Jennifer McPhee
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (July 24/02) - Jennifer Bowen has always dreamed of starting her own arts-related business.

But it's difficult to save enough money to branch out on your own.

So after her contract with DIAND ended several months ago, Bowen decided to take advantage of a program that helps entrepreneurs get started.

The program, jointly operated by the government of the Northwest Territories and the Akaitcho Business Development Corporation, allows people who are laid off to get a business off the ground while collecting employment insurance.

All that's required is a feasible business idea.

Here's how it works.

An employment officer hears your idea and sends your name to the Akaitcho Development Corporation.

The corporation evaluates the idea, and if it recommends you it sends an assessment to the department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development. If both parties find your idea sound, you can simultaneously collect employment insurance and work for yourself.

Then the corporation helps you complete a business plan and provides free seminars along the way.

This allowed Bowen to start her digital video business, Skywise Communications. Right now, she's offering communication services to clients, while saving enough money to buy the equipment she needs to make video for Web sites, television and other media.

The employment insurance money means she can cover her basic living expenses and still put her earnings towards equipment.

"Within months, I'll have enough to buy the hardware without having to apply for a business loan," she said.

Some of the seminars the corporation offers include bookkeeping, business law and proposal writing.

"We have an accountant that comes in and they ask him 50,000 questions," said Raymond St. Arnaud of the Akaitcho Development Corporation.

One thing St. Arnaud doesn't like to see is a husband and wife going into business together. If a small business fails, many people rely on their spouse's income.

But if both take the risk, and "it goes wrong, they are both going down," St. Arnaud explains.

About 80 per cent of businesses fail in the first year, he said. "It's hard to make it out there."

However, he estimates that four out of five people on this program succeed.

"It's because the economy in Yellowknife is so good," he said.

"If things turned around and went bad, a lot of these people wouldn't make it."

Jimmy Hope, one of 20 others on the program, started Sa Kadatsilia Interpreting and Translation Services. He's an expert in the South Slavey Dene language and has specialized training in both medical and legal translation and business management.

Hope was laid off last January. Although he could have returned a month later, he decided to stick with self-employment.

"I like the freedom it offers," he said.

The business took off in May, when government departments were trying to spend money left over in their budgets, he said.

"Because of that, I found good contracts."