Jeremy Beamish started out as a self-employed carpenter in 2018, the sole proprietor of Cutting Edge Contracting.

Now he owns and runs Blades Construction, which provides work for six people in Fort Smith.

鈥淚 was just expanding more and I had to make the switch to a corporation,鈥� he said of the transition he made in January 2020. 鈥淢y initial plan was to stay by myself but I just got too busy, too fast and I had to hire employees.鈥�

Beamish, who took the trades program at Aurora College, built his own two-storey home as a first-year carpenter apprentice, with some assistance from his father. He and his fiancee and three children still live in that house today.

鈥淭hat gave me the motivation to then realize that I could pretty much do anything,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 enjoy the everyday challenge.鈥�

He would like to help foster that love of carpentry in local high school students. He鈥檚 hired one young man from Paul W. Kaeser High School 鈥� 鈥淗e鈥檚 been great,鈥� Beamish said 鈥� and he鈥檚 in favour of trades being highlighted as a career route for teenagers who graduate.

But it鈥檚 not a career that Beamish knew he wanted to pursue from a young age.

鈥淚 was bouncing around here and there. I operated equipment. I was pulling wrenches. I was at the point in life where I needed to do something. Carpentry was there and I knew I could excel at it,鈥� he said.

He demonstrated a keen eye for proper practices while just a boy, tagging along with his father, who tackled many odd jobs.

鈥淗e鈥檇 show me how to do stuff,鈥� he said of his dad. 鈥淚 remember one time he took me to a job site 鈥� he was talking to his buddy and there was another few workers standing around. I was probably 10 or 11 years old. I looked over at him and I said, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 wrong the way those guys are doing it 鈥� they鈥檙e not doing it the proper way.鈥�

鈥淲e got back in the truck and he said, 鈥榊ou know, if you鈥檙e going to be calling out people鈥檚 work, I don鈥檛 think I鈥檓 going to take you to anymore job sites with me. But you are right, they are doing it wrong,鈥� Beamish recalled, laughing.

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Finding a balance

All these years later he鈥檚 the boss of his own venture. In the past year and a half, Blades Construction has built two houses and a duplex in Fort Smith, among numerous other projects.

He said there鈥檚 a fair bit of stress involved but the important thing is not to let that affect his family.

鈥淵ou鈥檝e definitely got to find that balance between your home and business life,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 consider myself a workaholic, but I鈥檝e got three kids at home that I鈥檝e got to take care of too.鈥�

Other NWT business owners offered him tips on how to get started as an entrepreneur. He also credited Thebacha Business Development Services for being very helpful.

Yet there鈥檚 one area where a lack of training proved very costly, said Beamish, and that was using the territorial government鈥檚 tender website.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very tricky to get around if you don鈥檛 know how,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd I lost five big contracts because of a missed signature or something so simple that I shouldn鈥檛 have missed.鈥�