City hosts first Afro-Caribbean business summit

The first Westman Afro-Caribbean Entrepreneur Summit brought together immigrant founders, business leaders and aspiring entrepreneurs at the Firehall Event Venue on Friday afternoon.

The event was convened by Emelio Brown, co-owner of IntriTech, who opened the summit with a workshop on marketing a business in Canada while maintaining its cultural identity.

Many newcomers arrive with strong entrepreneurial skills but often market themselves based on practices from their countries of origin, Brown told the Sun.

“We’re from different locations. We market ourselves differently, we do business differently,” he said in an interview.

“But the whole idea of this summit is to ensure that we can do things the Canadian way. Don’t lose your culture, of course, but ensure that you’re using it to its capacity.”

Brown, who hails from Jamaica, said the goal is not only to see more Black entrepreneurs succeed, but to see immigrants of all backgrounds become visible leaders in Brandon’s business community.

“When someone from Winnipeg comes to Brandon to meet the business community, they talk to whom they know,” he said.

“We’d like to see more immigrants out and about, doing great business and becoming role models for the ones coming up.”

Drawing from his work at IntriTech, an end-to-end marketing agency, he said effective marketing begins with diagnosis, not assumptions.

“If you walk into a pharmacy and start coughing and they just throw pills at you, that won’t solve your problem,” he said.

“You go to a doctor. They ask questions. They run tests. Then they write a prescription. That’s what we do with marketing.”

Brown said not every business wants more customers. Some are focused on becoming household names, while others want to strengthen recruitment efforts amid ongoing human resources challenges.

“We can’t assume everyone wants leads,” he told the entrepreneurs. “Some clients want to attract talent. Some want brand credibility. Marketing solves different problems.”

Entrepreneurs should develop clear marketing strategies, including SMART goals — specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely — along with defined key performance indicators and realistic budgets, he said.

“Not all tasks are created equally,” Brown said. “The right order matters. Buzzwords like SEO or AI don’t mean they’re the right solution for you.”

Accent CPA partner Whitney Sharkey followed with a session on financial foundations and accounting basics, walking participants through income tax structures, GST requirements and common deductible expenses.

Sharkey said there are distinctions between sole proprietorships, partnerships and corporations, and that incorporated businesses must file a separate T2 corporate return.

“If you’re not incorporated, your business income is filed with your personal tax return,” she told the audience. “If you are incorporated, that’s a completely separate return with its own deadlines.”

It is important to report revenue accurately, categorize expenses properly and distinguish between current expenses and capital assets, including high-value equipment that must be deducted over several years.

Sharkey also addressed working-from-home deductions, GST registration thresholds and the risks of non-compliance.

“The minute your total self-employment income goes over $30,000, you should be thinking about GST,” she said. “If you miss it, the CRA will send a letter. Worst case, you pay the tax and interest. No one gets arrested. They want your money, not your house.”

She said some expense categories, including meals, travel and home office costs, can fall into grey areas.

“Business owners should ensure deductions are reasonable and defensible,” she said.

“As long as you have a reasonable explanation for why it benefits your business, it’s probably allowable.”

Throughout the afternoon, speakers said measurable growth, strategic branding and long-term planning are key to business growth.

Brown said consistent branding and digital credibility are important.

“If a two-year-old can recognize your brand from the colours and shapes alone, that’s consistency,” he said.

» aodutola@brandonsun.com

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