Young entrepreneurs share stories at the latest BYTE ConneX event

 

Last Thursday night, three young entrepreneurs gathered at Baked Café to share stories of successes and challenges running their own business. The event drew in an audience of almost thirty young people who were inspired by the tales of creativity, success, and diving into the unknown.

 

Amy O’Rourke is the owner and operator behind Cozy Foods, a local catering company that offers healthy frozen meals. When she started her business, she experienced an unexpected amount of success.

 

 

“I was told that one of the reasons businesses fold or fail is because they get too busy. And I was like, ‘I would love that!’” said Amy during her talk. “But now I get it…you need to be prepared for your business to grow right away.”

 

Amy now has a full-time job elsewhere, and runs Cozy Foods on the side when she has the capacity. Her advice to other young entrepreneurs? Be prepared for your business to grow right away, don’t let your ego get in the way of your business, and recognize that there’s no such thing as a sole enterprise.

 

Tom Bamford runs Arctic Automate, a product development and rapid prototyping studio with 3D printer sales. Like Amy, he and his company have experienced rapid growth. He says that in the Yukon, word of mouth can bring in business quickly.

 

Larissa Lychenko runs her silk-screening business, Pale Pony Prints, out of her cabin. What started as a hobby to keep her busy during the off-season is fast becoming a growing side business, and her scarves and headbands are a hot commodity at Whitehorse craft fairs.

 

Larissa says she wants to eventually develop an online store.

 

“I really do love running this small business, because it’s just so rewarding,” says Larissa. “I have full creative control over what I do.”

 

If Amy, Tom, and Larissa’s stories tell us anything, it’s that young entrepreneurs can be successful in a small northern community like Whitehorse. But as all of our speakers acknowledged, this success doesn’t come without a steep learning curve.

 

In May 2015, BYTE will be organizing a Youth Entrepreneurship Conference, which will help entrepreneurs overcome this learning curve by offering workshops and guidance designed to help young people start a business. Adria Collins is BYTE’s Youth Entrepreneurship Conference Coordinator who hosted last week’s BYTE ConneX event.

 

“We’ll have more information about the conference and how to register in the coming weeks,” says Adria. “I hope to host another entrepreneurship-themed BYTE ConneX talk closer to the time of the conference to inspire more young innovators to register for the conference.”

 

 

A certain BYTE Communications coordinator forgot the memory card for her camera and had to use an iPhone! Sorry for the less-than-high quality of these photos. – KJ