A BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
Rewards Program
Competition
The Business Ownership Experience gives top Canadian business students a chance to learn the ins and outs of running a business, while competing against each other. Every student will run a small house painting business and be tasked with recruiting/hiring, project management, profit control, marketing, sales and more.
Throughout the spring and summer, the competitors will be judged by our guest panellists, made up of elite entrepreneurs from Western Canada.
What Makes Us Different
Scholars Edge provides a unique opportunity for students to experience business ownership without financial risk or requirement for start-up cash. We emphasize training and mentorship and provide the participants with all the executive support, accounting, administrative work, and advice they need to be successful.
We obtain the following on behalf of our students:
- Five Million in Liability Insurance
- WCB or Worksafe BC Coverage
- Business License
- Paint Store Account & Line of Credit
We’ll even send out T4s to our students’ employees the following year.
Scholars Edge is the only student business ownership program that allows students to compete against each other for scholarships, connect with business leaders, and make a lot of money along the way. Most students make at least $20,000 over the six months. The top students in 2024 made $75k, $100k, and $130k.
Competition Phases
HIRING
We accept applications between August through to January to begin training in January of the following year.
TRAINING
Kick-off training begins at the end of January. Over a weekend, we’ll welcome students to the competition and provide them with instruction and supporting materials to enable them to run their own residential and commercial painting business. We will provide ongoing mentorship throughout the competition, including four training days. You will not need to miss school to attend any of the training seminars.
THE COMPETITION
The competition begins immediately after our initial kick-off training and ends the last week of August.
IMPORTANT DATES
- August-December Hiring
Early February Complete candidates list live on our website
- End of January Orientation and training weekend
- Immediately after Training Competition begins
- March Production & Profitability Training
- April Hands-on Paint and Production Training
- Early July Dean’s List Mid-term reports issued
- Last Week of August Final week of competition
- Weekend before Labour Day Awards Dinner
- November Dean’s List trip
Features
The executive support doesn’t end after the Kick-Off training weekend. Our young business owners get full-time support from the Scholars Edge team executives throughout the spring and summer. We are here to help you succeed.
What do we provide?
A business start-up kit and business manuals
Full-time mentorship both in the field and via phone
30+ years of proven systems and best practices
Responsive office staff
Access to Scholars Edge Edgemanager, our full scope management software
Liability Insurance
Workers Comp / Worksafe BC Coverage
Business License
Paint Store Account & Line of Credit
Student social events to meet and share your stories
Our students will be competing for the following:
Scholarship Money (1st Prize $3,000, 2nd Prize $2,000, 3rd Prize $1,000)
Year End All-Inclusive Trip
Student Year-End Awards
Experience & Learning
The Scholars Edge Business Ownership Experience is like no other program in Western Canada. This is hands-on business ownership 101 for young business owners, with a lot of other opportunities. We provide our students with exceptional training and mentorship so they feel supported throughout the entire process. The essence of our program is to take students with minimal experience, and watch them evolve through our supported business challenge into Canada’s brightest young business people.
Students will learn:
Lead Generation
Sales
Marketing
Human Resources
Cost Control
Project Management
Profitability
Client Management
Time Management
The valuable skills that our student entrepreneurs gain throughout our program will set them up for best practices in their professional lives beyond the competition, as well as igniting personal growth. The friendships they make will stay with them long after the excitement of the competition fades.
How It Works
1
Be A Student
Attending a post-secondary university or college.
2
Apply To Join The Competition
Complete the application form & we’ll be in touch
3
Start Your Business
Get your training, lay down a business plan & find customers
4
Compete To Be On Top
Do great work and invite your clients to rate you