LIFT Startups

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LIFT Podcast: Liz Wootton talks about Human Nature Development – and Liz Wootton

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Liz Wootton is an entrepreneur and former Director of Organizational Development. She owned and ran an award-winning bridal retail business in the UK for many years before moving to the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island. Her business, Human Nature Development, helps businesses on Vancouver Island and around the world. Find her on the Vancouver Island business directory here.

Liz has a passion for getting the best out of people, which led her towards a career in business and personal coaching. She has worked in industries as diverse as optoelectronics, theatre, and automotive, and coached business leaders across the globe. She has been described as being “the perfect mix of genuine, encouraging and giving a kick up the behind when need be.” She’s also one of the “sharp pencils” in the LIFT community, and contributes significantly to business growth in our region.

In this episode of LIFT Podcasts I ask her about her business, the scariest things she’s ever done and how she’s made it through, her favourite reading as a child, and her favourite places to eat in the whole world – among other things. Her advice for young entrepreneurs on Vancouver Island is worth listening to.

Enjoy!

~ hpm,
Founder of LIFT Startups and the Vancouver Island Business Directory
Winner, Best in BC, Entrepreneur Promotion, Startup Canada Awards, May 2018

Contact Liz

Find Liz Wootton and Human Nature Development on the Vancouver Island business directory here.

More LIFT Podcasts

LIFT Podcast: Jayesh Parmar talks about Picatic, Movement – and Jayesh Parmar

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Photo: © Karen McKinnon / mckinnonphotography.com

Jayesh Parmar is the Founder and CEO of Picatic, an online ticketing and events solution that includes a new product, Movement, aimed at community changemakers and non-profit organizations doing good work in communities around the world.

Jay talked to LIFT’s Hans Peter Meyer about Picatic, Movement, and about himself. Check out the podcast to find out about Jay’s favourite books as a child, what he’s reading now, the smartest thing he’s ever done, his favourite place to eat – and more.

Note: Jay is a mentor to LIFT and is one of the inspirations for our success.

FMI about Picatic see Picatic.com.

FMI about Movement see this link to the Picatic blog.

Find more LIFT Podcasts on our blog – or subscribe via iTunes.

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.

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.” 

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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

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 http://j.mp/BIZONDECK. Or call HPM at 250-792-1408.

– 30 –

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.


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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


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