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CAPITAL IDEAS UPCOMING APR. 16: LEADERSHIP SERIES — I C O N S O F A L B E R TA A full-day event dedicated to building the leadership capacity of female business owners ■ Where: Hotel Arts (119 12th Ave. SW) ■ When: 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. ■ Admission: $200 to $300. Register at
CA LG A RY H E R A L D
FINANCIAL POST
COMMUNITY QUESTION
HOW HAS LIFELONG LEARNING OR DIGITAL LITERACY HELPED YOUR BUSINESS GROW? Entrepreneurs discuss how investing in themselves has paid off “You can not put a price tag on experience. I have taken classes to better my personal development, but there is no classroom scenario that prepares you for the situations that arise daily in the business world. I learn something new each and every day that I can apply to our business development and growth.”
aweinspiringentrepreneurs.com
APR. 16: CELEBRATION OF ACHIEVEMENT Alberta Women Entrepreneurs pays tribute to an exceptional entrepreneur who has achieved recognizable success ■ Where: Hotel Arts (119 12th Ave. SW) ■ When: 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. ■ Admission: $135 to $200. Register at
Lois Jones, CEO of Here’s the Scoop, heresthescoop.com
“When I first started working online 14 years ago, there were no fancy templates and themes for websites, so I had to learn how to code websites in HTML. I’m so thankful to have that knowledge now. … Digital literacy is important for every business, because now we are all connected globally. Every business, no matter how small, has the opportunity to compete in this global marketplace if they have the right skills.” Debbie Peck, director of Fun at Crush Marketing Group, crushmarketinggroup.com
aweinspiringentrepreneurs.com
“Technology has come a long way since smartphones were introduced, and digital advertising has taken the consumer and business world by storm. Businesses need to be able to monetize and scale which advertising streams bring in customers, and which are just burning through cash flow. … I quickly realized that I was part of a growing industry capable of offering services remotely worldwide, so I expanded my services to reach a larger clientele. This expansion created the opportunity to hire experts to help grow Kukoon Media from a freelance business to a boutique advertising agency offering services to an international market.”
For more great events, visit capitalideascalgary.com/ calgaryevents.
C A P I TA L QUESTION
What have you done to build brand awareness?
Romaicia Naser, founder and creative director of Kukoon Media, kukoonmedia.com
“Without lifelong learning, you and your business will become stagnant. The deadly words that no one should utter in a business — ‘Because that is the way we’ve always done it’ — come from people who don’t learn to adapt to what the world and their customers want. Be a student of people, of your industry and of the digital world around you, and don’t stop asking questions.” John Kittell, president of Cheque Print, chequeprint.ca
Getting the word out about your business is key, which is why Wellington Holbrook, executive vice-president of ATB Business, is curious to hear from you: What have you done to build brand awareness? 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 Jan. 29. For more great information on what business owners in Alberta think, visit atb.com/businessbeat
Sheri Bruneau, owner and principal of Get It Together (gityyc.com), says that she’s always considered herself a lifelong learner, and has completed many certification programs to further her career. “All of this learning has helped me become someone who can truly help individuals and families in their homes… I constantly look for learning opportunities to continue and grow my business in this direction.” PH OTO S U PPLI E D BY : S H E R I B RU NE AU
“Lifelong learning has allowed us to continue to take on our clients’ growth challenges and support them with tools, processes and ideas that keep them growing and evolving. When we learn from other experts during our annual leadership seminars and team development workshops, we can share with our clients what they need, when they need it… Lifelong learning allows us to keep up with our clients and continue to invite others into a learning mindset, which is always a recipe for success.” Bliss Aime, executive coach at Blu Era, bluera.ca
“Lifelong learning was the impetus for a 180-degree change in my career and business. Shifting from an engineering consulting company to a conflict resolution consulting company came after undertaking a substantial learning curve. Growing my business now always involves new learning that I can share with my clients in the areas of negotiation, managing change, engaging employees and building working relationships.” Michelle Phaneuf, Alberta co-director of Workplace Fairness, workplacefairness.ca/wfi_alberta.html
Business owners helping business owners
“Lifelong learning has been a huge asset in helping me grow my business, from helping to understand the new advertising trends with social media marketing and how to use applications, to learning about taxation, business structure, sales processes and people skills. There is nothing you can’t learn to do when it comes to staying ahead of the game!” Jackie Appleby, owner of Diligent Assistant, jackieappleby.ca
“Business is always in a state of flux. There will always be new processes, new ideas and new theories coming down the track. I am committed to being in the top one per cent of my industry, which means I must be a fully committed student to learning. I have made a commitment to read at least 52 books this year, and only two weeks in, I have already completed five. Whether it’s online learning or bookin-hand, I am better able to serve my market when I am growing my knowledge and skills.” Natalie Blais, founder of Natalie Blais Consulting Inc., natalieblais.com
“As a business owner with a limited budget, I have had to wear many hats and accomplish a wide variety of tasks myself, such as bookkeeping, simple website programming, IT, sales, marketing, etc. Continually learning new skills throughout my life has helped me grow the business when funds weren’t available to hire out specific duties. And thanks to the new skills I’ve learned along the way, I’ve gained the confidence to know when it’s best to hire an expert and how to find the right person for the job.” Richelle Skrilec, founder and CEO of shopandshare.ca
“Being a lifelong learner keeps me striving to provide better services for clients and to stay connected to what’s going on in my industry and other industries. It also keeps me striving to be the best I can be, which helps my business grow.”
Shannon Gordon, owner of Zone One Wellness, zoneonewellness.com
These answers were in response to a question posed by The HTML500, Canada’s largest learn-to-code event, happening in Calgary on Jan. 31. Sign up for the free event at
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We’re looking forward to hearing from Julia Cordray of Career Fox, Karina Birch of Rocky
S I G N U P AT :
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capitalideascalgary.com
Fiasco Gelato on Jan. 28 for our first official Capital Ideas Calgary event. The event — How do you build a killer brand? — is nearly sold out, but you can join the waiting list at capitalideas2.eventbrite.com. Special thanks to Calgary Economic Development for the venue, and to ATB Business for making it all possible.