{"id":60626,"date":"2022-10-06T21:43:58","date_gmt":"2022-10-07T01:43:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev-cglcc-multisite.pantheonsite.io\/fr\/news\/small-business-finds-its-sea-legs-in-the-las-vegas-desert\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T15:26:53","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T19:26:53","slug":"small-business-finds-its-sea-legs-in-the-las-vegas-desert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/queerchamber.ca\/fr\/news\/small-business-finds-its-sea-legs-in-the-las-vegas-desert\/","title":{"rendered":"Small business finds its sea legs in the Las Vegas desert"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Focusing sights on the horizon, Canvasea sees smooth sailing towards new international business prospects. <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When Stanley Wu, Co-Founder of Canvasea Interiors Inc.<\/a>, was invited to CQCC\u2019s 2022 Las Vegas Trade Mission, he was surprised by the offer. Even though Canvasea has been a CQCC Certified Supplier<\/a> for two years, he was not aware of all the opportunities this provides to 2SLGBTQI+ owned companies. These include, among other benefits, exposure to unique purchasing opportunities and contracts with larger international corporations through the Global Program<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CQCC, in partnership with the Trade Commissioner Service of Canada<\/a>, sent 13 businesses to the 2022 NGLCC International Business & Leadership Conference<\/a> in August. Small companies such as Canvasea were able to connect on a more direct level with some of the largest names in US and international business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stanley wasn\u2019t sure what to expect going to Vegas. He thought what they offered at Canvasea was very specific to his local market, but he still approached the Trade Mission with an open mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I first arrived over there, I had this mentality of custom work, like custom-made\u2026and I was like \u2018well, who am I going to sell it to?\u2019 Because it\u2019s really locally-based.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I first arrived over there, I had this mentality of custom work, like custom-made\u2026and I was like \u2018well, who am I going to sell it to?\u2019 Because it\u2019s really locally-based.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>Stanley Wu, Canvasea<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Stanley had prepared a brochure of everything that Canvasea does, but it was primarily focused on the marine products they currently offered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe do industrial sewing, and we focus more on the marine sector,\u201d Stanley said. During the Trade Mission registration process, CQCC\u2019s Global Program Manager, Cass, asked Stanley why this was, and if there were other sectors he could work with. Stanley shared that historically they secured between 12 and 14 months of work by participating in an annual Vancouver Boat Show, but that otherwise there was no limit on which sectors they could work with.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Curious to see what could come from this encouragement, Stanley spoke with his partner and co-owner of Canvasea and decided \u201cto give it a shot\u201d and head to the trade mission. On the first day, at the Kellogg’s sponsored CQCC breakfast with other Canadian Suppliers and Corporate partners, Stanley says he stumbled over his pitch during a round table introduction, still feeling rocky and adjusting to a new environment. After breakfast though, he said to himself \u201cyou know what? I\u2019m here already; just go for it!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He changed his plan, mustered up his courage, and approached a director of supply from a major international bank. This director seemed to be more interested in Canvasea\u2019s potential abilities to create unique client gifts than their boating-related products. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After this conversation, Stanley realized that he \u201ccan\u2019t just be so fixed into selling what we do\u2026, but instead sell the skills that we have and the products that we can create.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In rethinking his strategy for the rest of the mission, Stanley adapted his pitch to market the industrial sewing capabilities of Canvasea and highlighted the company\u2019s skillset<\/em> to appeal to a wider range of clientele. He was able to open more doors to explore different products that Canvasea could potentially provide to clients, and realized that \u201cthere is another world out there of people that need our service.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the end of the conference, Stanley and Canvasea found their sea legs. They met with major players in all industries; not just marine manufacturers like they would have normally met staying within Canadian borders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Navigating New Waters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stanley learned that it was not just a question of marketing Canvasea\u2019s products, but rather the skills the company can provide. While they sell quality marine covers and other nautical fabric-related products, their sewing and manufacturing skills and capabilities are widely transferable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI realized that we can continue to do our boutique, custom, high-end work for marine, but then I can also get our factories over here to make pillows, or patio cushions,\u201d he said, \u201cwe now know that there is an opportunity to grow and expand.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stanley credits CQCC’s Global Trade Program<\/a> with introducing him and his business to this new world of perspectives and opportunities, as he says he didn\u2019t know much about this area of business until he attended the Trade Mission. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cass says \u201cwhat\u2019s great is that with a little encouragement and coaching, and by facilitating an opportunity to try something new in his business, Stanley and Canvasea were able to demonstrate the value of programs that give 2SLGBTQI+ businesses and entrepreneurs the chance to grow. During the Trade Mission Stanley even started passing his learnings forward to other delegates, offering his experiences as a way for others to learn more quickly. We\u2019re better together.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding access through the program to government and other agency funding to support his business\u2019 scale up, Stanley is now feeling more comfortable pitching to even larger fish. He continues to build upon the relationships he made in Las Vegas, and has gained a new perspective on the importance of attending these global Trade Missions.To find out more about CQCC\u2019s Global Programs, visit our website<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Discover the benefits of going Global.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our Supplier Diversity and Global programs provide numerous opportunities for 2SLGBTQI+ owned businesses to connect and expand their networks and international market availability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Go Global<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Focusing sights on the horizon, Canvasea sees smooth sailing towards new international business prospects.  When Stanley Wu, Co-Founder of Canvasea Interiors Inc., was invited to CQCC\u2019s 2022 Las Vegas Trade Mission, he was surprised by the offer. Even though Canvasea has been a CQCC Certified Supplier for two years, he was not aware of all the opportunities this provides to 2SLGBTQI+ owned companies. These include, among other benefits, exposure to unique purchasing opportunities and contracts with larger international corporations through the Global Program. The CQCC, in partnership with the Trade Commissioner Service of Canada, sent 13 businesses to the 2022 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":60628,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_trash_the_other_posts":false,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","editor_notices":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/queerchamber.ca\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/10\/52277625064_0a5d609c84_k.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/queerchamber.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/queerchamber.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/queerchamber.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queerchamber.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queerchamber.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60626"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/queerchamber.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60626\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60627,"href":"https:\/\/queerchamber.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60626\/revisions\/60627"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queerchamber.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/queerchamber.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queerchamber.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queerchamber.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}