Rushmila Rahman

Oct 10, 2024 | l8r.it | Rushmila Rahman

In the spirit of turning trash into treasure, reality shows like Storage Wars have piqued peoples’ curiosity about where hidden gems can be found. The TV show follows bidders who purchase repossessed storage units hoping to get lucky, and for husband-and-wife Johann Furrer and Jessica Oman, watching it did more than just make them curious. It inspired them to start a side hustle in 2012, when they purchased a $225 storage unit in Vancouver.

Oct 3, 2024 | l8r.it | Rushmila Rahman

It was while working on a PhD in toxicology at UVic that Jennie Christensen’s personal and professional worlds collided. At six years old, Christensen was diagnosed with trichotillomania—a compulsive urge to pull out hair. “I had extremely low self-esteem well into my 20s, and it kept me from doing a lot of things,” she says. But her struggles with the disorder remained relatively separate from her career until 2003, when she started studying B.C. grizzly bears as a part of her PhD research.

Sep 27, 2024 | l8r.it | Rushmila Rahman

What makes a good mentor? Answers to this question can vary, and seasoned mentors who are active in the field have some interesting ways of framing the responsibilities that come with the title. Chang Han, for example, thinks that being a mentor is not unlike being a godparent. “The first mentor was a person in Greek mythology whose name, literally, was Mentor,” explains Han, the lead entrepreneur-in-residence with entrepreneurship@UBC. The program helps early-stage UBC ventures grow.

Sep 24, 2024 | l8r.it | Rushmila Rahman

Having been a serial entrepreneur himself, Chad Fryling feels like he’s the right person to be serving aspiring entrepreneurs at Futurpreneur. Since 1996, the Toronto-based national nonprofit has been offering loan financing and mentorship (among other things) to help young founders aged 18-39 bring their business ideas to life.

Sep 19, 2024 | l8r.it | Rushmila Rahman

For the last 20-plus years, Eric Peterson and Christina Munck have worked tirelessly to nurture the Tula Foundation from the ground up. “If people ask us whether we’re philanthropists, we always say no,” says Peterson, who co-founded the nonprofit with his wife, Munck, after selling his medical imaging business for an estimated $300 million in 2001.