Newcomer Business Owner Launches Online Marketplace For Local Vendors
MONCTON — After moving to Canada from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Shogonya Mnyonge noticed a gap between large corporations and locally-owned businesses, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. As a means to bridge that gap, he founded Flourish Sales Corp.
“When I came here, I was able to realize the gap that has always been there,” said Mnyonge, a third-year student from the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton. “Since the pandemic started … I was like, this is the exact time to be able to push the innovation that I wanted to come up with.”
Flourish, a startup launched through the Venn Garage program at Venn Innovation, aims to provide local vendors with an online platform to sell their goods and offer delivery and pick-up options.
Alicia Grayeb, program manager for startup services at Venn Innovation in Moncton, said the Venn Garage is a hands-on program where entrepreneurs can learn at their own pace and seek advice from industry professionals.
“What we look for in a startup is that their idea is technology oriented and that they have the potential to scale up,” said Grayeb. “We also want to see that commitment in the entrepreneur and that drive to want to do a change, not only in the community, but also in the way business is currently done. It is important that they’re very passionate about their idea.”
Mnyonge noticed companies like Walmart and Costco experienced booming sales, while stores such as Moncton’s Le Baobab suffered. During the earlier parts of the pandemic, he didn’t feel safe going out to smaller businesses, forcing himself to stand in line at big box stores.
With Flourish, customers would visit its website – akin to Amazon.ca – to search for the product they want and purchase it from a local retailer. Then they have the option to opt for same-day pickup or delivery through OnFleet, a software company that tracks delivery drivers.
“It’s going to be a win-win situation between vendors. Let’s say a vendor had a loyal customer base of 100 customers, and another one had 20 loyal customers,” he said. “When they’re all on the same platform, the one with 100 customers will get added advantage of the [business with] 20 and [vice-versa].”
For businesses who wish to join the website, Mnyonge said they could register by filling out an application through its online portal. Once Flourish verifies information to ensure a company is legal, vendors can begin uploading inventory.
Programs like Venn Garage allow for startups to receive mentorship on leadership, financing. They also get coaching from regional businesses to access resources and other networks to bring their projects to the next level.
With the Covid-19 pandemic, Grayeb said Venn noticed more individuals want to help support the local economy through local businesses. The incubator program will help startups validate their technology and, when needed and pertinent, the incubator will also help them connect to other tech companies.
“Sometimes a startup will not know if they need to build their own technology [and] it’s tempting to use free products,” said Grayeb. “So it’s creating awareness on that and helping them develop the technology they would need to bring their startup to life.”
Mnyonge hopes to expand the company across Canada within the next year. He would like to expand worldwide the year after that.
According to Statistics Canada, online shopping sales nearly doubled last year, going up from 3.5 percent in 2019 to 5.9 percent in 2020. Mnyonge said that’s enough incentive for Canadians to change their shopping habits and shift more towards online sales, even after the pandemic.
“Shopping online has always been easy and convenient, but people are always a little bit [resistant] to change,” said Mnyonge. “This pandemic sort of gave us the exposure to the online experience.”
With files from Liam Floyd.
Aaron Sousa is a summer intern for Huddle. Send him story suggestions: [email protected].