Tell Us Your Story. What motivated you to start your business? Why are you passionate about what you do?

As renters, we always made efforts to make our living spaces more comfortable and inviting. One day in 2017, while using our digital cutter to make removable wall decor, we took a chance and put some of our designs on the Etsy platform. To our surprise, there was a significant demand for paint-safe wall decor that wouldnt break the bank, and Cutouts Canada was born! As artists, we have always used our creative skills to enhance our lives and that of those around us, so merging our aesthetic skills with digital fabrication techniques was a natural progression. In 2022, we were offered the chance to participate in The City of Langford's, Langford Station Cultural District Business Incubator, where we opened our first retail location in a 20X* foot shipping container. Customers responded favourably to our custom decal services and when asked whether we can customize T-Shirts and other kinds of products, we invested in our first Direct To Garment Printer, which revolutionized our business and allowed us to produce a custom t-shirt in full-colour, in less than 15 minutes. Through word of mouth, we became busy enough to be open 6 days a week, and to license the work of local artists, who are paid a percentage, eachtime we print one of their designs on a tshirt, tote or mug. In April, 2024, we opened our first Brick and Mortar location in Victoria BC's Market Square, where we now serve hundreds of customers per month and support an ever growing roster of local artists, as well as an expanded line of products, with the addition of our large format digital printer. We now serve not only retail customers, but also local influencers, businesses and organisations.

Describe and demonstrate, including metrics, your community support. How do you support and uplift your community, and how do they show that support in return? Minimum 25 words, maximum 2500 characters.

Cutouts Canada licenses the work of artists locally, and across Canada with a royalty structure that far surpasses that of traditional organizations and retail outlets. With a MINIMUM of 16.5% Royalty Dividends, we have paid out thousands of dollars in to artists who would have otherwise gone unrepresented. By owning the means of production, Cutouts Canada has also been able to make donations to our local food bank during the holiday season. We also provide discounted rates to emerging artists and organizations who would not otherwise qualify for government subsidies

Why do you deserve to win the Business Impact award?

In short, Cutouts Canada is the only business of its kind. Nowhere else can someone walk in with an idea, and leave with a fully realized professional quality product in about 15 minutes. By carrying minimal inventory and using sustainable production practices and materials, we are able to grow quickly and efficiently without the same limitations as traditional retail. We believe our model is an example of how brick-and-mortar retail will exist in the coming years as people move away from unsustainable, globalized systems, to a more local form of manufacturing and consumption.

Tell Us About Your Culture. How are you creating a sustainable and healthy workplace where everyone feels welcome? Provide examples of leadership you show in interactions with clients, vendors, contractors, staff and others.

As the only retail service of its kind in western Canada, if not the entire country, Cutouts Canada caters to many demographics including Indigenous, LGBTQ2S+ and BIPOC communities. We showcase the work of people who would not otherwise have a venue to display their talents, to a wide range of clients, locally and abroad.

Why do you think you should win the Premier’s People’s Choice Award?

Cutouts Canada enables anyone to bring their ideas to life in the form of high-quality apparel, drinkware or print products, made in-house, while you wait, in minutes. Our in-house production allows for a near-instantaneous transformation of idea into reality. We have developed and proven a production and sales model that can deliver products of higher quality than mass-produced methods, while keeping our prices affordable for anyone. by winning this award, we can expand our offerings to items such as electronics and housewares, as we would be able to integrate more kinds of digital fabrication equipment into our workflow.