too, but two of the three of us came back and that's where our home is, our roots, our families. So even if they're going to better themselves, there's a good chance they could come back too.”
He added, “It's not all rosy and fun. There's a lot of challenges and there's a lot of risks, but at the same time there can be a lot of rewards too.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Iran fires at suspected Israeli attack drones near Isfahan air base and nuclear site
Iran fired air defences at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan after spotting drones, which were suspected to be part of an Israeli attack in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.
NEW After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
Ontario woman loses $15,000 to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
DEVELOPING Israel targets air defence system in Syria, state news agency says
Israel carried out a missile strike targeting an air defence unit in southern Syria, causing material damage, state-run SANA news agency quoted a military statement as saying Friday.
Colin Jost names one celebrity who is great at hosting 'Saturday Night Live'
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
NEW From window blinds to motorcycle helmets, here are the recalls in Canada this week
Here are the various items Health Canada recalled this week, including motorcycle helmets, power adapters, and bicycle cranksets.