How the Self-Employment Program at Douglas College contributed to my success!

Florence Hui – CGA - Intake # 95

My dream has come true. In 2004, I started my own accounting practice after working for 12 years in Chartered Accounting firms. Thank you to the Self-Employment Program (SE) at Douglas College that has helped me build my new business venture, and steer it onto a smoother and more successful path.

Statistics show that entrepreneurs who have prepared a business plan when starting their new business have higher success rates.  Before I enrolled in the SE program, I believed that I could build a successful public practice as long as I had the knowledge and experience to help clients build and maintain tax effective businesses.  However, after preparing a business plan as part of the SE program, I find that I am more prepared and the business plan preparation process has enforced my confidence in starting my own public practice. My vision of maintaining a good practice has been more focused, and I know that my business is well on its way towards success.

The SE program at Douglas College also provides networking opportunities for graduates. This is a great resource for graduates seeking or providing services.  In fact, I have been receiving inquiries from graduates who are looking for accountants.

From the SE program, I also benefited from my fellow classmates. Some of them have become my clients but more importantly I have gained insights from their questions and concerns of starting a business. They have helped me better understand how I can help new entrepreneurs as a professional accountant. I have developed new approaches to help clients organize their financial data, and I have begun writing articles and a New Entrepreneurs Handbook.

The SE program at Douglas College has been a great resourceful program to help my business success and I hope that I can also continue to help other entrepreneurs in their success.

Florence Hui, CGA

My Journey of Becoming Self Employed with the support of the Douglas College Self Employment Program

Bruce Cutayne – Blue Moose Promotions – Intake # 94

“I am going to work for myself and be my own boss.” Boy that sounds great! - working your own hours, setting your own standards, having direct influence and ultimate control over how hard you work and what you get out of it. A direct correlation between effort and reward – excellent! – sign me up.

Somebody forgot to mention though, that working your own hours often meant all 24 of them. It also included the simple challenges of taking basic holidays, not to mention not getting paid for them (statutory or otherwise). In the effort and reward equation, the results are rarely immediate. Hard work and perseverance often take time to see any return and the pay cheques can be pretty skinny, if any, some weeks. Groan! If I could turn back the clock and do it again would I? Absolutely!

I started with Price Waterhouse as a Chartered Accountant, and moved into private industry working as a Controller and CFO. Having operated medium to large corporations with sales in excess of $100 million, I was a little skeptical about the SE program and what it could offer.

I was just so pleasantly surprised. The SE program is run by an enthusiastic, enigmatic and intelligent core of motivated individuals who made showing up everyday fun! Our course covered the basics of starting your own business from the perspectives of sales, marketing, finance, operations and management. We learned how to take an abstract concept and to turn it into a commercially viable and profitable venture. Business 101. Most importantly, we learned the paramount importance of, and skills necessary to, promote and manage yourself – you are your company’s greatest asset.

In September 2004 I started Blue Moose Promotions. Since then, the support I have received from the people at the SE program has been outstanding and ongoing. As well as providing several referrals, they have written letters of recommendation and are also one of my best (and nicest) customers.

About Blue Moose - Briefly, through the effective use of promotional products, the Blue Moose Promotions Group works with organizations in:

1. Getting Noticed.
2. Getting Remembered.
3. Getting RESULTS!

Promotional products are, in short, anything with your name, logo, brand or message on it.

Our job is to make our customers’ easier – and to make them look great!

Our customers now range from the high profile such as the CIBC, Vancouver Canadians, Mike Weir, UBC, HRDC and IKEA to municipalities, small companies and individuals. Through issues of value, quality, customer service and competitiveness we were recently selected out of several dozens of established competitors as 1 of only 4 preferred suppliers of 2010 Legacies Now. Our focus is, and will always remain, outstanding, personalized customer service.

Thanks Douglas College SE Program!