By KELLY LOUISEIZE
Northern Ontario Business
It takes a clear vision of what a business can be and the know-how to carry out that vision, which is what makes Lionel Bobiwash and Helen Bobiwash-Toulouse's outfitter's business unique.
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Lionel Bobiwash, (left) started Kiing Adventures over two years ago. Fishing and hiking are the most popular outdoor activities, with the majority of guests coming from southern Ontario and Michigan. |
Now in its second year of full operation, Kiing Adventures is turning out to be a success story in the North.
Lionel Bobiwash has always been an outdoorsman and Helen Bobiwash-Toulouse a certified management accountant by profession. They understood the risks and the direction needed to make Kiing Adventures a success.
Lionel knew from a young age that he wanted to work as a guide, hosting hiking, paddling and fishing excursions around Sagamok Anishnawbek territory, located about 10 minutes south of Massey. Bobiwash-Toulouse cautioned her husband on the practicality of guiding, knowing guides work only two or three months out of the year. She spent 13 years in financing, helping Aboriginal businesses while working for Aboriginal Business Canada and later for Waubetek Business Development Corp.
Over the years, she noticed an increasing number of people were interested in experiencing outdoor adventures. She gained more insight into the feasibility of an outdoor adventure operation, and to pave the way for launching the business, her husband went back to school, enrolling in the sustainable outdoor recreation management program at Cambrian College in Sudbury. They opened the business while he was still in school. On his time off he would participate in guide trips, but slow the business down when he had to return to school. Eventually, equipment, boats and motors were purchased with the profits.
As part of researching for their business plan, the two went out with other tourist operators to gain a better understanding of what people wanted
and how business owners catered to their needs.
"You really get an idea of the customer service that is required in the industry, and the safety issues," Helen Bobiwash-Toulouse explains.
They approached other businesses like Mohawk Motel, Blue Heron Resort and Horizons for partnerships, which have proven to be fruitful.
The majority of their business comes from referrals from other business sources, she says.
From a referral, Bobiwash-Toulouse received a call from interested adventurers in the United Kingdom. An estimated 12 people are seeking experiences in paddling, hiking and powwow celebrations through Kiing Adventures.
There have been some discussions of an eco-lodge development in Sagamok. If that is the case, both would like to consider moving the business from
their home in Massey to Sagamok where some local outfitters would have office space to set up their business.
