The County of Simcoe wrapped up its Week of Welcome events on Friday with a stop at the Collingwood Curling Club.
The events – which took place in different locations across Simcoe County from June 10-16 – sought to connect immigrants with services that can assist them in their new life journey in Canada.
One of the attendees on Friday, Anh Vo, moved to Collingwood one month ago from Barrie but originally came from Vietnam.
She came to Canada to be with her husband, who is Canadian. She met him while he was studying abroad in Vietnam 10 years ago.
“I want to learn English. I try to communicate and speak English with my husband,” said Vo.
On Friday, Vo was able to gather information from Georgian College on free courses they offer to learn conversational English.
She said since moving to Canada, there have been challenges.
“I lived in Vietnam for 28 years. My husband is working everyday. I don’t know anyone. It’s hard to meet people,” she said. “I want to go to school and communicate with friends.”
Three South Georgian Bay immigrant entrepreneurs attended Friday’s event to share their experiences with the community.
Beth Forsyth moved to Collingwood in 2007 after falling in love. Previous to that, she worked for a financial company in the Philippines as a marketing manager.
“I found the man for me. The love of my life,” she said, with a laugh.
After moving to Collingwood in 2007, Forsyth started her business in 2015 called My Friend Beth, where she offers non-medical senior support services. She currently serves 12 clients.
She said that when determining what kind of business to start, she got honest with herself, took stock of her special skills, and looked at which market was under-served locally.
“(Seniors) are socially isolated, and I’m a social being,” she said.
Celeste Berces owns Tango Graphics and Print Shop in Stayner. She came to Toronto from Argentina originally in 2003, but went back to Argentina in 2007, returning again to Canada in 2010 settling in South Georgian Bay.
“I had started looking for a shop. Many of my graphics customers needed printing, and I was sending them everywhere,” said Berces. “There was a print shop in Wasaga Beach so I thought it wasn’t the best idea.”
Then, by a twist of fate, the Wasaga Beach print shop closed.
“In a few months, we opened a small store with only two machines to try it out. Now, we have 10 machines and we’ve had to move twice to find a space big enough,” she said, with a laugh.
Another panellist, Narry Ngamying, came to Canada from Thailand in 1991, moving to Collingwood in 2003 which is when she started Thonburi Thai Food. (The Siamese Gecko Inc.)
“I came to be with family,” said Ngamying. “There were no jobs. I tried to apply. The only thing I could do was drive to Barrie to work and I didn’t want to. My kids were young.”
Ngamying says she used to cook Thai food for friends all the time, which is what led to her idea to start the business.
“They’re my grandmother’s recipes,” she said. “One day, I just decided to do it. I started small.”
The business used to be in Blue Mountain, and is currently undergoing renovations to open up on Keith Ave. in Collingwood. Ngamying is also making plans to move into Wasaga Beach as well.
When offering advice to new immigrants who want to start their own businesses, all three business owners had lots to say.
Berces says it’s important to know your market and your customer base.
“Do a skill-set inventory. Know what your strengths are and capitalize on them. Don’t reinvent yourself,” said Forsyth.
Forsyth shared that when she started her business, she went to Paula’s Pantry and prepaid for a month’s worth of cookies and asked if they could hand out a cookie and brochure to every customer.
“Get creative and step out of your comfort zone. Employment can be very comfortable, but self-employment is a different beast,” she said.
Ngamying says she tried working in other jobs, but it never felt satisfying to her.
“I knew I wanted more. I knew I could offer more,” she said.
She says new business owners should go into entrepreneurship expecting failure, and preparing for it.
“Success is the process of failures over and over and never giving up,” said Ngamying.
“Don’t be afraid.”
For more information on the County of Simcoe’s local immigration partnership and the services they provide for newcomers, click here.
