May 2024 - Community Futures North Okanagan

Loan Helps Home Inspector Make ‘Business Dreams Come True’

May 27, 2024/in Success Story

Kendall Kinnear always dreamed of starting his own business.

Then, one day, he made the leap. He quit his job, went back to school, and was ready to launch a new career as a home inspector. But after living on savings and a line of credit for two years while studying and earning his license, Kendall knew he needed two things: a small business loan and the right people in his corner.

And he knew just where to start.

“Growing up in Vernon, I had always heard about Community Futures and had actually gone in years before for help searching for a job,” says Kendall. “I knew that Community Futures supports small local businesses, and I just had a feeling that they would be able to help me.”

He soon met the business services team, dove into entrepreneurial workshops and, with the support of business analyst Scot McNair, got the funding he needed to follow his dreams. He paid his licensing fees, bought the required tools for his business and was ready to get to work.

Now, nearly two years after successfully launching Argos Home Inspection, Kendall beams as he talks about helping buyers in the Okanagan get to know their dream homes.

“I love it. I love my job. I get to meet all kinds of people and see all kinds of houses. I like to think that we offer a protective service for people,” says Kendall. “We’re out there educating people and helping them protect their wallets by making them aware of potential issues.”

Before launching Argos Home Inspection, Kendall worked as a skilled flood technician and water damage inspector. Now, he uses his years of restoration experience to educate buyers about potential water damage before closing on a new home.

“Helping clients get to know their homes before they buy feels way better than I ever could have imagined,” Kendall says. “I’m so happy for my clients when they finally find their place.”

And, he smiles, it wouldn’t have been possible without the connections he made when he went into Community Futures North Okanagan to ask for help.

“It was such a streamlined process,” says Kendall. “If I didn’t get the loan, I wouldn’t have been able to start the business and would still be working in restoration.”

After finding his stride with Argos, Kendall joined Community Futures’ Business Exchange program to help develop his skills as a well-rounded business owner. While he has since moved on to open a spot in the small group forum for other local entrepreneurs, Kendall now sits on the Home Inspectors Association of BC’s board of directors and loves helping new inspectors find their path just as Community Futures helped him.

“Community Futures made it easy,” says Kendall. “I was shocked at how straightforward it was to get a business loan and make my small business dreams come true.”

Ready to launch or grow your business? Visit us online to learn more about how our business loans and resources can help you reach your goals. https://www.futuresbc.com/

With the support of Pacific Economic Development Canada

‘They truly care’: How Country Manor Kitchen Got Its Wheels & Overcame Bumps on the Road

May 27, 2024/in Success Story

For a whole week, Kim Stinson and her team had been hand-pressing 1,700 burger patties made from scratch. There, in her new Country Manor Kitchen trailer with a full restaurant kitchen, they’d laid everything out: the buns, the plates, the napkins. When she had a moment to think, which was not often, Kim wondered: What will they think of my food?

Then, on the Interior Provincial Exhibition (IPE) opening day, the hungry people came.

“People were lined up all the way around the corner,” says Kim, whose food truck became the highest selling vendor that first year at the IPE, an Armstrong, BC, rodeo and fair attended by tens of thousands. The fresh burgers and perogies, and the system she’d set up to have the food already hot and plated worked. “We were fast.”

That was 2016 and Kim had only just bought her kitchen on wheels, which came with a handful of bookings, including the IPE. Creating her business, Country Manor Kitchen, and that mobile trailer, almost hadn’t happened.

“It started because I was trying to help this couple with their catering for a wedding and ended up doing it for them. Out of that job I got two more catering jobs and within a year I was so booked I thought, I have to go back to my roots and do this. So, I got a business plan together and someone said to go to Community Futures, so I did.”

In the process of developing her business plan alongside Community Futures North Okanagan loans advisor Rob Short, Stinson came across a food trailer for sale in Vernon.

“I implemented the trailer unit into the plan and he loved it.”

Soon, Stinson was approved for the business loan and Country Manor Kitchen was touring festivals and weddings, serving up roast beef dinners and roasted vegetable medleys with produce from local farms.

“I really spent zero dollars on advertising. The food was speaking for itself.”

A year later, just a few weeks after another wildly successful IPE, Stinson had a stroke. She was in the hospital for 80 days and early on, she began to worry: What will I do about the loan payments?

“Community Futures stepped up and said, let’s do interest-only payments to get you through this. It was huge. It was lifesaving,” says Stinson. “If I had been with a bank, I probably would have had to shutter so it meant the world to me, no doubt about it.”

Several months later, Stinson was recovering and her staff agreed to come back to work the handful of weddings that had already been booked for the spring and summer of 2018.

“Nobody told me to stop. It was not something I even thought of. I had this commitment to these brides and to that loan. It was never an option not to go forward. Even when I was in the hospital, I had this white board and I got out a pen and wrote ‘forward’ on it.”

So, there she was, pulling up the trailer and listening to guests passing by as the beef or the chicken was roasting, cooked fresh on site.

“You can smell it cooking and the kitchen opens right up so you can have a look. It creates an atmosphere. People are always gobsmacked at how good the food looks and I do thrive on that feedback.”

Stinson hit another roadblock, Covid, and turned again to Community Futures Okanagan and its Momentum program for women business owners. Through the peer mentoring and one-to-one coaching, Stinson navigated contracts and policies around wedding cancellations, and just carrying on.

“I think if I wasn’t with Community Futures, I would have gone under, hands down.”

Within two years, as restrictions lifted, Country Manor Kitchen was adopted for the corn maze season at O’Keefe Ranch and Stinson had found an amazing red seal chef to help run it along with other catering events. Things were going so well, they started scouting permanent locations and found a longstanding restaurant that was closing in Armstrong.

Country Manor Kitchen is now open on Pleasant Valley Road with its aesthetic of ‘granny’s kitchen’: antique mis-matched plates, a vintage milkshake machine and meals home-cooked with love, like Irish stew poutine and pulled pork salads. Instead of buying a dishwasher, Stinson gives people with diverse abilities dishwashing jobs. And she gives customers advice about starting their own business.

“I tell people about Community Futures all the time. I say you can go great places with them. They truly honestly care that you make things work.”

Ready to grow your business? Learn how our business loans and resources can help you reach your goals. https://www.futuresbc.com/

Enterprize Challenge 2024: Get to know the winners!

May 27, 2024/in News, Success Story

When you speak with the three winners of the 2024 Enterprize Challenge, if there is a word that comes up time and again, it is this: dream.

One had a dream to bring dental care to long-term care homes so seniors could carry on smiling and eating in comfort. Two had a dream to take care of those little jobs around the house and on the to-do list that just never seem to get done for people. One had a dream to bake beautiful cakes and pastries so that those with food allergies wouldn’t have to go without on special occasions.

After several weeks of tirelessly honing their business plan and pitch alongside a mentor, three emerging entrepreneurs realized their business dreams as they were called to the stage, one by one, to accept their award.

Third place: Gaby Flores, Baking Time

Second place: Precious Gatpandan and RJ San Jose, Errands and Beyond

First place & People’s Choice: Jenna Smith, Sage Dental Hygiene

“Participating in the competition takes all kinds of courage and hard work. Most do it while going to a day job and taking care of a family—and we’re always amazed at the vision and dedication of our participants,” says Kazia Mullin, business manager, Community Futures North Okanagan, which hosted the ninth annual competition.

This year, 21 participants showcased businesses ranging from a music studio and a videography company to an animal-assisted children’s education centre and a creative branding studio. Enterprize Challenge culminates in a Dragon’s Den-style pitch to win up to $35,000 in prizes like marketing and banking services for an exciting business launch. To be among the seven finalists at the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre on May 9, never mind a top spot, is quite an achievement.

“We congratulate everyone who gave it their all, and we’re so thankful for the community’s support.”

Here is a chance to get to know each of the winners:

Jenna Smith, Sage Dental Hygiene – First place & People’s Choice

Dental hygienist Jenna Smith was cleaning the teeth of a patient when he mentioned he couldn’t find a mobile hygienist to visit his wife, who was in long-term care. Smith searched high and low, and at the time, couldn’t find someone. At some point, she wondered, do I have a place in filling that gap?

“Once people have dementia or mobility issues, they just can’t get to the dentist as readily,” says Smith. “I thought, there needs to be more care for our seniors.”

“To me, it’s about helping to keep them free of pain so they can continue chewing, and maintain their health and dignity. Is it important to be able to smile at that age? I think so.”

Nearly two years later, after taking business courses and getting through all the paperwork, in January 2024, Sage Dental Hygiene opened and Jenna slowly began to see a handful of patients. In that in-room environment, she’s scaling teeth by hand. She often takes a few minutes to hold their hands. With one patient, she’s been able to protect the woman’s last six teeth.

“Their families are very thankful that someone is providing this care,” says Smith, who entered Enterprize Challenge with the hopes of growing her business skills and spreading the word.

When she heard her name called for People’s Choice, she says: “I was completely surprised.” Then, for first place, her name was called again: “I was just shocked and thrilled. I was blown away.”

“The reception has been beyond my wildest dreams. I’m overwhelmed by the generosity of the sponsor’s gifts.”

Precious Gatpandan and RJ San Jose, Errands and Beyond – Second place

For Precious Gatpandan and RJ San Jose, Enterprize Challenge was really the culmination of several dreams: Coming to Canada, getting permanent residency, bringing their children to live here, and starting a business in which they could use their skills to brighten people’s days.

After they made their seven-minute pitch to judges for Errands and Beyond, the couple, originally from the Philippines, said they weren’t sure what to expect.

“At first we were very nervous, and then we heard the loud noise of applause from the crowd,” says San Jose, who does most of the ‘beyond’ in Errands and Beyond in the form of handyman work such as minor renovations, tiling, painting and drywall repair. The business launched last September and focuses on giving seniors an extra set of hands.

“I was teary-eyed during that time already because it was a sign to me that our message came across and was well accepted,” says Gatpandan, who does the marketing and the errand-running side of the business. “Regardless of the outcome, we felt like we were already big winners.”

And then, when the second place Enterprize Challenge winner was announced, Gatpandan says: “It was so surreal.”

“For anyone trying to dream (of a business) don’t get intimidated,” she says. “Reach out to Community Futures.”

Gaby Flores, Baking Time – Third place

All throughout the night of the Enterprize Challenge final, Gaby Flores reminded herself of the words of her mentor Hal Mueller, a business advisor at Community Futures: “You don’t realize how good you are. If you want to win, you have to sell yourself.”

The Costa Rica native moved to Vernon nearly four years ago to become an executive pastry chef. It was through this work that she discovered how many people would appreciate the chance to enjoy vegan, dairy and gluten-free cookies, cakes and pastries.

She loves baking beautiful cakes and bringing joy to others more than anything, but she’s also humble and with English as her second language, she was feeling shy.

“It was scary. You have to get out from your comfort zone,” says Flores, who attended the ‘business bootcamp’ workshops all while working full-time. “Enterprize Challenge is a challenge, but I thought if I get this opportunity, I will do the best that I can. This doesn’t happen twice in your life.”

Also, Flores remembered the words of her mother, a professor-turned-lawyer: “Wherever you go, whatever you do, do your best because you’re also opening doors for other people from Costa Rica.”

So, Flores gave it her all and the concept of Baking Time impressed judges. Winning third place, she says, means now she can confidently “take baby steps” to fulfill her dream.

“I think after all this, my confidence rose so much. I believe in myself.”