The Unsure Entrepreneur

The Unsure Entrepreneur - Cassie Conte

SUMMARY KEYWORDS
entrepreneurs, work, program, entrepreneurship, mentors, business programs, Cassie, students, idea, great, resources, Brock, young entrepreneurs, workshops, skills, developing, launch, navigate, Steve Blank

SPEAKERS
Roger Pierce, Cassie Conte

Intro (00:00):
You're listening to The Unsure Entrepreneur podcast with Roger Pierce. Whether you're scribbling business ideas on a napkin or wrestling with the "should I or shouldn't I" question, get ready to explore the realities, risks, and rewards of entrepreneurship as we share the stories, scars, and successes of small business owners.

Roger Pierce (00:21):
Hello there, and welcome to The Unsure Entrepreneur podcast. My name is Roger Pierce, and I'm happy to welcome a very special guest today. Cassie Conte is a Program Manager for the Brock LINC at Brock University, where she leads the development and delivery of entrepreneurship, innovation, and creativity programs. She has over 11 years of experience supporting entrepreneurship initiatives and holds a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Toxicology from the University of Guelph and an MBA from Brock University.

Now, Brock LINC is Brock University's hub for innovation, entrepreneurship, and commercialization. It offers a range of programs, events, and mentorship opportunities designed to support early-stage entrepreneurs and help them transform their ideas into viable businesses. By working with university departments and community partners, Brock LINC creates a vibrant ecosystem that nurtures creativity, encourages collaboration, and drives economic growth within the Niagara region and beyond. Welcome, Cassie.

Cassie Conte (01:22):
Thanks for having me, Roger.

Roger Pierce (01:24):
Super excited to talk to you today. So, let’s kick it off. You know, I’m a big believer in entrepreneurship education because I think learning and knowledge are at the heart of business success. I read a stat the other day that said over 44% of entrepreneurs have a post-secondary education, right? Sure, there’s trial and error—you can start a business and figure it out along the way—but that can be expensive and, as we just talked about, risky. There are a lot of perils in entrepreneurship, and it’s very time-consuming to try and figure it out on your own. So, education in entrepreneurship and what you’re doing at LINC really gives entrepreneurs a leg up. I’d rather see them come into business with your kind of training and support. So, can you tell us more about Brock LINC and what you guys are doing there?

Cassie Conte (02:07):
Sure. As you mentioned, Brock LINC is the university’s hub for innovation, entrepreneurship, and creativity. We also have team members who focus on research partnerships and commercialization. The programs and activities we run are for our students, alumni, faculty, staff, as well as the community. We try to make our programs really accessible to anyone who’s looking to learn about entrepreneurship or get support with their business idea.

We focus a lot on the early stage. We typically see a lot of students coming to us with great ideas that they want to work on, but they’re constantly saying, "I’ve got this idea, but I don’t know what to do next. I don’t know if it’s a good idea that I should be spending time on." So, we really focus a lot of our programs around that early-stage entrepreneurial development and developing those entrepreneurial skills. A lot of times, their first idea may not be their great idea, but they can hopefully learn some skills and tools that they can later apply to other ideas.

Roger Pierce (03:43):
Fantastic. I’m going to ask you in a second about some of the specific training programs you’ve got, which look great, but you mentioned something about the age of the entrepreneur. You’re right. According to Forbes magazine, the average founder is 42 now, you know? They typically come from an employer situation and are usually well-educated. But I have a sweet spot and a passion for young entrepreneurs too. I’ve done a lot of work in my past with young entrepreneurs, and while they don’t have the experience someone older might have, they’ve got enthusiasm and energy—such important assets compared to someone like me, the old guy, you know—and just the optimism. They may lack connections and money, but with your help, they’re getting the skills, training, and all these other great things coupled with that wonderful energy and optimism. It’s great to see.

Now, you’ve got some great programs here, and as I understand it, it’s something for everybody, no matter what their stage in entrepreneurship. So maybe you can expand on these a bit for me—Navigate and LINCubator, those ones?

Cassie Conte (04:53):
Yeah, so Navigate is probably one of our most popular programs. All you need to have is an idea that you want to work on. As I mentioned, we have a lot of people come to us who say, “I’ve got this idea, and I don’t know what to do next. Is it a good idea? Should I dedicate time to working on it?” The Navigate program helps people validate their business idea—whether it’s feasible, and whether you should dedicate time and resources to it.

Navigate is based on the lean startup methodology, using resources created by Steve Blank, like his “How to Build a Startup” program. We use those videos to help students learn about the business model canvas, value propositions, customer segments, revenue models, and more, working toward that elusive product-market fit.

The first half of the program involves working through the business model canvas, and the second half involves getting out of the building—going out and talking to customers to find out if anyone other than you is interested in your product or service, and whether they’re willing to pay for it. The in-person sessions are in small groups with a mentor, providing feedback and peer-to-peer interaction, which can be really useful.

We end the program with a small pitch competition for participants. It’s a great program because anyone can participate; you just have to have an idea that you want to work on.

Roger Pierce (09:39):
It’s really a progression of different supports. I didn’t realize that. So I can come in with my idea, and you guys will set me up with a nice path. Or even if I don’t have an idea, you can probably help me with ideation as well, right?

Cassie Conte (09:56):
Yes, we do some earlier-stage workshop series as part of our Kickstarting Entrepreneurship program. It’s for people who are just thinking about learning entrepreneurship or are interested in learning more. It’s a less intensive program focused on information sharing and skill development. Even if they decide entrepreneurship isn’t for them, that’s okay too.

Roger Pierce (10:24):
Yes, you’re right. That’s one of the basics of the podcast. It’s not for everybody, but we want to give you some information so you can decide. Now, the Kickstarting program has lots of different sub-workshops like Exploring Entrepreneurial Mindset, right? And this is all free, isn’t it?

Cassie Conte (10:43):
Yes, the Kickstarting Entrepreneurship program workshops are free. We run those in-person and online. They cover a variety of topics and are all standalone workshops, so you can attend one or all, depending on your schedule. We focus on things like the entrepreneurial mindset, market research, sales and marketing, pitching your business, writing a business plan, steps to starting a small business, and lending—what to prepare and consider when going to a bank for funding.

Roger Pierce (12:18):
That’s fantastic. Many years ago, I co-founded a program called BizLaunch, where we trained new small business owners in 30 hours on how to get their business up and running, covering many of those topics. I’m sure you guys do it in much more depth, and it’s important that entrepreneurs know what they’re getting into because, as you and I talked about before we went live, this is a big commitment, isn’t it?

Cassie Conte (12:47):
Yes, and it’s not for everybody. We try to encourage our students that now is a good time to explore entrepreneurship. If you don’t have a lot of financial or life commitments, being a student is a good time to explore these opportunities. Even if their first idea isn’t great, hopefully, they can take the skills they learn and apply them to any idea at any time. The entrepreneurial mindset skills are all transferable to whatever career you choose, whether it's communication skills, comfort with risk, or persuading people. These are all transferable skills, and if they can learn and develop these skills through our programs, it can help them succeed in other ways, no matter what type of business they go into.

Roger Pierce (13:50):
And that’s so important. Sometimes we come into entrepreneurship thinking one thing and end up going in a slightly different direction—we call that a pivot. Someone coming into your program might start with one idea but end up going into another. Meanwhile, the skills you’re helping them nurture are universal. You mentioned something else, too—testing the product. It’s so important to ensure you’ve got that market demand because, frankly, many small businesses fail because they didn’t prove the market. The entrepreneur gets very excited—I know, I’ve done that myself—and you launch a business only to find out that no one’s buying. But you guys are helping with that.

Cassie Conte (14:43):
We try to focus on market research and customer discovery. It’s hard work and one of the hardest things to do—going out and talking to customers to get feedback on your idea. You quickly learn that not everyone is your customer, and not everyone is interested in your product or service. But it’s a critical step. Many people skip it, thinking everyone will want to buy their product or service. But if you don’t do that fundamental work, you don’t want to launch and then realize you don’t have the right customer segment or that no one is interested in your product or service. It’s better to figure that out early before you spend too much time and resources on development. We really try to help students and program participants understand this. When they do, and when you see it click, it’s a great learning opportunity. It’s wonderful to see people finally understand why it’s important. It’s a core part of what we do with early-stage entrepreneurs.

Roger Pierce (15:55):
You mentioned something a minute ago about helping them test it over and over again. It’s not just classroom studies here; you’re talking about a lab-like environment. You’ve got a 3D printer, a podcasting station, and more. Can you tell me about some of the other features and resources available?

Cassie Conte (16:13):
All of our programs and activities are outside of the academic programs at Brock, so they’re extracurricular. The students and program participants are here because they want to be; they’re interested in entrepreneurship, and they’re not doing it for a grade or as part of their class.

Within our Brock LINC facility, we’ve got open desk space, co-working space for our entrepreneurs, and our MakerSpace, which is run by our library here on campus. It’s quite an impressive facility with a podcasting studio, equipment for recording, a drum kit, a whisper booth, a videography studio, and more. There’s everything from sewing machines to Cricut machines to 3D printers. The MakerSpace is a great resource for students who want to build and create things. It allows them to learn how to use this equipment and test it before they go out and buy something on their own. The podcasting studio, in particular, is heavily utilized by our students, and the 3D printers are used for some really cool projects. Exciting stuff is happening in our MakerSpace.

Roger Pierce (17:43):
What’s a whisper studio?

Cassie Conte (17:45):
The whisper studio is for voice recordings. It’s designed to eliminate background noise, making for really crisp sound quality.

Roger Pierce (17:53):
That’s fantastic. All these great resources! This touches on a larger subject I call the "era of the entrepreneur." There are so many resources available, like LINC, to help people get into business if they want to explore it. Whether it’s municipal government, here in Toronto there are food incubator kitchens, startup programs, and funding available at the provincial and federal levels. There are all kinds of resources out there for entrepreneurs of all ages if you just look. There’s a lot of support.

Cassie Conte (18:26):
Definitely. There’s a lot of support across Ontario and Canada, especially at universities and some colleges. Most universities have an incubator similar to Brock LINC. Some focus on specific sectors, and some larger universities have more than one for students and young entrepreneurs in particular. There are a lot of great resources available on campuses that entrepreneurs can tap into. Often, they’re free or low-cost to access. Locally, we have a lot of great partners who support startups and entrepreneurs. We work closely with regional innovation centers, enterprise centers for traditional lifestyle businesses, and our local Angel Network. We work hard to make sure that if an entrepreneur comes to us and we’re not the right fit, we can connect them with a local resource that can help.

Roger Pierce (19:39):
So many fantastic resources out there! A shameless plug: if listeners want to check out unsureentrepreneur.com/resources, I’ve got a list of links there. I should put a link to your program on there as well. In fact, I’ll do that because there’s such an amazing ecosystem of support out there. It’s a great time to consider starting a small business. Tell me a bit about some of the success stories and the types of businesses you’re seeing get started. It must be fascinating.

Cassie Conte (20:04):
It is! We were saying this before we started recording—every year is different. Even though we run the same programs, the students and participants always change, which keeps it fresh and interesting. I’ve been here for just over 11 years, almost 12 now, and I’ve been lucky to work with hundreds of entrepreneurs over my time here. Some of them go into their own careers and decide entrepreneurship isn’t for them, but we do see a number of entrepreneurs moving forward with their ideas and working on some really exciting things.

We don’t have a specific sector we support; we work with everything from traditional lifestyle businesses to tech startups. One of our success stories is a virtual reality company that provides VR training simulations for educational institutions and organizations. They’re working on a big project right now to help train firefighters using virtual reality. They’re working across North America with some great organizations.

We’ve had some of our entrepreneurs pitch on Dragon’s Den. One recent Brock alumni who pitched on Dragon’s Den is developing safety wear for workers at heights—a jacket where workers can wear their harness underneath, which is essential in Canada with our cold weather. Another company we’re working with helps nurses find employment. It’s for recent nursing graduates or nurses looking for different employment opportunities. We have a lot of cool businesses coming out of Brock LINC.

Roger Pierce (22:17):
That’s fantastic to hear! Wow, just some of the examples you provided are so fascinating. I get excited when I hear a cool idea like the jacket for the window washers—that’s fantastic. This is why it must be so rewarding to do what you do. You get to deal with new people every year, and you get to see all these great ideas. What do you love most about your job and the people you work with, Cassie?

Cassie Conte (22:41):
That’s a great question. I think it’s when program alumni or Brock alumni, years later, whether they’re running a successful company or working in their career, say that we played a small part in their success. Maybe they made a great connection during a program, connected with a mentor or co-founder at one of our networking events. To feel like we played a small part in their success or the growth of their company, that’s what I really enjoy hearing about.

Roger Pierce (23:19):
No doubt, and they’ll remember your contribution years back. You should feel good about that. You mentioned something earlier about having an active community around you of investors, entrepreneurs, and mentors. Can you tell me a little more about how that works? Are there specific events happening?

Cassie Conte (23:36):
With a lot of our programs, we try to bake that mentorship right into the programs. We bring in a variety of mentors, but we’ve found a lot of success with entrepreneurs who graduated 5, 6, 7 years ago coming back to mentor our student entrepreneurs and young entrepreneurs. They’re much more connected to the activities these young entrepreneurs are working on—like their business model canvas, pitch presentations, and so on—because they were in that position not too long ago. Students can relate to those recent graduates, and we’ve found that students and participants are quite engaged when connecting with them.

We have mentors specifically as part of our programs and also some general mentors—our Entrepreneurs in Residence—who any of our Brock LINC members can connect with. If they’re looking to have a one-on-one meeting or have specific questions, they can go to those mentors and get advice. We try to provide a variety of mentors, whether they’re industry experts like lawyers or accountants or entrepreneurs themselves who can provide advice to our student entrepreneurs. Having that mentorship is really valuable—sometimes it’s better than hearing it from me!

Roger Pierce (25:23):
Absolutely. And shoutout to our mutual friend Albert Luk, who brought us together today. I know Albert came in and spoke to your entrepreneurs not too long ago. Thank you, Albert! This is so fascinating, and I could talk to you a lot longer than we have, but I’m watching the clock here. Cassie, I’m going to ask for some closing advice for entrepreneurs. With all the people you work with and all the folks you see coming through the center, what’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone who’s just at the very beginning of their entrepreneurial journey?

Cassie Conte (25:56):
I think a key piece of advice is to really understand the problem you want to solve. That’s a big part of starting out as an entrepreneur—find that problem and understand it deeply. Then, go find out who else has that problem. That’s a great first step when you’re thinking about entrepreneurship or starting a business. And sometimes, you’ve just got to go do it. You can spend a lot of time planning and thinking, but sometimes you just have to take the plunge.

Roger Pierce (26:37):
Both great pieces of advice: avoid analysis paralysis and just do it, and solve a problem. Right? We can’t just get excited—like I’ve done—based on an idea we want to bring to market. You have to make sure you’re solving an actual problem. Thank you so much, Cassie. Unfortunately, that’s all the time we have, but I want to thank you for sharing your experiences and talking about Brock LINC. It means a lot to me and to the audience. Thank you so much.

Cassie Conte (27:08):
Thanks for having me on, Roger.

Roger Pierce (27:12):
Before you go, if someone wants to get in touch, what’s the best way to connect?

Cassie Conte (27:15):
I’d say find me on LinkedIn.

Roger Pierce (27:19):
That’s easy enough to do. I’ll put your name in the show description—Cassie, C-A-S-S-I-E Conte, C-O-N-T-E. Wonderful! Thanks again, Cassie. And to our listeners, thank you so much for being here. Be sure to return next time for more insights on The Unsure Entrepreneur. Bye for now.

Intro (27:32):
That’s it for this episode of The Unsure Entrepreneur podcast. Thanks for listening. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss other candid conversations with small business owners, and check us out at unsureentrepreneur.com.