Tools for the business toolbox at Set for Success 2023 Summit
First-time event coming to Truro March 3 at the Royal Canadian Legion
TRURO - Alicia Simms has been dreaming about bringing an event the likes she has planned for Friday, March 3 in Truro, for some time and is thrilled it’s coming to fruition.
“Set for Success is something I have been dreaming of doing for the last few years,” Simms said in a release about the one-day summit. “There’s great power and inspiration when you gather together entrepreneurs, creators, and small businesses. I want to give attendees more tools in their tool kit to go after their dream goals and make them happen. The Set for Success Summit will recharge your creativity and prepare you to launch or level up your business in 2023.”
In conversation with the Saltwire Network, she talked more about waiting out COVID to stage the event which will take place at the Royal Canadian Legion from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“I mulled it over for a couple of years and then with COVID and trying to host events, I thought, ‘oh, I don't want to put all this effort into it and have it get shut down,’” she said. “So, finally the stars aligned, and in the fall, I said, ‘I'm going for it. We're doing it, this is happening, and it came together quickly.”
SPEAKERS
Coming together includes gathering an impressive list of speakers starting with Syriancanadian entrepreneur (Peace by Chocolate) Tareq Hadhad as the keynote speaker, Dr. Ashley Margeson from Cornerstone Naturopathic, Dean of Wellness at Dalhousie University Dr. Ange Cooper, Matt Dagley from Dagley Media, Jason Steele from Truro Colchester Partnership for Economic Prosperity, and Debbie Lawrence from Abundant Living.
"Entrepreneurship is not just about starting a business, it's about creating a legacy and leaving a positive impact on the world,” Hadhad said about speaking at the event.
“I am excited and beyond thrilled to embrace the opportunity to help turn the dreams of our business community into reality and make a difference right here in one of the most vibrant regions of Nova Scotia. I can’t wait to speak to community leaders, entrepreneurs and stakeholders at the Set for Success Summit about building a sense of renewal, growth and resiliency."
Simms talked about being inspired by attending likethemed summits throughout North America.
“I love going to these types of events and I've been fortunate enough to go to some all-over North America,” she said. “And every time I went to one I thought, we could do this here. We have the good businesses, the great people, the resources here in Atlantic Canada … we should really be looking at doing this.”
As for the early March date, she said it was just about trying to find “a sweet spot” where it didn’t conflict with a lot of other events.
“It’s not a real busy time of year,” she said, noting the initial thought was in late February. “I can't remember what pushed us to do the first weekend of March, but we thought, you know what, it's still a good time. Hopefully, we're coming out of winter a little bit and it’s before March Break, before everyone gets busy in the spring.”
She said it’s also, simultaneously, far enough away from New Year’s but still close enough, to a point where people have organized themselves for the year but could still use, as mentioned earlier, a few more tools to make sure 2023 and beyond meets their goals and expectations.
“It’s a time when people are ready to really get going,” Simms said.
She talked more about the activities on the day and setting up a summit where people can take in all the speakers and there is a variety of topics … something for everyone.
“I didn't want to go after anything specific like you have to be an entrepreneur, you have to be a small business, or a certain size of business,” she said. “We want to get people who may own a small business or maybe they work at the level in a small business where they might as well own it because they are so well integrated into the business.
“Maybe they're entrepreneurs or they're just sidehustling but want to take it to a bigger business. We really wanted to target anybody that's trying to meet their goals, no matter what those goals may be.
“We have a mix of female and male speakers, and from all kinds of different backgrounds. So, yes, we tried to cover a wide range of topics that would appeal to as many people as possible in those demographics.”
Among the varied topics will be the mental wellness aspects for those in the demographics Simms just outlined. She said that is, sometimes, an aspect of running a business that doesn’t get covered enough. She mentioned Dr. Margeson and Dr. Cooper addressing topics along those lines. Their talks are titled ‘Using Your Burnout Bank Account to Elevate Your Success’ and ‘Why is Success so Painful’ respectively.
“She (Margeson) will be talking about avoiding burnout and how that's a real thing you need to work with. There's not a person that doesn't know what it's like to feel that,” Simms said to provide an example.’
LOCATION AND TAKING PART
The large hall at the Legion is a good setting for the event Simms said because, as open and bright as it is, she and her team can decorate and set it up to create the ambiance they’re looking for.
“I love it, mostly, because of the nice wood floors that are there … it's not like that gym tile,” she said. “The color of it is quite nice too. It's not that beige you see in a lot of gymnasiums or place like that. I do like the (hotel) convention rooms but the problem I find with them is that they all look like convention conference spaces. I wanted to get a kind of shell of a space that we can hopefully transform. So we'll see if our vision actually happens when we get it all set up in there.”
To get a ticket and become registered for the event, visit setforsuccesssummit.ca.