Young Nunavut entrepreneur pitches winning idea at business competition

A young woman from Iqaluit is still "in shock" after winning second place at a business competition in Toronto.

On Friday, the Jr. Economic Club of Canada celebrated the culmination of its fourth annual "Bay Street Boot Camp," a five-day financial literacy course and entrepreneurial challenge that brings 50 students from across Canada to the heart of the financial district in Toronto.

15-year-old Grace Nowdluk and her two teammates placed second for their business idea, an app called '24/7 Tutor.'

'First it would be based in Toronto, then...possibly the world'

"We thought about how students like to stay up really late to study for a test that they have," said Nowdluk.

"So it's like two o'clock in the morning, and you have this one question but no one to turn to, you could go on our app, check it out, and ask the question to a tutor, or go on a chat with friends."

Nowdluk and her teammates were awarded $4,000 to put toward their future education, but right now she's focusing on the app's potential.  

"First it would be based in Toronto, then Ontario, then Canada, and possibly the world."

While there's no plans to make the app any time soon, Nowdluk hopes it's something she and her teammates can discuss.

A learning experience

The week-long program exposed students to a variety of subjects including basic finance and personal money management, networking, and interview skills.

"We learned how to start up conversations, like about politics or stuff on the news," said Nowdluk.

But it was the program's workshop on table etiquette that really stuck with her.

"They put two people side by side, one person was doing table etiquette, and the other person wasn't, and you had to guess who was doing what," she said with a chuckle. 

But Nowdluk also said it was surprisingly valuable.

"If you are going out to dinner with someone and you want them to support your business, you probably want to use table etiquette so they'll want to sponsor you."

An entrepreneur in the making

According to Nowdluk, the program will "change a lot" about her life going forward.

"Now I know what I need to do to start my own business," she said excitedly.

Nowdluk already knows what she wants that business to be, based on her love of "making cakes and cupcakes" in her family's kitchen.

"I want to be a baker, so I want to run my own bakery in Iqaluit."