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CAPITAL IDEAS UPCOMING EVENTS JANUARY 12: ARE YOU READY FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP? A workshop that will introduce you to life as a entrepreneur. ■ Where: District Ventures (2540 Kensington Road N.W.) ■ When: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. ■ Admission: $39. More info at awebusiness.com
FINANCIAL POST
CA LG A RY H E R A L D
COMMUNITY QUESTION
WHAT BENEFITS ARE THERE TO LOCAL SOURCING AND PROCUREMENT? Entrepreneurs share their thoughts on keeping things local “We’ve found the benefits of sourcing local to be numerous. To begin with, it allows us to be more agile with production. For instance, if we require materials for an order we just hit up one of our local suppliers. With no waiting for stuff to arrive, we can go from receiving an order to production almost immediately. Secondly, we have developed some really great relationships with our suppliers from the face to face interaction of actually visiting their facilities to get our supplies. We also understand that money spent locally is more likely to stay local, which benefits all Calgarians. It’s not always possible to get what we need nearby, but everything we can get locally we do get locally.”
JANUARY 19: FAST GROWTH CHAMPIONS Three entrepreneurs from three different industries will take the stage to share their powerful leadership stories. ■ Where: National on 8th (225 8th Avenue S.W.) ■ When: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. ■ Admission: Non-members: $30, Members: $20. More info at calgarychamber.com
Jeffrey Cockram, founder of Horace & Jasper Fine Accessories, twitter.com/ horacenjasper
“A virtuous cycle of local owners buying local. Locallyowned businesses are more likely to purchase locally. Money stays circulating in the local economy instead of leaving. Goods travel less distance, meaning less carbon, food is fresher with more nutrients remaining. Local owners are here to see the effect of their business decisions on community and the environment (and it shows). You can see for yourself or take a visit to explore the working conditions, living conditions, or quality and source.”
For more great events, visit capitalideascalgary.com/ calgaryevents.
C A P I TA L QUESTION
What’s your best customer service lesson or tip?
Courtney Hare, public policy manager at Momentum, momentum.org
Sharlene Massie, CEO of About Staffing (aboutstaffing.com), says it’s who you know, not what you know: “We have all heard that Calgary is a small big city and, when we need something, pick up the phone and just ask. When times are tight, a local supplier understands the need to communicate, negotiate and refer. When dollars are flowing, the Calgary community is generous to others. We need each other, we understand our own issues, and we know someone in another province or country just doesn’t get our daily struggles. Stick together, hire local, refer local, shop local, together we have power and connections.” P H O TO S U P P L I E D BY : S HA RL E N E M AS S I E
“When you source locally you get better customer service and better cost savings! We supply our handmade jewelry to stores across Canada, but our Calgary customers get certain perks. Speaking from a supplier perspective, our local customers experience cost savings like free shipping and are also able to get customized products. Not only that, but during a busy season like Christmas, our local retailers are able to get same day or next day delivery on popular items. We build great relationships with our local customers and I think that is something invaluable for businesses and the community at large.” Jameela Ghann, owner & designer of Alora Boutique, alora.ca
From finding ways to continually engage and delight customers to “firing” bad clients, business owners learn a lot about customer service in just about every industry. That’s got Wellington Holbrook, executive vice-president of ATB Business, curious to hear your advice: What’s your best customer service lesson or tip? You can answer the question in two ways: Open today’s Capital Ideas email if you’re a member or visit capitalideascalgary.com We’ll publish the best answers, along with your business name and website address,on January 7. See you in 2016.
“Keeping our community strong and vibrant economically would be number one in my books. But there are many other benefits to working with others locally. Relationships are huge and what I believe really make a difference with service and commitment. While I love to connect with others online and over the phone, nothing really replaces that face-to-face human contact that truly helps us understand each other’s desires, goals and needs. The world is now considered a global village, but I think our immediate neighbors need to be our first priority. When we are a strong community, we can do so much more together to make an impact on the next community beside us, and so on and so on.” Trina Lo, CMO at FreshInk Communications, freshink.ca
“The biggest benefit to local sourcing and procurement is relationships! You can meet face-to-face and get to know who you’re doing business with. Trust is more easily built and you have a deeper connection than when you outsource. I’ve tried outsourcing and have found communication, time zones and relationships quite difficult. It’s much easier and much more natural to develop connection with people when they’re local because you can meet up with them as need be and really get to know them.” Sara Dasko, CEO at Free Mind Language Services, freemindls.com
These answers are in response to a question posed by Chad Zelensky, creative mastermind at Lowen’s Natural Skincare (lowens.ca). Here’s his take on staying local: “Lowen’s Natural Skincare lives the “buy local” mindset. By being “hyper-local” in utilizing local ingredients, using a local lab for manufacturing, employing Calgary based printers, etc. we get the benefit of multiple, well established businesses promoting our company and products. The most important element of this sourcing strategy is relationships, creating friends who advocate for your business. These people go to bat for you, collaborate to solve problems, create new ideas, offer up introductions to other businesses and ultimately build your business cred where it counts most – your own backyard!” R O U N D U P : R E C E N T P O S T S F R O M C A P I TA L I D E A S M E M B E R S
Business owners helping business owners
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Find the full posts on these members’ LinkedIn profiles or at their website. We’ll curate a selection every Friday in our LinkedIn group, Capital Ideas Alberta. To bring yours to our attention, email it to hello@capitalideascalgary.com or post to LinkedIn with the hashtag #capitalideas.
From “Marketing during a downturn - From one business owner to another” by Ryan Townend, CEO of William Joseph Communications (williamjoseph.com):
“Business owners and managers feel that if they are laying off staff, investing in marketing would be ‘bad optics’. This is the farthest thing from the truth. When under attack and your market share is eroding, now is the time to put up a marketing fight of your life to ensure your company survives.”
From “ 10 Steps to workplace happiness” by Dawn O’Connor, director & productivity ninja at Think Productive (thinkproductive.ca):
“It makes me smile when the happy staff at David’s Tea push a tin under my nose for a whiff of the latest tea flavors – recently it was ‘mulled wine’ and ‘snow day’, part of the Winter Tea Collection. I’m always impressed with the enthusiasm and general joy of these retail workers, and it got me thinking about how more of us can be that happy at work.”
From “Office party coming up? How to create memories, NOT regrets” by Wilma Slenders, founder of Transcend Management Advisors Inc. (transcendmgt.com):
“We’ve all heard the tales about people who’ve made poor decisions at the company party and lived for others to tell the tale! How do you ensure that you don’t become the subject of Monday’s water cooler conversation while still having fun?”
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