Sherri Cooper wanted to start her own business because she loves to cook.
Cooper says she saw the need for a restaurant in Watson and wanted to provide homecooked meals and desserts to her community.
Cooper’s Harvest Time Eatery in Watson is being honoured as the top Saskatchewan Start Up Entrepreneur thanks to the Just Watch Me video contest care of Community Features.
Members of Sagehill Community Futures based out of Bruno were at Harvest Time on Feb. 15 to award Cooper for her hard work since starting her business in February 2017.
Melissa Chegus, chair of the Sagehill Community Futures Board, was proud to award Cooper for her hard work as a new business. Seeing members of their community do well is always nice to see, she says.
“It is always inspiring to see fellow Watson entrepreneurs overcome challenges and succeed...It makes me proud to be a part of a community that is supportive and shares in small town successes.”
Mayor of Watson, Norma Weber, was also on hand during the award presentation to share in Harvest Time’s success.
Being different and creative is something that Weber sees in Harvest Time that is benefitting the community.
“They don’t just do regular, run of the mill. They’re always trying to think of creative ways to present their food and new ideas.”
Having businesses start up in small towns are always an asset to the community, says Weber, since local businesses provide services without residents having to go to larger centres. Weber says that seeing businesses start up and use vacant space in the town is also great to see.
Cooper says that it is awesome to receive this recognition for her business.
Experiencing how a business is run is great research they can do before starting their business, says Cooper.
“For entrepreneurs, go into a business that they are interested in and ask if they can volunteer for a few days and see how it runs from top to bottom and see if they still like it,” advised Cooper during an interview.
Business wise, learning how to juggle was the biggest challenge for the first time business owner.
“Trying to fit all the aspects of business; including payroll, books, logging out at night, ordering food, into the day while cooking and cleaning was probably one of the most frustrating. Trying to juggle family and work was pretty hard, too,” said Cooper in her Just Watch Me video.
With amazing customers, Cooper says that is how she is measuring her success. With such a wide age of customers, Cooper said in her video that every customer brings something special to her eatery.
“My regular customers who are children never leave the restaurant before asking for a cookie and giving me a hug. They’re adorable. My teenage customers are so respectful...(and) our middle aged customers, who are my age, always insist we sit and visit.”
The Just Watch Me contest targets entrepreneurs with disabilities and how they are making their own business work for them.
Cooper’s prize package includes cash, memberships, and services to provide business support for her and her business.
