What do you want to learn? by Capital Ideas Calgary

Thursday, September 4, 2014

business

calgaryherald.com

CAPITAL IDEAS CAPITAL QUESTION:

UPCOMING:

What do you want to learn? Entrepreneurs reflect on which business skills they would like to develop

Mobile Monday Startup Calgary

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Art of Leadership conference

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08 10

Innovate Calgary’s tech sector event that showcases some of the city’s most innovative, earlystage technology companies When: 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Where: Alastair Ross Technology Centre (3553 31st St. NW) Admission: Free. Details at innovatecalgary.com/events/techshowcase

BizConnections Event

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“Since starting my business, I have come across many entrepreneurs who struggle more than they need to because they failed to make a business plan and think about their business’ strategic mission. If I hadn’t received training on this, I would want to learn more about writing mission and vision statements, along with strategic planning, SWOT analyses [strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats], and how to measure your success to make sure you’re on track.” — Jackie Appleby, owner of Primp & Polish Beauty Boutique — primpandpolish.ca “I’d like to learn online marketing and sales tips.” — Guylaine Gagnon, owner of Zentboutique — zentboutique.com “[I want to learn] how to effectively work from home or from alternative, affordable workspaces.” — Jameela Ghaan, founder and manager of EJ WIPS Design and Alora Boutique — alora.ca “I would like to learn how to put together an effective mentoring program that serves mentors and mentees, while transferring vast amounts of knowledge capital to the mentees. I believe the oil and gas industry will need this knowledge transfer over the next 10 years, and I would love to be leading edge on this initiative.” — Carmen Goss, president of Prominent Personnel — prominent-personnel.ca “I want to learn to be the best that I can be when it comes to customer service and providing a top-quality product. Good customer service is the mainstay of any business; you want to bring your customers back for repeat business, and have them refer your business to their friends. I want to learn and grow with new opportunities and designing new products [to identify] what works, what doesn’t, and keeping a close eye on designs that are popular right now.” — Valery Klassen, owner and designer of Sun 7 Designs — sun7designs.com “I want to learn how to ask for business without feeling bad for asking.” — Barbara May, founder of Stumbling Blocks at Work — stumbling-blocks.com

These answers were collected from Capital Ideas members. For your weekly opportunity to share your business advice the way these members have, join us at capitalideascalgary.com.

“Entrepreneurship is a like a crash-course in personal development. You must master your craft, your mindset, your marketing and your money management. For me, I want to keep becoming the best coach, communications specialist and business strategist I can be. I want to continuing learning how to leverage my time so that every minute I spend on my business inspires more people ... I want to continue being a student of what I teach — how to create happy, healthy money flow — so that success works in harmony with my health, relationships and personal happiness.” — Paula Onysko, founder and success coach at Paula Onysko Coaching & Consulting — paulaonysko.com “I’m always worried I’m falling behind or missing something new in social media. I try to keep my eyes and ears open, and my young adult daughters often help by showing me the latest and greatest. All the new apps and startups are also of interest to me, and I’m always wanting to learn more [about them].” — Michelle Phaneuf, conflict manager at REA-Reaching Enduring Agreements — REAagreements.com “Entrepreneurs have to wear many hats. I’m not a trained salesperson, but sales in some shape or form is an intrinsic part of being an entrepreneur. I would love a short overview of the easiest learned, most effective sales tips to help increase my client base.” — Gena Salzmann, managing director at Multi-tech Staffing — multi-techstaffing.com “Where business owners can find strategic business partners and angel investors. As a growing business, we would prefer to work with other talented, knowledgeable and invested individuals rather than a bank. But other than Dragon’s Den, where can we find such individuals?” — Richelle Skrilec, founder and CEO of ShopandShare.ca “We constantly hear how important it is to generate traffic through our website and how to establish that all-important mailing list within the recently introduced anti-spam legislation. But all that website jargon ... can be overwhelming, and I know other service and care providers who feel the same way. Wouldn’t it be lovely to have someone give us the lowdown in clear, practical steps, no jargon, and show us how to get the job done? Yes please!” — Sam Tattersall, owner of Mamaita’s Journey — mamaitasjourney.com “If you are an entrepreneur in the tech space, you need to learn to write some code, read a spreadsheet and speak a second language — all three are essentials in the global marketplace we play in. Humility is a good thing to learn, as well.” — Scott Valentine, president of Vivametrica — vivametrica.com

Network with twenty of Calgary’s finest business owners When: 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Where: Venue 1008 (1008 14th St. SE) Admission: $25 (includes breakfast). Details at bnivibe.eventbrite.ca

TechShowcase 2014

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Photo supplied by: Wayne Weskin

Connect with over 1,800 of Calgary’s most notable professionals When: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Where: TELUS Convention Center, north building (120 9th Ave. SE) Admission: $499 to $899. Details at theartof.com

BNI Vibe Breakfast Networking

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Wayne Weskin, CEO of Premium Bookkeeping Services (premiumbooks.ca), says that for him, it’s all about ongoing growth. “We aim to learn anything that can improve the holistic approach we take with our clients. Continuous improvement benefits our company greatly, but more importantly, it allows us to take new and ongoing knowledge to the businesses we work with.”

A chance for those in the mobile ecosystem to connect, learn and share with each other When: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Where: Cardel Theatre (180 Quarry Park Blvd. SE) Admission: Free. Details at startupcalgary.ca/programs/mobile-monday

Meet, mingle and network with fellow entrepreneurs and professionals, hosted by The Business Link When: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Where: MNP LLP 13th Floor, MNP training room (640 5th Ave SW) Admission: Free. Details at meetup.com/the-business-link-calgary/events

Are you ready for entrepreneurship?

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An interactive workshop from Alberta Women Entrepreneurs on the entrepreneurial life. When: 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Where: The Parlour Room at The Commons (#150, 1900 11th St. SE) Admission $29 to $39. Details at awebusiness.com

Startup Grind from Startup Calgary

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A global startup community designed to educate, inspire and connect entrepreneurs When: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Where: Assembly, 4th Floor (119 14th St. NW) Admission: Free. Details at startupcalgary.ca/calendar

Have an event that Capital Ideas should know about? Contact us at hello@capitalideascalgary.com.

NEXT QUESTION: How do you make your business grow? Being an entrepreneur means constantly thinking outside the box and finding new ways to move the needle forward, which is why we want to hear from you. How do you make your business grow? Visit capitalideascalgary.com to respond to the question — we’ll publish the best answers, along with your name and the name of your business, in the Calgary Herald.

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