New trainer brought on

WELLINGTON – Jan. 20, 2021 – « The Francophone Ignition Contest’s competitors will benefit from two full days of intense training on Jan. 29 and 30, not only to help them pitch their entrepreneurial project in front of a panel of judges at the finals of our contest, but also to help them properly develop and set up their businesses, » says Felicity Montgomery, who coordinates the contest for RDÉE Prince Edward Island.

She explains that the competitors will undoubtedly use the communication, financial, administrative and promotional skills they will gain during the free virtual training sessions throughout their entrepreneurial career.

Montgomery proudly reports that one of the regular trainers, Dominique Chouinard, is back and that a new trainer has just been found to replace former trainers Ron and Connie Robichaud from Nova Scotia, who have recently retired.

First, on Saturday morning, Chouinard, a contract trainer with The Collège de l’Île, will deliver an Insights Discovery session. Through a personality test and the half-day of training, participants will learn a great deal about themselves, their strengths and their limitations. As a result, they will learn ways to better communicate and interact with people – which will be useful when leading employees, serving clients or negotiating agreements with business partners. This training is offered free of charge by the College as part of its sponsorship of the Francophone Ignition Contest.

NEW TRAINER

On Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday, it will be new trainer Vincent-Luc Brouillard’s turn to deliver his training virtually. Brouillard, from Caraquet, NB, is an entrepreneur and social innovator who has been working around these two areas for the past six years. A proud Acadian, he is known for his problem-solving skills and ingenuity. In 2020, he started his company, VLB Consultation, where his mission is to « Create and Disrupt ». This company offers bilingual professional services such as: business consulting and organization and facilitation of workshops that focus on entrepreneurship and innovation.

The consultant will help participants understand the importance of knowing their product, their customers, their business model, the feasibility of their business and the viability of their proposed business. An important part of the training will focus on finances.

Brouillard will also deliver his « Pitch 101 » training to show participants how to concisely and effectively present a brief, captivating overview of their proposed business. They will have the opportunity to practice their pitch on the second day.

The three finalists will then have a few weeks to prepare for the grand finale, which will take place on Wednesday, March 2, at the Village musical acadien in Abram-Village. Each will have a limited amount of time to present their project to the public and a panel of business professionals, in a style similar to the television shows Shark Tank and Dragons’ Den. The judges will determine a winner and award them a $25,000 investment to help them get their project off the ground, as well as several other gifts to support them on their entrepreneurial journey.

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PHOTOS: The two trainers for the 2022 Francophone Ignition Contest will be Vincent-Luc Brouillard of VLB Consultation and Dominique Chouinard, on behalf of the Collège de l’Île. They will help competitors develop their communication, financial, administrative and promotional skills.

 

For more information, please contact
Felicity Montgomery
Coordinator of the Francophone Ignition Contest
RDÉE Prince Edward Island
felicity@rdeeipe.org