For Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) this week, we have teamed up with Amway Canada to send three ambassadors across the country to report live from the road as they visit Canadian entrepreneurs, small businesses, community partners in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, and attend GEW events. Yesterday Colin was on the road in Toronto, Canada for the day. Here is a recap of her day and some of the ‘ah-ha’ moments he had along the way.

Bright and early in the morning, Colin headed from Edmonton to Toronto to the Futurpreneur Canada offices for a lunch run by Chivon John, founder of Secrets of a Side Hustler. He was joined by others in the area that also have side hustles, aka run a business on top of a full-time job.


Colin’s Insights:
“I was quite impressed with how Chivon was able to articulate what it means to be a side hustler. As a side hustler myself (I own a pub & restaurant but also work a 9-5 job), I often felt a bit of awkwardness trying to explain to people of the dual life I led depending on the circle I was chatting in. Chivon made the group realize that their secrets of being a side hustler were not secrets you should keep! It was here that I also ran into two other CPAs who were running side businesses not related to the accounting world – I thought that was pretty neat and represents a keen opportunity to do some peer-to-peer mentoring.”

After lunch, he headed to Ryerson University for a flag raising of the GEW flag before going for a tour of the Ryerson DMZ.

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Colin’s Insights:
“Visiting Ryerson University and raising the GEW flag was certainly a highlight of the day. I was proud to share that privilege with a NL native, Dr. Chris Evans. After speaking to the group and sharing a few stories, we were taken on a tour of Ryerson DMZ. I did not realize that the DMZ was ranked as one of the top incubators in North America and with an impressive suite of programming, space and mentors it is easy to see why.”

Following the Ryerson DMZ tour, Colin went for a quick snack at Kanga, an Australian meat pie joint right by the Futurpreneur Canada offices and then headed to Brainstation for an ideation workshop with potential entrepreneurs. At the workshop, Colin spoke to the group of about 40-50 about starting your own business and things learned from the road.


Colin’s Insights:
“For me, visiting Futurpreneur HQ was like visiting an old friend’s house. The offices are warm and inviting, the people were full of smiles and the hospitality rivals that of nan’s kitchen table. They are excellent hosts as well as strong believers in others – which was evident by how much the staff put their time and effort into running GEW. We as young entrepreneurs are lucky to have this resource available to us.”

After the workshop, Colin headed back to the Toronto airport for his flight back to St. John’s, Newfoundland.


Colin’s Insights:
“Connecting with individual entrepreneurs is where it is at. Be it at the flag raising ceremony, the side hustle chat, in the halls of Ryerson DMZ or at the Brain Station – hearing some as they passionately tell you about their business idea is as invigorating as it is inspiring. I was pleased to be able to offer an encouraging word, a funny story or a piece of advice acquired through making that “leap” myself.”

Colin’s journey was a whirlwind, as he headed from Newfoundland to Manitoba, to Alberta to Toronto and back again, all within four days. His biggest lesson about entrepreneurship from his time in Toronto was:

“It comes in many shapes and sizes. People usually think of entrepreneurship as someone taking the leap and working in their business full-time. This is not always the case. Some may be interested in working on a business in their spare time, a side hustle. Some may be looking for a more supported system like what Amway is able to offer. Some claim they much rather work in supporting entrepreneurs, like the some of the Futurpreneur staff. Are they not all entrepreneurs in their own right? Are they not all advancing the ecosystem in one form or another? I like to think so and the past week has highlighted that entrepreneurship is not just a means of living; it is a way of life.”

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