Future entrepreneurs were honoured at Junior Achievement's Evening of Excellence.
They received advice from the co-founder of David's Tea, David Segal, who was the guest speaker as Thursday night's event at the John D. Bradley Convention Centre in Chatham.
"It's important to stay honest with yourself, and be able to use your critical thinking skills and be able to adjust your thinking as you get feedback on what's working and what's not working," says Segal.
"It's good to fall down sometimes, it really did take me ten years to be an overnight success. I had lots and lots of failures, and the best place to start is now. So I think what I would say to them is, start just putting one foot in front of the other."
Segal says the people are what made his business so successful.
"The passion of the team that we put together, they loved our product, they believed in it. I think our teas were also spectacular and they were really exciting," says Segal. "I think when you put that together, when you put together a great product with great service, it's a recipe for success."
The Chatham company 'Growing Spoons' was the big winner last night, picking up six awards.