COVID-19 and the Yukon Entrepreneur Podcast: Insights on Community, Innovation, Financial Support, and Communication 

The Yukon Entrepreneurship Podcast ran from April 2020 until June 2022. Host Kari Johnston talked with Yukon business owners and leaders about challenges they faced in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as how they have survived and thrived under these unique circumstances. Season 1 of the podcast ran from April to December 2020 and included 33 interviews. Season 2 of the podcast ran from December 2021 to June 2022 and included an additional 24 interviews. 

With funding from the Yukon Government’s COVID-19 Research Recovery Program, the podcast interviews were analyzed to synthesize insights for the Yukon business community and policymakers. A small team of community practitioners, academics, students, and consultants collaborated to ensure that the research was both of high quality and would result in meaningful outcomes for the Yukon. Complementing our central aim of documenting and understanding the ways that business owners adapted their business models during the pandemic, we further investigated six sub-topics: impacts on businesses, new opportunities, operational changes to businesses, programs and initiatives that were useful for support, relationships with customers and clients, and strategic changes for businesses. 

Four key insights about Yukon businesses and the COVID-19 pandemic were identified through the podcast interviews. 
  1. Yukon businesses benefited greatly from the support of and connectedness to community during the pandemic. 
  2. The ability of Yukon businesses to efficiently learn about and uptake innovative business practices was critical for sustaining operations. 
  3. Support from federal and territorial governments was essential for maintaining cash flow during critical lockdown periods. 
  4. Businesses require clear, relatable, and timely communication about health and safety measures that affect their operations. 

While these insights reflect the experiences of businesses in the COVID-19 context, they also offer a roadmap for building business resilience to future pandemics and other disruptive events.

We've produced a full report and a summary video sharing back our insights and great anecdotes from the entrepreneurs we interviewed.

About the COVID-19 Recovery Research Project

The Yukon Entrepreneur Research project began in April 2020 when Kari began interviewing Yukon business owners about how they are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. The interviews were a way for her to build community, share stories and support each other through moment history fraught with anxiety and uncertainty. The stories of resilience, innovation and adaptation brought comfort and inspiration to many Yukoners as the months of the pandemic progressed. Over time, she realized she was building a oral time capsule of the Yukon experience.

Kari saw an opportunity to connect with scholars from across Canada to build the Yukon Entrepreneur Podcast into a research project through the COVID-19 Recovery Research Project which was launched by Government of Yukon's, Office of the Science Advisory in November 2020. Mark Andrachuk, Principal Investigator brought together an amazing team of researchers to dig into the details of the Yukon experience. 

Our team is excited to continue our work of chronicling this moment in our history while highlighting the ingenuity of Yukon's business community.

Where to find us

YouTube

 Watch our interviews on YouTube

Podcast

Listen in your favourite podcast app
The Yukon Entrepreneur Podcast Series is recorded on the traditional territory of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations.