Dragon’s Quest welcomes pitches

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This article was published 21/02/2020 (2223 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Six Indigenous entrepreneurs will each be presented with the opportunity to pitch their brilliant business idea in front of 1,000 people come May.

Dragon’s Quest is the made-in-Manitoba “Dragons’ Den”-style component to a 17-year-old business plan competition offered through Indigenous Business Development Services.

“In 2011 we decided to kick it up a notch. We changed it so that the finalists in each category (rural and urban) now present and pitch their idea in front of a live audience at the Vision Quest Conference,” said Jason Denbow, executive director for Community Futures Manitoba, which delivers Indigenous Business Development Services.

The deadline for business plan submissions is Feb. 28, but Denbow says that may be extended this year. 

The Vision Quest Conference and Trade Show is scheduled for May 12-14 at the RBC Convention Centre in Winnipeg.

Four years ago, another element was included: the public can vote. Each component — business plan scores, judges’ scores on the pitch and the public’s scores — provides one-third of the total points. The winner in each category wins $5,000.

Typically, there are five to 10 competitors in each category.

“There have been some really neat ones over the years. From some of the more traditional businesses that you would expect like restaurants — there was a restaurant in Winnipeg that specialized in Indigenous cooking — to second-hand stores,” Denbow said.

“And some really unusual ones you don’t often see. One of our winners one year was a company that provided specialty supplies and cleaning services for salt-water aquariums. So you can really get some neat stuff all over the map.”

Indigenous artists wanting to set up a business related to their art is common.

Last year, Emilie McKinney of Swan Lake First Nation won for Anishinaabe Bimishimo Corporation, a business that produces jingle cones and lids, as did Tori Cordell of Thompson for Tori Jade Grooming.

Pitching can be the hardest part of the experience, but learning that skill for Dragon’s Quest can also help with pitching for banks or investors. Denbow said it’s a great confidence builder.

“It’s a little bit scary for some of the entrepreneurs the first time, but we usually work with them to give them some tips on how to put their pitch together and help get them a little bit more comfortable. Most of them say it’s a really good experience once they’ve gone through it,” he said.

The pitch is time-limited, so it also forces entrepreneurs to be concise in describing their business and plans, and its benefits.

Winners are announced at the windup gala evening.

Indigenous Business Development Services is available to all Indigenous entrepreneurs in Manitoba, and support is its main function, including providing guides, such as Starting a Business on a First Nation, a booklet on bookkeeping, financial literacy information for the basics of business and a business planning workbook.

“We’ve got lots of supports like that,” Denbow said. “We can refer them to other sources of information to help expand their business, provide them with counselling, and if they have questions around their business.”

 

» mletourneau@brandonsun.com

» Michele LeTourneau covers indigenous matters for The Brandon Sun under the Local Journalism Initiative, a federally funded program that supports the creation of original civic journalism.