With a mission to inform, empower, celebrate and advocate for British Columbia's current and aspiring business leaders, BCBusiness go behind the headlines and bring readers face to face with the key issues and people driving business in B.C.
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1296256
Jennifer Stafford The Sweet Life Apparel There's no question that Canada's economy is fueled by entrepreneurs. As of December 2018, close to 100 percent of the 1.2 million businesses in Canada were classified as small or independent. But entrepreneurs don't find success on their own – they're nurtured, supported and strengthened by their communities. As we shift to new ways of learning, working and living, Douglas College and the Douglas College Foundation are investing in the lifeblood of our economy – from entrepreneurial training programs, to working with successful alumni on how to pay it forward. Jennifer Stafford was that kid with a lemonade stand in the summer. She now owns The Sweet Life Apparel, a clothing and gift company in Coquitlam. Since establishing The Sweet Life in 2015, Stafford has watched it thrive and was inspired to pay it forward. "It's not lost on me that people are spending their hard-earned money to support me and my business instead of buying a $5 shirt at a big box store," she says. "The support of the community has been crucial for my success, and I'm now in the position to offer the same to someone else." Last spring, she joined the longstanding tradition of investing in education and entrepreneurship with the Douglas College Foundation by establishing the Sweet Life Bursary. The $1,000 annual bursary offers financial support to mature students attending Douglas College. "I want to help someone who has the passion and drive but is facing financial barriers. It's a shame to have money stand between you and your dream. If there's someone out there who wants to go back to school, I would love to help facilitate that," she says. According to a 2019 study conducted by LOCO B.C., a non-profit that supports independent businesses through networking, education and research, businesses like Stafford's reinvest almost 50 percent more revenue back into the B.C. economy than multinationals. "I truly believe the more you invest in the local community, the more you get back," Stafford says.