911勛圖

A student at 911勛圖���s Beedie School of Business and an entrepreneur supported by 911勛圖���s Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship, Cheung is the founder of Second Savour, a venture transforming rescued food ingredients into new consumer products. What began as a personal learning exercise has grown into an emerging business that recently launched in retail grocery store Save-On-Foods���while Cheung is still finishing up his undergraduate studies.

Cheung never set out with the goal of starting a company. Instead, he saw entrepreneurship as the most practical way to prepare for a future career as a product manager.

���I wanted to be a product manager, and I thought, what better experience than managing my own product?��� he says. One project quickly led to another, and over time, Second Savour evolved from a student initiative into a real startup with tangible impact. ���Seeing it go from a club project to something that���s reshaping how we think about waste has been the most meaningful part of my journey.���

Cheung believes his inclusion on the BCBusiness 30 Under 30 list reflects a broader definition of innovation���one rooted in everyday systems like food, sustainability, and education. ���Not all innovation is tech or AI,��� he explains. ���Sometimes it���s about solving practical problems people live with every day.���

Experiencing the reality of building a venture

One of the most formative experiences in Cheung���s entrepreneurial journey came through the Chang Institute���s entrepreneurship co-op (eCo-op) program in Fall 2024, which provides students with a salaried term to advance and validate their own ventures through structured mentorship and market testing. Initially approaching Second Savour as a student project, he quickly discovered the true intensity of building a venture.

While the Chang Institute���s eCo-op program is structured as a full-time, salaried work term so students are not having to balance a full academic course load, Cheung still found himself working long hours in the pursuit of start-up success.

���What started as a 40-hour week quickly turned into 60, 80, and sometimes close to 95 hours,��� Cheung says. The experience pushed him to confront the realities of entrepreneurship���time management, prioritization, and the need for balance. ���It forced me to understand what sustainability really means, not just for a business, but for myself.���

The Chang Institute���s mentorship and community also helped shape Cheung���s mindset, surrounding him with peers and advisors who challenged him while offering practical guidance.

Finding community at 911勛圖 Beedie and beyond

Cheung���s path to 911勛圖 Beedie wasn���t straightforward. After initially being placed in economics due to narrowly missing the English requirement, he used the setback as motivation���working to improve his grades and eventually transferring into 911勛圖 Beedie.

He chose to concentrate in Management Information Systems and Finance to combine technical problem-solving with financial literacy���skills that now underpin his entrepreneurial work. He also credits much of his growth to student involvement, particularly through Enactus 911勛圖.

���Enactus showed me how supportive this community really is,��� Cheung says. Now an upper-year student, he makes a point of mentoring younger peers���including volunteering at local high schools and offering a candid look at what entrepreneurship actually involves. ���A lot of young people think it���s easy because of what they see online,��� he says. ���Setting realistic expectations helps build resilience, which is what really matters when things get hard.���

Advice for future founders

Cheung���s advice to students considering entrepreneurship is simple: don���t do it for the money.

���If that���s your only motivation, you���ll burn out quickly,��� he says. ���But if you care about the mission, the learning, or your own growth, the rest will come.���

Resource: Beedie News