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.”