LIFT Startups

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Comox Valley

Keith Ippel’s top 5 tips for your Island business success

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On September 27, 2018 LIFT is hosting its third PitchFest event. This event features six Vancouver Island entrepreneurs pitching for prizes to a panel of four judges, and kicking off with a keynote by Keith Ippel, founder and CEO of global startup school Spring Activator. Afterwards, our #WeAreYQQPartyCrew will be hosting another signature “definitely NOT your Dad’s networking event” party.

I interviewed our keynote, Keith Ippel in 2017. This is a re-post of that interview with some additional notes at the bottom. FMI about PitchFest3 and to get your early bird tickets click this button…

Buy Tickets For This LIFT Event

I’ve asked Keith to keynote because I think his value-focused approach to business will resonate with business owners in our region. He’s a four-time serial entrepreneur, and currently the CEO of Spring Activator, a global startup school based in Vancouver. Over the past 10+ years, he’s been an advisor and a mentor to many startups in tech, non-tech, and non-profit sectors. In three years with Spring Activator he’s helped over 300 aspiring entrepreneurs launch over 150 “impact” (social, environmental) businesses, some of whom have reached $1M in sales in that time.

Top 5 tips for startups success

Keith’s fun to be around. I’ve interviewed him several times over the past few years, and I’m looking forward to working more with him and with Spring in the coming months. LIFT and Spring have put together an agreement where LIFT members (aka LIFT VIPs) get a 30% discount on Spring courses. More on that later. For this interview, I asked Keith about his top five things every entrepreneur needs to do to ensure business success.

1. Speed

That doesn’t mean running around like a chicken with your head cut off. It means having a plan A, plan B, and a plan C – and then moving as fast as possible within the bounds of plan and structure to make sure that you’re ahead of the competition. Every business idea has 16 competitors. Those who execute well will win.

2. Know your strengths, know your weaknesses

As leaders, we need to know where we are strong and passionate. But it’s just as important to know the things that we’re not good at. This enables us to build a team of people who have complementary skills and frees us to focus on the most important things. Sometimes the team is in-house. Sometimes they’re consultants. Sometimes they’re advisors and mentors.

3. Spend as little as possible

Time is money. In our early days, we need to be really tight with our budgets, because we want to maximise the amount of time we have to prove that there’s a market for our product or service. We maximise that time by making our money go further.

4. The five Ms: market, management, money, momentum, magic

We need to know explicitly who our target market is. We need to know how to invest in the team that will grow our business. We need to know how to make and raise money. We need to show traction, both to our customers and to the people we’re working with. And the magic? It’s how we’re unique to customers, how we’re different from everybody around us.

5. Learn about “no”

It’s important to know that “no’s” have different meanings. With customers and partners, we can’t take no for an answer. We’ve got to dig deep, understand why people are saying “no,” so that we can get to a “yes.” On the flip side, we need to learn to say “no” to ourselves. We need to use “no” to protect our time so that we avoid distractions and stay focused.

LIFT Special Events: Free tickets when you’re listed on the Vancouver Island business directory!

If you’re a LIFT member, you get free tickets to most of our Special Events (the exception is our Festive Cheer community fundraiser). To sign up for LIFT membership, list your Vancouver Island business on the Island’s only social media-powered directory at wearevanisl.ca

What are #WeAreYQQ parties all about? Here’s a video sampler from our September 2016 #WeAreYQQ PitchFest & Party by LIFT Community Partner Island Soul Films…

Want more information, ideas, and stories about startup success?

Check out 11 Entrepreneurs Stories – Inspiring People That Found Startup Success.

hpm
@hanspetermeyer on Twitter and Instagram

Leif Jason talks about Mastermynde Strategy – and Leif Jason

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In this episode of LIFT Podcasts we feature one of our LIFT Solution Sponsors: Leif Jason, owner of Mastermynde Strategy. Leif operates a digital marketing business in the Comox Valley, serving customers locally and far beyond. Leif is very active in enhancing the “interestingness” of the Comox Valley – from helping clients be more interesting online, to helping individuals, non-profit organizations, and businesses create a more interesting community.

Contact Mastermynde Strategy

More information about LIFT Podcasts

More LIFT Podcasts are available here on our blog or subscribe via iTunes and get the latest podcasts delivered to your favourite listening device.
If you’ve been a member of LIFT Startups for over 18 months, please put yourself in line for a LIFT Podcast interview. Details here.

BizOnDeck Case Study: Prisym Renewable Developments

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Prisym Renewable Developments describes itself as Vancouver Island’s “solar innovation company.” Founder and CEO Kyrle Symons (KS) is an example of the kind of entrepreneurial talent that’s helping grow the “next economy” on the Island. He’d always been interested in business, but after high school, Kyrle first did a tour with the military. This included a stint in maritime patrol out of Comox. In early 2017 he decided to launch his new business here on Vancouver Island. Kyrle joined LIFT in the spring of 2017. In the fall of 2017, he put Prisym Renewable Developments “on deck” to get feedback from a room full of local entrepreneurs.

Find out more about the products and services provided by Prisym Renewable Developments online at prisymcanada.com

LIFT: What inspired you to start Prisym?
KS: I’ve always been interested in business, and majored in business admin at the Royal Military College in Kingston at the start of my military career. As my four-year tour in Comox was coming to an end I saw an opportunity in renewable energy and decided to pursue it. I’ve always been driven to achieve something meaningful to me and this was the chance I had been waiting for. I always imagined running a business would be fun and rewarding.

LIFT: Is it?
KS: It absolutely is. We’re very busy and it’s a crazy adventure but I’m living my dream. I’m excited about helping people get into renewable energy. I’m passionate about sustainability, and things that help us work toward a greener future.

LIFT: What was your “ask” at your BizOnDeck workshop?
KS: I had three asks: What avenue of solar should I pursue? How should I market? What funding should I seek?

LIFT: What were the three biggest takeaways (and subsequent actions) from your BizOnDeck?
KS: Don’t charge a fee for estimates. It’s a barrier that will push customers away, pick employees that are self-motivated because they are doing work that matters to them, and have financing options available since many potential customers don’t have sufficient ready cash to do a solar installation. We are able to refer our customers to VanCity to offer very affordable financing options. We’ve also taken significant marketing steps, including starting to work with LIFT VIPs Jabin Postal Films to create a video series and Lief Jason of Mastermynde to improve our online presence, and this summer we’ll be hiring a summer engineering student that will work with us and progress his studies in renewable energy engineering.

LIFT: Has putting your business “on deck” helped grow your business?
KS: Absolutely! It gave us our next steps for growth focus and got my name out there so that I know more people, and they know about Prisym Renewable Developments. Practising pitching was also a great opportunity.

Last word

KS: We currently have four big projects underway, one of which is our first solar pergola, a collaboration with Cascadian Woodtech. We are also introducing electric vehicle chargers to our line in the next couple of weeks and have some pretty advanced tech coming your way in the form of vehicle charging, battery storage and energy monitoring. Follow us on social media to find out more as we roll out these new products.

Contact information

Email: info@prisymcanada.com
Website: prisymcanada.com
Instagram: @prisymcanada

FMI about LIFT & BizOnDeck

LIFT helps entrepreneurs, small business owners, and non-profits grow. To put your business or project “on deck” please fill in the blanks on this form and we’ll start “hustling the help” to grow your business! Or call HPM at 250-792-1408.

BizOnDeck Case Study: Sea Salt Design

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Vanessa Raven-Vipond (VRV) owns Sea Salt Design here in the Comox Valley. She grew up in Ontario, but several years in the Martimes convinced her that she “had to live by the ocean.” In 2010, after 11 years in Victoria, Vanessa and her family moved to the Comox Valley where she says they are enjoying both the outdoors and a “wonderful, supportive community.”

Sea Salt Design offers custom illustration and graphic design services for web and print. Vanessa is also working on a line of printed products including t-shirts, posters and cards, and gift items. Products and services are available online at seasaltdesign.ca. Vanessa put the business “on deck” in Fall 2017.

LIFT: What inspired you to start Sea Salt Design?
VRV: As a child, I’d always wanted to be a children’s picture book illustrator. As I got older I started exploring graphic design. My first assignment, designing a sign for my parents B&B when I was a teen, led to work with a local sign shop. After high school, I started my own business as a portrait artist. That was my first experience as an entrepreneur. I then went on to study visual communications and illustration. I worked as a freelance for many years while I studied. I worked for a magazine and in-house with printers, but I always wanted to get back to owning my own business again.

LIFT: What was your “ask” at your BizOnDeck workshop?
VRV: I wanted feedback on whether I should continue with web design, which has been my bread and butter, or whether I should drop it altogether and focus more on illustration and print design. I also asked about the best way to go about getting back into T-shirts and gifts, as these are my passion.

LIFT: What were the biggest takeaways from your BizOnDeck?
VRV: I loved the feedback! While all agreed that I should continue to offer web along with print design, they also encouraged me to get out more, to be the face of my company, because I was so much better at selling my services in person.

LIFT: Has putting your business “on deck” helped grow your business?
VRV: Yes. I gained several new clients from my exposure from that one BizOnDeck, and since then I’ve been busy, primarily with illustration work.

Last words
VRV: I am now working on a graphic novel for a writer in Nanaimo, branding a new RMT, and re-branding a local potter. While I had a snag in the release of my online store for T-shirts and gifts, I’m anticipating a launch this year soon.

Please tell LIFT members that Sea Salt Design is offering 25% off all custom illustration and graphic design services, including print design.

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 please fill the blanks at https://j.mp/BIZONDECK. Or call HPM at 250-792-1408.

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#LIFTVIPs shared selfies: win with Atlas Café, The Waverley Hotel, and Gladstone Brewing!

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We love our LIFT Community Partners – and we love the support they give us as we promote entrepreneurs on Vancouver Island. We also love the LIFT VIPs who are the heart of our entrepreneur community. So this month we’re hosting a “shared selfie” contest that’ll win someone – and the LIFT VIP they choose – each a $25 gift card at Atlas Café (April), The Waverley Hotel (May), and Gladstone Brewing (June).

How to win

  1. Find a LIFT VIP (there are almost 100 of them today, with more coming on board every week – maybe you this week? Call meat 250-792-1408. It’s time to grow your business – and be featured in someone’s shared selfie!)
  2. Post a shared selfie with them to Twitter, Instagram, and/or Facebook.
  3. Be sure to include a note about this particular LIFT VIP, as well as the #LIFTVIP#WeAreYQQ tags
  4. That’s it! You and your LIFT VIP could each win a $25 gift card to Atlas Café, The Waverley Hotel, or Gladstone Brewing. Yum!

We’ll be announcing the April winner in early May.

Today’s list of LIFT VIPs

As of April 15, 2017 the current list of list LIFT VIPs (if you’d like your name on this list we can make that shift happen right now via email or telephone me at 250-792-1408):

Solution Sponsors:
Adil Amlani, Leif Jason, Sue Finneron, Lee-Ann Dixon-Phillips, Jabin Postal, Chrissie Bowker, Nazaneen Dizai
Community Partners:
Daniel Sharratt, Sandra Viney, Don McClellan, Ron Pogue, Karen Milstein McKinnon, Paul Hansen, Bob Wells, Danny Zanbilowicz, Leanne Zdebiak-Eni, and Shane Philip
Champions and Ambassadors:
Carmen & Glen Wakeling, Kayla McDonald, Joyce Francis McMenamon, John Bonner, Curtis Scoville, Max Oudendag, Pieter Vorster, Rahel Mashruky, Mary Veronneau, Chelan Schwindt, Arrow Gonsalves, Amie Webster & Jeff Webster, Sarah Pocock-Hill, Sara Baxandall, Sarah Day, Staysea May & Megan Griffiths, Jen Burt, Amy Englemark, Shelley LaPerriere, Dustin Whiteside, Kevin Wilson, Jani Martinius, Luciano Rollin, Amy Criss, Vivian Vaillant, Brooke Ferguson, Jace Pierson, Dyan Spink, James Flawith, David Frisch, Wendy Nixon Stothert, Tracy Freeman, Cleo Tetrault, Monica J Parkin, Julian Rendell, Allyson Hamilton, Shane Philip, Heather Mackenzie, Kory Wagstaff , Wendy Johnstone , Maureen Olsen , Taryn Goodwin, Steve Morgan, Ewa Nowicka, Ali Roddam , Sonya Marie Jenssen, Ivan Loubier, Rob Kelly, Maggie Mah, Debbie Lynn Bowman, Gaynor Bereza, David Stapley, Carl Sidl, Nancy Farey, Mary Crowley , Aly Bird , Step Carruthers & Robin Kay, Chantal Stefan, Janice Bailey, Jodi Einarson, Nick Ward, Danielle Farrant , Denise Ropp, Greg Chadwick, Re Bastien, Vanessa Raven-Vipond, Marty Douglas, Shelley Nickerson, Megan Penny, Annie L Danko.

hpm
Please call me at 250-792-1408
Want to chat in person? Please set a time/date via my online calendar

CVFM: Growing farmers – and the local economy – for 25 years

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LIFT (as hanspetermeyer.com) sponsored social media marketing at the Comox Valley Farmers’ Market from 2012-2016. Why? Because I’d been writing about food since 2004. Writing about the Farmers’ Market was a “feel good” thing to do. I thought that writing about farmers would me more interesting and wholesome than writing about restaurants.
I did a lot of farmers’ profiles. (You can watch them here.) And, over those 40+ interviews it sank in: the Market isn’t just about local and fresh and “local food” cool. The Market is about the economy.
I’d interviewed Vickey Brown, CVFM Executive Director, a number of times over the years. We’d had a great time, helping tell the story about farms and food in the Comox Valley. But I recently interviewed about something different: the bigger picture. I asked her about the role of the Market in the local economy, a role that many of us take for granted or don’t understand.
INTERVIEW (April 2, 2017)
HPM: You’ve described the Market to me as a “business incubator.” What does the Market do that helps grow food businesses?
Vickey Brown (VB): We were started in 1992 by farmers, for farmers, so this is our 25th anniversary year of doing what I call “growing farmers,” and helping farmers sell their food. Even with our processors and concessions, are required to use locally grown ingredients as much as possible.
At the most basic level, the Market recruits customers with our marketing. We provide farmers with an opportunity to introduce products, test flavours, and hear directly from customers. We also provide a number of opportunities for farmers to meet a variety of customers, in a variety of locations. For example, during the peak season, we have three weekly Markets: Wednesday in downtown Courtenay, Saturday at the Exhibition Grounds, and Sunday in Cumberland.
The Market also connects farmers with organisations like the North Vancouver Island Chefs’ Association, local restaurants, Lush Valley, to name a few.
At another level, the Market provides an educational service. People need to know who our producers are, and why they do what they do. And, importantly, we’re here to educate people about the realities of local food economics. It’s difficult to make a living farming. The Market plays a role telling the story about the value of local food, beyond simple price.
Most farmers work in isolation, not only from customers, but from each other. So l, the Market is also a place where farmers learn from and support each other. It gives them a place to talk about farm and business issues, like how they’re doing irrigation, pest control, etc. It’s a learning place.
HPM: How many businesses are currently active in the market?
VB: Just under a 100. Vendors come and go, but that’s number’s been fairly steady since I started working here in 2010. Of course, the number of vendors actually at the Market changes with the season. We have a maximum of between 70-75 during peak season.
HPM: What are some examples of businesses that have “graduated” from the market?
VB: Some of the more visible success of the Market-as-incubator are Tannadice Farm, DKT Ranch, Tree Island Yogurt, Green Acres Pies – to name a few. Others, like Prontissima Pasta, Natural Pastures, Healing Bliss, and Big D’s Honey have grown into storefronts, but are still active at the Market. Recently local wineries and distillers have added to what the Market offers. Wayward Distillation House won the People’s Choice for their vodka at BC Distilled in 2016, but they’re still at every Saturday Market. Stone’s Throw Winery, 40 Knots Winery, Hornby Island Estate Winery, and Blue Moon Winery are other high profile businesses that are active at the Market even as they grow their own storefront businesses.
HPM: What are some of the biggest obstacles to growth for local food businesses, and how does the Market help address these?
VB: The biggest obstacle is early stage revenue. Like many startups, farmers struggle to generate enough cash flow to keep going. So food producers are juggling multiple jobs to get their business growing. For example, Cottage Farm was at the Market for several years before they were able to give up their “day jobs.” It’s a bit of a catch-22: you’re not putting enough time into the farm to grow it, but you need the other job to to invest in the farm. We’ve created the New Farmer Bursary to help with some of this early stage difficulty. But we could do much more.
Weather is a factor that we have no control over. But we can play a role in telling the story. For example, the reason your local food sometimes costs more is because the weather has been hard on farmers. A long, cold winter this year has meant that many early season crops weren’t ready for sale, and that the spring season will be later. That puts a squeeze on cash flow. A couple of years ago we had a long, dry summer. That reduced yields, and has even had an impact on livestock and meat in years following. We’re used to the industrial food model, where we, as consumers are somewhat insulated from the real world of what farmers deal with. That’s not the case with the Market. Because farmers sell direct to customers, we get both the freshest and tastiest produce, and the real cost of that produce.
Another issue facing our local food producers is capital investment, whether it’s production space or cold-storage and distribution. Some farmers’ markets are creating production and testing spaces. These could also include co-operative cold storage and distribution. All of this could spin-off of an enhanced farmers’ market function.
HPM: What’s stopping the Comox Valley Farmers’ Market from addressing these issues?
VB: We don’t have the capacity. There is a significant need for infrastructure in our local food economy, and we don’t have the money or the staff to do what we could be doing. Even though we were voted Best Large Market in BC in 2015, we know we could do more.
HPM: How is the Market currently funded?
VB: The majority of funding to run the Market comes from the farmers, from vendors’ table fees and member fees. Local government contributes close to 4% of our current operating budget, and we pay local government about 10% of that budget in venue rental costs. Occasionally we are eligible for grants for special projects, like promotion and advertising. We also are seeking sponsorship support.
HPM: What are the priorities if there were better funding?
VB: We would definitely like to do more for our vendors. Priorities would include office space accessible to the public and vendors, more staff support for education and promotion for farmers and local food. We also see a great need for more direct supports for farmers. For example, the New Farmer Bursaries are helping people get started, but we could also help farmers replace weather damaged greenhouses, help them set up irrigation. I’d really like to see us expand the nutrition coupon program to go year-round, not just summer-only. We’d also love to do workshops for our vendors, to help them grow their business.
HPM: How can we – the public, other businesses – support the Market?
VB: Sponsorships are a big help. A sponsorship from Hinterland Studio is helping with the Cumberland market. Jace Pierson has helped with New Farmer Bursary. Courtenay KIA is providing a tow-vehicle for our Market stage and gear. We’re also looking for sponsorship of our music program, for a kids’ area, and for specific markets – eg downtown, Winter, Cumberland – and for special events at the market, like Farmer Appreciation Week, and our Food Fests. That kind of thing.
HPM: Have you considered a non-vendor Market membership as a way for the public to support the work you’re doing?
VB: We are looking at a “Friends of the Market” type program. We’re hoping to have this in place in 2017. We’re also working on a “donate” button for the website, for people who want to help in that way. And, we always welcome cash or cheque donations at the Market table.
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At LIFT we’ve recently created a Young Entrepreneur Fund that will enable food entrepreneurs – in local food, business, the arts, and more – to participate in business development workshops. We’re also re-engaging as social media sponsors to help tell the story of the Comox Valley’s food entrepreneurs at the Comox Valley Farmers’ Market. Watch for profiles on our social media channels on the blog, on our Facebook page notes, Instagram, and Twitter.
hpm for LIFT
@hanspetermeyer on Twitter & Instagram
liftcomoxvalley.ca: Growing the economy, one entrepreneur at a time.
ps. Our local economic development body is doing some good work to promote our local food sector. Hat’s off to them. That’s a very good way to spend the almost $1M they get from local taxpayers. I just wish that the CVFM would get some help doing its work at the grassroots. That’s why I support individual giving and business sponsorships. That’s why LIFT is doing what it can to support the Market. Without you and me making sure that good food is grown locally, it won’t happen.