LA MALBAIE, Que. — Tristan Babin, dressed in a suit and tie, alternated seamlessly between French and English as he answered questions about his home-based soap enterprise for a standing room only crowd of rural business lenders and economic development volunteers.
Following the presentation inside the opulent salon of an historic hotel nestled between the mountains and the St. Lawrence Seaway in La Malbaie in June, the chief executive officer of Tristan’s Soaps, Handmade With Love, reached into his suit coat for his business card.
The entrepreneur from Moonbeam, Ont., is 11 years old, and his message to the crowd is simple.
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“Don’t forget to ask the youth. Believe in us,” he said during the Community Futures Network of Canada national conference in La Malbaie in June,.
The business idea for his two-year-old company came to him one day while taking a bath. After some online research and “messes in the kitchen,” he began selling his products, dreaming of world travel and being as big one day as Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics.
In an address that elicited more than a few tears from the audience, Babin credited his parents’ support and a youth entrepreneurship program from the Northeastern Ontario Youth Entrepreneurship Initiative for fostering his entrepreneurial spirit.
Cindy Reasbeck, an adviser with the initiative, said it’s important to start young when developing a culture of entrepreneurship.
She said these youth programs have introduced more than 10,000 eight to 34 year olds to the business world in the last four years.
They are provided in schools from kindergarten to high school and allow young people to engage in projects such as designing logos and hatching business plans.
Reasbeck said in an interview that it’s hoped such programs will build entrepreneurial spirit and stem the migration of youth from rural and northern communities.
“Kids are going to leave, but if you’ve engaged them all the way through, you can get those ex-pats back because they felt they were part of that community and had opportunities,” she said.
Reasbeck said studies have shown that young people who are interested in these programs are more likely to be gainfully employed in later life.
Debbi Fortier, chief executive officer of the Community Futures Triple R in Morris, Man., said entrepreneurship resonates with farm families.
“A lot of farm children do become entrepreneurs because farming is a business,” she said.
“They have grown up in that world where it’s not nine to five.”
Manitoba offers a similar hands-on fun and educational introduction to business through one-week camps, which target young people already showing an interest. They also learn how Community Futures can support rural enterprises, she said.
Jenna Gilmore, who led the youth camps, said they give nine to 13 year olds the knowledge and tools to become entrepreneurs.
The young people examine buying trends, cash flow, product placement, promotion and price and put together a business plan. They are also given $20 for supplies to produce their products and create their own signage, advertising and find their target market, she said.
As well, they are coached on how to speak properly and walk confidently.
“They learn they need to make a profit to be successful,” Gilmore said, noting some earned as much as $130.
Examples of products include plastic bag holders, bug spray and fire starters.
Becky Cianflone, Triple R’s business analyst, said half of the participants said they wanted to start their own business. Many had improved levels of confidence and financial literacy skills and learned the importance of supporting small business in their communities.
“We have to enpower people to create their own earning potential,” Cianflone said.
This summer, the camps are slated for Grunthal, Altona and St. Jean Baptiste.
