LIFT Startups

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Apply now and get 2 free tickets to PitchFest3 + #WeAreYQQ After Party!

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PitchFest3 is our annual showcase of Island startups and fundraiser for our local Startup Canada chapters. After a year of BizOnDeck workshops we invite up to seven entrepreneurs to pitch their business to a panel of three judges. You’re invited to join us for the Island’s only grassroots entrepreneur pitch event. Tickets are available online here – but first, here’s how you can get two tickets for free!

APPLY TODAY TO GET TWO FREE PITCHFEST TICKETS

LIFT won Best in BC for Entrepreneur Promotion at the Startup Canada Awards on May 30, 2018 in Vancouver. Then we launched what we think is the best tool for promoting grassroots entrepreneurs on the Vancouver Island: the Island’s first and only social media powered business directory. Our goal: to connect 1000 of the best community-minded, unique and innovative, local businesses on the Island. We’re inviting you to apply today for up to 60 days of award-winning promotion. Plus, when you get listed (and get LIFTed!) you get two free tickets to PitchFest3 and #WeAreYQQ After Party on September 27, 2018.

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT PITCHFEST3?

5pm Optional “community throwback” fundraiser dinner for our local Startup Canada community. Just show up and order from the “communty throwback” menu and $5 of your meal goes to support Startup Comox Valley.

6:30pm PitchFest3. Show up early to meet some of the region’s most welcoming entrepreneurs – and to get an early start on winning prizes with our #BCBuyLocal #LIFTVIP social media game. Prizes supplied by these LIFT members: Atlas Café, Bosley’s by Pet Valu Courtenay, BodyNetix, Coastal Coworking, Derm Essentials Medi-Spa, Hornby Island Soap & Skincare, Inner Strength Acupuncture and Health, Panther Workwear, Pure Audio Centre Ltd., Sure Copy Courtenay, Toscano’s, My Tech Guys, The Waverley Hotel – and more (add your business to this social media promotion opportunity here).

AGENDA

Opening remarks by MC and LIFT Solution Sponsor Leif Jason of Mastermynde Strategy

Keynote by Keith Ippel, Founder, Spring Activator global startup school

The pitches:

  • Yarrow Willard, Wild Rose College of Natural Healing
  • Kyrle Symons, Prisym Renewable Developments
  • Jessica Dorzinsky, Fully Alive
  • Amie Webster, Motif Music Studios
  • Ryks Davies, Ryks Davies Music
  • Sean Elliot, Tap Bike Solutions

The judges:

  • Sue Finneron, Finneron Hyundai and LIFT Solution Sponsor
  • Adam Speigel, BDC and PitchFest3 Special Event Sponsor
  • Keith Ippel, Spring Activator and PitchFest3 Special Event Sponsor

Entertainments:

  • LIFT VIP DJ Em.Ash & the #WeAreYQQPartyCrew! ???? with dance moves instruction by LIFT VIP Jennifer Walsh ????
  • Signature LIFT social media games with $1000s in prizes

ABOUT OUR PARTIES

Our #WeAreYQQPartyCrew throws the best entrepreneur parties! And that’s important. Business is always better when we’re having fun together.

Thanks to our #WeAreYQQPartyCrew Boss, Leanne Zdebiak-eni of Studio IPF for making our parties special!

SPONSORS

This year’s PitchFest is sponsored by Spring Activator and BDC.

LIFT’s award-winning promotional work on Vancouver Island is made possible by the support of 100s of individual business, as well as a select group of visionary businesses we call call LIFT Solution Sponsors and LIFT Community Partners.

Solution Sponsors

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

Community Partners

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

Apply for your two free PitchFest3 tickets now!

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: Marshall Property Services

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Marshall Property Services offers property maintenance and moving services, including junk removal and deliveries – and more. Owner Spencer Marshall describes his market as people “looking for someone to give [their] property the care it deserves… We enjoy serving our community with a happiness guarantee because that’s what it’s all about. Coming home to a tended home feels amazing!” Spencer put his business “on deck” in Winter of 2018. Find out more about these services at marshallpropertyservices.ca (for reviews, see the Facebook page).

LIFT: What inspired you to start Marshall Property Services?
Spencer: [There’s a need for quality home and property services in the community. I have the skills and the tools to provide the service. I also believe that running my own business is also a way to get the freedom and flexibility I need to be with my family when it counts, while my kids are young.

LIFT: What was your “ask” at your BizOnDeck workshop?
Spencer: How to make odd jobs a full-time business.

LIFT: What were the three biggest takeaways (and subsequent actions) from your BizOnDeck?
Spencer: Get a content-filled website going, offer special packages and discounts, and know my value!

LIFT: What actions have you taken to follow up on these takeaways?
Spencer: The website is up and under construction (see marshallpropertyservices.ca). We’ve been making and sharing more videos and content. And, in a big step towards business sustainability, the feedback we got on what we’re offering gave us the confidence to raise rates for the spring and summer seasons.

LIFT: Has putting your business “on deck” helped grow your business?
Spencer: Yes. It helped me pop a major comfort bubble that was holding me back. With the encouragement of the participants, I now feel a lot less stress, have better time management, and I am finally out of survival mode!

 

Last word

Spencer: Right now we are deep into spring cleaning. That means getting moss of the roofs, skylights clean, roofs blown off, gutters cleared, soffit/siding hand washed, and the sidewalks and driveways pressure washed. We are also offering exterior/interior painting. Marshall Property Services is a one-stop shop to get your property looking cared for!

FMI about LIFT & BizOnDeck

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

Ready to join a dynamic community of entrepreneurs who are hustling the help to grow businesses on Vancouver Island? Be in touch!

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: Blushing Bluebird Essentials and #wearcloth

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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.

https://www.facebook.com/hanspetermeyer.ca/videos/10155589673914220/

 

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.

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