A local entrepreneur is in the running to be recognized as a finalist in the Just Watch Me! video contest, which celebrates the success of entrepreneurs with health conditions or disabilities in rural Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Season Kirkwood of Otterburne owns Sound Lab Manitoba, a mobile music and events company. This year, Kirkwood has entered the contest in the Seasoned Entrepreneur category, which requires entrants to be in business for more than a year. The top four finalists from this category will be selected on January 28. Public voting will begin on February 1, and the winners will be announced on February 15.
“I became an entrepreneur after the tragic death of my brother,” Kirkland says in her entrance video. “I realized that the lack of services for vulnerable people was even greater for rural Manitoba. I want to provide resources to help keep families closer to home and closer together.”
Sound Lab offers music programs and lessons, giving rural kids the opportunity to be exposed to different kind of musical instruments and opportunities to create music. During the program, kids are given the ability to try multiple instruments and equipment, such as the piano, guitar, and drums. In addition to offering classes for kids, Sound Lab also offers classes for seniors and families, including Tea and Jam and Sound Lab Gym, the latter of which is a silent program where participants can explore music through headphones.
The Just Watch Me! competition began in 2011 to recognize entrepreneurs such as Kirkwood, and to showcase their success. According to a press release, the contest also gives business owners the opportunity to tell their own story, which in turn may inspire like-minded individuals with disabilities or health conditions.
The first place winner in the Seasoned Entrepreneur category will win cash and prizes totalling $1,000, and those who come in second to fourth place will win cash and prizes ranging from $250 to $750.
“The future goal for Sound Lab is to create a social hub,” says Kirkwood, “to attract other mobile services and increase accessible resources to the region.”
