A new way to market and network your local Vancouver Island business!
To find out how you can win see LIFTlocal.ca
Adam Speigel works with the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). BDC has been helping Canadian entrepreneurs since the 1940s. In 2017 and 2018 BDC has helped sponsor specific LIFT Startups events. In April 2018 HPM talked to Adam about BDC, and about Adam Speigel. Tune in for Adam’s comments about his failures and learnings, his scariest moments, what he’d do with $1M to support local entrepreneurs, and his favourite restaurants.
I’ve been the general manager here now for about sixteen years. But I
started washing cars when I was eleven years old and I’ve worked through all the departments.
~ Super Sue Finneron, 2017
Sue Finneron is a pioneer in the automotive industry: a female leader in a predominantly male environment. As a graduate of the Canadian Automotive Institute in Barrie Ontario, with a diploma in Automotive Marketing Management, Sue was motivated to be the best in the industry. That determination was rewarded in 2016 when Finneron Hyundai was named top Hyundai dealership in Canada.
LIFT: What do you think makes your business “special” or different from what others are doing in your sector?
Sue: It’s the people in the building. Everybody that works here, cares. It’s not just a job or a paycheque. They care about our customers and each other. It feels like an extension of family. We went through a big change, from GM to Hyundai a few years back. Without a steady team, especially in the back end, that would have been tough. But we had great people who stuck with us through that change, and great customers too. They enabled us to make the change successfully.
LIFT: What are some of the things that Finneron Hyundai does that people may not know about?
Sue: Our service department. In 2017 we won two Comox Valley Record Readers’ Choice Awards, one for Best Automotive Service. We’re very proud of our service team.
LIFT: Tell us about your favourite marketing channels.
Sue: I enjoy live radio, and it’s been very a successful platform for us – that’s where I got the “Super Sue” name, by the way. Right now I’m liking Facebook – because we can see how what we’re doing is working with customers. This changes every month. It’s constantly evolving, and we’re having a lot of fun with it. For anyone who’s just getting started with Facebook marketing, I have to add one thing: you’ve got to be on top of it, responding to all the likes and comments. These are very important. They are how you reach people on an individual basis.
LIFT: Why did you decide to become a LIFT Solution Sponsor?
Sue: I love the selflessness and the vision of LIFT. I share the LIFT values when it comes to growing our Valley’s economy towards prosperity, that we have to start by inspiring and leading entrepreneurs at the grassroots. When I was asked, I thought, what a unique opportunity to be involved! I believe that “giver’s gain,” that the more you give, the more you get. LIFT gives me an opportunity to give to our entrepreneur community.
LIFT: What do you see as some of the benefits that LIFT brings to entrepreneurs?
Sue: Definitely the experience of putting their businesses “on deck” and pitching – that benefits everyone! The experience and education of being “on deck” is priceless. And there are so many people willing to help. If you’re in business, I encourage you to get out there and ask for help! People will make time when someone asks, or they may pass the info along to someone who has the answers.
LIFT: What’s something we may not know about “Super Sue?”
Sue: I’ve been teaching spin classes here in Courtenay at Fitness Excellence since 2000. I do it because it gets me to the gym. Otherwise, it’s too easy to sit at my desk. I find if I have a commitment to other people – in this case, teaching a spin class – it makes it easier to make things happen, like staying fit!”
Amy Criss was LIFT’s Social Media Intern in 2017. She is also the owner and operator of West of Cedar product photography, and in 2018 Amy launched Simply Birth Photography. Find her on Instagram at @simplybirthphotography.
LIFT Startups is an award-winning social media and business development organisation. This short interview post is part of a series about the entrepreneurs who are part of the LIFT network on Vancouver Island. For more information about how your local business can benefit from LIFT, please set up a meeting with founder HPM by calling him at 250-792-1408 or via his online calendar at https://liftstartups.ca/meetwithhpm/.
Thanks to feedback at a recent BizOnDeck we’re now moving forward with something that’s been on the back-burner for a while, a podcast series. We’ll be featuring interviews and conversations with local entrepreneurs, as well as many of the keynotes and contacts who are part of our LIFT extended-community. You’ll soon be able to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes. In the meantime, they’ll be listed at Anchor podcasts.
Here’s the transcript for the podcast…
Hi, my name is Hans Peter Meyer and you’re listening to the LIFT Startups podcast, all about entrepreneurs, creatives, and small businesses growing the next economy on Vancouver Island.
Over the next few weeks, I’m going to be interviewing the men and women who are building what I call the Island’s “next economy.”
Before I get into that, I’d like to invite you to join me and our LIFT community for our MoneyFest2 events on March 29 and 30. On March 29 we host one of our signature business events, featuring great speakers, DJ em.ash, a room full of smart young entrepreneurs, and for this event, magician Craig McKee. Our keynote is Larissa Norton, West Coast North American Sales Manager for Vancouver startup Food.ee. Larissa has helped grow sales at Food.ee from $5K a month to $5M in just five years. We’ll also have Sue Finneron, owner of Canada’s number one Hyundai dealership in 2017, Jace Pierson, Jenny Deters, and Dave Semple – local sales stars telling us some of how they succeed in sales.
The next day we’ll have Chin Hing of global startup school Spring Activator working with Larissa to deliver a full-day Making Sales Happen workshop.
We’ve put this MoneyFest2 package together because we want Island entrepreneurs, creatives, and small businesses to succeed. We’ve got great products and services. Now we need to learn how to sell them.
If you’re in business on the Island and want to grow your business BIGger, join us for MoneyFest2 this week.
Thanks to our Business Development Canada and Spring Activator for being our MoneyFest2 Special Event Sponsors.
MoneyFest2 is one of the five regular special events we host at LIFT. Our purpose: to lead, inspire, and fuel the talent that’s building the “next economy.”
Buy MoneyFest2 Tickets Now
I’ve lived most of my life on the Island, growing up in Black Creek in the Comox Valley. When I talk about the “next economy” I’m talking about what I’m witnessing.
Up until about 25 years ago Island communities were primarily resource-based. Most of us were somehow connected to forestry, fishing, and mining. Then we experienced a shift that saw employment drop rapidly in all of these primary sectors. They’re still important economic contributors. But the jobs aren’t there. The money’s not there the way it used to be to fuel our communities. Instead of working on fishboats or in logging camps, more and more of us are working in what I call the “3 Rs” – the retirement, recreation, and retail sectors.
A couple of years ago I noticed another shift. Someone I interviewed in Vancouver described it in terms of the emerging “talent economy.” That fits for me.
You’ve probably heard of the “knowledge economy.” It’s that. And more. Because it also includes whole new sectors and approaches to doing business. I’m talking about hyper-locality, micro-production, the “maker movement.” I’m talking about creatives and entrepreneurs learning how to access global markets for sales, employment – and for labour or help to do things that aren’t possible locally.
A couple of years ago I got sick of complaining about how local governments and agencies were completely missing the opportunity of this “talent economy.” Instead of complaining, I wanted to do something. So I started bringing in colleagues from other startup communities, to help inspire Islanders to think BIGger, to connect and help each other grow businesses.
That speaker series turned into something that’s now my full-time passion. That thing is LIFT Startups.
I’ve been working in community economic development on Vancouver Island since the early 1990s. The movement that I’m seeing emerging in communities from Quadra Island to Tofino to Duncan, and certainly in the Comox Valley and Campbell River, is exciting. The people are exciting. Their willingness to help each other is exciting.
The best thing about my work with LIFT Startups is getting to know these entrepreneurs. With our podcast series, I hope to capture their stories, so that you’ll be inspired. I’ll also be talking to the established businesses who are part of the mix, helping to fuel this our efforts to support this talent-driven approach to building the next economy on the Island.
If you’ve got a story to share, be in touch. And, stay tuned to what we’re going to be doing with LIFT and with the LIFT podcast series!
Thanks to our LIFT Solution Sponsors – Sure Copy Courtenay, Mastermynde Strategy, 50th Parallel PR, Finneron Hyundai, Jabin Postal Films, Presley & Partners, and 98.9 The GOAT.
Thanks also to our LIFT Community Partners at Atlas Cafe, Island Word, My Tech Guys, McKinnon Photography, Island Soul Films, Investors’ Group, The Creator Space, and Douglas Magazine.
Together, we’re making shift happen with entrepreneurs on Vancouver Island!
~ hpm
founder, LIFTstartups.ca
Entrepreneurship is often born of a desire to fix something that’s broken. That’s the story behind Blushing Bluebird Essentials (aka Bluebird Pads), which soft-launched in November 2016 and went on to win the PitchFest2 grand prize in September 2017.
Blushing Bluebird Essentials produces organic cloth feminine pads and accessories. It is a family enterprise led by Danielle Farrant. The team includes husband Bern, her parents Leah and David Hope, sister Amie Webster, and Amie’s husband Jeff. Products can be purchased locally at Edible Island, Kradles Baby Boutique or online at www.bluebirdpads.com.
LIFT: What inspired this new product?
Danielle (DF): Allergies. Realizing that there are toxic materials in industrially-produced feminine products. Most women don’t know about healthier alternatives. We saw an opportunity.
LIFT: What was your “ask” at your BizOnDeck workshop?
DF: I had three asks. One, how can we successfully productize our business while maintaining our core values? Two, what are some ways we can help overcome the stigma associated with the use of cloth products? Three, We have received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback on our business – how do we turn positive talk into sales?
LIFT: What were the three biggest takeaways from your BizOnDeck?
DF: One, “locally handmade” can mean made in BC, wherever it is most efficient to do so. Two, the face of the business/personal connection is what will grow the business at this stage. Three, have fun with the advertising, whenever possible!
LIFT: How useful has Slack (an online team platform for LIFT members) been to keep the “growth” discussion going?
DF: Probably the most important use of Slack for us has been the channel created by Julian Rendell of Make it Zone exclusively for discussion about textile manufacturing. This has been very helpful. Brooke at Wags Doggy Bags and Julian – and others I hadn’t even thought of as resources for our business! – have been very helpful.
LIFT: Has putting your business “on deck” helped grow your business?
DF: Yes! Thanks to the BizOnDeck and the connections we made there, we were featured in a local magazine. We were also invited to pitch – and win! – at PitchFest2.
I would encourage anyone with a new business idea to pitch at a BizOnDeck. But I would also encourage them to prepare. You’ve got a room full of entrepreneurs who want to help you grow your business. Don’t waste their time. When you prepare your pitch you add value and takeaways for everyone involved. It’s a super experience!
Last word
DF: Exposure and regional connections are exactly what any business needs – LIFT provides these. We’re looking forward to pitching at a BizOnDeck in Nanaimo in 2018!
HPM
I did a short interview with Danielle several weeks after winning PitchFest2. We did this very short FB live teaser to let people know what we’re doing.
https://www.facebook.com/hanspetermeyer.ca/videos/10155589673914220/
FMI about LIFT & BizOnDeck
LIFT helps entrepreneurs, small business owners, and non-profits grow their businesses. To put your business or project “on deck” in the Comox Valley or Nanaimo please fill the blanks here. Or call HPM at 250-792-1408.
– 30 –
This morning there was only one ticket left for this evening’s BizOnDeck workshop. That’s because BizOnDeck is the Island’s most dynamic business development workshop series. Wish you were with us? Join LIFT, then check this link and put yourself on the LIFT VIP-only wait list. Who knows? You may get to grow your business with us this evening if someone drops out.
I’m not surprised that we’re sold out this evening. Entrepreneurs love our workshops because they’re focused on one thing: helping businesses grow. And they get lots of opportunities to do that at a BizOnDeck.
Established businesses – like Investors Group, Presley & Partners, Finneron Hyundai, and more – like our workshops because they’re getting to work with growth-oriented young entrepreneurs. They’re meeting tomorrow’s business leaders today. That’s good for growth into the future.
This evening we’ve got two young entrepreneurs pitching for help to grow their startups. Kyrle Symons of Prisym Renewable Developments and Lauren Dean of New Leaf Marketing. They need to hear from you.
Our events are energizing, focused – and fun. But it’s not possible for everyone to make every workshop we host. That’s why we built options to “hustle the help” online (“hustle the help” is an idea I borrowed from Canadian rockstar entrepreneur Dan Martell; see the short video below). LIFT VIPs (LIFT members) have access to our “hustle the help” Slack channel. It means you can network (and grow your business) even when you can’t make an event. Another one of the business-growth benefits of being a LIFT member.
Another member important way to grow your business is by getting online reviews and testimonials. Our BizOnDeck workshop on November 6 will feature Liz Wootton’s Human Nature Development on deck. We’ll also spend part of the workshop making a different kind of shift happen for LIFT VIPs: we’ll spend part of our time generating online testimonials and reviews for member businesses. For an example of what your business will get from the workshop, see LIFT reviews on Google maps and our Facebook page. Powerful online marketing stuff!
Thanks to LIFT VIPs Leif Jason of Mastermynde Strategy and Pieter Vorster of Pod Creative for suggesting we spend some time on this.
My job at LIFT is connecting your business with opportunities to grow. If you’re wanting to know more about the business benefits of being a LIFT VIP, give me a call at 250-792-1408, join us for a LIFT Power Lunch (every week in either the Nanaimo, P/QB, Campbell River, or the Comox Valley) – or visit our “Join us!” website. With over $4K in perks and business development benefits, we’ve got lots of cool stuff happening. I’ll be heading to San Francisco to see how we can connect our members with cool stuff happening there. Watch for it!
hpm
ps. If you like to have fun … there are only 4 “earliest bird” tickets left for Festive Cheer on November 24 (this is our entrepreneur “holiday party” and fundraiser for EDAS: Everybody Deserves A Smile). I strongly encourage you to get your ticket before they’re gone at weareyqqparty.ca
pps. Here’s the Dan Martell video clip I mentioned. Enjoy!