Faces of Entrepreneurship ft. Jean Baptiste Baiwong

Bizi Plans Inc. is a management consulting company that helps entrepreneurs understand, develop, and act on their ideas through well-researched and curated business plans and strategy advice. Edwin and Jean-Baptiste have worked together for more than ten years to help small and medium-sized businesses (like TrustArc, Stand Up Youth, JFK Co., and Impact Consulting) reach their strategic goals. They do this by giving advice, making sales, and taking an active role in running the business. Bizi Plans is also committed to making positive social changes in all of Africa by helping nonprofit groups and innovation centers there.

Tell us about yourself, your professional background, and your business.

I’m an action-orientated, ambitious, and hard-working person committed to impacting lives. I have had the opportunity to study in 4 different countries during the last few years (Chad, Senegal, Kenya, and Canada) and work with many NGOs, such as Impact Consulting and Stand Up Youth Foundation. My international background helped me to appreciate and see things from a great perspective, and I love discovering new cultures. I also speak three local languages from Chad, my home country, as well as French, English, and Spanish, and I am learning Italian right now.

In 2020 when I started my bachelor’s degree in Business Management at Telfer, my biggest goal was to contribute to developing African countries’ social and economic development. Two years later, I decided to change my degree to one in International Development Globalization + a minor in Social Impact.

I am incredibly passionate about entrepreneurship. I co-founded my consulting company Bizi Plans in June 2022, which helps entrepreneurs and people who are passionate about entrepreneurship to look for optimal opportunities. We also give them what it takes to execute winning strategies and impact with the right business moves. I also work as a Junior Achievement (JA) Company French Coordinator at the Ottawa Network For Education.

What does entrepreneurship mean to you?

To me, entrepreneurship is an excellent tool that helps people, countries, and organizations lower poverty by creating jobs, fighting unemployment, and reaching financial stability.

How are you entrepreneurial?

My business experience began when I was 11, as I used to purchase candy and sell it home to my brothers, sisters, and friends, who were my first clientele. I then realized they loved the Tiffany candy, so I kept buying and selling that one (supply and demand). At that time, I was trying to multiply my profit. As a result, even when someone asked me to lend them money, I always ensured they paid me back with interest. Later on, growing up and living in impoverished nations where people work hard to improve their socioeconomic situations, I’ve realized that the needs are enormous — as are the opportunities. I love management consulting because it gives me the opportunity to do one-on-one consultations, that solve real-life problems. Thus, my objective today is to harness my business talents to make impactful actions.

How does an entrepreneurial mindset contribute to your life?

The entrepreneurial mindset changed my life because:

• I have learned to learn from my mistakes and come back stronger when challenges/failures arise.
• I used to be introverted, but now I’m going to a lot more networking events! There is a fantastic power that brings opportunities when you leave your comfort zone to meet new people.
• I can now come up with many different approaches and solutions to a problem that arises.

To learn more about Bizi Plans, click here.