Karen Greve Young is the CEO of Futurpreneur, a nonprofit in Canada that’s been fueling the entrepreneurial passions of Canada’s young enterprises for two decades. Futurpreneur is the only nonprofit that provides financing, mentoring, and support tools to aspiring business owners from the ages of 18 to 39. Since its inception 25 years ago, Futurpreneur has helped 12,000 businesses launch across every province and territory, 43% of which identify as women-led, and provided $169 million in capital alongside one-on-one mentorship.

In this episode, Karen Greve Young joins us to discuss why she’s so passionate about building support for entrepreneurs and how the pandemic has affected—and empowered—many young entrepreneurs across the country. We dive into the impact Futurpreneur has had in Canada, what recovery has looked like for entrepreneurs in a global pandemic, and how these programs create more equity and support for young and diverse entrepreneurs.

Plug into this episode if…

1. You’re a budding entrepreneur looking for a support network or guidance in getting started, figuring out what your goals are, and executing on them.
2. You’re curious about how the pandemic impacted the field of entrepreneurship, and how entrepreneurs today are moving forward.
3. You want to learn to champion entrepreneurs in marginalised communities and those with impact goals.

Resources

Futurpreneur

Episode highlights

How an entrepreneurial community can support young entrepreneurs through certain and uncertain times

• Futurpreneur works with entrepreneurs right at the beginning of their entrepreneurship journey. As a result, their entrepreneurs are incredibly diverse and have different goals. They come from coast to coast, tiny villages to large cities, and represent all different sectors. This diversity helps strengthen the knowledge and resilience within an entrepreneurial community.
• Entrepreneurial support comes in many different forms. It can include mentorship, financial support, knowledge, or even just a place to brainstorm, strategize, or commiserate among fellow entrepreneurs.

Creating equal opportunity for Black and Indigenous entrepreneurs

• If you want to truly help entrepreneurs from marginalised communities, you need to have employees and leadership that have lived experiences relevant to those communities. Diversity at all levels, including your board and leadership, is vital.
• Part of creating equal opportunity is realising that certain communities don’t have the same access or privilege that others do around information, resources, and education. Realise what those hurdles are and help others overcome them by bringing the information they need to them.
• Futurpreneur helps Black and Indigenous entrepreneurs not only start a business, but succeed with their business. They recognize that every entrepreneur faces different barriers, and helping entrepreneurs succeed means helping tactically dismantle those barriers.

How entrepreneurs can balance people, planet, and profit

• If you’re an entrepreneur, ask yourself: What is your why? What are you planning on making, and what will you do if your company is wildly successful? One of your bottom lines is, by necessity, profit — but think about what else you can do for your community and your planet.
• Accountability requires measurement. If you’re looking to be sustainable or inclusive, how are you doing that, and how are you measuring it? Measuring your efforts for people and the planet will help you set milestones and continue to iterate.