5 Things I Learned on the Team Canada Trade Mission
Team Canada Trade Missions are led by the federal Trade Minister and the Chief Trade Commissioner in Canada to help Canadian businesses export! It’s a great way to get support while trying to develop international connections. I’ve outlined some of the fantastic things I learned and how they impact our tutoring in Vancouver 🚀.
1.Even Small Businesses have Value
Despite our name, Large Tutoring is still quite small - just the way we like it! Also, we love a pun 😂.
We had almost 15-hour-long meetings on the ground in Thailand and Cambodia. Education is heavily prioritised, so they were extraordinarily happy to meet with us. Math Tutoring is ubiquitous, from Vancouver and Abbotsford all the way to Bangkok and Phnom Penh.
2. Leverage the Canada Brand
Internationally, Canada has a strong brand. That’s why when you say you are an award-winning company that does tutoring in Canada, everyone’s happy to meet. Will this bring more work? Who knows! But I met some great people along the way.
3. Pace Yourself
I got food poisoning on the ground! I’d rather be doing math, chemistry, or physics tutoring than be miserable in a hotel room for a day 🤣.
I had to pace myself. I started prioritizing meetings, being careful with what I ate, and rescheduling anything that could be moved. This was key to my survival.
4. Find your Allies
Fractions are friends! It’s something I always say when tutoring math and calculus.
Whether it’s with the Trade Commissioners’ Office or with the manager of a potential partner organisation, find your allies. Having the right connection inside the organization has really helped us get meetings set up.
For example, once I got specific contact info from the Trade Commissioners, everyone wanted to meet. All my cold calling and cold emailing didn’t yield much.
5. Not everyone is nice
This one is kinda sad I know, sadly it’s true. Whether it’s with Canadian Government supports, other delegates, or organizations you’re contacting, not everyone is nice. It’s like math teachers! Sometimes they’re fantastic, sometimes they’re not.
I learned how to gauge how kind someone was, and move a conversation quickly if they weren’t going to be helpful. Hopefully you won’t have to! Though if you do encounter someone who isn’t very helpful, doesn’t mean there isn’t a friend elsewhere in that organization - keep looking.
Conclusion
The Team Canada Trade Mission was a great and challenging experience. I learned a lot, and hopefully will have some more updates in the future with partner organizations. I do recommend it if you’re trying to meet international contacts.
If you found this post helpful, check out our other blogs on things I learned after 30 under 30 and more! Whether you're a student tackling math, calculus, biology, chemistry, physics, English, or French, our expert tutors are ready to help you succeed!
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