By paNOW

Student business vying for startup capital

Feb 16, 2018 | 9:00 AM

Two Grade 10 students from Wesmor High School created a small business which is in competition for start-up capital.

Kassandrea Bear and Shanice Beauchene both hail from the Muskoday First Nation. Together, they started RedWaters Bagging last fall, building on success they had as part of the Muskoday Business Club. They make and sell hand-sewn coin purses, and the pair plans to expand into backpacks and a clothing line in the near future. Their business is one of five in the Enactus Aboriginal Youth Idea Challenge’s wildcard round, where people vote for their favourite business pitch. If selected, Bear and Beauchene could win start-up capital to help achieve their expansion goals.

“Being able to speak up and have a voice, and have an opinion, and being heard, that’s what I like about it,” Bear said. Bouchene said she found the feedback to be the most interesting part of her experience in business so far.

Together, they created a business plan, came up with their own pitch, made a website and manage social media pages.

RedWaters Bagging is competing against five other businesses from across Saskatchewan. Bear and Beauchene will find out if they win the wildcard round at a gala dinner in Whitecap, just south of Saskatoon, Feb. 17.

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For Bear and Beauchene, RedWaters Bagging is more than just a business. It’s also a way to raise awareness amongst their peers about missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls from a youth perspective.

“The youth, they’re not really involved as much as I would like them to be, as much as the adults are,” Bear said.

RedWaters Bagging is also a way for the girls to smash through misperceptions people may have about Indigenous people. Bear said she had always heard negative remarks about Indigenous people and she wanted people to see good things happen on reserves as well.

Bear said starting RedWaters Bagging gave her customer services skills, and confidence. She explained when she first joined the Muskoday Business Club she wasn’t as outgoing; she preferred to view from afar.

“I’ve gotten a lot more confident in talking to people,” Bear said.

Sandi Leboeuf, an academic coach for the Muskoday First Nation, acts as a mentor for the community’s business club. She said Bear, Beauchene and every student who’s taken part in the club have proven it doesn’t matter where they’re from, or who they are; everyone has something good to offer.

“I’ve seen a lot of the students go from not wanting to talk, not wanting to be involved in anything, to really becoming more involved,” Leboeuf said. “That’s really, really good and really important.”

Bryan.Eneas@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @BryanEneas