To celebrate our recent expansion into Canada, we held contests in Toronto and Vancouver to give small businesses the opportunity to win $5,000 (CAD) by answering one simple question: Why Do You Love Being a Small Business Owner?
We’re checking in with Young Wizards Academy (YWA), our Vancouver-area small business winner 60 days after the announcement to see how they put their winnings to use. You can read the 30-day check in here where we unveiled the Cauldron Creations and Cocktails party.
YWA, an adventure-themed children’s birthday party business, is owned by Marty Carew. Marty has a variety of themes his customers can choose from when hosting parties, including Cauldron Creations. Marty used his $5,000 prize from OnDeck to purchase supplies for brewing lotions, sunscreen, lip balm and face masks – simple, natural ingredients are used, which Marty says is very big in Canada at the moment. We’re excited to report he has already received several bookings as word begins to spread and he expects to see a 25% boost in sales from implementing this new theme.
We are happy to share an update from Marty’s latest blog entry from his website.
Cauldron Creations Girls Birthday Vancouver
The Ultimate Cauldron Creations Girls Birthday Party is here put on by Young Wizards Academy Potions Professor Cheryl Trelawney. We are very excited to be launching this new line of party as nobody out there is doing this sort of party and event in the Vancouver area.
Welcome to the healing potions class! Where all your tweens and teens learn from the funny Potions Professor Trelawney how to use all natural ingredients to make fabulous health products with easy and simple ingredients. This party has educational components, too.
All participants start by sitting under the sorting hat to find out what house team they will be in. Following that everyone gets the recipes, makes the product, can even choose to use them at the party and then take them home to use later. An unreal, fun, educational birthday party for girls!
Click to read Marty’s entire blog entry.
We also want to congratulate Marty for being nominated a Douglas College Self Employment Program Entrepreneur of the Year. Marty and other nominees will be recognized at the Hard Rock Casino Theatre in Vancouver, BC on Wednesday, October 21, 2015. Marty is also a student at Douglas College where he’s taken business classes in addition to running YWA.
Stay tuned for our 90-day check-in with YWA next week.