jobpostings magazine in conversation with Teang Tang, ACE's 2010 Student Entrepreneur Western Canada Regional Champion and founder of Mingle Event Management, Calgary. She's currently completing her Bachelor's of Commerce at Athabasca University.
 JP: The idea to start an event management company that provides sustainable solutions seems like common sense, but also very original. Can you tell me a bit about where the idea for Mingle Event Management came from?
TT: I've always wanted to be an entrepreneur since I started my career life. I was one of those people sitting in their jobs saying, Oh my god, there's more to this. I used to do a lot of program coordination but I always loved the event planning piece of it, so I knew I was going to go into that area. But I didn't think that event planning was enough on its own; it didn't seem to give any meaning or purpose to what I was doing. So I brought in the whole social responsibility piece.
What was the process of getting Mingle off the ground? I'm curious as to the initial steps you took, the challenges you faced, as well as any resources and help you utilized.
I started conducting a feasibility study ÔÇô a miniature version of my business plan. I did an analysis on the market and my competitors, and realized that there wasn't a sustainable events company in Calgary. In terms of resources, I approached organizations like Canadian Youth Business Foundation [...] and other students who were involved with ACE. I also started a group of advisors to give me business advice because I couldn't afford to always pay for professional advice. So their expertise helped get me started.
In terms of the challenges I faced, I think that the biggest challenge was trying to get clients at first, especially not being used to doing cold calls. I think that sometimes, as a young entrepreneur, you get jaded with how much work is actually involved.
How did you overcome the cold call challenge?
Trying not to think about it too much! I find that we end up talking ourselves out of things, and you let fear take over, and you spend more time worrying about something than taking any action. It took me a few days, but I had to talk myself into making the calls. I had to make a script for myself, too, but that's what I needed to get over that challenge.
How has the company grown in terms of clients, revenue, and employees?
In terms of revenue, from first year to second year, we doubled our revenue. We're in our third year right now, so I'm pretty sure we're going to exceed our revenues from last year as well. Our clients have grown ' obviously ' and in terms of employees, I hire people on a per project basis. Usually I hire an average of 1 to 20 people per event.
What personal characteristics do you think an entrepreneur needs to be successful?
I think you need to be extremely goal-orientated, whether short term or long term goals. You need to have a lot of persistence and determination because you'll face a lot of rejection as an entrepreneur. You also need tough skin.
Can you talk a bit about how your parents have inspired you?
My parents were in labour camps during the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, so they had a very tough life before they came to Canada. And when they came to Canada, they didn't own anything ' I think they owed the government money just to get settled here in Canada. And this was without a job, without speaking English, without an education. My parents worked hard to get here and if I waste my life, it's almost an insult to the family. Maybe it's an Asian-European thing, but our family is so important to us, even more important than education, status, all of that.
What advice would you give to other students looking to start their own business?
I would tell them to affiliate themselves with organizations that promote entrepreneurship, like ACE and CIBC because those organizations will help you get over that fear of starting a business. I would also recommend that they take as many business and entrepreneurship courses as they can, whether they're through their school, or an extra-curricular thing. And stay on top of current affairs, things that are going on in the world in terms business, so you have an understanding of where you and your business fit within the picture.
What do you think some of the obstacles are for women entrepreneurs?
It seems like men have more respect for other men. It's almost as if they are playing in the same field and I think men still look at women as ' well, saying subordinates might be pretty extreme, but women aren't at the same level as men. I find that young women need entrepreneurship programs that cater towards their needs. Women have to battle things like image issues; not being pretty enough, smart enough. That stops them from doing a lot of things, stops them from being the woman that they actually should be. jp