{"id":11561,"date":"2025-01-20T10:20:08","date_gmt":"2025-01-20T15:20:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/?p=11561"},"modified":"2025-01-21T16:24:06","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T21:24:06","slug":"empowering-newcomer-entrepreneurs-through-mentoring-a-q-a-with-futurpreneur-alex-chunga","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/blog\/empowering-newcomer-entrepreneurs-through-mentoring-a-q-a-with-futurpreneur-alex-chunga\/","title":{"rendered":"Empowering newcomer entrepreneurs through mentoring: A Q & A with Futurpreneur Alex Chunga\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This story is presented as part of My Canadian Startup<\/a>, a newcomer entrepreneur initiative presented by Futurpreneur and TD through its corporate citizenship platform, the TD Ready Commitment.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In December 2015, Alex Chunga moved to Canada from Zambia, where he was a wildlife biologist. As a newcomer, he was inspired to take the leap from employee to employer in 2017 when the general contracting company he worked for was selling off some of its equipment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alex, who had a background in construction and carpentry \u2014 but no experience in running a business \u2014 decided to buy the equipment and start his own general construction company. His business, iHome Prestige Luxury<\/a>, based in Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, specializes in home renovation and restoration as well as building new homes. Now, Alex looks back on his experience as a Futurpreneur and how he found support and success on his entrepreneurial journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What were the biggest hurdles you faced when launching your small business in Canada, and how did Futurpreneur help you navigate some of those challenges? <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mentorship, resources and funds I got through Futurpreneur really boosted the startup part of my business when I had no means to support myself, no credit history, and no idea about business plans or cash flow or anything in relation to that. On Futurpreneur\u2019s website, there\u2019s a link that sends you over to a cash flow template where you fill in all the details and they guide you through creating a two-year cash flow<\/a>. And Futurpreneur\u2019s business plan writer<\/a> was really, really great. With the funds that I got from Futurpreneur, I was able to purchase tools and materials for my first job and to give me a boost to get more jobs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My mentor, Bonnie, helped me learn how to get going, to understand how the Canadian system works. I didn\u2019t know how to speak to clients, how to draft up contracts or quotes or a scope of work. Thanks to Bonnie\u2019s guidance, I was ready to get going on my own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I still reach out to my mentor sometimes, just to say thank you for helping me navigate through my first years and giving me the confidence to let me know you can do this regardless of the challenges, regardless of where you\u2019re coming from, your background. If you put your work into it, you will definitely be able to achieve it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What other supports beyond Futurpreneur have made a difference on your entrepreneurial journey? <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have gotten support from my previous employer, who I purchased the equipment from. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other than Futurpreneur and my mentor, he was the \u201cleft hand man\u201d who walked me through the other side of the business, helping me figure out how to price work, because by the time I purchased the equipment from him, it came with a bit of clientele. I also got clients by networking with local retail stores and manufacturers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How important is it for a newcomer to do research on the Canadian market for a product or service, and how did you go about researching the market?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s really important to understand the field that you\u2019re getting into by doing the market research. For me, being in a different country, it was a surprise that the field I\u2019m getting into was somewhat different in Canada than what I\u2019m used to where I come from. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I did quick research about construction companies that were in my area, what type of services they were providing, and I tried to identify how I would be able to fit into a competitive market. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I reached out to one guy who was my competitor, just trying to figure it all out. He took it pretty good and he gave me all the answers that I was looking for. Even stuff that I had no idea about, he walked me through. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you a newcomer entrepreneur looking to start, buy or grow a business in Canada? Learn more about My Canadian Startup, <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What advice would you offer a newcomer entrepreneur who wants to launch a business?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My advice to newcomers thinking about starting a business in Canada would be to find yourself a mentor to help guide you through getting started in a new country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And second, I would say just try to find your niche\u2014 where can I fit in best in this field and be able to flourish? I would say get started with a business plan that helps you understand the market you\u2019re getting into \u2014 Futurpreneur\u2019s business plan writer has sections in it to help you do market research, like who your competitors are. Third, I\u2019d probably say, just be who you are, and trust yourself, and it\u2019s going to work out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the most important things you\u2019ve learned about doing business in Canada? <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most important thing I\u2019ve learned about doing business in Canada is the importance of networking and socializing with the community that\u2019s in the field that you\u2019re getting into. And I would also say, being in the construction industry, doing good quality work with big volumes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the most important thing you\u2019ve learned about yourself on your journey in entrepreneurship? <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most important thing I\u2019ve learned about myself throughout this journey the past seven years, I would say is how resilient, strong, hardworking and focused I am. I refuse to accept failure. I\u2019ve never looked back since then. I always tell myself to stay focused, be patient and work hard, and the rest will follow suit.                                                                                                                                                                      <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every Futurpreneur loan comes with mentorship and resources. If you are a young entrepreneur looking for information about the benefits of mentorship, <\/em>click here<\/em><\/a> to learn more.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Presented by the TD Bank Group<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This story is presented as part of My Canadian Startup, a newcomer entrepreneur initiative presented by Futurpreneur and TD through its corporate citizenship platform, the TD Ready Commitment.  In December 2015, Alex Chunga moved to Canada from Zambia, where he was a wildlife biologist. As a newcomer, he was inspired to take the leap from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":11562,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11561","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-futurpreneurs-and-partners","category-mentoring"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11561","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11561"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11561\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11562"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11561"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11561"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11561"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}