‘Everyone has to start from somewhere’

Matthew Sabourin owns a craft brewery and hospitality company that employs 50 people, and is preparing to open a second location later this year, but when he was growing up, he never pictured himself as a businessperson.

“I did not have that confidence,” said Sabourin, co-founder of La Brasserie Nonsuch Brewing Co. in Winnipeg’s Exchange District.

Ideas would run through Sabourin’s mind, but he didn’t even consider pursuing them because he believed he couldn’t make them a reality.

“I now realize looking back … I have been an entrepreneur all my life,” he said.

Sabourin shared his journey from being a child who didn’t believe in himself to working in the film industry after university to eventually opening Nonsuch during the Indigenous Chamber of Commerce Manitoba’s third annual “Launching Success for Leaders of Tomorrow” luncheon on Tuesday.

Alexander Hupé, who started a moving company, and Shyla Niemi, who owns a small business dedicated to creating language learning tools, appeared alongside Sabourin during the panel discussion.

Perseverance is key, Sabourin said, after moderator Noah Wilson of Futurpreneur asked the panelists what advice they would give a young Indigenous entrepreneur who is just getting started.

“I wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Sabourin told a crowd of about 130 people at the Delta Hotel. “It’s remarkable how many times those nos have turned into yeses.”

Nonsuch will open a retail store and taproom in the South Osborne area later this year, he added.

Hupé shared his time as owner of Shortline Moving Solutions has taught him it’s important to be decisive.

The entrepreneur started Shortline in 2015 with one employee and a single truck. Today, the company has more than 100 people on staff and a fleet of 50 vehicles that serve clients across Manitoba and northwestern Ontario.

“Stay healthy, read a lot, always be learning — that’s important, too,” Hupé said. “And if you do make something of yourself, give back. Give back to the community that helped get you to where you are. Nobody’s truly self-made. Anybody who’s achieved any kind of success has had a lot given to them.”

Niemi, who runs Giigido Mikinaak, encouraged aspiring entrepreneurs to find or build a community for support. She wouldn’t be where she is today without the help of programs for young entrepreneurs and the support of her friends, she said.

“It’s so meaningful when you have a community and you’re there to support each other (and) lift each other up,” she said. “A little bit can go a long way.”

Earlier this year, Niemi launched a successful Kickstarter campaign that exceeded its $7,000 goal by 24 per cent. More than 115 people contributed $8,700 to the campaign, which will allow Giigido Mikinaak to produce a card game that helps players learn the Ojibwa language.

Niemi encouraged aspiring entrepreneurs to believe in themselves.

“I know it can be scary coming into a room like (this) where you’re surrounded by a lot of people, a lot of professionals and you’re like, ‘Man, they all have everything put together. They’re so successful.’ But they also have their (bad) days, too. Not everyone has everything figured out. Everyone has to start from somewhere, so don’t underestimate yourself.”

Earlier Tuesday, Michelle Cameron shared her journey as an entrepreneur during a keynote presentation.

Cameron started Dreamcatcher Promotions as a home-based business in 2011, and has developed it into Canada’s largest Indigenous-owned promotional company, with revenue in the millions.

She concluded by reading a message for Indigenous peoples from her forthcoming memoir.

“Your dream does not have to be perfect,” Cameron said.

“You do not have to have it all figured out. You simply need to start with one step, one sale, one connection, one moment of courage, and when you succeed — because you will — try to remember to hold the door open for the next one behind you.

“This is how we lift our people. This is how we honour those who came before us. This is how we build the future our children deserve.”

The Indigenous Chamber of Commerce Manitoba organizes the annual luncheon to promote the next generation of Indigenous business leaders, said Chris Henry, interim president.

The chamber was founded in 2004. It has more than 250 members.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca