2
SMALL BUSINESS MONTH - SUPPLEMENT TO THE FREE PRESS - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2026
Now more than ever people are proud of where they’re from and they want to display that.”
– Brett Warbeck, Owner of Warlock Lid Co.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN FAST-CHANGING TIMES
internal capacity that a larger organization may have,” Saftiuk said. Brett Warbeck, Owner of Warlock Lid Co., has experienced those disruptions first-hand. Warbeck launched Warlock Lid Co., a headwear and apparel com - pany based in Killarney, in March of 2022. What started as a side hustle run out of a spare bedroom has grown into a brand recognized across the prairie provinces, with Premier Wab Kinew and even Alberta Premier Danielle Smith sporting Warbeck’s provincial logos. The Toba, Sask, and Berta hats and apparel can be found in more than 100 stores across Western Canada, Warbeck said, with home base now being a shop run by three, full-time employees in down - town Killarney. “Definitely there have been challenges,” Warbeck said, adding that tariffs and increasing prices made it next to impossible to continue using some of their original suppliers. “We've managed to switch all our suppliers to Canadian suppliers and things are a lot easier to deal with. Shipping has been very difficult. We have lots of Canadians in the (United States) that we would ship to, but with the tariffs, the pricing is ridiculous. They have to pay more in tariffs than the actual hat.” While Warbeck hasn’t had to raise prices on his products, he said they have had to stop all their U.S. shipping. “(Our U.S. customers) are disappointed they can’t get the product, but they understand why it’s happening.” However, the tensions between the U.S. and Canada have helped to bolster Warlock Lid Co.’s popularity, Warbeck said. “Now more than ever people are proud of where they’re from and they want to display that,” Warbeck said.
Having a following on social media has also helped the business grow, Warbeck said. “Social media is probably the easiest way to get a business seen,” Warbeck said. “If you can get it out there and people start sharing your product, that's a big help … online retail is also changing things.” These rapid advancements in technology have made starting a business now dramatically different than it was even a few decades ago, said Howard Loewen, president of MicroPilot. “It has really been the glory times for entrepreneurs in that you can reach audiences and you can reach customers with relatively inexpensive means,” Loewen said. “Especially a niche business. Some businesses have a natural cus - tomer base in the city they're in, but for some niche businesses, you really have to canvas the entire world to find enough customers to make it viable. We're such a business.” MicroPilot has been designing reliable software and hardware for drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for 32 years, with customers using MicroPilot’s control systems in drones valued any - where between $100,000 to $5 million. “Certainly 32 years ago, there was no social media. Google was was fairly new, so it was relatively easy to get search engine place - ment. Now, you have to worry about what AI thinks of you, rather than what the search engines think of you, in order to reach the world. Lots of things have changed,” Loewen said. “Before internet search, it really would have been difficult for a small niche company like MicroPilot to survive, because it would have just been too expensive and too difficult to reach customers.”
BY ERIN DEBOOY
Unprecedented times haven’t stopped Manitoba entrepreneurs
from continuing to thrive, though that growth hasn’t come without challenges. “T here is a significant amount of uncertainty in the busi - ness environment right now, and for entrepreneurs and small businesses, that makes it much more difficult to plan with confidence,” said Elisabeth Saftiuk, acting president and CEO of the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce. “At the same time, periods of disruption can create opportunity. Businesses are looking at new markets, new suppliers and new technologies, and thinking differently about how they operate. En - trepreneurs are often particularly good at identifying a problem or an unmet need and finding a new way to address it.” In a recent Manitoba Business Outlook Survey, more than three-quarters of Manitoba businesses said economic uncertainty is affecting their hiring, financial planning or investment decisions. Four out of five are concerned about trade disruptions over the coming year, and nearly two-thirds said U.S. trade tensions and tar - iffs have already had a negative impact on their operations. “For a small business, those pressures can be particularly acute. An entrepreneur is often making decisions about cash flow, staff - ing, inventory and investment without the same financial cushion or
Powered by FlippingBook