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W e d n e s d a y, O c t o b e r 2 9, 2 0 1 4 ED M O NT O N J O U RNA L e d m o n t o n j o u r n a l . c o m
CAPITAL IDEAS c apital id e a se dm o nto n .c o m
P R O J E C T L E A D E R : K A R E N U N L A N D , 7 8 0 - 4 2 9 - 5 2 6 0; k a r e n @ c a p i t a l i d e a s e d m o n t o n . c o m
COMMUNITY QUESTION:
UPCOMING:
What have you done to put your business in a position to grow?
05
Business owners share their strategies for success
NOV
NOV
06
CAPITAL IDEAS Jennifer Bergman, president of Jennifer Bergman Weddings (jenniferbergmanweddings. com), says it’s all about getting organized and thinking big. “I have created standardized processes for some areas of the business that don’t require much customization. This has enabled me to hire associates to handle some of our contracts, allowing us to take on more volume without compromising service quality.” PHOTO SUPPLIED BY JENNIFER BERGMAN
“We’ve set our internal BHAG (big hairy audacious goal), which in turn guides the strategies and tactics needed to reach that big goal. In concert with that, we’ve written down processes, job descriptions, roles and responsibilities, and measurable performance indicators. These elements provide the structure and foundation for responsible growth.” — Jeff Archibald, principal at Paper Leaf — paper-leaf.com “We’ve been completing a gap analysis, or what we don’t currently have in our business that we would have if we were already at our goal. That includes systems, people and technology — the works. We’ve also agreed that there are no sacred cows; everything is up for review. We’re committed to looking honestly at the habits we’ve become cosy with, and are willing to reinvent how we do things in order to get to achieve our objective.” — Angela Armstrong, president of Prime Capital Group — pcclease.com “I have built a business plan that includes licensing my intellectual property to attract women in other communities to become Fabulous@50 community directors. My intention from the start was always to empower, educate and inspire other women, and I am proud to say that is happening.” — Dianna Bowes, founder of Fabulous@50 — fabulousat50.com “I think everyone would agree recruiting top talent is key. We have focused on, and have been successful at, recruiting a world-class team and individuals who are not only strong leaders, but also strong builders. Some people may think these tasks are beneath them, but our team never hesitates to jump in and do whatever it takes to succeed!” — Scott Cuthbert, CEO of DXI Solutions — dxisolutions.com “I have learned to say no. By saying no to certain jobs, I have left room to say yes to events that grow my business.” — Deanne Ferguson, owner of Box Social Event Planning — boxsocialep.com “Juggling multiple work and family responsibilities meant that my growth strategy had to start with baby steps, the first of which was to build partnerships. My criteria for selecting a partner were simple: I needed to like and trust them. As a result of many coffees, I have built a pool of resources that I partner with on an as-needed basis. This strategy has helped me grow the business slowly, while keeping me happy.” — Elizabeth Hanlis, president of eHanlis Inc. — ehanlis.com “I use the three-legged stool approach: One leg is sales, one leg is service, and one leg is accounting. If all three are strong, your business will succeed. So build your team — if you choose the right people, if they have the right ethics and attitude and if your product is strong, you will succeed.” — Alan Henry, vice-president of sales at View Office Technology — viewofficetech.com “Our growth over the last 10 years has been substantial — we experienced a $500,000 increase in our operational budget in the last year alone. Each program was developed based on identifying and understanding the gaps within the current system; by keeping our eyes on the pulse of the community, we will continue to fill the gaps, grow and enrich the lives of people with disabilities.” — Michelle Hordal, founder and executive director of AdaptAbilities — adaptabilities.ca
NOV
26-27
NOV
28-30
St. Albert Business Start-up Seminar Series A four-part weekly seminar series on starting a business in St. Albert. Where: NABI (200 Carnegie Dr.) When: 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Admission: $175. Details at nabi.ca
2014 BAA Annual Dinner A University of Alberta business alumni networking event, featuring “Queen of the Startups” Bindi Karia Where: Winspear Centre (4 Sir Winston Churchill Sq.) When: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Admission: $125. Details at business.ualberta.ca/alumni
2014 Productivity Summit: It Begins at Why Information and inspiration to help organizations continue building on productivity Where: Northlands Expo Centre (7515 118th Ave.) When: 5 p.m. Wednesday to 5:30 p.m. Thursday Admission: $350. Details at productivityalberta.ca
Shock and Awe: Speech and Short Presentation Intensive A 16-hour course by Lauren Sergy to craft, hone and rehearse your speech or short presentation Where: Stanley A. Milner Library (7 Sir Winston Churchill Sq.) When: 6 p.m. Friday to 5 p.m. Sunday Admission: $347. Details at laurensergy.com/workwithme/workshops
“When it’s time to grow, I use a brilliant little formula for myself and my clients called EDA: Eliminate, delegate, automate. Here’s the mantra: Never automate something that can be eliminated, and never delegate something that can be automated or streamlined. Following this Have an event that Capital Ideas should know about? Contact us at hello@capitalideasedmonton.com formula trims the fat and ensures you are lean and positioned to grow without friction.” — Mitch Miller, president of Opposed Media — “Advertising can be so expensive and you can opposedmedia.com never really be sure of the return, so this year, I made the decision to get outside of my business “After purchasing a business 17 months ago, and start marketing where I can. I have joined a I realized that successful customer relations few business groups, and started delivering flyers include a reinforced customer contact and postcards to local businesses and taken theirs program. We find a reason to follow up with our — it’s co-op advertising. Getting outside my four customers… Making a strong impression and walls has really helped in just introducing myself reinforcing it is critical to our success!” and talking to people about what I do.” — Kim Olthof, owner and partner at — Janet Sochatsky, owner of Trendz Optical — Commercial Linen Services — comlinen.com trendzoptical.ca “I founded MaKami College in 2001 and … every year since its conception, it has doubled in size. We have focused on hiring people that are overqualified for their current positions, because as a growing company, we have the ability to offer significant career growth within our organization … The second thing we’ve done is to sell the vision behind what we do and why we do it to our team and our clientele, inspiring them to grow that vision alongside us. Finally, we have been creative and lean with expenses to ensure financial responsibility and stability.” — Marija Pavkovic Tovissi, founder and CEO of MaKami College — makamicollege.com “Having the self-discipline to grow slowly is important to us, as we worked hard to gain a reputation for high-quality service delivery. We often have a waiting list for new clients to get on our schedule, but a little patience is critical to ensure the people we add to our team are elite and providing five-star service.” — Katie Pearse, co-owner of Green Clean Squad Organic Cleaning Co. — greencleansquad.ca “Sometimes positioning your business for growth means seeking the right outside expertise. To grow my business, I found a business coach with expert knowledge and experience in my specialty. By engaging her services, I was given practical tactics, strategies, roadmaps and much-needed support and accountability. My coach’s services have been invaluable, and I recommend this route to any business person who needs help reaching the next level.” — Lauren Sergy, founder of Up Front Communication — laurensergy.com “Being realistic on what your business can do and achieve is very important to its health and longevity. We recognize that being a new and unknown vodka brand, we will have certain challenges breaking into the market. For that reason, we have found strategic partners to help introduce High Stick Vodka into new markets. Established agents who already have know-how and relationships with government boards will have a much easier time getting our product listed and in front of consumers, letting us grow faster and more efficiently than we could ourselves.” — Illarion Shulakewych, founder of High Stick Vodka — highstickvodka.com These answers were in response to a question posed by Tracey Scarlett, CEO of Alberta Women Entrepreneurs (awebusiness.com). Alberta Women Entrepreneurs is seeking nominations for its annual Celebration of Achievement award. Nominate yourself or a female entrepreneur you admire at awebusiness.com/nomination-form before Oct. 31.
“Do the dirty work. It’s important to make sure there are no loose ends, and that everything that needs to be completed in order to move forward gets done. I’ve made sure we move forward strategically and cover all of our bases, even if it means the nitty-gritty is left for me.” — Sunny Sooch, co-founder of Nimbus Creative — nimbuscreative.ca “We’ve focused on providing great customer service, continued to make employee satisfaction a priority, developed software systems and tools that make our team and our clients more efficient, maintained a strong financial position, became the best submetering service company in the region, and scanned the horizon to see which direction we should be moving towards.” — Chris Vilcsak, president of Solution 105 — solution105.com
CAPITAL QUESTION: How have you made your company culture attractive? Finding great staff is crucial to any business, but attracting and retaining them can sometimesbeachallenge.That’swhy Wellington Holbrook, executive vice-president of ATB Business, would like to hear from you: How have you made your company culture attractive? You can answer the question in two ways: • Open today’s Capital Ideas email if you’re a member, or • Visit capitalideasedmonton.com We’ll publish the best answers, along with your business name and website address, on Nov. 5. To learn more about small- to medium-sized businesses in Alberta, visit atb. com/businessbeat.
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