Blog

Shining light on our thinking & doing, our epiphanies & struggles, & our movement.

Trico Foundation Hires Liaison for Local Student Social Entrepreneurs

The Trico Charitable Foundation (TCF) is excited to announce a new role, and welcome its newest team member. Alexandra Daignault joins TCF as Liaison for Student Social Entrepreneurs. In that capacity she will work with post-secondary students that are developing a social enterprise, by providing coaching, workshops, and other materials developed by TCF. The position was created to support the growing number of student social enterprises in our city, and help Calgary take one more step to realizing its potential as a Canadian social enterprise hub.

Read More »

It’s All in the Details–The Assumptions, Steps, and Challenges

This past summer working at the Trico Foundation’s Summer Student Internship, I was able to take my company from an ideation stage that had undergone 2 years of evolution, to its first pilot, to an official launch of operations, to a now rapid scale of production on its way to reaching a steady state within the next 18 months. Trico Foundation’s one-on-one coaching and group sharing through the A.S.E.S.S. program were pivotal to my progress.

Read More »

Owning My Journey: Developing Entrepreneurial Mindsets

When one hears “entrepreneur”, I’m sure the descriptions of trailblazer, problem-solver, innovator or risk-taker pop into the listener’s head. It becomes a description for someone who is brave and ready slay the dragon but also prepared to be imprisoned by the belly of the beast and make their way out to try again. It means never giving up, fail forward, solve the problem, and make a difference—create real change.

With these admirable traits, who wouldn’t want to be considered an entrepreneur?

Read More »

The Myth of the Ironclad Entrepreneur

Well, here we are again at the close of another summer.  I always feel like these months slip right through my hands – which is probably why I’m writing this blog about time management. Over the past few months, I’ve found myself learning my way into innovation and entrepreneurship in a way that is sufficiently self-directed.

Read More »

Working with Community: A Social Entrepreneur’s Travels Abroad

As part of the completion of my minor in Indigenous Studies at Mount Royal University, I had the opportunity to study on the island of Hawai’i for three weeks with over 20 other students. We were there to study aloha àina and activism – as it pertains to the Kanaka Maoli communities. In the same vein, I was also there to start building relationships for my business. I had just started my time as a Trico Foundation summer student, and felt that this opportunity would be a great way to delve into some of the specifics around my venture, Sarjesa Inc., and its future growth.

Read More »

On Mentorship

This experience taught, and continues to teach, me lessons on both boundaries and mentorship. All relationships need clear and healthy boundaries; although, these can be hard to clearly see. As noted in “Mentorship Starts With a Coffee,” very rarely does mentorship start out with a formalized proposal. For me, most of the important mentors in my life have emerged from a search for answers.

Read More »

The End of Summer

Now, at 24, I’m in the process of becoming a social entrepreneur. To me, that means learning to use business as a force for good to tackle some of the more complicated problems I see around me.

Read More »

With All The Best Intentions

As we begin to think through the possibilities and ramifications, we become intentional in how we respond to and solve problems. It is by way of this understanding that we move through the murky waters of uncertainty, towards consistent methods of risk management and brand development.

Read More »

New Brunswick Student Brings Sustainable Energy to Cameroon

Three years ago, social innovator Caleb Grove was inspired to start his first entrepreneurship project before he left for Bambalang, a small rural community in the North-West region of Cameroon. Caleb recently completed a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (BSc Mechanical) at the University of New Brunswick (UNB).

Read More »

Students Brew Environmental Innovation through Coffee Cups

Green Cup is a new project started by post-secondary student Austin (Ozzy) Lang and co-founded by his colleague Emily Bartlett. This for-profit endeavour aims to make a positive impact on the environment by creating compostable coffee cups. Calgary does not currently have a compost system, so these cups are thrown out in bins labelled with the Green Cup logo and instructions for disposal.

Read More »
  • Categories

  • Archives