One Arrow youth business club takes product to market
- EFN Staff | October 15, 2015
An innovative and important product created by the One Arrow First Nation’s Almightyvoice Education Centre Business Club has hit the market. The product is the Residential Rooftop Sewer Vent Extension Kit and it is needed by people who live in snow around the world.
The Club has worked hard to create a business plan, pilot project and marketing plan and they have pitched the Residential Rooftop Sewer Vent Extension Kit to investors and industry. The result of this hard work is a product ready for market with 300 units already sold. Now they are looking to sell more so they can take the product to the next level.
The AEC Business Club helps young people network, meet entrepreneurs and develop business plans and products. Perhaps most importantly it gives them practice and training in the vital skills of public speaking and making presentations.
About 12 local youth are involved.
Creedance Thomas used to be a shy young man. That was before the now Grade 12 graduate hooked up with the Business Club last year.
“This really helped me out a lot,” Thomas says. “I used to get pretty shy at first. That was my second year and I’ve learned quite a bit – how to speak for myself, how to talk and now I’ve pitched to the chief and councils.”
Joe Taylor is the AEC Business Club coordinator.
He says a big part of the program is providing mentorship by introducing the youth to successful Aboriginal entrepreneurs.
“It sets the kids up to finding role models, to finding mentors, learning to never be afraid to ask. Because I always tell my kids, ‘the worst that can happen is a no.’”
As part of the business club, the youth develop, market and try to raise capital for a product.
The extension kit for sewer vents on rooftops is a smart yet simple product for them to create and market and the vents offer lots of benefits to those that buy them.
“If you’re like everybody else in this snowfall world, your vents get covered over and three things happen when your vents get covered: you have improper drainage so your drains don’t work in the house, you have odour problems and you have methane gas build up,” Taylor says. “It is also dangerous to go up on a snowy roof to remove snow.”
Taylor says although their solution to the problem of blocked sewer vents is a simple one, the business club could not find any other Saskatchewan stores that are offering a similar product.
They have already met with Federated-Coop and he and Thomas gave a presentation to the Saskatoon Tribal Council chiefs who bought several of the units. One Arrow has also bought many for installation on homes on their First Nation.
Because of the potential of this product to become very popular, the Club now has to take it to the next level. “We have been strongly advised to apply for a product patent,” said Taylor. “To date, we have met with a patent lawyer and made a formal Patentability Search Application. The results of this search are good and the next step is the formal Patent Application which will give the product “Patent Pending” protection status. Any future earnings will be used to pay for this Application.”
Taylor and several students recently made their first delivery to Cress Housing, the housing arm of the Saskatoon Tribal Council and are eager to make the next delivery to your community.
For information on purchasing this innovative and important product, call Joe Taylor at (306) 873-9085 or email at AECBusinessClub@almightyvoice.ca
The AEC Business Club is sponsored by the Saskatoon Tribal Council’s education department and funded by an agreement with Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan.
Related:
- One Arrow First Nation youth business club set to audition for CBC’s Dragon’s Den
- Business Club pilot project a hit at One Arrow
Click here for more Business news.