By Robert Greeley
Putting up with a boss, working long hours, not being top dog – these things suck. Working for someone else while also being a student is arguably one of the tougher things you’ll endure while at university.
One easy solution might just be to start your own company, work your own hours and be your own boss, right? But being an entrepreneur is a lot easier said than done.
We asked for tips from three uOttawa alumni who launched their own businesses while enrolled in university and who are still running them today. Although each company is unique, they all have something in common: they were started right here on campus.
Dasha Shakov: Parcelly
Dasha Shakov started Parcelly while she was studying marketing at the Telfer School of Management. She had family members around the world, and she hated not being nearby to celebrate an important event or to support them in times of need.
So she came up with the idea of Parcelly, which aims to help those far away take part in any occasion, even if they can’t be there. A Parcelly is a unique gift package containing five hand-picked, event-themed items, accompanied by a signed card from the loved one to those far away.
“Where do I even start? I always tell people to just go for it! In my case, I think my naiveté actually contributed to the success of Parcelly. I was passionate about my idea, and we launched our website before everything was ‘perfect’.
“If you keep waiting for the perfect time to launch a business, it’ll never come. Start before you’re ready and make adjustments as you go. Lean on friends and family for help when you need to.”
Shakov admits it was time management she struggled with most when trying to figure out what to prioritize: school or work or getting enough sleep.
“In a way, it’s like having a child – except instead of changing dirty diapers, you’re corresponding with customers 24/7.”
Sarah Abood: Thawrih
Sarah Abood developed her company, Thawrih, while she was a student in the Faculty of Social Sciences. With the vision of “creating unity through fitness,” the company designs and markets high-quality, innovative headgear and active wear.
Abood advises potential student-entrepreneurs to connect with their professors, research all possible grants and take part in pitching competitions.
“University is honestly the best place to start a business because there is so much opportunity and guidance available.”
She points out that friends and family will tend to not be honest with you to avoid hurting your feelings.
“Just put your product on the market! There’s no better feedback than a paying customer. That will be the only way you know if your product works.”
And if no one buys your product, it’s not the end of the world, she says. Given the pull of today’s social media influencers, you can send your product to people with big Instagram and YouTube followings to see what they have to say.
Frank Bouchard: Wipebook
Frank Bouchard has a uOttawa undergraduate degree in electrical engineering and a master’s in engineering management. While doing his graduate degree at Telfer, he turned his hatred of wasting paper into a novel idea: Wipebook. A dry-erase format allows users to write in notebooks and on flipcharts. When done, work can be saved to the cloud, and the surface wiped clean and used again. The upshot: no wasted paper.
The Wipebook team met in an entrepreneurship class at uOttawa. (Professor Stephen Daze recalls the launch of the company as one of the most memorable moments of teaching this class.) In late 2013, the team’s Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign blew past its goal of $4,000 and raised more than $420,000 in 30 days.
Bouchard stresses the importance of finding the right co-founders and resolving problems early on.
“Finding compatible partners in business is like getting married to them, so you need to make sure you find the right people that have a wide range of compatible skill sets.
“My second piece of advice is to love learning and being comfortable with discomfort.”
The bottom line: being an entrepreneur is never easy and could be one of the most challenging things you do with your life. Seek out courses and other opportunities at uOttawa that will allow you to test your idea and get real-world practice.