METRO HALIFAX
A new kiosk at the Halifax airport has local entrepreneurs lining up to showcase their wares to international customers, and creating a conversation around what more can be done to help homegrown talent.
Heather Spidell, president of the Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development (CEED), helped launch the organization’s new booth at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport Wednesday, which she also hopes to bring to rural areas.
“[It’s] giving them exposure … giving them an opportunity to learn, crunch their numbers, work on their business plan through live research,” Spidell said.
Another way to support local businesses, while making use of empty buildings in Halifax and small communities in N.S., would be to start a “pop-up culture,” she said.
Instead of sinking money into long-term leases, Spidell said it should be easier to allow different entrepreneurs to rotate in and out of the same building.
“Communities would look like they’re thriving, and ultimately some [businesses] will succeed … and some won’t, but at least it’s giving them a chance.”
Jill Franklin, owner of Jill’s Chocolates, started her Halifax business 10 years ago and said her “major battle” has been exclusivity clauses in local malls and stores who won’t stock her product because they already have a chocolate store.
While Franklin said it would help small entrepreneurs break into the market if they were allowed to sell in shopping malls or bigger stores, removing the HST could be a real incentive for people to buy local.
“That was a luxury that I was able to say to my customers in the beginning, you don’t have to pay HST,” Franklin said.
“It’s kind a sign of success … that I’m taking in more revenue, so now the government’s making me charge HST.”
Susan Downey of Grape Escapes Nova Scotia Wine Tours said she would appreciate the province easing strict Utility and Review Board regulations.
“It doesn’t allow you to [say] ‘This would be a really great idea’ and go with it, you have to apply for another license to operate that particular tour.”
But Downey said it’s important to have grants like the Strategic Co-operative Education Incentive, which she said will fund a summer student position they wouldn’t have been able to afford otherwise
Kiosk plants CEED for local business owners
For Jill Franklin of Jill’s Chocolates, a new kiosk at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport has helped lead to a sweet, sweet dream come true.
After the launch of the Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development (CEED) booth Wednesday, Franklin said having several weeks in the there helped prove her product was worthy of an international audience and landed her chocolates in the Island Beach Company store.
“I’ve been trying for years to get in here, so it was a real confidence booster,” Franklin said.
“I designed my product to have an international appeal, so it was nice … for that type of customer to be applauding me, saying ‘Yes this is right.’”
Franklin said the partnership with the airport through the CEED kiosk considerably shortened her route to selling her product there.
“I don’t know how long it would have taken for me to prove myself to be here … because I was trying,” Franklin said.
Susan Downey, owner of Grape Escapes Nova Scotia Wine Tours, said the kiosk allowed her to promote her business to tourists right at the arrivals gate of the Halifax airport.
Although Downey said tour sales weren’t necessarily through the roof, promotion for her business is more important since it’s not an impulse purchase but people can go home and plan their vacation with her six-hour winery trip in mind.
“It’s mostly about educating and promoting and it sticks with people,” she said.
Heather Spidell, CEED president, said they approached the airport authority a few months ago about showcasing local goods in a kiosk and were happy to see the Halifax airport become the first in Canada to create this program.
“It’s just really exciting for the entrepreneurs because I can’t imagine that they would get this opportunity any other way,” Spidell said.
Entrepreneurs can rent the kiosk for $200 a week, and Spidell said they’ve already booked through to the end of August.
METRO HALIFAX
A new kiosk at the Halifax airport has local entrepreneurs lining up to showcase their wares to international customers, and creating a conversation around what more can be done to help homegrown talent.
Heather Spidell, president of the Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development (CEED), helped launch the organization’s new booth at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport Wednesday, which she also hopes to bring to rural areas.
“[It’s] giving them exposure … giving them an opportunity to learn, crunch their numbers, work on their business plan through live research,” Spidell said.
Another way to support local businesses, while making use of empty buildings in Halifax and small communities in N.S., would be to start a “pop-up culture,” she said.
Instead of sinking money into long-term leases, Spidell said it should be easier to allow different entrepreneurs to rotate in and out of the same building.
“Communities would look like they’re thriving, and ultimately some [businesses] will succeed … and some won’t, but at least it’s giving them a chance.”
Jill Franklin, owner of Jill’s Chocolates, started her Halifax business 10 years ago and said her “major battle” has been exclusivity clauses in local malls and stores who won’t stock her product because they already have a chocolate store.
While Franklin said it would help small entrepreneurs break into the market if they were allowed to sell in shopping malls or bigger stores, removing the HST could be a real incentive for people to buy local.
“That was a luxury that I was able to say to my customers in the beginning, you don’t have to pay HST,” Franklin said.
“It’s kind a sign of success … that I’m taking in more revenue, so now the government’s making me charge HST.”
Susan Downey of Grape Escapes Nova Scotia Wine Tours said she would appreciate the province easing strict Utility and Review Board regulations.
“It doesn’t allow you to [say] ‘This would be a really great idea’ and go with it, you have to apply for another license to operate that particular tour.”
But Downey said it’s important to have grants like the Strategic Co-operative Education Incentive, which she said will fund a summer student position they wouldn’t have been able to afford otherwise
Kiosk plants CEED for local business owners
For Jill Franklin of Jill’s Chocolates, a new kiosk at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport has helped lead to a sweet, sweet dream come true.
After the launch of the Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development (CEED) booth Wednesday, Franklin said having several weeks in the there helped prove her product was worthy of an international audience and landed her chocolates in the Island Beach Company store.
“I’ve been trying for years to get in here, so it was a real confidence booster,” Franklin said.
“I designed my product to have an international appeal, so it was nice … for that type of customer to be applauding me, saying ‘Yes this is right.’”
Franklin said the partnership with the airport through the CEED kiosk considerably shortened her route to selling her product there.
“I don’t know how long it would have taken for me to prove myself to be here … because I was trying,” Franklin said.
Susan Downey, owner of Grape Escapes Nova Scotia Wine Tours, said the kiosk allowed her to promote her business to tourists right at the arrivals gate of the Halifax airport.
Although Downey said tour sales weren’t necessarily through the roof, promotion for her business is more important since it’s not an impulse purchase but people can go home and plan their vacation with her six-hour winery trip in mind.
“It’s mostly about educating and promoting and it sticks with people,” she said.
Heather Spidell, CEED president, said they approached the airport authority a few months ago about showcasing local goods in a kiosk and were happy to see the Halifax airport become the first in Canada to create this program.
“It’s just really exciting for the entrepreneurs because I can’t imagine that they would get this opportunity any other way,” Spidell said.
Entrepreneurs can rent the kiosk for $200 a week, and Spidell said they’ve already booked through to the end of August.
