Paige Desmond
FORT FRANCES—With the employment situation always a contentious issue in Northwestern Ontario, entrepreneurship could be one way to curb the tide.
And with a variety of natural resources at hand, creating a value-added wood product just might be the ticket for some wanting to open their own business.
To this end, FP Innovations representative Percy Champagne hosted the last of four seminars across the district to talk to locals about how to get started.
The first two were held in Rainy River and Emo back on Sept. 24, with the final two in Emo last Wednesday morning and then at La Place Rendez-Vous in the afternoon. The turnout was small here, but phased Champagne nonetheless.
“There’s not a ton of entrepreneurs out there that are only focusing on wood,” he explained. “We’re prepared to do [a presentation] to even just one person.”
Champagne said people who previously were working at a well-paying job, and may have been affected by layoffs, could be inspired by the idea of value-added products.
“Maybe losing a job might trigger someone to say, ‘You know, maybe I’ll get out on my own,’” he remarked.
“To encourage entrepreneurship for those who may not have considered it before” is one of Champagne’s goals.
What exactly is a value-added wood product? It simply means a wood product with a new twist. For example, one product highlighted by Champagne was OSB board fashioned with foam squares to create a warmer, drier sub-floor for basements.
Or there is the environmentally-friendly wooden cutlery, such as the product created by Aspenware Inc.
Essentially, a value-added wood product is an improvement or alteration to an old idea.
Champagne highlighted the four dimensions in his recipe for a value-added wood product: innovative design, customization, competitive pricing, and quick delivery.
The Northern Ontario Value-Added Initiative (NOVA) is funded by FedNor and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp. until late 2010 or early 2011, Champagne noted.
Speaking to just two people at the Rendez-Vous, Champagne led a brief but thorough presentation which spoke to creating a business plan and securing funding. He also highlighted several examples of current value-added products.
But Champagne stressed that perhaps the most important aspect for locals hoping to start their own value-added business is to craft the perfect business plan.
“It takes a lot of work creating a business plan,” he noted. “A business plan is like a puzzle.”
But don’t expect an entrepreneurial venture to be any kind of get-rich-quick scheme. Although there are a variety of funding options available to get these projects going from various organizations, Champagne warned one of the biggest pitfalls is poor planning and underestimation of things like marketing and the amount of time it may take to develop a profitable clientele.
“Sales and marketing is a significant part of getting a business started,” he said, explaining people often neglect to consider this in their planning.
Even having a fabulous business plan, however, will not sell an unneeded product. “Each one of [the products] has to be investigated and their own merits have to show through,” Champagne stressed.
Champagne has received some good feedback from the sessions, which saw a better turnout at other locations such as Rainy River.
“The feedback sheets were pretty positive,” he said, adding he’s received interested follow-up calls from district residents who were unable to attend any of the seminars.
“Maybe after another few months I’ll hold another session,” Champagne said.
(Fort Frances Times)
