If you completed the online survey for the recent Squamish branding project, you might have been just one of many people to describe Squamish as a youthful, vibrant, creative and entrepreneurial town. It’s a great place for new beginnings and to try new things – a new sport, a new adventure, or if you’re one of the growing number of young entrepreneurs in town, a new business.
David Crewson, co-founder of StartUp Squamish – a hub for creative, innovative and entrepreneurial types – says there has been a remarkable number of people exploring new ventures here in Squamish.
“On average, we have one new entrepreneur walking through our door every day,” he says. “Most are between the age of 25 and 45, relatively new to Squamish, educated, and looking to create everything from a freelance business to a high-growth technology venture.”
One such person who started a business here with a great degree of success is Melissa Braun, owner of Squamish Academy of Music (SAM).
“As someone who was already part of the music community in Squamish I saw a need,” she says. “I had very excellent music instruction and many supportive learning environments when I was growing up, and I wanted to provide a similar experience in Squamish. There were a lot of opportunities in place for individuals […] to pursue sports and outdoor recreation, but opportunities in the performing and visual arts were lacking.”
SAM filled that gap and opened its doors in the summer of 2011. It now offers private lessons, group classes, workshops and camps to over 400 students each year.
“One of my goals is to not just teach music to individuals, but to grow and support a musical community,” says Braun. “Music making is not something that you should do sitting by yourself at a piano. It is something that you should share, experience, and discuss with others.”
Newer in town are young entrepreneurs Diane Rudge and Sarah Johnson, co-owners of Wild And Heart. Their clothing and accessories store grew from an online boutique to a physical storefront within 18 months.
When they first launched, Johnson lived in Ontario and Diane lived in Vancouver.
“We would Skype for at least 8-10 hours every day while we were starting out,” says Rudge.
They realized, however, in the first few months, they needed to live and work in the same city, so chose to make the West Coast their new home.
“It embodies the free spirit, outdoor and bohemian lifestyle that we love,” says Rudge.
Having hosted a few pop-up shops in Vancouver, customer demand for a physical store was so great that they sought out a retail location. Luckily for Squamish, they found one here while scouting a photo shoot.
“Since moving here we have also discovered a number of new local artists/designers that we now sell in store, and our customers continue to inspire us everyday,” says Rudge. “The lifestyle and our surroundings make it one of the best and beautiful places to call home for both work and play in Canada. We love it here, and look forward to growing with this amazing town.”
Why is Squamish attracting so many young entrepreneurs? As the new branding plan discovered, people come for the recreation, but stay for the lifestyle.
Grace MacLeod from Squamish Chamber of Commerce agrees.
“The outdoor lifestyle and ability to do so many adventure and extreme sports all within 10 minutes of each other is a huge draw for young entrepreneurs,” she says. “The extreme sports lifestyle also attracts highly confident people and business owners with a high ‘can-do’ attitude – resulting in a tremendous number of successful and hardworking young entrepreneurs who have decided to call Squamish home.”
For many, it seems, pursuing entrepreneurism and being your own boss is the perfect way to balance what you love, both professionally and personally.
“Young entrepreneurs have a very different approach to their career and their work-life balance,” says Vanessa Carrington, economic development officer for the District of Squamish. “They are more fiscally aware. They are more socially connected and they are very conscious about the environment and their impact. They don’t want a boss, they want to be independent and they are very empowered.”
