The trials and tribulations of entrepreneurship are not to be taken lightly, especially considering the enormous uphill battle most entrepreneurs face trying to achieve marketplace viability for their ventures. According to Entrepreneur.com, about 20 percent of entrepreneurs fail within the first year and 50 percent fail within the first five years.
Ajamu Attard, however, is not one to back down from a challenge – or several challenges for that matter.
“My fifth year of high school was the fifth school I went to,” says Attard, who recalls the turbulent and ever changing environment he lived in at the time. From being homeless at 16, to grappling with family struggles and mixing with the wrong crowd, young Attard was disillusioned and felt entirely alone.
Living in Peterborough, Ontario at the time, he says the support network of teachers and mentors is what helped set him on the right path. It enabled him to slowly turn things around for himself and his community.
“The homelessness just gives you a picture of what my high school career was like,” says Attard.
He goes on to say that at the time, he was skipping a couple hundred classes a year. Nevertheless, when he applied himself, he always achieved good grades and exceeded expectations for what he was doing.
“I had potential, and that was clear,” says Attard.
“That’s why people in my community decided to support me. They got together, paid for my mental health support, tutoring, writing services and fitness programs. They helped me get my mind right so I could focus on what was important.”
In addition, his teachers and members of his community helped him write scholarship applications, which resulted in him earning over $50,000 in scholarship funding to expand his educational horizon.
It was these acts of kindness and generosity that encouraged Attard to help others as well. Kindness is contagious, attests Attard. Shortly after, Attard helped other students write applications and receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarship funding as well.
That’s just the beginning for Ajamu Attard, who began leaning towards social entrepreneurship in the realm of helping his community as well as other students. He says that he wanted to help other students who were struggling in similar positions. It was his goal to make it possible for others to achieve their full potential as well.
Ajamu Attard went on to found the for-profit social enterprise, Student Support, which helps post-secondary students gain access to essential services. Students attending Canadian universities can gain access to Calm, Udemy, Nimbus Learning and Aaptiv for less than $50 per year, through Student Support. These services would otherwise cost them hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
Attard has also been recognized by the nation and by his community for his remarkable achievements, specifically in helping others get the support they need and reach their full potential. He now holds 15 prestigious awards and grants including: Canada’s Top 20 Under 20 Award, the Lincoln M. Alexander award, the RBC Leadership Award and the Al Hillington scholarship.
His advice to anybody going through a difficult situation is to reach out and ask your community for support. “Allow people to be there for you, so that you can be there for others in the future,” says Attard.
To learn more about Ajamu Attard or to book him for speaking engagements, you can visit his official website.
