Young aspiring business owners in British Columbia will receive an opportunity to gain skills that will help them launch successful businesses.

The Province is providing $100,000 to support Futurpreneur Canada’s Rock My Business Plan 2018-19 workshops in six communities, including Cranbrook, Kamloops, Kelowna, Nanaimo, Prince George and Quesnel. Through these sessions, eligible entrepreneurs will learn the critical elements of a business plan, including managing cash flow, financing, market research and operations.

“We realize that it can be difficult for young people to gain the skills, knowledge and financing needed to start a successful business,” said Bruce Ralston, Minister of Jobs, Trade and Technology. “The free Rock My Business Plan workshops provide mentoring and tools that can help young entrepreneurs overcome business challenges and start the journey of launching a successful business.”

Futurpreneur Canada has been fuelling entrepreneurial passions for two decades. Its programs match young business owners with business experts who will help them flourish. Futurpreneur has helped over 10,000 young people launch and grow their businesses, resulting in 1,400 new businesses in B.C.

“We are thrilled to once again bring our cohort-based Rock My Business Plan workshops to communities throughout the province,” said Paulina Cameron, regional director at Futurpreneur Canada. “These learning and development sessions provide participants with the knowledge, confidence, community and connection to resources they need to start their businesses.”

Aspiring business owners aged 18 to 39 years, who have recently launched or are nearly ready to launch a business, are eligible to participate in the free workshops. Participants will not only receive peer mentoring and support, but will be able to connect and discuss business ideas with other like-minded entrepreneurs.

“Open discussions paired with simple documents helped create a structure to my approach in starting my business,” said Joelle Saliba Greenaway, a past Rock My Business Plan participant. “The ability to connect with others who are working toward a similar goal proved to be enriching as well as motivating. There are several facets to starting a business and Rock My Business Plan honed in on the most important items to help one become successful.”

The partnership between British Columbia and Futurpreneur Canada supports the vision to drive sustainable economic growth in B.C. and to help youth, including women, rural and Indigenous young people, develop the skills needed to create economic opportunities for themselves and their communities.

Quick Facts:

• Futurpreneur Canada is a national non-profit organization that provides financing, mentoring and support tools to aspiring business owners aged 18 to 39 years. 
• Futurpreneur’s programs offer financing up to $45,000, and mentoring and business support for every business stage.
• On average, five jobs are created by each business that is launched after receiving guidance through one of Futurpreneur Canada’s programs.
• 42% of businesses supported by Futurpreneur Canada are projected to be majority-owned by women.
• 89% of past participants have launched or intend to launch their businesses within three months of the Rock My Business Plan workshops. 
• Futurpreneur engaged 71 local community partners, including Small Business BC, to deliver the workshops and explore co-operative outreach opportunities.

Learn More:

Futurpreneur Canada: https://www.futurpreneur.ca/en/about/

Rock My Business Plan: https://www.futurpreneur.ca/en/microsites/rock-my-business-plan/