So maybe I am highly (positively) biased when it comes to entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship, but we can all agree that new venture creation takes a special blend of purpose, passion, patience, persistence and personality. The beauty of my job with OCRI is that I get to meet a fair sprinkling of folks, almost on a daily basis, who possess or are trying to develop all these traits as they take the entrepreneurial plunge. About two months back, I found myself reviewing a CYBF loan application from two young entrepreneurs looking at setting up a novel yoga studio - Moksha Yoga Ottawa - in Ottawa. I have to accept that I grilled them a bit on their business plan, but even early on it was quite evident that while Tracy and Paula were carefully listening (and incorporating all the feedback) they were determined to address all the challenges and go the whole distance, and - big kudos to them - they indeed have. In these times of intense debates around economy, corporate roles and responsibilites, government intervention and economic drivers, I would - as I have repeatedly done in the recent past - once again like to insist that we recognize that the true medicine for our current economic woes lies in part in what Tracy and Paula bring to the table - the 5 P’s that I mentioned above. Canada is great because generations before us did what they have done in the last little while - dared to dream and then followed it with a determination that only true entrepreneurs can posses and show. My congratulations to both of them for the giant leaps they have already taken in a very short period of time, and I wish them all the luck in the world as they take their initiative forward. As a community we should recognize and celebrate the spirit of individuals who, even in these tough times, have preferred to keep moving forward. The future of our great country indeed lies in the hands of entreprenuers like them … there truly is a silver lining here.

In times like this, it is doubly (if not more) important for us to roll out all the support possible to help ensure the success of ventures like Moksha Yoga Ottawa.  OCRI’s Entrepreneurship Centre deserves a special mention for the great work they do with entrepreneurs in providing timely (smily) support. Moksha Yoga Ottawa were a client of the Centre and submitted their CYBF application through them. Moksha Yoga Ottawa has its grand opening on the 01st of December, and there is whole lot of goody fun stuff happening during their launch week. Ottawa lets turn out and support our two new young entrepreneurs and have some yoga fun at the same time.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 21st, 2008 at 9:03 am and is filed under Entrepreneurship/Innovation, Reviews, Work/Edu. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.