Not everyone can be an entrepreneur. Few people at school say “I want to be an entrepreneur when I grow up”. It’s true, today entrepreneurship is in a “glamour” wave. Not as much as firefighter or astronaut if you ask me, but who knows? Maybe there will be more young people in the next generation who will see entrepreneurship as their dream career choice.
But is entrepreneurship a dream career? It’s not for everyone, that’s true, but for some, the answer is yes! And fortunately, this is the case for many young First Nations people in Quebec. In the current context, whether it is considering the economic, social, environmental or cultural environment, many ideas are springing up in the heads of the young generation in order to shape a better world.
It seems essential to determine here, before going any further, who is considered young. In order to spare me the labels and various prejudices already associated with the generations in question, I will simply use the age range 18 to 35, as used by the provincial government in most of its programs aimed at “youth”.
And allow me to digress, but for those who may not be aware, it seems essential here once again to specify that according to the most recent Statistics Canada census[1], Indigenous youth are distinctly more numerous than the similar non-Indigenous demographic in Canada. In short, that’s a lot of young brains dreaming of changing the world, one business project at a time.
Except that… having ideas is a good start, but it is unfortunately not a guarantee of success. The road is sometimes long and arduous for a budding entrepreneur. As it happens, if you’ve been following the news over the past week (the first week of May being Mental Health Week), you already know that being an entrepreneur is rarely a career where the sky stays blue and the sea stays calm. But that’s not what this article is about, so let’s close this side note.
So the topic of this article: is it easy to become an entrepreneur, as a young First Nations person in Quebec? If I bother writing an article on the subject, one can imagine that the answer tends towards the negative. The real question, in my opinion, is: why not? Ultimately, I would love to hear your opinion on how we can make the path easier for our young entrepreneurs? But before we get into that discussion, let me tell you what I’ve found to be the difficulties faced by young entrepreneurs.
OK, yes, there are several, I can already hear you saying that this article could be really long and hesitate to keep reading to the end. Don’t worry, I’m working on my ability to synthesize and I’ll get to the point by presenting you the three most important ones.
Money, always money
As you may have guessed, the everlasting “it takes money to make money” comes to the forefront here.
“I am alone in the world.”
An entrepreneur is an innovator, a leader, a dreamer. He has the Idea with a capital “I”. But he can’t do it all alone.
“I don’t know where to start.”
Starting a business is a bit like a gambling. We look for resources to help us, if we are lucky we find the right person the first time, sometimes it takes several turns and some losses in the process.
Where is this going? Well, I could go on for several pages about the hurdles to entrepreneurship for young entrepreneurs. They are complex and there are more than three of them. But essentially, the purpose of this article is to get you thinking about the potential young entrepreneurs in your social circle, professional circle or simply network of influence. There are many. Now take that thought to the next level by asking yourself what you can do to make it easier for them to get their project started.
There are many organizations, programs, and resources that try to offer answers and solutions to the pitfalls experienced by our young people who are trying to change the world. Several programs are available to help finance the start-up of business projects. I want to take a minute here to mention the Nikanewin Bursaries initiative, which aims to encourage taking action on a First Nations business start-up project.
That being said, as a young person, it is sometimes difficult to know which organization can meet your needs. Not to mention that the support of an advisor, the presence of a mentor, they are important, but they will never replace the support of people in the community. I sincerely believe that the entrepreneurs who have persevered in their entrepreneurial journey are those who had, and still have today, a support circle. Family members, friends, colleagues, who believe in their potential. The human feeling, it makes the difference!
So if you have followed me so far and are reading this, thank you! Thank you for your interest in our young entrepreneurs. And I sincerely hope that you will find ways to support them in their adventure, whether it is a word, a gesture, a purchase, or time given. After all, they want to make this world a better place to live in for everyone, and especially for the next generations.
[1]While Indigenous people remain younger than non-Indigenous population, young Indigenous children (0 to 4 years) account for smaller share of population than in the past (statcan.gc.ca)
