LIFT Startups

A new way to market and network your local Vancouver Island business!

talent

BizOnDeck Case Study: Blushing Bluebird Essentials and #wearcloth

by

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.

 

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 –

BizOnDeck entrepreneur case study: Lil Worker Safety Gear and #vizyourkids

by

LIFT’s BizOnDeck workshops enable entrepreneurs to help each other to grow new businesses, test new business ideas, and launch new products and services. In 2018 we’re expanding to include a Nanaimo BizOnDeck series.

One of the most exciting stories we’ve had the pleasure to be part of is that of Lil Worker Safety Gear.

Introduction: James Flawith, founder, Lil Worker Safety Gear

Recognized as one of Vancouver Island’s “Top 40 Under 40,” James Flawith owns and operates Precision Tree Services. He is married and has three young children. Already a very busy guy, James launched Lil Worker Safety Gear because he saw a need to bring the same safety standards to our families that we bring to our work crews.  

LIFT: What product or service do you sell?

JF: Real safety gear for kids

LIFT: Where can readers buy your products and/or services?

JF: Online at lilworkersafety.ca and at locally at ONO Work and Safety, and soon at the Lil Worker Safety Gear Store at Woodgrove Centre (Nanaimo) and at Midland Tools, Pilon Tool Rentals, Planet Kids, and at White’s of Lindsay in Ontario.

LIFT: When was your BizOnDeck and what was your “ask?”

JF: January 2016. I asked about where did people see these products being used, what age demographic should we be targeting, and about sale strategies: retail vs wholesale, online/small outlet(s), box store(s). I also asked about “exclusivity.”

LIFT: Has putting your business “on deck” helped grow your business?

JF: The support and help I received by putting my business “on deck” was an important step. It inspired me to push forward.

I also gained experience pitching. In fact, my [winning] PitchFest pitch was just a boiled down version of the “On Deck” pitch, and those pitches are very similar to the one I made to the Dragons.

LIFT: What are you working on now?

JF: Aside from the full-time work of running Precision Tree Services I’m establishing more retail partnerships for Lil Worker Safety Gear. I’m constantly working to improve digital marketing. I have plans to set up a test kiosk slated for the last week of October in the Woodgrove Centre. I’m also actively exploring more opportunities to sell in person at events.

LIFT: How can LIFT help?

JF: Can you stop time so I can work more?

James and the Dragons

James went from pitching at a BizOnDeck and winning at PitchFest 2016, to pitching to CBC’s Dragons’ Den. That episode of Dragons’ Den aired at 8pm on October 12, 2017. LIFT organized a community viewing for that evening at The Creator Space where we cheered for James and Tweeted our support for Lil Worker Safety Gear and the #vizyourkids message to the world.

Did James win with the Dragons? Watch the video.

Follow the Lil Worker Safety Gear journey online via the #vizyourkids tag. 

Last word

JF: It all started with the “On Deck” experience I had with LIFT!

 

FMI about LIFT & BizOnDeck

LIFT helps entrepreneurs, small business owners, and NGOs 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.

BizOnDeck entrepreneur case study: Wags Doggy Bags

by

Over the course of a year LIFT hosts 16 BizOnDeck workshops. In two years that’s over 60 entrepreneurs and creatives, pitching their ideas for businesses and projects, and getting feedback and advice from other entrepreneurs. We believe in the power of these entrepreneurs to do amazing things for our community economy. The BizOnDeck case study series will help describe who they are, what they’re doing, why they’re doing it, and where they’re at on the entrepreneur roller-coaster.

Introduction: Brooke Ferguson, founder, Wags Doggy Bags

Brooke Ferguson (BF) and her family moved to the Comox Valley in July 2015 from Melbourne via Vancouver. The reasons for making this place their home have to do with what’s called “quality of life.” Instead of “commuting, congestion and cost” they are now skiing, hiking, biking and sailing. They were also attracted to a growing demographic in our region: professional couples with young children. All of this enabled Brooke to start her own business, something she’d been wanting to do for a number years. The Comox Valley became the opportunity for Brooke to launch what is now Wags Doggy Bags: a solution for pet-owners who also happen to have a vehicle or home that they’d like to keep clean.

LIFT: Where can readers buy your products and/or services?
BF: At Bosley’s here in Courtenay on Vancouver Island, and online at wagsdoggybags.ca

LIFT: When did you put Wags Doggy Bags “on deck?” What was your “ask?”
BF: I put Wags “on deck” in the Spring of 2016 to test the market appeal for a “wet and dirty dog solution.”

LIFT: What has/have been the most useful thing/s about putting your business “on deck?
BF: Building community, being brave and letting go of my idea and opening it up to scrutiny.

LIFT: Biggest takeaways from BizOnDeck?
BF: I was on the right track, people loved the idea, it’s all about relationships!

LIFT: What actions have you taken to follow up on these takeaways?
BF: I’ve kept plodding along, using these points to keep me going and guide my social media activity.

LIFT: Has putting your business “on deck” helped grow your business?
BF: For sure, the LIFT community knows about Wags and because they are social media savvy, they respond when I post.

LIFT: What are you working on now?
BF: I’m still working on launching – it’s like a game of snakes and ladders! I’ve just had a slide down a big snake and I’m back to figuring out the right fabric SO frustrating!

LIFT: How can LIFT help?
BF: Be there, cheer, celebrate, hold my hand when I need it, offer tissues and/or a drink when needed!

In the meantime…

Brooke’s work on Wags has become much more than a pet-owner/car-owner/home-owner solution. With several other prospective “textile entrepreneurs,” Brooke has been exploring the opportunity to create an ethical, community-based manufacturing industry here in the Comox Valley.

Last word

BF: Every day, regardless of the ups and downs of business and family life, I’m aware of how fortunate I am to have moved here and started my business in the Comox Valley.

FMI about LIFT & BizOnDeck

LIFT helps entrepreneurs, small business owners, NGOs grow their businesses. To put your business or community project idea “on deck” please fill out the form at http://j.mp/BIZONDECK

FMI about LIFT see LIFT Startups, make a date to chat with HPM, or call him at 250-792-1408.

Bluebird Pads wins big at PitchFest2!

by

photo © Amy Criss for LIFT

40 entrepreneurs packed The Prime Chophouse September 28. The sold-out crowd was there as part of the second annual PitchFest and #WeAreYQQ Party, hosted by LIFT Comox Valley.

Keynote Luke Aulin, CEO of Vancouver’s RTown online social media marketing business, talked about the importance of pitching. Aulin then joined on the judges’ panel, with Mina Haghighi of Futurpreneur, a youth-focused entrepreneur development program, and the owner Canada’s top Hyundai dealership in 2016, Sue Finneron.

PitchFest2 was sponsored by Duncan & Company CPAs and Pacific Coastal Airlines. Generous prizes were supplied by Douglas Magazine, 98.9 The GOAT, TRIO Magazine, and the LIFT organization. It’s the culmination of a year’s worth of businesses pitching at LIFT’s twice-monthly BizOnDeck workshops. LIFT’s Hans Peter Meyer calls these entrepreneurs the “new face of business in the region, the talent that’s changing everything.”

LIFT’s Hans Peter Meyer congratulates the entrepreneurs who pitched at PitchFest2: (front, left to right) Jordan Savard, Matthias Hansen, Denise Ropp, Pieter Vorster, Julian Rendell, (back, l-r) Andrea Postal, Jabin Postal, Danielle Farrant,
photo © Paul M Hansen

Seven entrepreneurs, pitching

Kicking things off was Pieter Vorster, setting a high bar with an enthusiastic description of the online magazine and community calendar at TideChange.ca. Jabin Postal had mouths watering as he garnered support for his already successful BBQ YouTube channel. Danielle Farrant wowed with her tight and cheeky pitch for Bluebird Pads: organic, locally-produced menstrual pads. Julian Rendell impressed with his description of Make it Zone as education and training for the workforce of 2020 and beyond. The growing health sector importance of cannabis and related services by Grow Wise Health was Denise Ropp‘s pitch. Jordan Savard and Matthias Hansen, winners of the Teen Entrepreneur Club “Tycoon Challenge” in June, reprised with an even tighter pitch for their Age-Sex-Location fashion line. Andrea Postal made a powerful pitch for doula services and In Bloom Births.

And the winners are…

The ASL team of Savard and Hansen, and Andra Postal’s In Bloom Births shared second place media advertising prizes. The grand prize, a $3600 package by LIFT that includes branding and photography by McKinnon Photography, digital marketing support by Mastermynde Strategy, PR services by 50th Parallel PR, print services by Sure Copy Courtenay, and content marketing by LIFT, went to Danielle Farrant and Bluebird Pads.

“I’m excited to be working with Danielle and Bluebird Pads,” says Karen McKinnon. “They’re the kind of positive, earth-friendly business that I think is representative of the values of our community here in the Comox Valley.”

As with all of LIFT’s five annual special events, PitchFest2 featured a #WeAreYQQ Party. The focus is on fun – and social media games with over $4000 in prizes, contributed by LIFT member businesses. One of these is The Waverley Hotel, a LIFT Community Partner.

“These kinds of events are an important part of building an entrepreneur culture in our community,” says Don McClellan, owner of The Waverley Hotel. “We need to encourage young entrepreneurs. The Waverley is proud to be part of a welcoming culture, through what we do as a venue for entertainment, and our support of LIFT and its activities.”

For more information about upcoming LIFT events, including the region’s annual Festive Cheer “entrepreneur holiday party” and fundraiser on November 24, see the online listings at LIFTevents.ca

Ready to make shift happen for your business or organization?

Join the LIFT community of entrepreneurs, and grow with over $4000 in membership benefits and perks, plus discounts with digital partners like RTOWN, Spring Activator, OfficeHours, Rebel, and more.

Or contact LIFT CEO and Founder, Hans Peter Meyer (aka HPM), at:

[picatic-sell-tickets event=130350 title=yes description=yes theme_options=ptw-light][/picatic-sell-tickets]

Elevating our local talent economy!

by

On May 31, 2017 LIFT Comox Valley hosted its first Trade Show for local creatives and entrepreneurs. We also hosted our second Community Voices collaboration with CV Collective Magazine, featuring seven local entrepreneurs. Afterwards, we hosted our eighth #WeAreYQQ Party.

At LIFT we’re committed to Leading, Inspiring, and Fuelling Talent – because we think talent is the future of our economy here on Vancouver Island. For more information about how we’re helping creatives and entrepreneurs grow BIGger, please see our website, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Or set up a time/date to meet with me, LIFT founder Hans Peter Meyer (HPM).

For upcoming events, including BizOnDeck workshops, PitchFest2, #WeAreYQQ Parties and more, please see our website.

If you’re ready to give your business a lift, be in touch and we’ll get back to you ASAP! Because our business is helping you grow your business.

hpm
@hanspetermeyer on Twitter and Instagram

May 31: Let’s elevate this economy!

by

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