In early 2023, the Kitchener, Ontario-based reusable jar and packaging firm Circulr was one in every of 150 Canadian corporations to obtain a $20,000 GoodSpark grant from Desjardins. Through this grant program, which is now in its third yr, the monetary cooperative as soon as once more awarded $3 million in grants to encourage small companies making a distinction in sustainable improvement, innovation, employment and group impression. Here, we observe Circulr co-founder Tyler De Sousa, named one in every of Canada’s Top 25 Environmentalists beneath 25 by Starfish Canada in 2022, by a typical day on the job as he reveals us how the Desjardins GoodSpark Grant helps his business scale and thrive.
6:30 a.m.
De Sousa is an early riser, getting up round 6:30 a.m. to start out his day. He heads to a close-by group kitchen—Wooden Boat Food Company—the place Circulr rents area to scrub the jars that gasoline their business. He’s going to pack up jars that have been cleaned the day earlier than. “I’ll head to the facility by 7 a.m. to get an early jump on it,” De Sousa says.
7 a.m.
Today, De Sousa has about 400 washed jars to pack up into reusable totes and cardboard bins. “We help consumer goods brands and grocers reuse glass jars,” De Sousa explains. After prospects buy a product in a reusable Circulr jar, they return it to a associate assortment website, like a grocery retailer, and their deposit is returned. Then, Circulr collects the jars, washes them and returns them to the businesses to refill and use. “Our business model is based on the concept of the circular economy—with the aim of keeping materials in circulation for as long as possible to extend their useful life and reduce waste,” De Sousa explains.
10:30 a.m.
De Sousa delivers these 400 cleaned jars to Beck’s Broth, a Kitchener-based natural bone broth firm, and chats with proprietor Rebecca Prime about shared struggles to develop gross sales in a good financial system. Then, he heads to Aura-La Pastries + Provisions, an area bakery and assortment website for Circulr jars, the place he additionally purchases a jar of Manning Canning’s sundried tomato mustard for his house kitchen.
11:30 a.m.
An early lunch is De Sousa’s first meal. He’s consuming a turkey and cheese sandwich that he’s ready utilizing the mustard he purchased from Aura-La. After a busy morning, he enjoys lunch exterior on the terrace of his shared house constructing to recharge. According to a May 2023 survey from the Business Development Bank of Canada, the psychological well being of entrepreneurs has decreased considerably in comparison with final yr, which makes it all of the extra necessary that De Sousa discover time to unwind.
12:30 p.m.
Circulr co-founder Charles Binks runs the corporate’s Toronto hub. He and De Sousa are in contact often, and meet in-person twice a month to speak business. Today, they’re having an eight-week technique assembly. Their main aim is to land three large prospects—corporations that can bundle their merchandise in Circulr jars.
2 p.m.
After their technique assembly, De Sousa does some desk work at his house workplace. He splits his time between operations and advertising and marketing duties—creating social media posts, writing signage for assortment factors, explaining how the system works, and researching new business grants.
“Grant funding is crucial for our business,” De Sousa explains. “We don’t have the backing of bigger businesses and large bank accounts. When used effectively, grants help take a small business to their next step, making it more impactful.”
After receiving their $20,000 GoodSpark Grant from Desjardins, De Sousa and Brinks bought extra washing racks and storage gear, decreasing their repacking time. They additionally produced extra advertising and marketing supplies, reminiscent of stickers for his or her jars, to assist with shopper consciousness. In the Fall, they’ll rent a co-op scholar for gross sales and operations.
According to a Small Businesses Report printed by Desjardins, small companies make use of two in each three working Canadians, making it much more necessary to help these operations.
4 p.m.
De Sousa ends his day again out on the street to realize new prospects. Today, he’s making a chilly name to Caudles Catch—a seafood retailer in Kitchener. “We explain how our reusable packaging business works and identify a few products that would work well for it, then what our pricing is,” he explains. After an on-the-spot assembly with the shop supervisor, De Sousa lands a deal to bundle their seafood salad and ceviche in Circulr’s glass jars. “Caudles is well known in the area and has a lot of social capital,” De Sousa explains. “Working with them shows the community our credibility.”
Winning new prospects, like Caudles, offers De Sousa the increase he wants to remain assured about the way forward for Circulr. “It’s been a hard few years for small businesses,” De Sousa says. “I think we’ve survived the worst of it. Morale is high again because it seems like the fog is lifting.”
Click right here to be taught extra about Circulr’s reusable program, and click on right here to be taught extra concerning the Desjardins GoodSpark Grants.
Source: canadianbusiness.com