THE PILOT EPISODE…
Look who has officially taken the LEAP! We kicked off the first week of our business accelerator program on May 4th, and the force was totally with us as we welcomed the 2021 LeapIN cohort:
Tracy Malette-Larcher | Select Start Network
Mazie Lovie | Pencil Cat Distribution
Abbygail Acham | Clina Hair Care
Jenny Fourtounes | Jenny's Masks and Costumes Design
Cecilia Doucette | Ecclesia
Rachel Davies | Ruff Life
Steve and Janan McNaughton | Proof Line Dairy
Joshua Redgrift | Nearby Neighbours
Brittany McCorriston | Reed Supplies Canada
Ashley Horat | The Mindfull Co.
Brooke Davidson | Flicker Candle Co.
Evodi Bashangi | Authentic Essence Unleashed
By the end of our 12 weeks together, the plan is to learn more about these entrepreneurs as they continue to learn more about themselves and their businesses. We don’t want you to miss out on hearing more, so we’ll be featuring one business from our cohort each week in this series!
GUEST STARRING…
DAY 1 | The group was joined by Jennifer Pate, a geographer, entrepreneur & storyteller fascinated by human-environment interaction. Jen shared stories of her journey as an entrepreneur, life at sea, and focused on some key advice for our entrepreneurs who are just beginning:
Your passion is going to be what helps you succeed, so don’t shy away from that.
Focus on the journey and who you need to be to get there.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to your heroes.
Be child-like, but not childish.
Have a vision, but let it be fluid. Overestimate what you can do in a year, underestimate what you can do in a decade!
DAY 2 | Bright and early for us and a late night for her, Marley Harris joined us all the way from Bali to discuss manifestation, smashing your goals, and “what she wished she knew” when she was first starting out.
Ask for help
It CAN be easy if you let it
Dream BIGGER
Invest and take care of YOU
Marley certainly brought a lot of unique energy to this session, including her notable disclaimer: “I’m gonna try not to be too woo-woo because Kelsey will cringe!” before teaching us about our “abundance anchor.”
Later that day we were joined for an afternoon Wellness Workshop hosted by Jodi Anderson from the Student Wellness Centre! Our entrepreneurs learned the ins and outs of all types of self-care:
Physical
Psychological
Emotional
Social
Professional
Spiritual
Though the majority of the day was spent exercising our minds, we learned a few quick tricks to stretch our bodies out too!
DAY 3 | On our final day of week 1, Nicole Snobelen, a participant from the first-ever LeapIN accelerator, joined us to let us in on the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, her pivots and future plans, and the endless practice of gratitude! It was a great way to lead into our first “Brag & Drag” conversation with the cohort!
There may have also been a very competitive Kahoot Quiz going on, facilitated by LEAP Junction's resident Pun Master, Kelsey Currie.
MOTIVATIONAL MOMENTS…
A few quotes from the week that needed to be shared!
“We’re the 5th cohort, we’ve had five sets of people come out of this program successfully, and we’re going to be next.” - Rachel D
“The height of your success is determined by what you think you deserve” – Marley Harris
[referencing Ruth Bader Ginsburg Documentary] – “if that lady can do it in the 60s, I can do it now!” – Jenny F
BLOOPERS OF THE WEEK…
For those moments you're glad we caught on camera!
Organization Tip:
“It’s my true love. I have my husband, my kids, and then OneNote”
– Tracy
Running a business is tough work!
A few of us really benefitted from the meditation... and fell into deep relaxation!
ROLL THE CREDITS...
That about covers it all from Week 1! Take a look below to learn more about our first featured business from the cohort: Flicker Candle Co.