GPRC Business Plan Tradeshow

By Courtney Almeida

GPRC

GPRC hosts annual Business Plan Tradeshow

Apr 3, 2019 | 12:00 PM

Grande Prairie Regional College hosted its 7^th annual Business Plan Tradeshow yesterday in the GPRC Theatre Concourse. Students in the Small Business Entrepreneurship class, a class in the college’s business program, showcased their mock business plans to the public, and some plan to turn their final projects into future business ventures.

Small Business Entrepreneurship is a class that allows for students to put their start-up ideas into action. Students work on a Business Plan throughout the entire semester before displaying them at the Tradeshow.

“We start off with what is their concept or unique idea. Finding out where there is a need out there or there’s a problem or there’s a gap and then could they answer it. Considering also where they have some passion or desire with their own natural skills and interests,” said Carolyn Vasileioux, Business Instructor at GPRC. “Then we look at what the feasibility of that is, so they do a feasibility study. They look at the financial feasibility. How much money would they need? Where are they are going to get the money? Then they complete their business plan by looking at what kind of marketing they’re going to do, their operations and human resources.”

The Tradeshow allows for students to network amongst one another on campus and share ideas. Many businesses on display offered online websites, social media accounts, email addresses or business cards for advertisement.

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“I’m always so amazed at what they produce.” said Vasileioux.

Vasileioux has been a teacher for 13 years. She explains that the project is meant to kickstart ideas students have, but in the time that she’s been teaching the course, many students of hers have brought their business plans to life.

“It would be up to them if they would want to implement it. It’s an introductory course so they’re learning about how to set up a business and create your business plan. Some have decided to start their business, and some are taking it because they’re interested and they have this idea that their working on, but they may not decide to implement.”

Businesses on showcase at the Tradeshow ranged in topics from technology-based projects, social media marketing, food and beverage, fitness, interior decorating or even a Mini-Golf project.

A few students in this year’s class are interested in implementing their business plan ideas into real-life businesses. Student Kendra Olson is one of them. The mom of two, who returned to school, is hoping her project will progress into a career.

Olson is a personal trainer who owns a small studio in Grande Prairie. For her Business Plan, she mapped out her newest real-life business venture – an online gym. Olson hosts classes online through Zoom, a technological platform much like Skype.

“People can log-in on real-time and follow the workouts online from home and I can correct their form, correct their exercises, give them modifications right there. They don’t have to leave their house, I don’t have to leave mine. It works well,” says Olson.

Users of WI-FIT Online Gym can log-on and lock their desktop screens to Olson’s home device. Olson can view the screens of all users logged on however, users can only view Olson on their own desktops. The start-up idea allows for Olson to interact and run workouts with several clients at a time.

Kendra Olson of Wi-Fit Online Gym

The idea for her virtual gym derived from her own personal experience running her gym, and the high demographic of clients that she had who were busy moms. Olson’s idea allows for mom’s to workout with their kids around, in the comfort of their own home. She explains that often she would get cancellations at her gym from mom’s and when she would make home-workout plans for them, they usually wouldn’t do it.

“It was kind of a way to fill that gap where, they have to do it, if I’m logging in too,” said Olson.

Fellow student Brenna Bessette gained attention at the event for her Class Café project, which she also hopes will come to fruition in the future.

Class Café is a student-oriented business. In addition to it operating as an affordable café for students, it would also offer student services, such as tutoring by students hired from within the College, to create part-time work opportunities. The café would also provide a place for students to host academic outings, like study groups, on campus. Bessette says she has future ideas of offering catering opportunities, or even textbook donation services too.

“Studying at the College was always super stressful, because I was always in a school environment all day. I couldn’t really go to coffee shops because it was too loud or too expensive and trying to find tutors on Kijiji just wasn’t working. I thought it would be a really good idea to just incorporate all the needs of students into one business,” said Bessette on how she came up with the idea.

Brenna Bessette of Class Café

During the Tradeshow, Bessette was approached by a GPRC library worker interested in helping her turn her plan into a reality for the GPRC student body.

In response Bessette says, “It’s really overwhelming because I didn’t actually think that this would take off.”

Another start-up idea that derived from a personal need is seen in Annabelle Ouellet’s future business.

“I go to lots of craft shows and tradeshows and I make indigenous crafts and I do workshops around town too, different schools here and there. I found that lots of times when you want supplies, you have to go to Edmonton to get them. Having something local to get the stuff you need would be better,” said Ouellet.

Annabelle Ouellet of Indigenous Creeations & Supplies

She points to a pair of beads on display as an example. Ouellet notes how the white beads (pictured) she buys locally are not all the exact same size. She must travel to Edmonton to get good quality beads like the second yellow package of beads (pictured) due to the product inconsistency.

White beads pictured on the left, differ in sizing when compared to the better quality yellow beads pictured on the right.

Ouellet says that one day she hopes to have a place where people can gather to craft altogether and exchange or buy supplies like beads, leathers or furs. Her dream store front would also feature an area where crafters can buy and sell the goods they create.