Category Archives: BizCommunity

Nominated for the Small Business Influencer Awards!

Posted on May 18, 2012 by | 2 Comments

about-us_03
BizLaunch is thrilled to have received two nominations for the Small Business Influencer Awards. Produced by Small Business Trends and Small Biz Technology and brought to you by Blackberry, the Small Business Influencer Awards honour companies, organizations, apps and people who have made a significant impact on the North American small business market.

“We are excited to see the small business market getting the support it deserves,” says Andrew Patricio, Founder of BizLaunch. “Thank you to Susan Payton of Egg Marketing & Communications for nominating us!”

In her nomination Susan writes, “BizLaunch helps companies like VISA, Staples, Deluxe, Bell and Purolator connect with small business owners by developing seminars, webinars and educational content.” She goes on to say that BizLaunch “Helps small businesses succeed. By providing useful and relevant resources at no cost, the brand is a trusted source of information.”

Most recently, BizLaunch has been working with ATB Financial, the SBA in the Caribbean and the Summer Company Program to provide a variety of resources for entrepreneurs.

Andrew Patricio, also received a personal nomination for his contributions to the small business industry. As an internationally recognized small business expert Andrew has travelled the world training small business owners. He also helps larger corporations understand how they can connect with small business owners in meaningful ways.

If you know someone who should be nominated for a Small Business Influencer Award please visit http://influencers.smallbiztrends.com/ . The nomination period closes July 15, 2012. If you believe that BizLaunch and/or Andrew Patricio should win, stay tuned to find out how you can vote!

→ 2 Comments

Posted in BizCommunity, Small business news

Tagged , , ,

Is ‘Once Upon a Time’ Enough to Build a Business?

Posted on April 11, 2012 by | 1 Comment

As a professional speaker and storyteller, Linda Lord talks for a living. As with any service based company, describing what she does, exactly, has been a challenge for the entrepreneur now in her 16th year of business. “I bring hope to people so they are better able to handle life’s circumstances.” It is one of those businesses that just saying, “once upon a time there was a woman who could tell a good story and therefore started a business,” isn’t enough. It would make Michael Gerber cringe, but Lord has found a way to make Once Upon a Time enough.

“I have been very fortunate that clients have referred me to others. I tried advertising once a long time ago, but saw zero return for my investment. What I do is create a personal experience, so the best marketing tool I have are those I have helped, telling others. Stories bond people in a special way. Each workshop or speaking engagement allows me to create a safe community where we explore what it means to be human.”

Lord continues, “Like any other business, I solve problems. From the platform I provide a learning experience that supports individuals in their personal growth. I used to call myself a human agriculturalist and storytiller, which was clever enough, but I still had to explain what I do. Clever branding and creative wordsmithing may make great copy, but if people don’t know when to call you, then I believe I have still failed in getting the message out. It is my task to connect the words and the message to create hope for the future. ”

As a storyteller, Lord knows how important it is to choose the right words to deliver messages. As a business owner, she knows that stories can also bring businesses to life and create community between staff and clients.

Lord provides a few tips for those who want to incorporate stories into their marketing message:

1. Listen to your staff and clients’ experiences with the intention of providing support and assistance.

2. Know very clearly the benefit you bring and be able to express that to your clients.

3. Be willing to experiment with the stories you tell until you find one that personally connects you with your potential clients.

4. Remember how powerful stories were to us as children and recognize that same power is available to us as adults in business.

Linda can be reached at: http://www.lindajlord.com or lindalordonline@yahoo.ca, linda@lindajlord.com

→ 1 Comment

Posted in BizCommunity, Entrepreneur Q&A, Guest Posts, Small Biz Tips

Tagged

How to find a business idea from your personal experience

Posted on April 2, 2012 by | 1 Comment

Grain is a custom woodworking business founded by entrepreneur, Tom Gelinas of Windsor, ON as a result of his own experience. “It really started when I began purchasing furniture for myself. I quickly realized that everything I was buying was being imported from oversees, and often the quality reflected that. I knew that I could build something better. I had been woodworking for many years and had honed my talents by constructing built-ins and kitchens. This had built my understanding of wood and finishing. After gaining experience while apprenticing with a Master Craftsman, I was ready to offer my customers something we could both be proud of.” As with many successful business owners, Gelinas saw a gap in the marketplace and filled it with his unique and top quality products.

Gelinas offered that working with wood had always been his passion. “We manufacture custom cabinets, custom trim, dining room tables, side tables, and built-ins. There are three key things that enable me to stand out among of my competitors. Specific joinery that I use to build a quality cabinet that will last. These techniques are not commonly used among my competition. The material that I use is thicker and stronger than current standards resulting in a quality product. My business is customer focused in that we offer one point of contact; me.” Gelinas personally sees to the attention of detail from the customer to the finished product.

Although only in business for a few months, Gelinas is already seeing that he was correct in assessing his market and filling a need in the woodworking sector. You may see some opportunities to bridge a gap in business, too, but be cautious and use the following questions as a template to assess the viability of your idea.

Is the market real?

Customer analysis – Surveys or attempting to answer: Who the customer is? What do they want to buy? What price are they willing to pay for that?
Competitor analysis – Which else is in this market? What are they doing for the customers? Are they supplying a similar substitute for what idea you have in mind? Is this industry growing or shrinking?

Is the product/service real?

Is this industry growing or shrinking?

Can I be the best at this market?

What are the risks?

Are there any barriers to entry?

Financial risks?

How can you create barriers so imitation is not prevalent?

Is it worth it?

Is it an attractive industry?

Regulations that you would be subjected to?

Gelinas notes that being in business for yourself, even with a great idea, can be taxing, but he adds, “I love creating and building. It is really inspiring to see a customer say they love what I have made them. Truly rewarding.”

Name: Tom Gelinas
Business Name: Grain Woodcrafting
Website: www.grainwoodcrafting.com
Location: 1428 Argyle Rd Unit 4, Windsor, Ontario

→ 1 Comment

Posted in BizCommunity, Entrepreneur Q&A, Startup Stories

Follow us on Twitter and you could win!

Posted on March 30, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Thanks to Brother Canada, we will be giving away a brand new HL-3045CN digital colour printer (a $270 value) to one of our lucky Twitter followers. This printer is perfect for a home or small office!

To enter, all you need to do is follow @BizLaunch on Twitter and re-tweet the following message starting April 2 at 9 am EST and ending April 4 at 5 pm EST for a chance to win.

Here’s exactly what to do:
1) Create or log in to your Twitter account
2) Follow @bizlaunch
3) RT this message: Follow @BizLaunch and RT until 5 pm EST Apr 4 to win a @BrotherCanada HL-3045CN digital printer http://ow.ly/a0vdC http://ow.ly/a0v5a

The winner will be notified via direct message on Twitter within one week of the contest end date.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in BizCommunity

Tagged

Is following your heart sound business advice?

Posted on March 28, 2012 by | 4 Comments

According to Sunflower Organic Café founder, Patricia Julian, it is, and that is the advice she would give new business owners. “You must always work from the heart and feel inspired by the people that you meet inside your business. People come in with all sorts of dietary needs and we do our best to meet each one. Although, I have never ran or owned a café before I feel like each day I am feeding a hungry family. It is really enjoyable and rewarding.”

Sunflower Organic Café is Windsor, Ontario’s only 100% organic café featuring Free Range, Fair Trade and Freshly Made menu items that include vegetarian and gluten free choices. Two freshly made soups daily that offer one vegetarian and one gluten free. The café is 100% recycled materials that feature a funky collection of tea pots and dishes. Additionally, the menu is simple and tasty. Everything is organic. The free range burger and vegetarian burgers are topped with living organic sunflower sprouts that Julian says are a hit with patrons.

When asked how she came up with the idea for her business, Julian replied, “Our family has been eating organic and thought that others might enjoy the opportunity to try organics. Drouillard Road seemed the perfect place to launch the idea with its major revitalization project already underway. We have been welcomed with open arms by the community and look forward to participating in their organic co-op garden this summer.”

Julian says the best part about being a business owner is, “the opportunity to share my love of tasty, nutritious food with others. I so enjoy the ‘YUM’ that I hear when people eat the food.”

Sunflower Organic Café is open every morning for breakfast that includes a complimentary tea or coffee with every entrée. Saturdays they offer an acoustic guitarist from 8pm to 11pm and are open Tuesday through Friday 8am to 4pm and Saturday from 8am to 11pm.

Owner’s Name: Patricia Julian
Business Name: Sunflower Organic Cafe
Website: http://www.sunflowerwindsor.com
Location: 1659 Drouillard Rd., Windsor , Ontario N8Y 2S4

→ 4 Comments

Posted in BizCommunity, Entrepreneur Q&A, Small Biz Tips, Startup Stories

10 Reasons Entrepreneur' s Fail

Posted on February 16, 2012 by | 3 Comments

1. They don’t have a clear vision, goals and business plan of where they want to take their business in the future

2. The don’t have systems in their business to ensure that things get done the way they are supposed to

3. They don’t understand the numbers side of their business enough: costing, pricing, profit margins, break-even, ratios, taxes etc

4. They don’t clearly target their market because they don’t know enough about their customers or competitors

5. They don’t differentiate their product or service enough for clients to choose them above their competitors

6. They don’t develop clear marketing plans

7. They often don’t have sufficient cash flow to ensure growth

8. They focus on doing rather than leading

9. They don’t spend enough money on training and developing their staff and themselves

10. They focus too much on revenue, not enough on profit and don’t control expenses

→ 3 Comments

Posted in BizCommunity, BizSeminars, Employment Benefits

Tagged , , , , , ,

How to Get Your Business Involved in Your Community

Posted on January 30, 2012 by | 1 Comment

If you have a store or office, are you taking strides to become part of your small business community? Do locals know about your business and tell others about it? Finding ways to be a known member of your community can help you grow your business.

Get Social

The easiest way to get to know the people who run businesses in your town (as well as potential customers) is to join networking groups. Your local Chamber of Commerce is a great place to start. You can also look at industry groups, although those often aren’t the best place to meet a variety of people or potential clients.

Attend regular meetings. Offer to speak at a meeting, to let people know what your company is all about. Volunteer to help out with events. The more active and involved you can be, the better you’ll get to know people in your town.

Jump Into Events

Events are a great opportunity for your company to brand itself. If there’s a community fair, sponsor a booth and hand out candy and marketing collateral. Talk to attendees. You can also hold your own event, and invite other businesses to participate. For example, if you run a marketing firm, you could host a one-day business expo and invite a graphic designer to speak, as well as a business coach.

Promote all community events — even the ones you don’t participate in — in your store or location. Send an email to your contacts letting them know that you’ll be involved.

Give Back

If you want to feel like part of your community, give back to it. Donate money to charity (you can tie donations to sales, such as “for every tie sold, we will donate $1 to the cancer fund.”) or hold a toy drive. Offer free classes or samples of your products. Donate products to charity auctions. Let nonprofits and other organizations know that you’re there to support the community. Find groups that have causes that you personally are passionate about, and support those.

Small businesses have to support one another in order to thrive. Embrace your local small business community to show your support and dedication to its success.

Photo: Stock.xchng user spekulator. Royalty free.

Susan Payton is the President of Egg Marketing & Communications, an internet marketing firm specializing in marketing communications, copywriting and blog posts. She’s written two books: 101 Entrepreneur Tips and Internet Marketing Strategies for Entrepreneurs, and has blogged for several sites, including The Marketing Eggspert Blog, as well as Mashable, Small Business Trends, FutureSimple, BizLaunch andLead411. Follow her on Twitter @eggmarketing.

→ 1 Comment

Posted in BizCommunity

Tagged

Do One Thing – Really, Really Well

Posted on November 29, 2011 by | Leave a comment

That’s the philosophy of Daniel Patricio – Founder of a new Facebook based business called Pinpoint Social. After chatting with him, I wondered how many small businesses have fallen into the trap of trying to be everything to everyone.

Focusing on a niche is something that Daniel understands. Even though he is in his twenties, Daniel has the wisdom of someone who has been in business for a long time. After founding a successful digital marketing company called Orange Rhino Media in 2009 – Daniel decided to close its doors.

When I asked him why he made that decision he said, “Even though we were quite successful with Orange Rhino, we noticed that our clients were looking for simple solutions to their everyday marketing problems.” After coming to this realization, Daniel decided to start Pinpoint Social to help businesses create and manage their Facebook promotions. More specifically, Pinpoint Social provides simple yet effective contests and promotions that help marketers get more activity on their Facebook pages. Customers can use the app for free for smaller contests, and can upgrade to a paid subscription if they want to run campaigns or customize their promotions.

“In order to compete in business you need to be the best,” he said, “and in order to be the best, you need to focus.” It’s unrealistic to expect that you’re going to be the best at everything, but sometimes small businesses try to take on too much too fast which can lead to their downfall. Daniel can definitely relate to this. “Initially we built all these features thinking they’d be great, but then we realized that more features did not necessarily make a better product. Now we’re committed to simplicity.”

Focusing your business is hard to do, but it can pay off. By making a simple and easy-to-use platform, Daniel helped a Toronto jeweller go from 300 Facebook likes to over 3000 in a short period of time.  He also has a number of large corporate clients who now use his service to increase their brand presence and run promotions through the popular social network.

To find out more about Pinpoint Social visit www.pinpointsocial.com

→ Leave a comment

Posted in BizCommunity, Entrepreneur Q&A

Tagged , , , , , ,

Five Reasons People Become Entrepreneurs

Posted on November 23, 2011 by | 1 Comment

Everyone knows that it requires long hours, passion, commitment and determination to run a business, especially in the first few years. So, why do so many Canadians choose to operate their own business? In my ten years working with small business owners I have found that there are five reasons someone would pursue entrepreneurship.

1. Independence: The freedom that comes with operating a business can lure many people. You don’t need to convince your boss – you are the boss. You make the products you believe in and you can offer the services your clients want. You can access your creativity and energy to build something that inspires you and provided a high level of satisfaction.

2. Solutions: Every business owner is a problem solver. You have a solution to a problem that others don’t. Whether the solution relates to the environment, communications, food or services, you know that your solution can used by all and be a driving factor in improving the world.

3. Lifestyle: Entrepreneurs ultimately decide on their work schedule As an entrepreneur, you get to create how you want to run your business and how you want to live. If driving your kids to school is a priority, your day starts after the bell. If you enjoy working out at noon, you know when to book off for lunch. Some entrepreneurs are so committed to the lifestyle, that they have developed new business models to accommodate those priorities.

4. External Circumstances: Perhaps one of the most practical reasons to be an entrepreneur is also one of the most dangerous. I have worked with many entrepreneurs who are launching a business because they have been downsized. Now, don’t get me wrong, I believe in the human spirit and that we can achieve almost anything, but someone who sees running a business as a career option is usually setting themselves up for a very difficult journey. The path of the entrepreneur is not the same as the path of a career employee.

5. Ego: Have you ever spoken to an entrepreneur who sums up their reason for starting their own business as, “I can do it better than my boss.”? This reason, in my opinion, is almost as dangerous as number 4. Competition and ego can only take a business idea so far. And the sad truth is, those former difficult bosses will probably never know you went into business to spite them.

Entrepreneurship is tough. It is filled with great accomplishments and bitter disappointments. It can be a tremendous source of satisfaction and a pit of frustration. Engaging in entrepreneurship for the right reasons should be encouraged. Engaging in entrepreneurship for the wrong reasons should be avoided.

→ 1 Comment

Posted in BizCommunity, mompreneur

Turning Waste into Business – Char Technologies

Posted on November 19, 2011 by | 22 Comments

Turning Waste into Business – Char Technologies

Have you ever heard of the expression ‘sleeves off the vest? ‘This term is used to describe a company who uses waste from one product to create a totally new product. A more common phrase is: One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

With over 7 billion people living on the planet companies have turned to alternative sources to fill the growing demand for energy. One form is renewable-natural gas which is developed by using the methane gas commonly found in landfill waste. Though there are a number of companies who provide renewable-natural gas, progress in the industry has been slow due to a dangerous chemical called hydrogen sulfide (H2S) that is found in methane gas. Because this chemical is highly poisonous and corrosive – the removal of this chemical has been a problem for renewable gas companies.

That’s until Andrew White came up with a solution to the problem. While obtaining his Masters in Chemical Engineering at the University of Toronto he toured a renewable energy plant. “I was astonished to see how much waste was created from producing renewable natural gas,” he said. “After seeing that, I wanted to turn the waste it into something these companies could use.”

That’s when Char Technologies was born. Andrew’s solution was to create a re-useable filter that would remove the H2S from methane gas. Similar to a Brita water filter, the product works by removing the chemical from the waste so it can easily be converted into clean energy. Perhaps the most intriguing part of the business is that it has no waste. Once a filter is full, Char Technologies will collect the used filters and re-purpose the materials for other uses.

For this innovation, Andrew won $25,000 in the Ivey Business Plan Competition earlier this year. He is now seeking a second round of funding to develop a prototype of the product. For more information please contact Andrew White directly at Andrew.white@chartechnologies.com

→ 22 Comments

Posted in BizCommunity, Entrepreneur Q&A

Tagged , , , ,