$10,000 First Runner-Up

Cannikin

Cory Suttell

The mission of Cannikin is to strengthen Humboldt County’s self-sustainability through access to food production and preservation resources. Cannikin will also encourage sustainable gardening practices and provide convenient, year-round, healthy eating alternatives.

Team Advisors:

Nancy Vizenor - HSU Business Professor

Most Useful Resources:

Stilson financial documents on northcoastsbdc.com Census.gov

Reason for Participating in Economic Fuel:

I want to be able to give back to my community since they have supported me most of my life. Humboldt County is abundant with produce but we don’t take advantage of it year-round by canning it. With my business degree giving me the knowledge to make my dream possible I will strive to create a more sustainable community for the people I have grown up with and admire so much.

Advice for Future Competitors:

Take Nancy Vizenor’s business plan development class at Humboldt State. She is demanding about the quality necessary to succeed and will shoot it to you straight if something needs to be fixed. The class gave me the opportunity to start early and really critique each section of my plan, as well as practice my elevator pitch and presentation with a powerpoint.

Most Valuable Lesson Learned from Writing the Business Plan:

Writing a business plan is NOT as easy as it looks. There are so many fine-tune details that I never thought about before, especially about my target market and competition.