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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.

The Speedibin Composter: Innovative garden technology from the Comox Valley

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Joyce McMenamon didn’t invent the Speedibin Composter. But she did revive her father’s 1987 design, putting it through 22 prototypes. Now she’s shipping across North America.

What makes the Speedibin unique?

The Speedibin is more than a humble composter. Made entirely of metal, they’re vermin “resistant” and easy to use.

A few years ago City Farmer in Vancouver asked Joyce to “please start making Speedibins again.” Why? Composting had become very popular in the city. But rats and racoons were loving how easy it was to get into the plastic bins.

Built of sheet metal, Speedbins ship in a flat package and are easy to assemble. Good for humans. Bad for rats, mice, and racoons that find them tamper proof. McMenamon even gives workshops on how to make Speedibins bear resistant.

More good news for humans: the removable lid makes loading and mixing easy. When the microbes and worms have transformed all that waste into glorious black gold, the front panel removes for easy unloading.

It’s not just about keeping the vermin out

McMenamon is an avid gardener. She understands the imporance of rat-resistant composting. What she’s most excited about, however, is having developed an easy-to use, practical solution to an even more pressing problem: soil exhaustion. Mono-cropping and continuous-cropping inevitably lead to nutrient loss. Composting is the easiest way to organically rebuild soil. “If all the people who can would put their yard waste and kitchen scrap back into the soil,” she says, “the microbes and worms would quickly rebuild the soil.”

Where to buy

Because of their vermin-resistant qualities they’ve been picked up by some school gardens, including several in New York City. McMenamon sees the Speedibin’s future in North American sales. “We’re already shipping to Saskatchewan, Newfoundland, and now the United States,” she says. This rat-resistant solution to some of our landfill and “peak soil” issues is also attracting attention from New Zealand. If you’re from outside of the Comox Valley you can order your Speedibin Composter at speedibin.com.

If you’re in the Comox Valley region, Port Hardy, Parksville, or Calgary you can find Speedibin Composters are at several local locations.

Speedibin is now a #WeAreYQQ Champion

Speedibin was an early beneficiary of the #WeAreYQQ business development workshop series. “It’s been vey helpful,” McMenamon says. “Being a sole proprietor, living in Merville, working in a vacuum: it’s a challenge. The workshops have been very helpful because they not only give me valuable insights and information, they also give me a supportive, entrepreneur-minded group of people to work with. That’s huge.”

As a business owner and entrepreneur McMenamon sees considerable value in the #WeAreYQQ Project. In 2016 she was an early adopter, and signed on as an annual #WeAreYQQ Champion. Want to grow your business with our collaborative marketing and business and community economic development workshops? For more information about what business benefits a Champion membership brings, call Cathy Snyder at 250-703-3057 or sign up online at the “Join Us! tab.” Or just come out to one  of our events and see if working collaboratively with entrepreneurs is part of your business solution. Events are listed at the “events tab.”

FMI about Speedibin

Online at speedibin.com
On Twitter at twitter.com/speedibin
On Facebook at facebook.com/Speedibin

Grow your business with a #WeAreYQQ / LIFT Project subscription

Does your business need more exposure?

Do you want to make your marketing easier?

If you’ve got a story about entrepreneurship or innovation in the Comox Valley we’ve got a business development and marketing service package to get you exposure in print media, on our blog, and via our social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and more. Subscribe and you’ll get significant discounts as a #WeAreYQQ Champion or Ambassador – and you’ll be listed in our updates to our extensive mailing list.

It’s all part of our service packages to help grow business in the Comox Valley! Come on board ⛵

hpm
for Team #WeAreYQQ and the LIFT Project in the Comox Valley
@WeAreYQQ on Twitter

LIFT: Leading, Inspiring, and Fueling Talent in business, the arts, and more – in the Comox Valley! 

We’re building an entrepreneurial culture in the Comox Valley. Join us this summer and win! You’ll get perks that’ll grow your business. Sign up here

Investing in the #WeAreYQQ talent economy: getting Anotiv Team to the Global Finals

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MatthewBlack_biopicTalent. It’s what drives an entrepreneurial economy. It’s what we need to be investing in, here in the Comox Valley. Because our 3R’s economy (retail, retirement, recreation) isn’t generating the real jobs and real incomes we need to attract and sustain young families. And young families are the lifeblood of our communities.  

One of the best parts of #WeAreYQQ Project is the people I get to work with. One of these is Matthew Black, an Isfeld student who is making shift happen, big time.

The shift: solving problems

The problem: Instead of listening to announcements high school students are looking at their cell phone screens.

The solution: Anotiv app. Matthew and his team created an app that replaces announcements and connects students, parents, and teachers. It’s available for iOS and Android at Anotiv.com (no charge).

Feeding talent, growing entrepreneurs

Anotiv Team built the app as part of the Destination Imagination (DI) program. DI is basically an entrepreneurial talent development program. It teaches creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and problem solving to students around the world.

Anotiv launched at Isfeld in February. Immediate uptake: 40 percent of the school signed up and are actively using the app. He’s now working to introduce the app to Vanier, Highland, and other schools in the Valley.

Thinking BIGger

Matthew met with me after he’d attended the recent #WeAreYQQ Spring Party for entrepreneurs. He made his pitch. Then he pitched me on Anotiv Team’s bid to represent Canada and the Comox Valley at the DI Global Finals in Knoxville. My response? I pitched in with an immediate $100US, and a promise to help him grow this project.

First step was easy. I reached out to good people I believe are also interested in feeding talent. With help from Jayesh Parmar at Picatic in Vancouver, and Robbie Mulrooney locally, we got Matt into the Interzone tech conference. My thinking: this young talent needs to connect with other smart people beyond the Comox Valley, and he needs to do it soon.

Twitter is a “must have” tool for entrepreneurs – and for anyone attending conferences. I gave Matthew some “Twitter basics,” and watched him do magic. He took my basics and even before leaving the Island he was connecting with tech and entrepreneur leaders. Over the next couple of days I watched as he kept learning and doing. He did a stellar job reporting at Interzone. And an outstanding job of connecting to more tech and entrepreneur leaders. Inspiring. To watch Matt take Twitter from 0-60. Making Twitter work, fueled by his smarts, and by his desire to make shift happen for Anotiv Team.

Let’s make this shift happen!

Recent SD71 cuts and the decline of the $CAN mean it’ll be challenging for Anotiv Team to represent the Comox Valley at Global Finals. Challenging, but not impossible. Just another problem to solve. I’m inviting you to help make that happen. Here’s how.

On the #WeAreYQQ Project side, I’ve had Matthew pitch at our recent events. We’ve got a mini fundraiser as part of the upcoming April 29 Show & Tell at The White Whale with local (imported from Jersey) talent Tom Keenoy. On May 2 Matthew and Anotiv Team are going “on deck” at our BizOnDeck workshop. They’ll be pitching the app, but primarily their bid to represent this region and Canada at Global Finals. At the same time, the #WeAreYQQ Project is collecting funds at every workshop or event we host. See weareyqq.ca/events.

You can help Anotiv Team represent the Comox Valley directly by going to their fundraising site at FundTeamAnotivYQQ.ca. You can also donate items for their silent auction. Contact them on Twitter @Anotiv and @mattBlackDesign.

Recap: grow the future, invest in talent

I often talk about talent being the future of our economy here in the Comox Valley. Anotiv Team is what I’m talking about. This hard-working DI crew wants to show off the Comox Valley, represent Canada, and compete for gold at the Global Competition. Every bit of sharing, contributing, donating is an investment in their success. It’s also an investment in the future of our Comox Valley talent economy. 

Let’s make this shift happen folks! (hint: donate here)

by hpm, with files from Anotiv Team
@hanspetermeyer on Twitter

ps. During our April-May #WeAreYQQ Champion subscriber drive we’ll be putting 50% of your first month’s contributions towards the Anotiv Team bid to represent Canada and the Comox Valley at Global Finals. Join us as a Champion or Ambassador and you’ll also be helping get these young talents onto the global stage!

Innovations in campfire cookery: the Fireside Fork

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Who knew that hot dog sticks needed improving? Innovations are often very simple solutions to problems we didn’t know we had.

Randy Brouwer wanted to improve a simple camping experience. His product will become a staple in every camper’s kit. The experience: roasting food over an open fire. The innovation: the Fireside Fork.

What is it?

The design is simple. Three aluminum rods that screw together easily. A fixed wooden handle at one end. An innovative sliding wooden handle in the middle. Your choice of wide or narrow fork at the other end.

The Fireside Fork sells separately, or as a package of two in a zippered case (it’ll fit in your glove box). Additional attachments – a roasting basket for meat, seafood and vegetables, and a popcorn maker – are coming on stream later in 2016. Another add-on turns the Fireside Fork into a portable rotisserie.

Inspiration

The Fireside Fork was born in late 2013 as Brouwer tinkered with a gift idea. Success with friends and family inspired him to get serious about design and production. Since then, “it’s taken off widely!” A Kickstarter campaign (launching March 15) will get Fireside Forks into the hands of campers and picnickers lovers all over North America. Several large retail outlets are planning to carry the Fireside Forks by mid-2016.

Where to buy?

Fireside Forks are available in a number of Comox Valley retail outlets. They’re also available directly from the Imagine Camping website: imaginecamping.com.

Challenges

The work of bringing a product like the Fireside Forks to market is daunting. “There’s a lot to learn!” He says the #WeAreYQQ business development workshops have been instrumental in helping him overcome some of the hurdles facing his business.

Is a camping innovation important? It could be. The economic future of our community depends on people like Randy Brouwer. People who have the gumption to take small ideas and grow them BIGger.

Imagine Camping online

Website: imaginecamping.com
Instagram: instagram.com/imaginecamping
Twitter: @imaginecamping
Tag: #firesidefork

Businesses helping businesses, growing an entrepreneurial community

 

The #WeAreYQQ Project is all about inspiring and supporting entrepreneurs like Randy. The #WeAreYQQ Project is a for profit, grassroots initiative. Why “for profit?” Because we don’t rely on government (taxpayer) dollars, and we don’t need foundation support. And, staying “for profit” means we can be entrepreneurial – lean, agile, responsive to what we see as the needs of our entrepreneur community.

While we don’t need taxpayer or charitable support, we do need the support of businesses. Specifically, businesses that are interested in making shift happen in our regional economy. Thanks to Solution Sponsors like the Comox Valley Record, Finneron Hyundai, hanspetermeyer.ca, Mastermynde Strategy, and Sure Copy Courtenay, Community Partners like Atlas Cafe, Hansen & Hansen Painting, Island Word, My Tech Guys, Ron Pogue Photography, and McKinnon Photography, as well as a host of individual Champions and Ambassadors.

Got a business idea you want to grow?

Apply now to put it on deck with the #WeAreYQQ Project! FMI see https://liftstartup.wpengine.com/networkingonsteroids/

hpm
March 16, 2016
@hanspetermeyer on Twitter

 

Rob Kelly’s #WeAreYQQ Report on Tech & Media: Spring 2016

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This is my first report on the Comox Valley’s tech and media sector for the #WeAreYQQ Project. Three to four times a year I will be reporting on how local tech and media individuals and companies are succeeding and winning. Reports will be posted to this blog, and to local print publications whenever possible. If you’ve got news, please Tweet me @robkelly63.

Congratulations to Brent Craven at Craven Studios. Brent is a video creative who recently worked as director of photography and editor on Our Voices, Our Stories documentary, about the former St. Michael’s Residential School in Alert Bay. The film recently won best short form documentary at the American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco.

 

Brent is now editing Wine Guys, a six-part TV series coming out in 2016. You can see Brent’s video on former Comox Valley Record columnist Ralph Shaw at

 

Sarah Clark’s Future Perfect is a short form animated film company focusing on commercial clients. She recently completed a project for tech start-up Appreciado, the first project she’s done that almost exclusively uses hand drawn animation. Follow Sarah on Twitter @futureperfectTV.

Here’s what Future Perfect did for Vancouver advertising and design firm, St. Bernadine Mission: 

 

Audio Xcellence is a DJ service that’s recently added a 20-foot indoors/outdoors screen to the existing 1,600 watt sound system, giving Audio Xcellence the ability to deliver “big picture, big sound”. Owner Russell Ball says that their special Halloween screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Courtenay Legion raised funds for the Care-A-Van homeless project.

Leif Jason at Mastermynde Strategy provides a wide range of professional expertise in marketing, eCommerce, web strategy, and more. He has recently developed an online calendar of Comox Valley events that’s crowd-sourced, and community-curated. A of the key to the success of this community calendar are curators, people with a passion for specific event sectors (e.g. food, sports, music, business, etc). If you’re interested in being a calendar curator please contact Leif directly via mastermynde.com or Tweet him @mastermynde A draft is posted at weareyqqcommunitycalendar.ca (see the dropdown menu at “Categories” for all listings). One of Leif’s passions is seeing community organizations using online resources effectively. For example, he’s been working with the Rotary Club of Comox to help merge multiple websites and use social media more consistently.

As for yours truly, Rob Kelly at Modern Rocket Media in Comox, I’m a corporate video writer, producer, and director. I’ve recently produced a fundraising video for the Richmond Hospital Foundation, telling the story of a long-time doctor in the community and the changes he’s seen in health needs over the years. I’ve also produced a short-form historical documentary for the Labour Heritage Centre of BC about the tragic history of asbestos and its impact on BC workers. Here’s a short I made for WorkSafeBC:

I’m currently working on a video series about dairy farm safety for new and young workers, shooting some of the footage locally – at Viewfield Farm in Courtenay.

Got tech or media news? Let’s get it in front of people. Send me a Tweet @robkelly63. Or email me at rob <at> modern-rocket <dot> com.

by Rob Kelly
on Twitter @robkelly63