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W e d n e s d a y, J u ly 3 0 , 2 0 1 4 ED M O N T O N J O U R NAL e d m o n t o n j o u r n a l . c o m
CAPITAL IDEAS capitalid easedmonton .com
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 5 3 0 ; h e l l o @c a p i t a l i d e a s e d m o n t o n . c o m
CAPITAL QUESTION:
UPCOMING:
What was the tipping point to start your own business? Entrepreneurs share what convinced them to make the leap Justin Archer of Berlin Ad/PR (brln.ca) says a trip to New York City made him realize that there was nothing to be afraid of. “Even if I started my business in Edmonton and it didn’t work, that would be OK. I would be OK... I just made my mind up right there that I’d come home and quit my job, so I did.”
PHOTO BY DYLAN THOMPSON/
AUG
Are you ready for entrepreneurship?
AUG
TEC Edmonton Venture Angels Bootcamp
07 16-17
A workshop on the life of an entrepreneur When: 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Where: AWE Edmonton Office (#308, 10310 Jasper Ave.) Admission: $29 to $39. Learn more at awebusiness.com
Introduction for startups to investment and the investment community Where: TEC Edmonton (4th floor, 10230 Jasper Ave.) Admission: $600 per company. Learn more at tecedmonton.com
AUG
Network and Learn
SEPT
E-Town
19
11-12
The Business Link’s monthly mixer When: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Where: The Business Link (10160 103rd St.) Admission: Free. Details at canadabusiness.ab.ca
A festival for the entrepreneurially minded Where: Shaw Conference Centre (9797Jasper Ave.) Admission: $49 to $399. Details at e-town.ca.
Have an event that Capital Ideas should know about? Contact us at hello@capitalideasedmonton.com
CAPITAL IDEAS
“I had a dream job as the marketing and fashion director for a national women’s wear retailer. The marketing department kept shrinking and I could see the writing on the wall. When my position was eliminated, I decided to create my own future where I could put my skills and talents to work.” — Joanne Blake, founder of Style for Success, Business Image and Etiquette Training — styleforsuccess.com
“I wanted to solve the problem of client/ designer miscommunication. Communication is a critical factor to the success of any project, and it seemed that most design companies were complacent with the status quo. Clients on the other hand weren’t, so that drove me to start my own business and create new answers.” — Raoul Mendoza, creative director of Nice Work Branding & Graphic Design — wedonicework.com
“I completed an MBA from the University of Alberta, which certainly fanned an entrepreneurial spark. But the real tipping point to starting my business was when I got a signed contract in my hands from my first client. I knew there were other companies that needed the same service and a week later, my company was formed.” — Chris Vilcsak, president of Solution 105 — solution105.com
“I was ambitious and wanted to be the boss.” — Dorothy Briggs, owner of Womanition Magazine — womanition.com
“Anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit has probably had hundreds of business ideas. The tipping point for one comes when you just can’t get it out of your head. Details, people and circumstances seem to all come together and you can actually form your idea into a business plan. When you find more reasons to start the business than excuses not to, it’s time to take action.” — Erin Mooney, co-founder of Made Urban — madeurban.com
“I’d love to say it stemmed from market research and deep forethought, but it was actually a reaction to a terrible job I was miserable in. My husband, who is also self-employed, encouraged me to go out on my own because he knew it would make me happy. That was 10 years ago and neither of us has looked back since.” — Marliss Weber, corporate storyteller at Parodos Communications Inc. — parodos.ca
“I started my own business because I wanted a flexible lifestyle. I wanted to grow and stay engaged in the field of graphic design, but most importantly, I never wanted to regret not taking the risk. When I realized my fear of regret was a lot stronger than my fear of failure, I had to make the leap.” — Amie Chaotakoongite, co-owner and creative designer of Avenir Creative — avenircreative.ca “I was already editing papers for my classmates during graduate school. When it became harder to find teaching positions at post-secondary institutions, my colleagues and family suggested starting an editing business; not just for students, but for professionals in any field requiring readable and error-free documents.” — Cindy Chopoidalo, founder of Expert Editing and Proofreading — expertedit.ca “Community involvement is important to me, but not all organizations share this belief. I found it a challenge working for an organization that didn’t give back, so I created a means for me to do so on my own. More so, I get to choose which causes to support, so it’s so much more meaningful to me.” — Natalie Harper, managing director at Harper PR — harperpr.com “I had enough when I was let go from my job in the winter of last year. I was tired of job hunting. I always wanted to be my own boss and I was lucky to discover a business course from Microbusiness training center in Edmonton. That was the turning moment in my life when I become self-employed.” — Yuliya Kulakovska, founder of EPIC Experiences “As an employee of my last organization, I didn’t feel that I had the opportunity to truly make a difference. The drive to start my own business started in 2005, one year before the launch of my business. It was the desire to do and become more, along with the unwavering belief that I could become an entrepreneur and business owner.” — Mike Mack, CEO of X5 Management — x5management.com
“I discussed the need for a pediatric sleep consultant with nurses, doctors and moms. Many had never heard of such a job but dearly wished that they had one when their children were little. It was a big investment for our family, but we knew firsthand what exhaustion does to kids, parents and marriages. My goals were to help families and have the flexibility to work around my family’s schedule.” — Heather Plante, owner of Soothing Angels — soothingangels.ca “The tipping point for me was looking at the education I had and my potential to help people. A traditional job meant helping people within one company, but going out on my own created potential to work with virtually everyone. Now I can be anywhere in the world while I work from my mobile office and it’s amazing! — Pam Robertson, chief instigator at The Ladybird Files — ladybirdfiles.com “For me it was realizing... that focusing on what I loved would make me feel happy and fulfilled. As they say, do what you love and you will never work a day in your life.” — Tracy Scanks, executive director at Pro Conference Advantage — proconadvantage.com “There is a point where you want to make the things you talk and dream about reality. You realize that life is impermanent and you never want to look back and say ‘I should have.’ You turn that into ‘I will,’ then you leap and hold on tight for the wild ride.” — Trina Shipanoff, general manager of Night Market Edmonton — nightmarketedmonton.com “Lack of opportunity was the catalyst to starting my own business. As a recent university graduate, I applied to multiple jobs but wasn’t receiving the responses I wanted. So I decided to make my own path.” — Sunny Sooch, co-founder of Nimbus Creative — nimbuscreative.ca
These answers are in response to a question posed by Wellington Holbrook, executive vice-president of ATB Business. Here’s his take: “Most entrepreneurs I have met over the years can usually be broken into two camps: Firstly, there are those that start their business because they are incredibly passionate about their idea or business concept. The other camp typically starts their business because it was necessary due to other factors, like they lost their job. Whatever the case, I have seen entrepreneurs build brilliant businesses regardless of what caused the tipping point. It almost always comes down to tenacity and passion. When entrepreneurs have that, they can do almost anything.”
“It was the excitement and accomplishment of building something that was made entirely from my hard work and determination. It’s very fulfilling to see your dream become a reality. It still motivates me to continue pushing my business to the next level.” — Lauren Willms, owner of Modern Sole — modernsole.ca
COMMUNITY QUESTION: How can you advertise your business affordably? Capital Ideas member Elaine Parker — CEO of Analysis360 (analysis360.ca) — is asking you to weigh-in on this: How can you advertise your business affordably? You can answer the question in two ways: • If you’re a member, open today’s Capital Ideas email, or • Visit capitalideasedmonton.com We’ll publish the best answers, along with your business name and website address, on Aug. 6.
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