If you completed the online survey for the recent 撸奶社区branding project, you might have been just one of many people to describe 撸奶社区as a youthful, vibrant, creative and entrepreneurial town. It鈥檚 a great place for new beginnings and to try new things 鈥� a new sport, a new adventure, or if you鈥檙e one of the growing number of young entrepreneurs in town, a new business.
David Crewson, co-founder of StartUp 撸奶社区鈥� a hub for creative, innovative and entrepreneurial types 鈥� says there has been a remarkable number of people exploring new ventures here in Squamish.
鈥淥n average, we have one new entrepreneur walking through our door every day,鈥� he says. 鈥淢ost are between the age of 25 and 45, relatively new to Squamish, educated, and looking to create everything from a freelance business to a high-growth technology venture.鈥�
One such person who started a business here with a great degree of success is Melissa Braun, owner of 撸奶社区Academy of Music (SAM).聽
鈥淎s someone who was already part of the music community in 撸奶社区I saw a need,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 had very excellent music instruction and many supportive learning environments when I was growing up, and I wanted to provide a similar experience in Squamish. There were a lot of opportunities in place for individuals [鈥 to pursue sports and outdoor recreation, but opportunities in the performing and visual arts were lacking.鈥�
SAM filled that gap and opened its doors in the summer of 2011. It now offers private lessons, group classes, workshops and camps to over 400 students each year.聽
鈥淥ne of my goals is to not just teach music to individuals, but to grow and support a musical community,鈥� says Braun. 鈥淢usic making is not something that you should do sitting by yourself at a piano. It is something that you should share, experience, and discuss with others.鈥�
Newer in town are young entrepreneurs Diane Rudge and Sarah Johnson, co-owners of Wild And Heart. Their clothing and accessories store grew from an online boutique to a physical storefront within 18 months.
When they first launched, Johnson lived in Ontario and Diane lived in Vancouver.聽
鈥淲e would Skype for at least 8-10 hours every day while we were starting out,鈥� says Rudge.
They realized, however, in the first few months, they needed to live and work in the same city, so chose to make the West Coast their new home.聽
鈥淚t embodies the free聽spirit, outdoor and bohemian聽lifestyle that we love,鈥� says Rudge.
Having hosted a few pop-up shops in Vancouver, customer demand for a physical store was so great that they sought out a retail location. Luckily for Squamish, they found one here while scouting a photo shoot.
鈥淪ince moving here we have also discovered a number of new local artists/designers that we now sell in store, and our customers continue to inspire us everyday,鈥� says Rudge. 鈥淭he lifestyle and our surroundings make it one of the聽best and beautiful places to call home for both work and play in Canada. We love it here, and look forward to growing with this amazing town.鈥�
Why is 撸奶社区attracting so many young entrepreneurs? As the new branding plan discovered, people come for the recreation, but stay for the lifestyle.
Grace MacLeod from 撸奶社区Chamber of Commerce agrees.
鈥淭he outdoor lifestyle and ability to do so many adventure and extreme sports all within 10 minutes of each other is a huge draw for young entrepreneurs,鈥� she says.聽鈥淭he extreme sports lifestyle also attracts highly confident people and business owners with a high 鈥榗an-do鈥� attitude 鈥� resulting in a tremendous number of successful and hardworking young entrepreneurs who have decided to call 撸奶社区home.鈥�
For many, it seems, pursuing entrepreneurism and being your own boss is the perfect way to balance what you love, both professionally and personally.
鈥淵oung entrepreneurs have a very different approach to their career and their work-life balance,鈥� says Vanessa Carrington, economic development officer for the District of Squamish. 鈥淭hey are more fiscally aware. They are more socially connected and they are very conscious about the environment and their impact. They don鈥檛 want a boss, they want to be independent and they are very empowered.鈥�
