Success Stories

KISS THE BRIDE Custom Wedding and Grad

As a 2005 graduate of the Helen Lafaux School of Fashion Design in Vancouver, Andrea Hughes had been putting together her accumulated knowledge and experience, gleaned from years of working in the film industry, for her idea of a full service bridal shop. The answer for the Castlegar resident came in the form of the Bruce Lacroix and the 2008 Aboriginal BEST program in Nelson. “I just wanted to get inspired to get it all done. This course gave me the push to do it.”

Nigel Fox, Artist

Artist Nigel Fox www.nigelfoxart.com graduated from the 2010 BEST program held in Terrace. We asked him about his business experiences:
Q. “How far you have gone with your business idea?”

A. “I’ve explored new avenues on the internet, gaining a larger market base and helping potential customers to feel more comfortable buying online. Essentially, I went from selling a painting a month to selling a print every three to five days.”

Q. How do you make sure you have work-life balance?
A. “I sneak some rest here and there, a movie with the wife, a day at the lake. It works out, as long as I have the faith to just let it all go for a bit.”

Q. Any advice you could give other BEST participants,
A. “Don’t take business advice from strangers personally. Your business is your business, and you know it better than anyone else. Don’t be afraid to try something new if what you’re doing isn’t working. Also, expect to work really hard if you want to succeed!!!”

Q. Anything else you would like to say
A. “It (taking part in the BEST of the BEST Business Plan Competition) was a fun trip to Vancouver. It also got me to plan what I wanted to do with my business, which is good.”

Haida Gwaii Art Shop

Yvette Carol Adams is a Haida from the Tsâ aahl Laanas clan and took part in Aboriginal BEST on Haida Gwaii in 2011. “I create and design my own work: pendants made of yellow cedar, red cedar, yew wood, devils club, alder, beads from the same kind of wood as the pendants, earrings, red cedar hats, yellow cedar hats, regalia, cedar roses, prints, and bentwood boxes.

“I intend to make a living off of my work, to be the best that I can be, and learn as much as I can before my time comes. In the Haida language there isn’t a word for ‘I can’t.’ I always strive to create a piece I would be proud of, no matter how much you think you know, there is always more to be learned. I am currently working out of my home, and I’m very happy that I finally have my web site up and running, the next step is to open
an actual gallery.”

Mountain Sky Soaps

Mountain
Sky Soaps www.mountainskysoap.com   Raynald Losier and Nina George started the family business in 1993 to stay home with their kids, Malaya Mountain and Rahel Sky. Mountain Sky manufactures soaps, massage bars and lip balm for the company and for private labels. Mountain Sky Soap maintains seven jobs with a production that has increased from 320 soaps per week at its beginning to about 6,000 today in peak production times. With their products in stores from Victoria to St John’s to Yellowknife, Mountain Sky is a true Canadian success story.

Juggernaut Marketing

Juggernaut Marketing Communications specializes in innovative marketing consultation and implementation, while collaborating with industry experts. They provide clients with all the services necessary for a brilliant marketing campaign, well-executed promotion, impeccable web strategy or all of the above. Juggernaut’s collection of talent includes seasoned marketing professionals, talented graphic design, and web experts that rock the world. www.juggernautmc.com

ELEVATE ME Energy Bar

Patricia Humjan and Earl Ellison, founding partners: “We have found the (start your own business) program to be beneficial in numerous ways. The coming together of so many like minded people has helped us realize that we are not alone in our dreams of running our own business. Due in part to your excellent leadership and advice, the program has greatly surpassed our expectations.” The goal was to create the world’s simplest protein snack, keeping the finished food as close to what nature created as possible, with no added colors, flavors, or sweeteners. www.prosnack.com