'Dragons' looking for the region's big ideas
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- Published on Thursday, September 24, 2015
By Kira Paterson
The Neepawa Banner
Local entrepreneurs will have a chance to make their ideas a reality at a new event in Minnedosa next month.
On Thursday, Oct. 22 at 9:00 am, the Minnedosa and Area Community Development Corporation (CDC) and the Neepawa and Area Development Corporation (NADCO) will be hosting an entrepreneurship event called “What’s the Big Idea?” at the Minnedosa Community Conference Center.
The day will include a Dragon’s Den style event, where the entrepreneurs will have the chance to present their idea to the “dragons,” who will evaluate their pitch. There are a number of cash prizes and incentives from local businesses and organizations for the most successful pitches. Each award comes with a set of criteria the entrepreneur must meet to be eligible. For example, there is a prize for $150 for the best pitch from a female entrepreneur, or a $500 grant from the R.M. of Oakview for the idea “which best benefits the residents of the municipality.” One pitch could potentially win several awards, if the entrepreneur and idea meet the criteria.
After the event is over, Marilyn Crewe and Vern May, economic development officers of Neepawa and Minnedosa, will have a list of new businesses that hope to get started. Their goal is to help the entrepreneurs with anything they need to build their business. They will be able to refer them to other organizations that would support their business, help them find a lot or a venue where they can run their business or just give them advice along the way if that’s what the entrepreneurs need.
Those wanting to make a pitch have to register with either May or Crewe. There is no cost to register or to come and watch. The hope is that anyone who has an idea will come forward to make a pitch.
“Anyone who thinks they have an idea, and they’re not sure what we’re looking for, they’re more than welcome to give me a call or come see me. Both Vern and I are waiting for the phone to ring from those entrepreneurs,” said Crewe. “We actually have a coaching list so that we can provide the information that those entrepreneurs would maybe want to think about before they stand up in front of a ‘dragon’.”
The main goal of “What’s the Big Idea?” is to give entrepreneurs an opportunity to make their ideas happen. Crewe said that people who have these ideas often don’t know how to get started. “There’s various support agencies and we’re just bringing them all to one place so that the entrepreneurs can learn about what support systems are there,” Crewe explained.
“We also want the community to come out,” she added, noting it’s important for people to know about potential local businesses. “That just grows the local economy because you have a community that’s committed to seeing this new business be successful, so they’re going to support it.”
The event is also a way to get more small businesses going within the small communities in the region. Local businesses are important to small communities like Neepawa and Minnedosa.
“Without our small businesses, we don’t have a downtown core,” said Crewe. “Those small businesses are the ones that can bend and flex with a changing market.”
Having more local businesses also makes the town more appealing to people looking to relocate. If there is a young family looking to start a new business in a new town, they will look for a community that would be likely to support their business. “Small businesses often live local and shop local, so it’s a very nurturing environment to support those small businesses because they support each other,” said Crewe.
“What’s the Big Idea?” is an event that May and Crewe are hoping to be able to run annually. They want to continually give aspiring entrepreneurs the opportunity to make their ideas a reality. “Entrepreneurship is not just a flash,” Crewe explained. “It’s not today’s buzzword; it’s something that can be built into the fibre of a community and hosting something like this year over year will just embed that in our community.”
If anyone is interested, they are encouraged to contact May at 204-867-3885 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Crewe at 204-476-7607 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
