Have you ever wondered what’s in the energy bars you see in
retail stores across British Columbia? Mayank Chauhan, founder of nutTea bar found that even though many of
these bars are touted as healthy workout snacks, many of them are jam packed
with sugar, preservatives and artificial ingredients similar to candy bars.
This led Chauhan to come up with the idea of nutTea bar,
Canada’s first line of 100% organic, raw, tea infused energy bars, when he
embarked on a five-hour hike on the beautiful trails of Sunshine Coast in
British Columbia.
He was disillusioned with the choices of energy snacks in
stores and decided to pack his own energy source – organic cashew nuts and tea.
He remembers: “I felt amazing during the 5-hour hike (after
eating the snacks) and that’s how the idea of nutTea was born.”
Like many entrepreneurs, Chauhan didn’t have prior
experience in the industry he wanted to embark on. Luckily he was enrolled in University
of Victoria’s (UVic) MBA program and had a prototype of an energy bar he wanted
to create.
He just needed help to turn his idea into reality.
Four Helping Hands From The
The Innovation Centre For Entrepreneurs (ICE)
ICE at UVic offers on-campus startup services designed to
help students, faculty members, staff and even recent alumni take their
business concept from idea to investor-ready. Chauhan started the ICE mentorship
program in November 2014 and was matched with four high-profile mentors including:
- Paul Lamoureux, Owner of the Millstream, Victoria, Serious Coffee Franchise
- Rob Milne, Executive Director of the Innovation
Centre for Entrepreneurs
- Cathy Whitehead McIntyre, Principal of Strategic
Initiatives
- Malcolm Webster, President of Imaginative
Solutions
Mentorship has been extremely valuable to Chauhan for
nutTea`s growth. He says: "Mentorship has helped me focus on key objectives
for the business instead of chasing opportunities everywhere (which can be very
tempting as a startup).”
Mentorship can also be extremely valuable to build new
connections in business. In fact mentorship was so helpful for Chauhan that it got
him a businesses deal. He says: “Mentors help connect me to their business
networks where it’s appropriate. I was able to get a meeting with a major
retail chain and subsequently get listed through these connections.”
Mentorship Works
It’s not just about connections. Mentorship can help
boost your business success too. For Chauhan, this help was in the general
strategy of his business and marketing his product.
And the results speak for themselves.
nutTea bar has been a
huge hit in stores in Victoria, Vancouver and in eastern Canada. It has also
attracted a huge following on social media after just one year, with an
impressive 25,000+ followers on Twitter
and 7,000+ followers on Instagram.
Mentorship has had such a profound effect on Chauhan’s
business that it’s something he recommends new business owners establish right
away. He says, “It will bring you more unique perspectives and innovative
solutions, than you could ever dream of.”
And we agree! Take the guesswork out of running a successful
business. Follow in the steps of Chauhan and get a mentor today.
Contact us at info@mentorshipbc.ca,
and we’ll help you find a mentorship program that can help you reach your
business dreams.