LIFT Startups

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economy

Inviting Island entrepreneurs to increase your sales!

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As the CEO of LIFT, my priority is to provide premium value to LIFT members. But the reason I started LIFT was to grow our grassroots Island economy, and that means reaching out to every Island entrepreneur. Because your success helps build a better, more resilient economy. And that’s good for all of us.

LIFT isn’t a fit for everyone. We’re focused on a “hustle the help” approach that emphasizes collaboration, mutual support in our business development workshops and social media marketing, sharing of ideas and inspirations, and constant learning how to do these things better.

While this approach may not fit every business, “increased sales” is a definitely a fit for every business. That’s why I’m inviting Island entrepreneurs to join us for MoneyFest2. On the evening of March 29 we’ll hear from several local “sales stars” – Dave Semple, Sue Finneron, Jenny Deters, Jace Pierson. We’ll entertain you with some magic by Nanaimo’s Craig McKee. We’ll treat to you a keynote by Food.ee’s West Coast Manager of Sales, Larissa Norton. Larissa has taken Food.ee from $5K in monthly sales to $1.5M. Impressive.

A few words about our Friday, March 30 Making Sales Happen workshop

Last year members of our LIFT crew took this workshop, delivered by Chin Hing of Spring Activator in Vancouver. Spring is a global startup school. They work with entrepreneurs in 35 cities around the world (and, they’re a LIFT partner – great for us, and for our entrepreneur community).

Chin’s workshop rocked. In fact, it helped us grow sales by over 100%.

Sales are the lifeblood of our businesses. If we’re going to succeed, we need to grow sales. I want you to experience the kind of growth that we’ve experienced, thanks to Spring. I strongly encourage you to look the event information – and to invest in your growth.



Yes! I want to increase my sales.

 

Final note: Have you nominated a BC entrepreneur for Startup Canada Awards?

On May 31 LIFT is focusing the national startup spotlight on the Island’s startup community as we host Startup Canada’s BC Regional Awards. If you’re proud of your business or are a fan of someone else’s entrepreneurial success, PLEASE fill the nomination form(s) at http://startupaward.ca/ – before April 3. It will be so cool to see local businesses featured on May 31. Help us make that shift happen!

~ hpm /

Introducing the LIFT Startups podcast series

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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…

Introducing the LIFT podcast series – with a pitch for MoneyFest2 on March 29-30, 2018

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

What is the “next economy?”

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.

 

What is a “talent economy?”

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

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

Patricia Huntsman talks about the Island’s “creative economy”

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LIFT Startups is inviting entrepreneurs and creatives from across the Island to join us in the Comox Valley for our third WinterpreneurFest event on February 1. Tickets are available online. This year our event is sponsored by The Creator Space and we’re drawing attention to the “cultural entrepreneurs” who are making economic shift happen on the Island. To help us understand the importance of this sector, we’ve invited Patricia Huntsman to be our keynote on February 1. Also on the agenda are presentations from cultural entrepreneurs in music (Avigdor Schulman), painting (Esther Sample), dance (Gwen Spinks), theatre (Kymme Patrick), film (Daniel Kooman), and publishing (Ian Adams). We’ll wrap things up with one of our signature We’ll wrap things up with one of our signature #WeAreYQQ entrepreneur after parties thanks to #WeAreYQQPartyCrew Boss Leanne Zdebiak-Eni and our amazing volunteers. Below is my interview with Patricia (PH) about her work and the “cultural economy” on the Island.


Buy Your Tickets Now

HPM: Who is Patricia Huntsman, and why should we be interested in what you have to say about our Island “cultural economy?”

PH: I’m a cultural policy and planning consultant. I’m based in BC and I’ve been running my consultancy since 2009. Before that, I worked nationally and internationally in senior roles in the creative industry.

The topic of cultural entrepreneurship and economy is timely. It has been said that “Where oil was the primary fuel to the 20th-century economy, creativity is the fuel to the 21st century.”  I think this quote resonates with what we’re seeing on the Island.

In Canada, there’s a 53.4 billion dollar direct impact of cultural goods and services on our economy. This is surpassing agriculture, forestry, and fishing combined. People on the Island – anywhere, really – should be interested in learning more about the economic value of culture, and why we should support and invest in it. Perhaps more importantly, we should know how to leverage it to achieve both community and economic development aims.

HPM: I’ve used the term “cultural economy” to describe this, but I think you use another term. Can you explain?

PH: When people talk about the “cultural economy,” they are often referring to what is globally understood as the “creative economy,” which is a concept that describes creativity as it applies to an entire economy.

Part of what I do is to help people understand the language of (and know the difference between) culture, cultural industries, creative ecosystems, and the creative economy. A creative economy is one driven by ideas, innovation, knowledge, diversity, collaboration, and creativity. It encompasses the creative industries in which ideas and intellectual property produce value and generate wealth. It is the combined complex collection of industrial, creative, and cultural service sectors.

HPM: What can we be doing to support growth in the “creative economy” in our Island communities?

PH: We’re lucky. Vancouver Island is already seeing emerging creative clusters and hubs. These provide wonderful opportunities for the incubation of ideas, networking, and cultural production.

By cultural clusters and hubs I mean the geographic area where there are concentrations of cultural activities, bringing people together. These can be arts and cultural venues, cultural businesses, or creative industries. Cultural clusters and hubs can regenerate neighbourhoods and attract new residents and services. A great example is the Fernwood neighbourhood in Victoria, or Tin Town in Courtenay. You can see the impact in what’s emerging in Cumberland.

I’ve been able to work with several Island communities and organisations that want to benefit from the creative economy. My approach is to help communities grow their cultural ecosystem using a place-based approach: understanding and valuing “Who You Are” and “How You Live” as a community. This gets away from the “hype” that sometimes surrounds the  enthusiasm about the “creative economy.” It grounds it, makes it more authentic and meaningful to the larger community.

HPM: Any last words?

PH: Yes. Culture and creativity are vital to building strong, sustainable, and vibrant communities. We’re seeing this around the world. Culture and creativity are significant drivers and enablers of our local economies and our communities.

I’m delighted to be part of the third LIFT WintrepreneurFest. These kinds of events are important opportunities for Island creatives and entrepreneurs to connect, to learn, and to grow. Cultivating this mix of culture, technology and entrepreneurship in communities is where I flourish. Thank you for inviting me to be your keynote!

by Hans Peter Meyer,
founder of LIFT Startups
@hanspetermeyer on Twitter

FMI about Patricia Huntsman please see:

WinterpreneurFest3 Special Event Sponsor
Thanks to WinterpreneurFest3 Special Event Sponsor The Creator Space at thecreatorspace.com in the Comox Valley.

LIFT Solution Sponsors and Community Partners
LIFT Startups provides collaborative business and marketing services and experiences on Vancouver Island and beyond.

LIFT is generously supported by the following

Solution Sponsors:

Sure Copy Courtenay,  Mastermynde Strategy, 50th Parallel PR, Finneron Hyundai, Jabin Postal Films, Presley & Partners, 98.9 The GOAT, and

Community Partners:

Atlas Cafe, Island Word, My Tech Guys, McKinnon Photography, Gladstone Brewing, Island Soul Films, Investors’ Group, The Creator Space, and Douglas Magazine


Buy Your Tickets Now

This summer support local & win prizes!

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This summer Atlas Café, Bosley’s (Courtenay), Gladstone Brewing, The Waverley Hotel, Toscano’s Mediterranean Grill, Sure Copy Courtenay, My Tech Guys, and [add your business here] are giving away prizes as part of a unique “support local” contest we’re hosting.

Using our social media clout to support local business on Vancouver Island

LIFT was voted “best social media organisation” in the Comox Valley region last year. We think that’s because we’re doing a great job of supporting local entrepreneurs. This summer we’ve put $1000s in promotional support together with our social media clout to help people like you promote local businesses – and win great prizes this summer.

Why? Because every dollar spent locally helps grow our economy. That means local businesses thrive. That means local businesses create jobs. For example, we have about 25,000 households in the Comox Valley, and over 15K households in Campbell River. If every household spends $100 locally on goods and services they’d have bought out of town this summer, that will put about $4M back into our regional economy on this part of Vancouver Island.

That will help local businesses thrive. That will help local businesses create jobs.

Here’s how you can help us make that shift happen this summer:

  1. To boost local businesses, post selfies with your favourite owners or staff to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or your social media of choice. Your posts help elevate every business you’ve posted about.
  2. To boost local – and win prizes:
    1. Find local LIFT VIPs (there over 100 of them between Nanaimo and Campbell River). Ask your business friends if they’re members – or check the list at liftlocal.ca.
    2. Post selfies with LIFT VIPs to Instagram with the #LIFTVIP tag so we can find and “engage” your posts!
    3. That’s it! You’re in to win prizes from Atlas Café, Bosley’s (Courtenay), Gladstone Brewing, The Waverley Hotel, Toscano’s Mediterranean Grill, Sure Copy Courtenay, and My Tech Guys.

Enter often!

Every post is your way to support local business in our communities.

Every #LIFTVIP post to Instagram is your way to support local and win prizes from great local businesses.

We’re drawing winners weekly in July, August, and September.

NOTE: If you’re ready to see your business featured in the #LIFTVIP promotion, please contact HPM now.

May 31: Let’s elevate this economy!

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The 6th Annual Elevate Arts Festival in downtown Courtenay is the BEST time to visit the Comox Valley.

That’s it. Be here. May 31-June 3. Downtown Courtenay. Where you’ll find more fun and entertainment on the street than you can imagine.

It’s about talent

At LIFT Comox Valley we’re thrilled to be helping kick off this celebration of local talent. We’ve programmed a hat trick of events on the evening of May 31. These include a pop-up trade show, a different kind of talent show, and an after party for creatives, entrepreneurs, and fellow-travellers.
The evening, organised by LIFT Comox Valley, is focused on talent. “I believe that when we grow our local talent, we grow our local economy,” says LIFT VIP and special event sponsor Monica J Parkin, of Invis Mortgages.

The evening

Things start happening at 5pm at the Courtenay Legion with first ever LIFT Trade Show. This pop-up reveals what a number of LIFT VIP businesses are doing. Among them:
  • Bluebird Pads,
  • Re Bastien Portrait Photography,
  • Jace Pierson – Sun Life Financial advisor,
  • Wags Doggy Bags,
  • Heart Drum Beat – Brain & Body Training Systems,
  • Panther Workwear,
  • The Old House Hotel & Spa, and
  • Speedibin composter.
  • Futurpreneur Canada (Vancouver, British Columbia) will also be on hand, looking forward to meeting young entrepreneurial talent.
At 6:30pm Community Voices II challenges seven creative entrepreneurs to tell their story of “living local, thinking BIGger” with only seven minutes and seven slides. This is the second time LIFT is collaborating with The CV Collective and builds on CVC member Ian Adams‘ previous series’ of evenings featuring local talent.
The final event, the 8th #WeAreYQQ Party, takes place at Gladstone Brewing at 8pm. Music by DJ Adil, fun and games by “#WeAreYQQPartyCrew Boss” Leanne Zdebiak-Eni.
The presenters at Community Voices II represent a wide range of talents or examples of the Comox Valley’s “knowledge economy.” They include:
  • Wendy Nixon Stothert of Choral Valley,
  • Tom Keenoy of Kitestrings/ Medium Rare Interactive,
  • community animateur Meaghan Cursons,
  • craftsman Cyrill Werlen of Cascadian Wood Tech,
  • Step Carruthers of, among other things, Phat Tank and Lucky Village Enterprises ,
  • Alex Bowman & Kate Waddel of Byte Me Robotics,
  • and recent Dragons’ Den pitcher, James Flawith of Lil Worker Safety Gear .

The lineup is guaranteed to elevate your understanding of the creatives growing a grassroots “talent economy” in the Comox Valley.

For example, Tom Keenoy, a transplant to the Comox Valley by way of Brooklyn, New York, runs Medium Rare Interactive in Courtenay. He’s also currently building Kitestrings, a solution to internet security that could put our local tech scene on the global map. You can follow Kitestrings on Twitter @kitestringsapp.

Tickets

Tickets are by “suggested donation” online and at the door. Net proceeds from the event support the volunteer community economic development organisation that annually creates the Elevate Arts celebration of local talent.

Buy Now
For more information about May 31st events see WeAreYQQParty.ca, or contact me:
Hans Peter Meyer
Founder, LIFT Comox Valley
250-792-1408 
@hanspetermeyer on Twitter and Instagram

Launching our 14-day free trial LIFT VIP membership

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Congratulations to Olivia of Lavish Engagements, Mary of Mary’s, and Atlas Café! Three of the businesses that were winners in our April #LIFTVIP promotion. In May, your #LIFTVIP shared selfie could win you and a LIFT VIP friend each gift cards to The Waverley Hotel. But this post isn’t about our current promotion. It’s about why I want entrepreneurs to try our new 14-day free trial LIFT VIP membership.
It’s a treat to create contests and give away prizes. But promoting and growing local businesses is only part of what we do with LIFT. I started this project in 2015, as The #WeAreYQQ Project. My intention, to inspire a grassroots movement of entrepreneurs in my community because I saw a need. Bear with me while I tell some of that story.

The 3-Rs and how they’re not the solution

I grew up in Black Creek, just north of Courtenay in the Comox Valley. That was almost 58 years ago. Like many Vancouver Island communities, ours was a logging and fishing-based economy. Things changed dramatically in the 1980s. Local governments scrambled to respond. But really, what can government do? (More on that later.)

I’ve watched as we’ve poured millions of taxpayer dollars into supporting the development of what I call a “3-Rs economy” of retirement, retail, and recreation services. All good stuff. But somehow missing the point of what my community is really about: talented people, passionate about this place.
And how are our 3-Rs doing, a generation after the decline of fishing and forestry as sources of jobs and wealth? Two years ago we lost 200 young families. To me that means the 3-Rs are failing to provide the incomes and opportunities we once enjoyed with our resource sector economy. 

I’m betting that talent, however, is the solution

I’ve been doing community economic development work on Vancouver Island off and on since 1994. During that time I’ve both ignored the problem, and complained about how our tax dollars are being spent. In late 2014, frustrated at what I saw as a failure of imagination in local agencies and government, I decided to stop complaining. I was going to do something about this economic problem.
That “something” was, and is, to focus on talent as the solution. I’d bring speakers in who inspired me. I’d invite entrepreneurs and creatives to come together to grow businesses and jobs. To celebrate the local talents that I think will grow our “next economy.”

Just getting started!

I’ve made it my job to generate visibility for the businesses I work with, the businesses that have become charter members of LIFT. I call them LIFT VIPs. They’re special, because in a region that is very lifestyle focused and old-school (even sleepy) when it comes to business, they’re growth oriented. Open to new ideas. Open to help each other make economic shift happen. One of my first initiatives was to launch the #WeAreYQQ tag as a “talent brand” for our region, for anyone to use. Ever since launching the #WeAreYQQ my focus has been on getting more attention for local business – locally, regionally, and beyond. It’s starting to pay off. 
Smart and talented people make LIFT shift happen. The list is long. We’ve now got over 100 entrepreneurs involved, mostly from the Comox Valley, but some from Campbell River. This Spring we’ve come up with a few new ideas. These will fuel changes. They will accelerate the marketing momentum we’ve generated – and help LIFT VIPs grow their businesses. We’re also going to be streamlining and restructuring our membership model. That means more great benefits for LIFT VIPs.  

This month: Free trial memberships

I want Comox Valley, Campbell River, and Qualicum businesses to benefit from what we’re doing. I’m focused on this region because I think we have a lot in common, including rapidly aging population, a need to attract and retain young families, and – paradoxically – a growing “talent” population. Entrepreneurs and creatives who aren’t afraid to do business in a new way.
I also want to touch every one of these young (and some, not so young) talents. I want them to try what we have to offer, and see if it helps them grow their businesses. To that end, I’m inviting any business in the region to enjoy a free 14-day trial LIFT membership. If you like the idea of being part of a dynamic, growth-oriented entrepreneur network, contact us via this form – or better yet, give me a call at 250-792-1408 and let’s make that shift happen for you today!

Grow your businesses. And vote

Back to my comment earlier, about what can we expect from government. Government is not entrepreneurial. But it can do things to help startups start and grow. Help small businesses become medium-sized businesses. Keep the big businesses from monopolising the marketplace. As entrepreneurs, perhaps the biggest thing government can do for us is support grassroots initiatives and experiments. As entrepreneurs, the best thing we can do for our governments is vote. I’m writing this on the eve of a provincial election. I urge every entrepreneur to get out and vote.
I won’t tell you how you should vote, or how I’m going to vote. But I will tell you that I think we need to see voting and the exercise of our democratic powers as one of the things we do to ensure the success of our businesses. Just like inventory or taxes. Not necessarily very exciting. But necessary.
Finally, LIFT is an experiment. A unique experiment in grassroots business and community economic development. I’m doing this because I believe talent in business, the arts, non-profits, and more are the solution to economic challenges in my community. The 100+ LIFT VIPs are doing this for a number of reasons, most of which are about growing their businesses and growing a supportive entrepreneur community. We’re making shift happen.
If you’ve got ideas about how we can make LIFT even better, better, please be in touch. If you’d like to become part of the LIFT VIP community, check out our events. If you’re ready to come on board as a LIFT VIP, please use this contact form – or call me at 250-792-1408. Let’s make this shift happen – now!
hpm
Hans Peter Meyer, Founder & CEO, LIFT.GROUP @LIFTstartups on Twitter and Instagram
ps. Coming up soon to LIFT your biz…