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By Chris Brown

Better budgeting

Program bringing budding entrepreneur closer to goal of helping other

Oct 29, 2020 | 2:58 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – A Medicine Hat College student is getting expert advice and moving closer to bringing her business venture to life.

Ashley Brooks-Jackson is in her second year in the business administration program at the college.

She’s midway through a five-week Student Entrepreneurship Sprint program that puts her in touch with an advisor who helps her fine-tune her business plan and will end with a final pitch on Nov. 5.

Brooks-Jackson’s idea is one that could speak to everyone at some point in their life.

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“My program is a financial education and training program designed specifically for people who are struggling with managing their finances. And I want to be able to provide them with step-by-step guidance to be able to navigate their way out of debt and eventually into wealth, no matter what their income level or financial situation might be,” she says.

Brooks-Jackson also hopes to eliminate the stigma surrounding financial illiteracy and money mismanagement by promoting open dialogue about financial struggles and about personal wins around finances.

She previously has had money struggles of her own and believes having that experience will help her relate to the people seeking assistance and will help them relate to her.

“I didn’t know where my money was going, I wasn’t budgeting, I just didn’t know much about finances,” she recalls. “I listened to everything I could, I read everything I could and I just eventually learned. I took everything that I learned and want to be able to teach others about it. It’s such good, rich information that just isn’t out there.”

She wants to set up group training to open dialogue but understands people aren’t always comfortable in groups and will do one-on-one sessions in person and online as well.

Part of the current program is determining how to get the word out once the program is up and running and how potential customers can connect with her.

Brooks-Jackson credits the MHC Entrepreneur Development Program with helping get her business idea this far. She’s one of just 30 students in the province selected for the Student Entrepreneurship Sprint Program, which is powered by Platform Calgary, University of Calgary’s Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking, and Mount Royal University’s Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.