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Nigel Jenkins says he's "loving" running his company Laughing Heart Music out of the Navigate Business Incubator.

A former student at Grenfell Campus, Nigel went on to study law at Dalhousie before starting Laughing Heart Music in Nova Scotia. He decided to move the company "home," and successfully landed a space at the Navigate Incubator, which is located at the Corner Brook campus of Grenfell's partner, College of the North Atlantic.

Laughing Heart Music has grown into a full service music business with artist management, record label and music publishing divisions. Availing of the expertise of the incubator has provided his company with many opportunities - everything from meeting other entrepreneurs to connecting with provincial funders.

Considering his label, management and publishing clients, Nigel has worked with about a dozen different artists from across Canada, as well as a couple in the UK and Europe.

"At this point I've worked in some capacity with artists from just about every province and territory," he said, who grew up playing guitar and has acted as manager for the music group Hillsburn. "I've also released music on my label from artists based in Switzerland and the United Kingdom."

Nigel said before moving home to Newfoundland and Labrador, he was worried about the impact it might have on his business. But clearly the impacts have only been positive:

"A lot of great things have happened for my business that I couldn't have predicted, like having a song from one of my artist's releases in an iPhone commercial, working with rapper Classified, and sending indie rock band Hillsburn to Vancouver, B.C., to make a record with Grammy-nominated producer Howard Redekopp, " he said. "Things have only grown since coming home, and I expect they will continue to for years to come."

As for future plans, he said he biggest goal for the next couple of years is to build his staff contingent so he has someone responsible for day-to-day operations for each of the company's three divisions.

"I'm on the hunt for talented people who are interested in working in the music industry, and who love living on the west coast of NL," he said. "Call me if this sounds like you!"

For more information, contact Nigel at nglpjnkns@gmail.com.

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When Alex Henniffent was 20 years old, he already had seven years of experience as an entrepreneur. Now 23, Mr. Henniffent is a graduate of Grenfell Campus's business administration program, and a previous client of Navigate Entrepreneurship Centre. 

He founded VOLTFUSE as a teenager: he said, "What started as a way to promote local snowboarding has grown into something much more than just that."

According to his website, VOLTFUSE is a specialty headwear and apparel brand:

"Through rigorous testing and quality control, we're able to ensure that products are right for us, as snowboarders," says the site.

During the period of this report, Alex's efforts were recognized at the Global Student Entrepreneurs Awards ceremony in January 2017.

The Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) program is designed for undergraduate students who own and operate businesses. Young entrepreneurs can learn to promote their business and its value proposition by competing with other business owners.

Participation in local, regional and online competitions will result in worldwide media coverage for entrepreneurs and their businesses. Students can also meet and benefit from the experience of fellow entrepreneurs, the VIP judging panel and industry representatives from the entrepreneurs' organization.

Alex placed first place in the Atlantic Canada's region of this international contest series 2016-2017. 

The value of the prize he received was $30,000, which included transportation to Vancouver, an Air Miles trip in North America, business training, a website creation package and $5,000 cash. 

For more information about how the Navigate Entrepreneurship Centre can help develop new businesses, contact allisonr@grenfell.mun.ca.