QR-big-box-ad
CLS_bigbox

Rise: Supporting Business Growth, Investing in People


CAMH and Rotman School of Management challenge a whole new level of adversity

By: Ryan Moore, Staff Writer

Adversity plays an important role in life and entrepreneurship. There is a certain poetic nature in taking a negative and turning it into a positive.

William Shakespeare conveyed the message of adversity brilliantly when he wrote in Henry VI, Part 3, “Let me embrace thee, sour adversity, for wise men say it is the wisest course,” or in his play As You Like It, when he wrote, “Sweet are the uses of adversity which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, wears yet a precious jewel in his head.”

Adversity has been a constant companion to civil right movements and still is today. As Malcolm X once said, “There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.”

These statements hold very true in the business world.

Distinguishing yourself in a world of entrepreneurs can be difficult. The adversity you face while dealing with a serious mental health issue or substance abuse problem can be doubly challenging.

Many people believe it’s important to keep busy in times of adversity, to plow your fears and frustrations into positive action.

As with running a business, mental well-being is something that often comes with hard work. But what if the work of starting and running a business helps you manage your symptoms?

New studies indicate that consumers of mental health services, when given work which develops their capabilities, are able to fight off symptoms of anxiety and depression which can often interfere with their ability to succeed.

By 2020 it is estimated that depressive illnesses will become the second leading cause of disease burden worldwide and the leading cause in developed countries like Canada (Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health).

The 1998 report published by Health Canada estimated that mental health problems cost about $14.4 billion.

The stigma surrounding these mental health issues also create barriers and excessive “red tape” when there doesn’t need to be.

Rise

Rise Asset Development is a charity with branches in Toronto and Ottawa designed to provide micro-financing and mentorship to entrepreneurs living with mental health and addiction challenges.

Depending on the entrepreneur’s stage of development, and the capacity of the business, Rise provides business loans, leases and business financing up to $25,000.

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the Rotman School of Management from the University of Toronto lend their experience and expertise and sit on the advisory board.

Rise placed third in the Social Entrepreneurship in Mental Health Equity Awards for Toronto social enterprises focusing on the advancement of mental health equity.

In 2009, Sandra Rotman helped with the initial funding of Rise and initiated a pilot program to help up-and-coming entrepreneurs with mental health challenges build self-sustaining small businesses. This program was a success and helped a small group of entrepreneurs access business mentoring and investment capital, all the while improving the lives of some of the most marginalized people in society.

In 2012, Rise formed a partnership with the Ontario Ministry of Youth Services to help youth living with mental health and addiction challenges (16 to 29) over a three year period. The Government of Ontario finances business training for the entrepreneurs. Rise provides micro-financing.

“Obviously stigma associated with mental health and addiction continues to be the number one challenge for our clients and represents a huge source of adversity,” said Mary Ross, Youth Program Associate of Rise Asset Development. “The more business people are able to self-identify as having been affected by these challenges, the more normalized and better understood these kinds of challenges will become.”

Nearly six million Canadians are affected by mental health problems, depression being the leading cause of disability worldwide and a major contributor to the global burden of disease (World Health Organization).

The Business and Economic Roundtable on Mental Health analyzed how depression has affected business productivity. They estimated that the economic costs of mental illness are equivalent to 14% of the corporate nation’s net operating profits.

How can business leaders create opportunity for emerging entrepreneurs with mental health challenges?

Someone who has overcome the adversity of a mental health challenge is a more determined person. Unfortunately, due to the stigma that exists, finding suitable employment is often a difficult task for people with a mental health history.

Perhaps this means they should start focusing more on entrepreneurial endeavours?

Youth Small Business Program

In the world of entrepreneurship, you have to be able to turn heads. You need to be able to offer a product or service that has real value – especially if you are a small start-up. You have to create buzz.

“In the Youth Small Business Program we use Business Design thinking to help students create and launch businesses,” said Ross. “One of the key components of Design Thinking and small business is the ability to try out lots of different ideas, but do so as cheaply as possible. The more traditional approaches to business development and operation like marketing with flyers or having a ‘brick and mortar’ store represent huge investments for our entrepreneurs and are very risky things to use to experiment with new business ideas. Digital space, on the other hand, is cheap, relatively easy and ubiquitous and offers a fantastic opportunity for our students to be nimble, experimental, and cost effective while being able to access a large population of clients.”

Employment is one of the most important factors in improving self-esteem, positive mental health and helping individuals manage their symptoms. However, people living with mental health challenges come to find many barriers to meaningful employment. Entrepreneurship allows them to be their own boss and work at a job that meets their experience and qualifications.

Rise expanded to Ottawa with the help from Alterna Savings. Their services can be accessed at the Causeway Foundation’s Work Centre.

Rohan Small, an entrepreneur and participant in Rise’s Youth Small Business Program, is in the process of building an employment agency, AM/PM Employment Solutions. He has found “design thinking” to be an incredible opportunity to start-up with the right mindset.

“It’s been helpful learning how to analyze potential customers before getting in business,” said Rohan. “At AM/PM Employment Solutions, we help companies deal with time management and overhead costs. We help find the right employees for the right jobs and have successfully placed candidates in the past. We’re planning to do this in the future with larger companies.”

Adversity has placed an important role in Rohan’s life. He’s been able to experience things most people have not had to experience, and because of it he’s become a stronger entrepreneur.

“Having started my business in high school, I would say it was difficult being young and inexperienced,” said Rohan. “It was difficult having to do all this while dealing with mental illness and being sick. I feel that it’s a learning curve and with all challenges comes opportunity. I have had experience in the past running my business. Instead of being the cheapest, we plan on focusing on strong service.”

In 2001, vocational rehabilitation was given to 149 people with severe mental health conditions. They were analyzed on the basis of how employment contributed to their psychiatric symptoms, self-esteem and quality of life over an18 month period.

They were put into four different categories of work: competitive work, sheltered work, minimal work and no work.

Higher rates of improvement were found in the competitive group. Many studies on the effects of employment with positive outcome have confirmed these findings.

For a segment of the population that has been marginalized and suffers widespread unemployment, the idea of developing entrepreneurial sense is an important strategy in helping them find meaning and opportunity in their lives. In many ways because the “mentally ill” are generally not herd conformists or don’t fit into society’s general social models, they tend to think independently. Much like successful entrepreneurs.

The only problem is that most business resources and opportunities are not available to them due to criteria such as bad credit history, lack of funds or having gone through the criminal justice system.

Maria Paglieri is an entrepreneur and participant in the YSBP program. She is starting a management consulting practice to work independently with small retail operations to not only properly systematize their business, but improve marketing strategies, review business models and increase profits.

“My experience with the Youth Small Business Program thus far has been invaluable,” said Maria. “The curriculum is full of practical and useful tools that encourage critical innovative thinking. I am only one month into the program and have learned considerably more than I anticipated. I’m not necessarily in the program to solve business problems as much as I am to really sort out and organize my business ideas. Having only been in the course for a short period of time, a lot has already come into focus and I’ve gained a lot of inspiration from not only Mary, the instructor, but the mentorship sessions we’re provided through the program.”

Rise’s Youth Small Business Program helps people (between the ages of 16 and 29) by providing business training and a $500 start-up grant. Clients may be eligible for further financing upon the completion of the business training program.

In 2013, having proved that people with mental health challenges can run successful businesses, Rise committed over $200,000 to people with mental health and addictions challenges across Ontario, providing mentorship programs and support resources across the province.

Ryan Moore is an Algonquin College graduate, now studying at York University. He’s currently investigating the Canadian mental health system. 

Quantumrun Foresight
Show more