It's a train, it's a plane - no it's Supermom coming to the rescue of harried parents everywhere who are racking their brains for a new children's party idea.
Enter this superhero and Port Coquitlam mom, Brenna Duperron who is starting her business (www.supermomparties.com) while attending school at Simon Fraser University.
"It is something I got into because of my son," said Duperron, who comes from an entrepreneurial family (her father started Sprott-Shaw College before moving on to other ventures.)
Duperron said she started her business after casting about for a unique party idea for her own son's birthday. The superhero theme was a hit and she didn't need Superman's mental powers or her Spidey sense to figure out she had come up with a winner.
"The kids are loving the chance to play with their heroes," says Duperron, of the parties for three to 12 year olds.
But it took a bit of a push to go from concept to reality and she credits SFU's Venture Connection (a partnership between Coast Capital Savings and SFU) for giving her the confidence to take the leap.
Turns out the risk was worth it: parents are providing her with positive feedback and kids are thrilled to hang out with their favorite superhero including Ironman, Superman, and Spiderman.
"They (the kids) get really rambunctious. They are not interested in sitting down with the superheroes," Duperron said, and one of the biggest challenges is finding young adults who have the energy and experience to work with kids in a party setting.
So far she's depended on SFU students and it helps if they know and understand their character and can think fast on their feet. Some she's hired even act like them. "You can tell a lot about a person based on their hero. It's very interesting"
Needless to say, experience with kids is a must, as is a criminal record check, which Duperron will pay for, and the actors have to be able to engage with kids for up to 90 minutes.
That's enough time for parents and caregivers to get the food and gifts ready and maybe get some much-needed rest, knowing that when it's all over they saved the day - for this year at least.
SFU's Venture Connection program provides student-initiated businesses with links to experienced advisors, funding opportunities and other business connections. For more information, visit here.
