The Smithers District Chamber of Commerce is inviting high school students to apply to run their own business this summer!
Frozen North is a fully equipped operational unit complete with freezers, open signs, signage board, hot water tank, sinks, scoops, cone dispenser etc. Initially, this program was geared towards providing high school students (grade 11 to 12) with an entrepreneurship opportunity, however, in 2021 the Chamber board suggested that the opportunity should be broadened to include students from the ages of 17 to 22 years.
Interested students must submit an Expression of Interest to operate Frozen North for the summer to our Chamber by Friday, March 26 (email: info@smitherschamber.com). The Frozen North committee will select 3 finalists from the applications received. The 3 finalists receive entrepreneurship training through Community Futures Nadina, which includes: starting your own business, writing a business plan, guidance on planning and marketing, as well as direction on any grants that may be available to run their business.
The 3 finalists then submit their business plan to the Chamber at the end of April, thereafter they are then interviewed in “The Grizzly Den” in early May 2021. The Grizzly Den committee will select the winning entrepreneur, who will operate the mobile ice-cream parlor for the summer. This Grizzly Den is modelled after CBC’s the Dragon Den, where entrepreneurs pitch their business idea to a group of potential investors. In our case, finalists pitch to the Grizzly Den committee comprised of Chamber staff, board members and community partners.A summary of the operations include: The winning operator is responsible for providing product inventory, cones, ice cream as well as secondary and complimentary items such as juices and yogurts, etc. At the end of this summer, the operator will hand the keys back to the Chamber and keep the profits they made. The operator signs a contract (Agreement to Operate) with the Chamber outlining the business expectations and professional operations. The operator also manages Frozen North’s Facebook, Instagram and Google My Business accounts. The Chamber covers General Liability insurance and ICBC insurance on the trailer. The Chamber provides the Square chip reader, which gets linked to the Operator’s business bank account. To recover some of the monies extended by the Chamber, the operator leases the parlor for a monthly fee of $300 per month for June, July and August.
