Carlisle Norwood has achieved more in his time at 麻豆传媒 than many business owners could hope to achieve in their entire careers. Yet when asked about Freshman Services, the company he founded that blossomed from a school co-op program in 2009, he says his most memorable moment so far is winning the 2015 Impact Award for Student Entrepreneur of the Year.
鈥淭he reason I like this award so much is because it鈥檚 from students,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the recognition from them that really matters to me.鈥�
When Carlisle started Freshman Services in 2011 (initially Freshman Storage and Moving), the prospect of his small business achieving all that it has may not have been what he expected, but it was always a possibility. It was simply a company that was offering inexpensive furniture moving and storage for university students. Now it also offers long-distance shipping, lawn and property maintenance (including power washing and gutter cleaning), junk removal, and even pick-ups of Kijiji purchases. It also has annual growth rates of up to 50%, partnerships with Saint Mary鈥檚 University and Premier Self Storage, and is looking at franchising opportunities at other Canadian universities with co-op programs.
It鈥檚 no wonder he was also recently recognized as the 2015 Enactus Student Entrepreneur of the Year for Nova Scotia.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just been in steps, slowly moving forward and building a business,鈥� he says. 鈥淒id I ever envision it being this successful? I think in entrepreneurship you always have to envision bigger.鈥�
The art of multi-tasking
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The success of Freshman Services is impressive by any business standard, but what makes it even more noteworthy is that Carlisle has managed to do it while dividing his time between Freshman Services, his job as a real estate agent (he earned his licence in 2012), and working towards the Bachelor of Commerce degree he will receive next month.
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely had its difficulties for sure, but I鈥檝e been taking information from my classes and applying them to my business, and vice versa,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 learn things from my business that help me understand school content better.鈥�
The connection with Dal extends beyond the classroom. Carlisle says the entire business is run around students鈥攚hether through providing services to them, employing them, or providing co-op students with work placements (the company has so far taken on 12 of them). So what鈥檚 his advice to other budding young entrepreneurs? Trust your gut and just jump in.
鈥淛ust do it,鈥� he says. 鈥淪o many people come up with great ideas, and they never go after them. There鈥檚 a very high probability that it鈥檚 not going to work鈥攖hat鈥檚 just entrepreneurship. But then you try another one, and another one. Before you know it, the things you鈥檝e learned are going to impact the idea that you come up with, the one that鈥檚 the right idea. So just do it and learn as much as possible. I do what I enjoy, and I learn from doing what I enjoy.鈥�