“We dedicate time to the branding and marketing projects that are on their to-do list, so that they can win their time back, and then these busy leaders can focus on what actually needs them the most in their business.”
Several years before Longhouse Branding & Marketing, Beavis was merely a teenager creating video content on YouTube, such as parodies of Katy Perry songs. However, what began as a means to increase viewership evolved into a deeper understanding of digital marketing. This helped struggling and small businesses double their consumer base and achieve success, earning Beavis the 2025 Young Indigenous Entrepreneur award.
Beavis recalled that when he was around 12 or 13, he learned how to utilize Search Engine Optimization (SEO), which ranks internet search results using algorithms. He highlighted his goal of attracting a large audience to his video content on YouTube, using this strategy to help market himself.
“I dedicated a lot of time to learning how to do that very early on, and I got to the 27th most viewed [channel] in Canada.”
While the competition grew on YouTube, Beavis had the opportunity to visit the 2013 FAN EXPO in Vancouver. However, his social anxiety kept him from fully participating. This led him to launch an online fan T-shirt merch business called Pokéshop, which taught him how to advertise efficiently.
When asked about his journey to becoming an entrepreneur, he reflected on how his business taught him the true value of every dollar spent on advertising.
“What marketing does is it gets the word out about really great products that add value to their lives.”
Beavis further emphasized how using SEO and creating content on YouTube helped him realize his talent. His entrepreneurial journey took a significant turn when he helped his jiu-jitsu instructor, Marcus Soares, revive his business — Marcus Soares Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu — with his marketing knowledge.
He explained that after doing some advertising, SEO, and redoing their website, there was a progressive increase in the number of jiu-jitsu students enrolling in his programs.
“The size of the school doubled in six months and that showed me that there are talented business owners who just don’t have the time, or they don’t have the time to learn this new skill of digital marketing.”
Beavis also highlighted how jiu-jitsu had a significant impact on him, which is constantly reflected in how he runs Longhouse Branding & Marketing.
“One of our core principles at Longhouse is to be a teacher that extends to our team, to our partners, which is our term for our clients, and it’s for anyone that we interact with … You want your training partners to get better and better because then they’re going to be harder, and when you have a tougher training partner, that makes your jiu-jitsu stronger.”
Another lesson Beavis took from jiu-jitsu is that there is always room for improvement.
“You hit these plateaus in life, in business or Brazilian jiu jitsu, and the only way to climb that wall, to scale that wall and overcome that problem, is consistency.”
To someone who’s starting fresh, Beavis advised that what really makes a business stand out is being authentic. He mentioned how he brings up his interests in jiu jitsu and video games, like World of Warcraft, in his client meetings — an authenticity he believes sets him apart and makes him different from competitors.
While talking about how monotonous entrepreneurship can get, he stated that it is necessary for a person to figure out what is the purpose of their business. Their passion is what leads their businesses to success.
“There’s the Georges St-Pierre quote… ‘You don’t get better on the days when you feel like going. You get better on the days when you don’t want to go, but you go anyway.’”
Interviews have been edited for length and clarity.
Hello, I’m Gauri Sethi, a passionate staff writer at the Cascade responsible for writing content that resonates with the masses. Currently, I am pursuing business administration, but deep down, I am a person who loves expressing herself through writing.
