MEET YOUR HOST: Sault entrepreneur mentors small business owners in SPACES

Nevin Buconjic’s entrepreneurial journey started when he was 12, going door-to-door with the Regal catalogue and taking orders from his neighbours.

“It gave me great experience in marketing, in sales, and they sold some really neat stuff,” said Buconjic.

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His daughter became an entrepreneur at the age of five, with support and encouragement from her dad.

“Hannah got an allowance, but it wasn’t very big, and she wanted to make some money to buy some more Barbies,” explained Buconjic. “So, she started a lemonade stand.”

Of course, with her dad helping her out, it wasn’t just any old lemonade stand. “She wanted to expand into other treats as well, so we called it Hannah’s Summer Treats and we had banners, signs, T-shirts,” Buconjic said with a laugh.

“It was very successful, and she still runs it in the summer.”

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From his early start as a Regal salesman, Buconjic has carried on with many other business ventures and side hustles, as well as becoming an author.

“It’s funny, back then entrepreneurship wasn’t really a thing, it wasn’t really on anyone’s radar,” mused Buconjic. “So, I didn’t have a lot of support that way, and didn’t even really consider myself an entrepreneur until adulthood.”

Buconjic is looking forward to connecting with and supporting fellow entrepreneurs as the host of the Small Business Space, in the new and local social media network, SPACES.

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Buconjic is a life-long Sault Ste. Marie resident – only leaving for a few years when work took him to points further south. His father worked at the steel plant, so there was no history of entrepreneurship in his family, but Buconjic just forged ahead on his own.

He started a web design business out of university, and then moved on to a career working in economic development, currently with FedNor. But he looks to his side hustles and other businesses he develops, as well as his writing, to fuel his passion for entrepreneurship.

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“There is just so much opportunity and so many ideas out there,” he enthused. “You never know where the next inspiration will come from — there always seems to be something. I never know where these ideas will take me, but I love to follow them and see.”

Buconjic is hoping to follow and share ideas with fellow entrepreneurs in his role as Small Business host in SPACES.

“I hope we can get some interesting conversations going about new ideas, new plans, and help kick-start some wonderful initiatives here in the Sault,” he said.

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Buconjic has started eight companies, ranging from e-commerce to publishing, as well as computer camps and entrepreneurship camps for kids.

“Ideas come to me, and I develop them into businesses, some of which I have sold, and some of which serve their purpose and then fall away,” he explained. “I ran a computer summer camp for kids for 10 years, then sold it.”

He has published three books: “25 Money-Making Businesses You Can Start in Your Spare Time”, “Starting Your Own Business: An Entrepreneur’s Guide”, and his newest book, written with his daughter, Hannah, “25 Money-Making Business Ideas for Kids & Teens!”

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“That was my proudest moment as an entrepreneur,” Buconjic stated. “I wrote an article for Shopify on entrepreneurship and young people, and mentioned Hannah’s lemonade stand. They liked it so much, they wanted me to talk more about Hannah, and it turned out the story aligned perfectly with a new Shopify venture, a business kit for kids that they were launching.”

He continued, “They ended up wanting Hannah to do some press with them — she was seven at the time — and that ended up turning into a Toronto Star article, and an appearance on Breakfast Television. That was surreal!”

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One of Buconjic’s most consistent passions is his desire to support other entrepreneurs in his community.

Ten years ago, he founded StartUP Sault, a grassroots community-driven non-profit which supports entrepreneurs in the community through events, meet ups, contests, mentorship and connecting entrepreneurs with small business resources in the community.

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He stepped down from his role as president of StartUP Sault last year but still advises the board on a regular basis.

“That project came out of a desire to help other entrepreneurs and help the community,” said Buconjic. “I was feeling a bit disconnected in my full-time job, and StartUP Sault gave me back my passion and helped me to connect with my community in a meaningful way.”

Buconjic’s new role as host of the Small Business space will enable him to continue to support entrepreneurs in the community.

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“I stepped down from StartUP Sault because it was a lot of time, it was kind of like running a full-time business,” explained Buconjic.

“So, I was excited to be offered this opportunity with SPACES. I see it as a way to still be involved, with perhaps not so much of a time commitment.

“I see SPACES as a huge opportunity to support and mentor other entrepreneurs, young entrepreneurs. To share stories, to celebrate wins and dissect what goes wrong. To really build a thriving online community for entrepreneurs and small business owners in our community.”

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“I am excited about what SPACES could become!”