ARE YOU READY?
Expert predictions in five top business sectors
CRISIS COMMUNICATION
Get it right when things go wrong
OUTSOURCING EVERYTHING
IN CONVERSATION with Avery Brohman
Key Trends in HR
HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED SINCE THE PANDEMIC
FEATURES
16
The Buck Starts Here
Avery Brohman of the Victoria Hospitals Foundation on the importance and strength of personal relationships in fundraising.
BY DAVID LENNAM
20
When Things Go Very, Very Wrong
How to manage a crisis, and protect your company’s reputation, when events suddenly turn against you.
BY ROBYN QUINN
24
2025: Are You Ready?
From technology to the “blue economy,” agriculture to tourism and retail, this will be an eventful year of mixed news for Island businesses.
BY FIONA ANDERSON
34 Outsource Everything
Not everything has to be done in house these days. Rather, contracting someone else to manage your bookkeeping or social media can let you focus on what really counts: your core business.
BY CAROLYN CAMILLERI
6 NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
9 IN THE KNOW
Servicing supercars for the stars; company’s plant-based seafood a hit on grocery-store shelves; considering a new conference centre; restaurant industry’s tipping point; Douglas Reads; VIEA’s long-term outlook for Island economy; Ecostar winners.
40 INTEL
40 MIXING BEATS WITH BUSINESS?
Pursuing creative goals should be as much a priority for executives as working out.
BY PIERS HENWOOD
42 FIVE KEY TRENDS IN HR Knowing the new contours of the employment landscape will help employers make better decisions.
BY INGRID VAUGHAN
44 LIFE + STYLE
Raise a glass to Victoria’s best whisky bars; tips for leasing or buying your next company car; presents of mind for office gift givers.
46 DID YOU KNOW
Employers show initiative in attracting and retaining talent
commercial and industrial customers
Upgrading to higher-efficiency equipment may help lower your business’s energy use and help you save on operational costs. And our rebates can help improve your return on investment.
We’ve got rebates for gas heat pumps, heating, ventilation and air conditioning controls, LED lighting, refrigeration, restaurant equipment and more. Improving energy efficiency is one of the ways we’re helping to advance provincial climate action goals.
Energy for a better B.C.
How to Plan in an Uncertain Age
AS 2024 WINDS DOWN and we look ahead to 2025, we know that the only thing for certain right now is uncertainty. So how do you make plans for your business when you don’t know what the next year will bring?
Luckily, the experts Douglas spoke to for our special “lookahead” issue do have some idea of what to expect, and they’ve offered insights to help guide you wherever the road will take you and whatever bumps lie ahead. It’s that knowledge and awareness that will help your business not only survive, but thrive.
For instance, we know that flexible work schedules and remote work are here to stay, and that the demand for worklife balance isn’t going anywhere. And no matter what comes along next, industry leaders suggest developing your skills and expertise, and urge you to clarify expectations, celebrate success, work on your adaptability, reorganize your priorities, plan your financial situation and always, always communicate with your team.
C.P. (Chuck) McNaughton, PFP Senior Wealth Advisor
250.654.3342 charles.mcnaughton@scotiawealth.com themcnaughtongroup.ca
“No matter what comes along next, industry leaders suggest developing your skills and expertise, and urge you to clarify expectations, celebrate success ... and always, always communicate with your team.”
But the most important thing of all is to build and maintain your support network. After all, that is where you will learn about all the factors affecting your industry and how to navigate the unexpected, whether it’s a destructive weather event, a brand-new technology or an election that has created a whole different set of challenges.
So we say: Hope for the best, prepare for the worst and stay connected to your community, business colleagues and clients to continue making Greater Victoria and Vancouver Island a strong and resilient place to do business.
Joanne Sasvari Editor-in-Chief editor@douglasmagazine.com
Life enjoyed your way.
“The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!”
~ Elf, Will Ferrell ...and Happy New Year from all of us at Trillium Communities.
VOLUME 18 NUMBER 6
PUBLISHERS Lise Gyorkos, Georgina Camilleri
EDITOR IN CHIEF Joanne Sasvari
BUSINESS EDITOR Fiona Anderson
ASSISTANT EDITOR Lionel Wild
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Jeffrey Bosdet
LEAD GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kelly Hamilton
ASSOCIATE GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Janice Hildybrant, Caroline Segonnes
ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS Deana Brown, Jennifer Dean Van Tol, Cynthia Hanischuk, Brenda Knapik
ADVERTISING CO-ORDINATOR Rebecca Juetten
MARKETING & EVENTS
CO-ORDINATOR Lauren Ingle
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Carolyn Camilleri, Piers Henwood, David Lennam, Robyn Quinn, Ingrid Vaughan
CONTRIBUTING AGENCIES Getty Images p. 20-21, 35, 37, 39, 45
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The Supercar Station ITK IN THE KNOW
Why celebs like Jay Leno rely on Victoria’s Coachwerks Restoration.
BY FIONA ANDERSON
Jay Leno knows his cars. So when the well-known television host, comedian and car collector asks Victoria-based Coachwerks Restoration to work on one of his fleet, it says a lot.
And right now, Coachwerks is doing some mechanical refurbishment on Leno’s 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing.
The company is recognized as one of the world’s best restorers of Mercedes 300 SL vehicles, which were produced from 1954 to 1964. They are known as the “Gullwing” because they look like a gull in flight when the doors, which swing upward, are open. A complete refurbishment of one of these vintage vehicles usually takes about 18 months and costs about $1 million.
JEFFREY
Jay Leno’s 1955 Gullwing awaits repairs at Coachwerks Restoration.
In January 2024, Coachwerks sold a 300 SL for a worldrecord US$3.4 million. It was “a significant leap forward as far as the highest price ever paid,” says Coachwerks operations manager Dave Hargraves. Seventeen years earlier, the company sold a 300 SL Mercedes roadster at what was then a world record price of US$525,000.
“That was a record we thought would stand for eternity,” Hargraves says. “We were all high-fiving each other because that was just the greatest thing we’d ever seen.”
While Coachwerks will work on other models, the Mercedes SL 300 is its main focus.
Hargraves calls the Gullwing the world’s first supercar. “It’s a road-going race car that was totally revolutionary and way ahead of its time when it came out,” he says.
Amid the financial collapse of 2008, Coachwerks thought that might be it for its business. “We are certainly a want, not a need,” Hargraves says. But 2008 to 2015 turned out to be some of Coachwerks’s best years ever.
“People lost faith in conventional banking. They wanted to buy tangible assets, and they turned toward collector cars and art, and we saw prices just absolutely skyrocket,” Hargraves says.
Coachwerks doesn’t advertise, at least not in the traditional sense. Instead, it goes to meets like the Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach, California. Beyond that, it’s word of mouth. Most of its business comes from the United States.
“Without sounding like I’m bragging, we’ve become globally recognized as one of the best in the industry,” Hargraves says. “And one way that we’ve really been acknowledged is we have had a few different celebrities send us their cars.”
But Leno’s car is “really special.”
“Jay is probably one of the most significant car collectors in the world,” Hargraves says. “And for Jay Leno to find us and send us his car, it’s a pretty significant accolade and a really important feather in our cap.”
‘Seas-ing’ a new market
Plant-based seafood company emphasizes freshness of its product on local grocery-store shelves.
What does a seafood lover do when they become vegan? Create a plant-based fresh seafood alternative. At least that’s what you do if you’re Aki Kaltenbach. And if you’re Kaltenbach, then you go even further and turn that creation into a successful company that sells across Canada and now into the western United States.
Kaltenbach created Save Da Sea in 2019 after working at her family’s Japanese restaurant in Whistler. Her first plan was to sell to restaurants as a vegan alternative, according to the company’s website. But then COVID hit and Kaltenbach focused on putting her product
two types of smoked salmon and a tuna salad into grocery stores. Now the plant-based seafood is sold at Save On Foods, Country Grocer, Whole Foods and other well-known grocery chains. Most recently, Save Da Sea made its way into Avril Supermarchés in Quebec.
Last May, Save Da Sea received $650,000 in funding from the Business Development Bank of Canada to help the company expand into the U.S., where it has products in 50 stores across the Pacific Northwest.
Save Da Sea now has a 2,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Esquimalt and, in 2021, was a Douglas 10 to Watch award winner.
What makes Save Da Sea’s products unique is their freshness.
There are some frozen plantbased seafood alternatives, Kaltenbach says, but Save Da Sea’s products are fresh packed and kept in the cooler section of stores where you’d find tofu, veggie dogs and other meat substitutes, and not in the freezer section.
The plant-based seafood market is what Kaltenbach calls “a white space” because it is so new and undeveloped and that means there is plenty of room to grow. The limiting factor is distance: Because the products are fresh they can’t be shipped too far. That’s why California is the next market
JEFFREY BOSDET/DOUGLAS MAGAZINE
“Our whole mission is to help conserve our ocean by inspiring folks to eat more plants,” says Aki Kaltenbach of her plant-based seafood company Save Da Sea.
Save Da Sea plans to target.
Most of the company’s marketing consists of educating customers by letting them know plant-based options are available. So there is in-store sampling and going to specialty consumer shows like Planted Expo that showcase vegan businesses, Kaltenbach says.
Save Da Sea’s BDC funding came through the bank’s Capital Thrive Lab fund, which focuses on women-founded, womenowned companies that are impact driven.
“We’re innately an impact company, just by definition,” Kaltenbach says. “Our whole mission is to help conserve our ocean by inspiring folks to eat more plants.”
RETHINKING VICTORIA’S CONFERENCE CENTRE
DGV’s new destination master plan could transform the region’s visitor economy.
Few things contribute to the visitor economy like conventions do. Conventions attract visitors outside peak travel seasons; those visitors also tend to stay longer and spend four times more than leisure travellers on restaurants, transportation, accommodation, retail, entertainment and attractions.
But Victoria’s conference centre is no longer enough to meet demands. It is too small, its technology too limited, even to bid on three-quarters of the conferences held across Canada. That’s why a new and/ or improved convention centre is high on the list of priorities in Destination Greater Victoria’s recently released 10-year destination master plan.
“It is a very ambitious, forward-looking plan,” says Paul Nursey, DGV’s president and CEO. “It will benefit the business community and the
residents as well.”
Among the plan’s proposals are 2,000 additional full-service hotel rooms over the next decade, new attractions and events, better transportation and more tourism dollars spread throughout the region.
One of its top priorities is the conference centre, with three options under consideration:
• Renovating the current structure;
• Building a new facility on the current site;
• Constructing a brand-new conference centre on the Royal BC Museum site and combining the two facilities.
It would be one of several other significant developments in the Inner Harbour, including the redeveloped Belleville International Ferry Terminal and new Industry, Arts & Innovation District.
A Tipping Point for Restaurants
High costs and low demand take a huge bite out of jobs in B.C.’s restaurant industry.
The restaurant industry has always had margins as thin as the finely honed blade of a chef’s knife. But these days those margins are cutting deep, especially in British Columbia, and Restaurants Canada is sounding the alarm about an industry that employs 1.4 million people and serves 23 million customers across the country every day.
The B.C. restaurant industry has just experienced the largest year-over-year drop in employment of any province. While the province gained nearly 20,000 jobs overall,
employment in the restaurant and accommodation sector dropped by 10,800 positions compared to September 2023, according to the Labour Force Survey by Statistics Canada released in October. Just between August and September the restaurant industry lost 5,000 jobs and is seeing the lowest employment level since 2016 (excluding the pandemic).
Restaurants Canada also found that guest count was lower this summer than last year for 70 per cent of restaurant companies and profitability was lower for
As Nursey says: “We could wake up in 20 years and have a truly world-class waterfront.”
By the Numbers
In 2023 Greater Victoria’s visitor economy contributed:
4.9M VISITORS
$3.5B IN ECONOMIC OUTPUTS
$510M CONTRIBUTION TO TAXES 25K JOBS
Source: Destination Greater Victoria
a staggering 81 per cent. In light of that, the not-for-profit association is calling on the provincial government to adopt measures that will relieve the pressure on restaurants by:
• Reducing provincial payroll taxes and encouraging the federal government to reduce payroll taxes for employers and workers;
• Returning all or part of WorkSafeBC’s $2.1-billion surplus to employers;
• Implementing a tourism and hospitality stream for BC’s Provincial Nominee Program;
• Implementing other policy recommendations outlined in the Save BC Restaurants menu of issues.
For more information, visit restaurantscanada.org.
DOUGLAS READS
Dreaming big is easy. We all do it. What’s hard is bringing those dreams from pie in the sky to down to earth. Big Goals: The Science of Setting Them, Achieving Them, and Creating Your Best Life, scheduled to be released in November, helps people do just that by creating a guide on how to set goals and, once set, how to achieve them.
Author Caroline Adams Miller, who has a master’s degree in positive psychology, treats goal setting as a science. She applies goal-setting theory — the theory that businesses can achieve greater success by applying specific and measurable goals for employees — to personal goals. Like businesses, individuals can achieve greater success by setting measurable and achievable goals for themselves and then using key-performance indicators, much like a business would, to measure progress.
The book includes practical tools and worksheets as well as reallife examples of high-profile business successes and failures to show what works and what may not.
Miller is a speaker and author of a number of books, including the market guide to goal setting, Creating Your Best Life, co-authored by Dr. Michael P. Frisch, which sold more than 100,000 copies worldwide.
gather in Nanaimo for the annual Vancouver Island Economic Alliance Summit. Among them: Geena Jackson, president and co-founder of Indigenous Initiatives.
A Longer-Term View
At the VIEA summit, recognition that the economy’s cracks are starting to show.
BY FIONA ANDERSON
Vancouver Island’s economy is at a critical juncture and it’s time to start shifting our outlook from the short term to the longer term, Susan Mowbray, partner, economics and research at MNP, told attendees at the recent Vancouver Island Economic Alliance Summit.
The annual event was held from October 22 to 24 in Nanaimo. Almost 600 people attended the summit, with 120 speakers and more than 40 exhibitors addressing topics such as sustainable development, strengthening the Island’s supply chain and economic reconciliation. Among them, Mowbray’s keynote speech looked at how factors outlined in VIEA’s economic dashboard will shape the economic landscape of the future.
“The choices we make today are going to determine where we are in the future,” Mowbray
told attendees. “So whether that’s positive, whether that’s negative, it’s really going to be determined by what we do in the near term.”
Mowbray spoke of “cracks” in the economy, both in British Columbia and on Vancouver Island.
Prior to the pandemic, she noted, provincial growth in gross domestic product was about 2.5 to three per cent, with the province having some major construction projects on Vancouver Island and Northern B.C. In 2023, GDP was 1.7 per cent, which was below pre-pandemic levels, but was “reasonably good” given all the shocks the world had gone through.
But for 2024, GDP is projected to be only one per cent or less. “That’s not good,” Mowbray said. Growth in the manufacturing sector has been quite slow, and is expected to slow down even more as major projects, such as the
Coastal GasLink pipeline and LNG Canada, are completed. “What this means is that we are not producing a lot of things that are bringing money into the province or the Island from outside,” she said.
Although there is growth in the tourism, knowledge and tech sectors, the resource sector traditionally the backbone of the Island’s economy is shrinking. The Island’s last mine closed in December 2023 and the future of salmon farming is unclear.
And although there are 50,000 new jobs on the Island, job growth “is also where we’re starting to see another crack,” Mowbray said, noting that more than half of those new jobs are in public-sector services such as education and health care. “And so here again, we’re seeing signs of increasing dependence on the public sector and limited growth in export sectors that are going to generate income from outside the Island.”
Business and community leaders
From left: Rishi Luthra, Chamber of Shipping of British Columbia; Mansher Singh Bhinder, Deloitte Inc.; Sebastian Berg, Shift Coastal Technology; Satinder Singh, Nanaimo Port Authority; Meraz Sekhon, Nanaimo Port Authority.
From left: Barney Ellis-Perry, Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation; Tamara Kronis, Nanaimo Consulting Group; Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog.
THE 2024 ECOSTAR AWARDS
Annual awards honour Island trailblazers.
The annual Ecostar Awards recognize businesses across Vancouver Island that epitomize sustainability in action. This year, 15 awards were presented to winners from various industries, including North America’s only Passive House-certified door and window manufacturer, a woman-led cleantech company aiming to unplug from plugs, a food hub that supports farmers and food producers in Greater Victoria, and a society that has removed over 160,000 kilograms of marine debris from 1,200 kilometres of Vancouver Island’s coastline since 2017.
Their significant environmental and social achievements were celebrated at a gala event held November 14 at the Inn at Laurel Point and hosted by Synergy Foundation with support from Gold Sponsors Vancity Credit Union and Destination Greater Victoria. Each winner received awards made from recycled chopsticks and 3D-printed recycled plastic, and the satisfaction of having made the world a better place. For more information, visit ecostarawards.com.
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THE BUCK STARTS HERE
Avery Brohman stewards the Island’s biggest fundraising organization, the Victoria Hospitals Foundation, with great care.
BY DAVID LENNAM | PHOTO BY JEFFREY BOSDET
Avery Brohman fell into fundraising a bit by accident.
Taking a public relations diploma at Conestoga College, near her hometown of Guelph, Ontario, she entered a co-op term with Big Brothers Big Sisters, curated a silent auction that raised $40,000 and got offered a job.
At 19, she became a full-time professional fundraiser.
“I was always intrigued with not-for-profits,” she says. “I didn’t know what that entailed, but I knew it was about helping others, about giving back … I wanted to be challenged. My no fear of asking turned out to be really beneficial.”
In 2020, Brohman was appointed CEO of the Victoria Hospitals Foundation, heading a 25-member team. The 39-year-old is privy to the very private world of Victoria money, understanding that relationships forged now will pay off in time or through time. Many donors have been giving for more than two decades.
The Victoria Hospitals Foundation raises $15 million to $20 million annually, way up from pre-pandemic levels. Donor numbers have risen, too, up to 6,000 a year from 4,000 or so five years ago. Many, according to Brohman, were once patients who have experienced what Foundation money brings.
“Every charity should do well,” says Brohman. “When we’re all doing well this is a healthier community.”
Douglas: Was your father’s passing significant in you moving into hospital philanthropy?
Avery Brohman: It was and health care is where I knew I wanted to be. But it wasn’t until spending five weeks with my dad in an ICU in Hamilton that I saw the care that was wrapped around him and it motivated me to look into hospital philanthropy. He passed away in 2017 and I took this job in 2018, so it was very intentional.
Douglas: How do you describe philanthropy? Brohman: It’s a selfless act of service. A giving back to others. Being philanthropic is how you identify yourself. Do you want to give back?
Douglas: What abilities make you most effective in this job?
Brohman:: I don’t have fear of rejection. I don’t take rejection personally. I, very much so, can have a vision and I see it through. There is no giving up. I work incredibly hard. I’m determined. I can juggle a lot of pieces at once.
Douglas: Have the methods of fundraising changed since you began it professionally 20 years ago?
Brohman: Digital transformation has changed the game. It’s less about meeting in person. You’ve populated the sector with digital marketing, emails, social media. You can access information anywhere now, whereas 20 years ago you were accessing it from the professional giving it to you across the table.
Douglas: Do you still find yourself at cocktail parties going face to face asking for money?
Brohman: Every week. [She laughs.] I love making personal connections. I care about authenticity. Anything you read from me at the Foundation is from me. I love human connection and that’s probably why I love my job so much. I want to walk the halls, I want to go to cocktail parties, I want to meet for lunch. Relationships are like my love language.
Douglas: Why do hospitals need private investment when they’re funded by taxpayers?
Brohman: The government will fund basic health care, but if a community is demanding more, philanthropy is the only channel to advance to excellent. The role of philanthropy in a hospital setting has been around a very long time. Every single hospital in Canada has a foundation. The pandemic changed everything and showed the community what fundraising can do in a hospital 2020 was the largest grossing
fundraising year. Everyone in the community turned their eye to “How can we help?” and how you could really help in that time was elevated care.
Douglas: I understand that 40 per cent of the equipment care teams use at Royal Jubilee and Victoria General hospitals exists because of the Foundation. An MRI machine alone costs more than $3 million.
Brohman: It’s important to note that we’re a significant equipment supplier for our hospitals, but Island Health and the government does have a role to play in the operations, in the salaries of the caregivers. We don’t invest in those ways. But I often say I couldn’t imagine walking into our hospitals and not having that 40 per cent.
Every charity should do well. When we’re all doing well this is a healthier community.
Douglas: What’s the most challenging part of your work right now?
Brohman: I think we will always be challenged by the notion that health care is free and that we should have advanced health care at our fingertips without philanthropy, and that just doesn’t exist.
Douglas: Is it difficult to not be political, especially with all the criticism about health care these days?
Brohman: I keep my political views to myself. We have to be very careful not to lobby. We’re not an advocacy organization. And I also want to meet the moment with all of the donors I work with who have different views and it’s really important that I maintain a solid reputation that’s trustworthy. Once politics enters the chat, it’s over.
Douglas: What sort of strategies do you favour?
Brohman: The best strategy is sharing the impact. It is so critically important that a donor feels that whatever donation size they provided has made an impact. We do a lot of storytelling. We’re incredibly authentic in our storytelling. You will not see any material
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It’s donors think trying ever very also million on that accept much have is the commitment of
nonprofits?
Brohman: I want people to work in the not-for-profit sector. I think there is this universal dilemma we face where individuals don’t think salaries will pay well or that the not-for-profit sector will not truly challenge you. Two myths. This is a really great career path. And I want more people to know that.
Douglas: What about attracting young people to these jobs?
Brohman: I’ve heard millennials want to feel like they’re putting their skills to good use. This is a career that embodies that. It’s a demanding career, but every single day you just need to look across the parking lot and see where your hard work is going.
Douglas: What’s the most interesting part of your job?
Brohman: I think the evolution of health care and technology. I have a front-row seat at the evolution of it all and it motivates me to be able to foster that.
Douglas: You really do love this job, don’t you?
Brohman: I don’t know another career that would introduce me to what “good” looks like. This is an area where there’s not been one day in the last 20 years where I haven’t felt good, seen good, seen the impact that others have on each other. It’s a positive place to be.
WHEN THINGS GO VERY, VERY WRONG
How to manage reputation and crisis communications in a split-second world.
BY ROBYN QUINN
It can take years to build a reputation and only minutes to destroy it. Effective crisis communications management isn’t just about putting out fires; it’s about taking control of the narrative and maintaining trust when things go wrong.
When a cyberattack crippled London Drugs last spring, the company’s swift and transparent response became a model for effective crisis communications. Clint Mahlman, president and COO, explained how decisive actions, honest communication and community support helped the company weather the storm. Talking to CBC’s Ian Hanomansing about the incident, Mahlman shared how honest communication and community backing were fundamental: “The outpouring of love from the community … motivated our people to get through this incredibly difficult time.”
The London Drugs approach underscores the importance of prioritizing people and open communication in a crisis. Whether you or a designated spokesperson communicate, there are ways to navigate the storm and emerge stronger together.
BE FAST
• ACT QUICKLY TO CONTROL THE NARRATIVE AND KEEP STAKEHOLDERS INFORMED.
• DON’T WAIT FOR ALL THE FACTS; START WITH WHAT YOU HAVE, THEN UPDATE REGULARLY.
The overwhelming advice from communications professionals on how to respond to a crisis is unanimous: move fast! Along with being truthful and respectful, urgency is the key to protecting your reputation, says Jim Beatty, a Victoria-based media relations consultant and former journalist. “When a crisis happens, don’t panic, but you need to move swiftly,” says Beatty, who has built a career coaching corporate leaders on how to own the narrative as it unfolds instead of playing catch-up every time a new fact is revealed by someone else.
In public relations, we often advise getting ahead of a developing story because when there is an information vacuum, people tend to fill it with incorrect information. Cynthia Lockrey, a Cowichan Valleybased crisis communications trainer, will be running a crisis comms workshop in February at the B.C. Communications Forum in Victoria. “If you don’t own the story, you’ll end up chasing it. While you may need to withhold information to protect confidentiality or legal obligations, there’s always information you can share,” she says. “Don’t assume it will all go away; it will linger if it seems like you’re hiding something even if you’re just waiting to gather all the facts.”
When things happen quickly, an ideal response must be immediate, staying on top of the situation until a resolution is reached. This is a case where “slow and steady” won’t win the race.
REPUTATION MANAGEMENT popularity identity communication trust credibility
reliable regard opinion respect rank
There is a reverse-engineered version of this advice: trying to deflect attention by burying information in a Friday afternoon media release during the slow news cycle (a favourite tactic in politics). Or consider the Silicon Valley Bank collapse. It attempted to hide catastrophic financial losses in an innocuous media release posted on the company website late on a Wednesday. In both cases the strategies can create much bigger problems than those they sought to avoid. Lessons learned.
BE HUMAN
• SPEAK DIRECTLY AND AVOID CORPORATE JARGON.
• ACKNOWLEDGE THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT OF THE CRISIS ON CUSTOMERS AND EMPLOYEES. While speed is critical, it’s equally important to understand the emotional impact of the crisis on customers and employees. Human beings have emotional reactions, and your own response must reflect an understanding of their feelings. People want to know what happened, who is responsible and what’s next. This may require an upfront apology, bringing together those who can answer questions, or providing a real-time synopsis of the situation with a commitment to share information. Beatty works with his clients to prepare templates for anticipated scenarios so they can focus on the issue instead of trying to wordsmith a response on the fly. Speak like a human being, use conversational yet respectful language. You’ve spent years building trust; now is the time to ask for it. Kristina Crowson of Nanaimobased Array, a marketing agency, agrees, telling her clients, “Transparency and asking for kindness in the case of error goes a long way in today’s market landscape.”
BE HONEST
• ACKNOWLEDGE WHAT YOU KNOW AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT YOU DON’T.
• EXPLAIN WHEN CERTAIN INFORMATION ISN’T AVAILABLE AND WHY.
Legal and security concerns in a rapidly evolving situation should not be an obstacle to good, clear communications. Work with the lawyers and security personnel before a crisis to manage expectations. The necessity for transparency and sometimes admitting when you don’t have an answer is crucial for rebuilding your reputation after the dust settles. Address the possibility of social media channels telling your story part of the split-second world by ensuring your narrative offers all pertinent and credible information. Stakeholder engagement and customer connection are
more important than ever. Lockrey cautions about the risk of information shared through unofficial sources: “Thanks to social media, we often hear about a crisis from non-official sources first. The risk here is that rumours can overtake verified information.” Think about your own feelings during a similar time and use that to speak about what really matters. Reinforcing existing trust and connection to recover as quickly as possible is a strong strategy, as demonstrated by London Drugs.
HAVE A PLAN
• DON’T WAIT FOR A CRISIS TO MAKE YOUR PLAN.
• MAKE SURE EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT THE PLAN IS. To be fair, crisis communications is the step many organizations fail to take. As a PR consultant, I often helped organizations draft practical crisis or reputation management plans. Most had a section mysteriously assigned to a communications consultant with literally one press release template attached! The pandemic taught us all humbling lessons about managing during a crisis.
Pauline Finn, executive director of the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea in Sidney, knew she had to communicate the truth to her team, the board and the community as quickly and in as caring a manner as she could. “Having a plan made a huge difference in how we handled immediate staff and visitor safety,” she says. A plan without clear communications simply puts organizations at risk.
So make a plan, designate a response team, confirm policies and ensure everyone understands how they work together. Train a media spokesperson not necessarily the person managing the actual situation, they’ll have their hands full! Prepare a set of response templates and key messages for every anticipated situation. This step also offers the opportunity to practice and engage partners and stakeholders; the value of this experience is twofold: you discover what works and what doesn’t, plus the team builds confidence in its ability to manage any situation.
“I continue to be surprised by how many organizations don’t have a crisis communications plan or haven’t updated their plan since COVID,” says Lockrey. “Having just emerged from a pandemic, all organizations now have crisiscommunications experience.”
Reputational threats and crisis situations are almost inevitable for any organization, but by planning, communicating honestly and responding quickly, your business can emerge stronger.
Consider your crisis-communications plan today, before you need it.
ARE YOU READY?
BY FIONA ANDERSON |
COLLAGE BY JEFFREY BOSDET
CITY
Buckle your seatbelts. By all accounts, 2025 is expected to be a good news story, a bad news story and a more-of-the-same story, all at the same time.
The bad news? British Columbia’s economy struggled in 2024 and will continue to struggle in 2025. The good news? Vancouver Island and the Capital Regional District in particular will outperform the rest of the province. Meanwhile, in several sectors, trends that started this year or earlier will continue much the same into the next.
Overall, B.C.’s economy is “soft, struggling, weak, flagging [and] a little bit flat,” says Ken Peacock, senior vice-president and chief economist with the Business Council of British Columbia. The council expects the province’s gross domestic product to be less than one per cent next year, which by itself isn’t that concerning. But what is concerning is that the population is growing by three per cent per year. “So what that really means is most of our growth is being driven by population, and so that means per capita GDP is actually falling,” Peacock says.
That trend is likely to continue in 2025.
Another area the experts worry about is the intersection of housing, real estate and construction not just because they comprise a major sector in southern Vancouver Island’s economy, but because they affect so many others.
Julie Sperber, president and CEO of the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance, refers to real estate and construction as “a bit of a double-edged sword.” It is one of Southern Vancouver Island’s largest GDP contributors. But wages haven’t kept up with the high costs associated with owning a house in the region. “So limited affordable supply and the rapidly increasing prices have deepened our housing crisis,” she says.
The housing shortage, along with a lack of skilled labour, a changing climate and concerns about street disorder, will likely affect the region’s economy for some time. To get a better sense of just how that will unfold, Douglas magazine talked to people in five key sectors technology, the blue economy, agriculture, tourism and retail to get a sense of what’s around the corner in 2025.
Technology
Technology is an industry that is invisible to many people, often selling globally rather than from local storefronts. But despite its lack of obvious physical presence, it packs a punch.
In 2023, the last year for which numbers are available, total revenues in Greater Victoria’s tech industry were estimated to be $5.9 billion, according to an economic impact study prepared for the not-for-profit Victoria Innovation, Advanced Technology & Entrepreneurship Council. Tech is also one of the largest private-sector employers in Victoria, employing more than 20,000 people, about 2,000 of whom are selfemployed.
Companies range from aerospace and advanced manufacturing to marine technologies and online marketing. “We have a very diverse tech sector that’s in many verticals,” says VIATEC CEO Dan Gunn. “But often they’re micro-niche players that are in a very specialized space.” Which is why tech companies often fly under the radar.
What brings tech companies to Victoria, in addition to the great location, is the fact there are two universities and a college here as well as a number of federal research facilities, including the Institute of Ocean Sciences, the Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre and the Pacific Institute for Sport Education (formerly the Pacific Institute for Sports Excellence).
“So that’s bringing smart people and research,” Gunn says.
There is also a great community spirit where the early entrepreneurs are very supportive and mentor the newcomers.
Peacock believes one reason tech companies do so well is they don’t need a physical presence. There’s no land base associated with tech, so business owners don’t need to get a permit to build a structure as they would if they were developing a condo building.
“It is basically unfettered and unregulated,” he says. “So there’s almost a bias already where, if you’re going to build a company and invest, it’s much easier in the tech space.”
TECH PREDICTIONS
POSITIVES: Generally, Gunn expects that 2025 will be a more stable environment for tech businesses than the past few years when investment and the job market were overheated. A lessheated environment, though, makes it more challenging to raise money.
ONGOING: There is continuing demand in the sector. “Everything’s still going digital,” Peacock says. “There’s demand for these services.”
CHALLENGES: The VIATEC impact study identified affordable housing as the primary challenge for tech firms. Many companies have told Gunn that they are hiring people, but having a hard time finding them somewhere to live.
Gunn hopes the recent changes to the province’s short-term accommodation rules, which are designed to add thousands of units to the residential housing market, may alleviate some of this challenge and make it easier for companies to hire good staff.
Blue Economy
Consider the blue economy defined by the World Bank as the sustainable use of the oceans for economic growth the kid sister or brother to Victoria’s well-established tech sector. Companies in this sector are often startups still finding their way.
The idea is how to better use the oceans without exploiting them, says Jason Goldsworthy, executive director of Victoria-based Centre for Ocean Applied Sustainable Technologies. COAST was created in 2021 in recognition that oceans play a pivotal role, not only in climate health but also in terms of economic prosperity. Its goal is to help people with an idea turn that idea into a marketable product. Among its initiatives is matching marine companies with organizations such as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Coast Guard and BC Ferries, which will help them test their products or even buy them.
In 2024, COAST held the first of what it expects to become an annual pitchfest,
inviting companies to make their pitch to a panel of judges. Seacork Studio emerged as the winner for its groundbreaking concept of biodegradable acoustic panels made from seaweed.
BLUE ECONOMY PREDICTIONS
POSITIVES: In September 2024, COAST opened its first coworking facility on Herald Street, a 7,000-square-foot space with a kitchen, coffee bar and telephone rooms, where companies in the blue economy can connect with each other — all at a subsidized rent. Goldsworthy expects to see this space foster collaboration and innovation, with the fruits of that collaboration “showing up in spades” in 2025.
ONGOING: COAST plans to focus on its Blue Pathways initiative, launched in 2024 to identify courses that teach the skill sets sought by companies in the sector. Prerequisites are a passion for the ocean and some knowledge or skill that can be used in the marine industry, such as data management or conservation.
CHALLENGES: Goldsworthy lists regulatory uncertainty as a challenge facing the blue economy. But challenges are not obstacles in the tech startup space, he says, because anything worthwhile is difficult.
Agriculture
While agriculture isn’t one of the area’s biggest economic engines, it is still an important part of the local economy and food security is always an issue for an island community, as well as a growing concern in a world affected by climate change.
Peacock calls agriculture a “good news story,” benefiting from the concern about local food security. On the other hand, VIEA’s Sperber worries that the industry is slowing. “We don’t really value our farmers,” she says. “And in our particular region of the world, real estate markets and the value of land actually play a role in
While agriculture isn’t one of the area’s biggest economic engines, it is still an important part of the local economy and food security is always an issue for an island community, as well as a growing concern in a world affected by climate change.
agriculture not being able to expand.”
Simon Fowler, who is stepping in as head farmer at Dan’s Farm & Country Market in Saanichton, says both perspectives are true. The value of land makes it infeasible for new farmers to buy land, so they tend to lease it instead, “which makes the razorthin line of success or failure as a new or newer farmer that much finer,” Fowler says.
But the farm-to-table movement has made a difference. It has enabled Dan’s Farm and others in the region to grow higher-quality produce and charge more for it, meaning they are finally earning a livable wage.
At the same time, perhaps no industry is more affected by the changing climate. Island farms fortunately escaped the devastating winter cold that destroyed grape and fruit crops across most of the B.C. Interior in 2024, but no one is immune from the increased risk of storms, floods, fires and drought.
On the other hand, longer, warmer summers have the potential to increase overall yields and the kind of crops that can be grown here. Dan’s Farm, for instance, has invested in stone fruit trees, including peaches, that they would never have grown in the past, while others are experimenting with citrus and olives.
AGRICULTURE PREDICTIONS
POSITIVES: Sperber believes that B.C. will see greater innovation that will allow farmers to move away from the constraints of landbased farming, such as the use of greenhouses and vertical farming, where crops are planted in vertically stacked layers. This may not come to the fore in 2025, but she anticipates it will happen.
UNKNOWN: The weather. Luckily, 2024 was a pretty good year weatherwise, Fowler says, with hot days in June and July to encourage growth, but not so hot that plants got burned. The late August clouds, though, limited growth of some crops that would normally produce well into October. Asking him to predict what 2025 will be like is — literally — asking Fowler to predict the weather.
CHALLENGES: All across B.C. farms have been disappearing at an alarming rate as farmers retire with no family willing to take over. A 2023 RBC report found that 40 per cent of Canadian farm operators will retire by 2033, yet 66 per cent of producers have no succession plan. At the same time, the country faces an expected shortfall of 24,000 general farm, nursery and greenhouse workers. The report called it “one of the biggest labour and leadership transitions in the country’s history.”
Fowler alone has counted seven farms that have shut down just in his Saanichton neighbourhood. Even if land is in the Agricultural Land Reserve and leased to another farmer, there’s no guarantee it will be used for food production — often it is used for grazing or for marijuana crops, with a negative impact on food security. Over the next decade, Fowler says, there will be a steep decline in farming unless people start “taking up the sword.”
Tourism
Tourism is one of Victoria’s biggest industries and 2024 was a good year. Paul Nursey, CEO of Destination Greater Victoria, believes 2025 will be a strong year, too, even though tourism is down across the province.
“We’ve been able to beat the pack, so we’re very pleased,” Nursey says.
There are a number of reasons for that, he says. One is the number of conventions the most lucrative segment of tourism coming to the city. Whether it rains or shines, or whether people feel like it or not, they’ll be travelling here on the company expense account, Nursey says.
Outside of conventions, tourists visit Victoria because it is well positioned as a quality urban escape. “We’re like an urban resort, where you can come to a very nice, pretty place,” Nursey says. “There’s lots of things to see and do for a three- or four-day getaway.”
A significant percentage of tourists to Victoria come from elsewhere in British Columbia, Alberta or the west coast of the United States. According to a 2019 survey, less than 20 per cent of visitors to Victoria were international, while 50 per cent of the Canadian visitors came from B.C.
Nursey says tourism in 2024 is “normalizing” as the pent-up or revenge demand from being unable to travel during COVID has dissipated. What drives tourism now is economic confidence at the household level. “If [people] are feeling buoyant, they’ll go on four trips a year. If they’re feeling pinched, they’ll go on one or two.”
He admits that rising costs and street disorder are issues for tourism operators, as they are for all businesses. But in general Victoria is well positioned to continue growing its tourism sector, he says. It doesn’t hurt that Victoria has been named to many top destination lists, among them as a “must-see city” as part of Good Housekeeping’s 2024 Family Travel Awards, which focuses on family-friendly vacations. In addition, Condé Nast Traveller’s readers have named Victoria the best small city in the world for a second year in a row, while the Michelin Guide recognized two city hotels with its inaugural Canadian “keys.”
“It is a globally leading brand,” Nursey says. “You know, you don’t win all these awards without having something behind it.”
TOURISM PREDICTIONS
POSITIVES: There are currently 11 hotels in the development pipeline for the Victoria area, two of which have been approved with one — the Hyatt Centric Victoria Hotel on Broad Street — already under construction, says Nursey. In addition, ground has just been broken on the new 129-room TownePlace Suites by Marriott at Victoria International Airport. Nursey believes that should balance out what he considers “massively overblown” concerns over the loss of short-term accommodation units under the province’s new rules. ”These things will just adjust, and it’ll be a year or two of settling out,” he says.
ONGOING: This past year was a normalizing year for tourism, and Nursey expects that to continue into 2025 with a continued increase in tourism.
CHALLENGES: Tourist operators need to increase revenue to cover increasing costs. One way they can do this is to encourage tourists to visit year round and not just during the peak season of summer. In 2019, fewer than 20 per cent of visitors came in winter. Encouraging off-season travel, whether as tourists or as part of a convention, could be one focus.
While privatesector offices have a 70- to 80-percent occupancy rate, public-sector buildings are only 20 to 30 per cent occupied as government workers continue to work from home.
Retail
There are three pillars to an economic ecosystem: residents, tourists and office workers, says Jeff Bray, CEO of the Downtown Victoria Business Association.
“We have built up the economic ecosystem over decades based on those three sorts of pillar populations, and one of those populations has not returned, and it’s a concern,” he says.
That pillar is office workers. While private-sector offices have a 70- to 80-per-cent occupancy rate, public-sector buildings are only 20 to 30 per cent occupied as government workers continue to work from home.
Despite this, Victoria is faring better than many downtowns throughout B.C. because some 10,000 people live in the downtown area. “But, as a regional downtown, it’s still not enough,” Bray says.
At the same time, fewer people are willing to navigate increased driving and parking challenges. With the ongoing issues surrounding street disorder, customers are deterred by the perception that downtown is not safe, while businesses are also having to bear the costs of vandalism. Bray notes that one business alone has had its window broken three times in the last year and a half.
Retail is definitely doing better than it was during the pandemic. Revenues are up, but rising costs are driving profits down. Many of these costs have been imposed by the different levels of government, like the rising minimum wage, the carbon tax, the health employer tax and increases in property taxes. Some of these taxes are not revenue based the health employer tax, for instance, is payroll based so an employer has to pay the same amount of tax whether it’s profitable or not.
On top of that is overall inflation.
At some point, especially for a small or medium-sized independent business, owners ask themselves why they are working 60 hours a week, running their own coffee shop, for example, when they can make the same amount of money as a shift supervisor at Starbucks, Bray says. Downtown has some great businesses, he says, so it’s disheartening to see businesses having trouble surviving.
On the hospitality side, though, especially in the evenings, downtown is “hopping” because of the people who live in the area, he says.
RETAIL PREDICTIONS
POSITIVES: Increased housing in the downtown core will bring in more customers and potential customers, especially for Victoria’s nightlife. The inclusion of social housing will enable staff to find a place to live near where they work.
UNKNOWN: Bray says he hopes the provincial government will create a
cabinet position for a minister of small business, noting that retail is the largest single employer sector in the province, yet no one at the cabinet table looks at how government actions affect a small four-person business.
CHALLENGES: Bray would like to see an improvement in the streetscape so people aren’t reluctant to come downtown to do their shopping or see their dentist.
WHAT ABOUT CONSTRUCTION?
Ask almost anyone in any business, and they’ll tell you the challenges around housing, real estate and construction have a direct impact on just about everything.
High interest rates have been one of the biggest factors here. They, along with increased material costs and other factors, have been blamed for a decrease in housing starts plus an increase in the number of projects put on hold, despite both the provincial and federal governments’ push to
increase the housing supply.
Still, Rory Kulmala, CEO of the Vancouver Island Construction Association, says that despite higher interest rates the demand for housing and building in general is strong and will continue to be so in 2025.
He says what’s long held the industry back is the lack of skilled workers. That’s why VICA has a number of programs to encourage people to enter the trades, an ongoing priority in the coming year.
Keratoconus is a disease that distorts vision due to an irregular cornea. Dr. Stephen Taylor has a keen interest in diagnosing and treating this challenging condition and has been participating in research studies on the topic for 30 years. He also employs both cutting-edge and old-school techniques to successfully manage its progression, which requires corneal mapping technology and often involves specialty contact lenses. Dr. Taylor is widely respected as an authority in the professional niche of keratoconus treatment, and says, “It is particularly rewarding to help a patient achieve clear, comfortable vision when other approaches have failed to yield a satisfactory result.”
WAYPOINT INSURANCE
Together, protecting what you love
Based in British Columbia for more than 150 years, Waypoint is a leading insurance and risk management brokerage dedicated to providing expert advice and tailored solutions to businesses in the communities it serves across Canada. Waypoint has more than 30 locations across Vancouver Island and the lower mainland. In the spirit of Reconciliation, Waypoint acknowledges that its Head Office is situated on the unceded traditional territory of the K’ómoks First Nation, the traditional keepers of the land.
Waypoint’s extensive and diverse coverage falls under the umbrellas of personal insurance (i.e., home, condo, tenant, travel and life), business insurance (i.e., small business, entrepreneurs; fishing resorts/ lodges; marinas and docks; marine and inland cargo; marine liabilities and marine trades; and of course, vessels), and auto insurance (i.e., private, fleet, motorcycle and ICBC). Additionally, their dedicated risk advisors collaborate closely with clients,
investing time and expertise to understand each client’s unique risk landscape — no matter how complex — empowering them with insights into the risk transfer process and providing a tailored package of solutions to boost their business profitability.
Since 2019, Waypoint has been a member of Navacord, Canada’s third-largest commercial insurance brokerage, which allows them to leverage national strength in the Canadian marketplace to cater to the diverse needs of clientele consistently.
“We invest our time and expertise to understand each client’s unique risk landscape, no matter how complex, which empowers them with insights into the risk transfer process and provides a tailored package of solutions that boosts their business profitability,” says Tony Hayes, CEO, Waypoint, “And, as a Navacord Broker Partner, we leverage exclusive national relationships, breadth of expertise, services, and products to manage clients’ rapidly-changing risks.”
Whether it’s through diverse sponsorships,
scholarships or community involvement, Waypoint stands as a beacon of community leadership, commitment and trust. For example, because Waypoint recognizes the power of education and its potential to shape futures, The Waypoint Insurance Indigenous Scholarship was established in 2021 to support Indigenous people in pursuing postsecondary education by reducing financial barriers.
As Dawn Froats, Director of Brand, says, “Waypoint is not just an insurance provider; we are a community-driven partner dedicated to offering comprehensive insurance solutions while actively giving back to our communities.”
Visit waypoint.ca for more information. waypoint.ca | 1-866-674-2816
Parm Sandhu, Branch Manager, Waypoint Insurance
OUTSOURCE EVERYTHING
Whether your business is short on time, skills, staffing or all of the above, there’s an easy solution just a few clicks away.
BY CAROLYN CAMILLERI
Big or small, successful or struggling, businesses of all types are increasingly outsourcing a range of services that were once performed in house, including administration, customer service and sales, as well as social media management, bookkeeping, human resources and even elite executive assistance for CEOs and business leaders.
Your business could probably use some outsourcing help, too.
The advantage of outsourcing is that it allows you to focus on your core business, but still get all the other tasks done without having to hire and manage additional staff to do so. You will know it’s time to find an outsourcing company when your team can no longer keep up with the demands on their time, especially if they’re starting to miss opportunities or, worse, make costly mistakes. It’s also a good idea to consider outsourcing if you’re planning to scale up or expand and your team doesn’t have the time or specialized skills to handle certain tasks.
and one that every business owner knows there aren’t enough hours in the day for,” says Vicki Laszlo, vice-president of marketing at Calgary-based Virtual Gurus. “Scheduling, email management, data entry, anything like that is on the top of the list that they want to get off of their plates.”
While outsourcing isn’t new by any means, it is on the upswing as people have become more comfortable with online communication and remote work.
Outsourced positions can be filled in a variety of ways. You could hire an individual for a one-time project, semi-regularly during busy periods or on an ongoing basis that could last for years, with their pay determined by the number of hours they work per month. Increasingly, we’re also seeing the rise of virtual assistant companies that handle a suite of tasks, especially administrative ones, making them one-stop shops for your outsourcing needs.
While outsourcing isn’t new by any means, it is on the upswing as people have become more comfortable with online communication and remote work. And while your remote and virtual team members may not be able to attend staff lunches in person, they can still play an essential role in your business needs.
Handling Admin
If you’re new to outsourcing, the first tasks you will likely want to offload are the administrative ones, and that’s where a virtual assistant (VA) can help.
“Admin work is a universal pain point
If you are considering individual support, Laszlo suggests making a list of all the tasks you do in a work week and how much time you spend on each. At the end of the week, or even at the end of the day, take a look at the time spent you might be surprised. If you can give, say, five of those tasks to someone else, you can free up time to tackle the list of projects you have been putting off. You could start out by hiring a VA to organize your inbox and co-ordinate your schedule. Then consider what else you could take off your to-do list bookkeeping, for instance, social-media management or customer support. You could hire a specialist for each area or give your VA more tasks. You can even dictate an operating manual to ensure your VA does everything as you wish.
“You can start slowly, then build up as you go and expand capabilities as needed,” Laszlo says. “The beauty of this is that outsourcing doesn’t just mean light administration anymore. It’s about getting highly skilled talent that can handle everything from marketing strategies to executive assistance.”
It also means you don’t have to be a traditional executive to get that level of support but you can be.
Elite Assistants
CEOs, founders and business leaders need assistance that goes beyond traditional administrative support. They need the services of something like Athena, an elite personal-assistant company co-founded by U.S.-based Jonathan Swanson and B.C.raised Robert Hayes.
“We provide a fully managed membership that begins with the rigorous process of pairing each assistant to a client’s specific working style,” says Victoria
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Alcachupas, chief marketing officer at Athena. “In addition to pairing leaders with exceptional assistants, we offer worldclass delegation coaching. Our delegation team works with clients to master the art of effective delegation, enabling them to maximize their time and achieve more.”
Delegation can be challenging, she adds, especially for leaders who are used to being problem solvers and managing all the details.
“We facilitate mindset shifts for example, moving from how you solve a problem to identifying who is the best to solve it,” says Alcachupas. “This allows leaders to free up their time and energy to focus on their highest priorities.”
Having an Athena assistant isn’t just about handing off tasks it’s about nurturing the relationship between the client and the assistant.
“As trust grows, assistants become key players in managing both professional and personal priorities, enabling leaders to focus on strategic growth and long-term success,” she says.
Hire Smarter
One of the biggest advantages of working with an outsourcing company is that it can minimize the often-agonizing and always time-consuming hiring process. However, how well screened your outsourcing options are depends on the company you choose.
Some companies will give you access to a big (sometimes really big) pool of people and let you do the choosing and screening. Others will do the screening for you, matching you with a few top-quality choices selected to suit your needs.
The more tailored the matching process, the better.
At Virtual Gurus, the process to determine what a business needs is mostly technologydriven, using a proprietary platform called Talentplace that combines sophisticated algorithms, artificial intelligence and machine learning. But the process also includes people who oversee the checks and balances to get the best match.
“When VAs join the company, we go through exercises to assess their skill set and what areas they specialize in,” says Laszlo.
“Let’s say somebody’s hired for 40 hours a month or 60 hours a month and that’s mostly used for admin assistance and social media, but the business now needs bookkeeping. They could go into our platform, find a bookkeeper and give those tasks to them,” she says. “Most of the time, [business owners] have a consistent, dedicated VA that’s on the business that they’re matched with, and we have several VAs who are in long-term working relationships with their clients, acting as an extension of their business. Then if they
What Can Be Outsourced?
The short answer: You can outsource almost anything that isn’t your core business. Here are just some of the everyday jobs that you can hire someone else to do.
Admin services (email, diary, scheduling management, etc.)
Bookkeeping, accounting and tax preparation
Legal services
IT support
Web design and development
Digital marketing
Social-media management
Research
Business-lead generation
Database entry and management
Travel arrangements
Human resources
Payroll services
Recruitment
Customer service and support
Content writing, editing and proofreading
Medical and other transcription services
Computer-aided and graphic-design services
Events-management security services
need additional support, they can get that through our platform, whether it’s a one-off task or a small, ongoing project.”
Athena also uses a highly refined matching process using a proprietary algorithm, but the purpose of the matching is a bit different. Athena provides assistants who integrate deeply into their clients’
“We pair clients with assistants who can manage high-stakes projects, co-ordinate team operations and even support financial oversight.”
— Victoria Alcachupas, chief marketing officer at Athena
professional and personal lives, handling a wide range of complex and strategic responsibilities.
“While typical tasks like inbox, calendar and travel management are part of their day to day, Athena assistants offer much more than traditional support,” says Alcachupas. “We pair clients with assistants who can manage high-stakes projects, co-ordinate team operations and even support financial oversight. Some unique
tasks assistants handle are leading board meetings and executive leadership calls and securing funding to more personal tasks like planning bachelor parties and helping reduce anxiety medications, enabling clients to be the best version of themselves and be truly present.”
Using a vast delegation playbook library, combined with ongoing training and mentorship, Athena assistants can anticipate needs, proactively solve problems and streamline workflows.
“As the relationship deepens, clients often rely on their assistants for bigger initiatives, such as managing hiring processes, overseeing event planning or coordinating cross-functional teams,” she says. “Ultimately, an Athena assistant evolves with their client, becoming essential to their professional success and personal fulfilment.”
Trust Issues
When you outsource any part of your business, you are potentially giving someone access to sensitive information. It’s crucial to be confident about who you are signing up with, especially with the ongoing prevalence of cybercrime, identity theft and internet scams.
Virtual Gurus tackles these concerns
head on by providing vetted assistance and prioritizing privacy.
“Of course, there are skilled individuals everywhere in the world, but there is the differentiator of ours being a Canadian company,” says Laszlo. “We work across North America. Our VAs are all based in North America, so it reassures folks because there’s no concern about time-zone challenges or communication barriers, and there is a level of trust, especially with so much cybercrime and scamming these days. Our practices are bound to specific regulatory requirements and our technology is very secure. We do think people feel a certain level of comfort in that.”
You should also ask questions about customer support and transparency. What level of service are you getting? Is communication clear right from the start? Is there transparency in how they operate? Do costs inflate if you need more support?
“You want to make sure that you’re going to get that support when you need it and that there’s upfront pricing and service expectations,” says Laszlo.
At the end of the day, though, no matter what type and level of service you are looking for, outsourcing may be the perfect solution and the key to freeing up your time to focus on new goals.
How to Hire a Virtual Assistant
You can, of course, hire a separate specialist for every task you need to outsource — a bookkeeper, a travel agent, a digital-marketing specialist, someone to handle all your admin. But businesses are increasingly looking to virtual assistant companies that can handle multiple tasks. If you plan to go this route, this is what you need to keep in mind.
Focus on value, not just cost.
Some virtual assistant companies offer services at very low costs, but as the saying goes, you get what you pay for.
“We think people should look for talent, quality and expertise,” says Vicki Laszlo, vice-president of marketing at Virtual Gurus. “Make sure the company will offer highly skilled and vetted professionals who have the experience and expertise to meet your business needs.”
Some virtual assistant companies offer services at very low costs, but as the saying goes, you get what you pay for.
Online reviews can provide a good snapshot; better yet, talk to an existing client or ask the company for referrals.
Consider scalability and flexibility. If your business is growing or has busier periods, look for a flexible model that can easily grow with you and provide more services when you need them.
“People often start with a single role, like an admin support or an executive assistant, then they expand into other business functions,” says Laszlo.
At the elite personal assistance company Athena, many clients entrust their assistants with higher-level responsibilities after just three months of service.
“As trust grows, assistants become key players in managing both professional and personal priorities, enabling leaders to focus on strategic growth and long-term success,” says Victoria Alcachupas, chief marketing officer at Athena.
Start small, but intentional.
Alcachupas suggests identifying tasks that drain your time and energy and don’t require direct input. Then delegate them.
“Trust in the process and invest time up front by sharing your goals, preferences and expectations with your assistant,” she says. “Most importantly, don’t view delegation as a transaction, but as an investment in yourself and your ability to achieve more.”
Piers Henwood is a Grammy and Juno Award-nominated artist manager and musician based in Victoria.
Mixing Beats with Business?
Why CEOs should embrace lifelong creativity — and ignore the naysayers.
Why are business executives who chase personal fitness goals admired, while those who pursue creative goals often questioned? Why are busy professionals who enrol in recreational athletics applauded for making time to exercise, while those who pursue amateur creative projects judged for wasting time? In short, why is lifelong physical exercise laudable for high-flying CEOs and lifelong creative exercise not?
Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon famously courted controversy for DJ-ing as a creative outlet, a passion he started years before taking the reins of the investment bank. As public backlash in the media and business community mounted, he told Nic Harcourt, host of the podcast The Sound of Success, what he faced: “There were all sorts of people telling me, ‘You can’t do that, it will hurt your career professionally.’ I thought about it and I said, ‘I enjoy this, I’m not doing anything wrong, I’m not breaking any laws ... Why should I stop doing something I’m really enjoying?’ ”
If Solomon had been running marathons or training for a CrossFit challenge, media coverage would have been minimal and, if anything, congratulatory. But because Solomon was pursuing an amateur creative outlet, he had entered a uniquely illogical hornet’s nest. Or should I say DJ booth.
Given that creativity is integral to business success, little about our societal approach to cases like Solomon’s makes sense. Just because you’re never going to be an Olympian doesn’t mean you shouldn’t hit the gym before starting the workday, and just because you’re not destined to be a professional artist doesn’t mean you shouldn’t seek the benefits of creativity.
I believe it’s time we think of creative projects, no matter how amateur, as creative exercise, deserving the legitimacy that the word “exercise” bestows.
In that same podcast interview, Solomon recounted the positive outcomes he was experiencing from DJ-ing: “To be at this stage of my life doing something new, learning, growing and getting better at it it keeps you young, it keeps you vibrant. You have to keep your brain moving.”
Indeed, just as we should exercise physically throughout life, we should also exercise creatively. Unfortunately, we’re taught that we aren’t creative beyond our younger years, and it’s true that creative competencies vary widely. But someone who never gravitated to sports is still well-served by getting their heart rate up as an adult, just as someone who doesn’t consider themselves creative is still rewarded by finding a creative project to build new perspectives both of which will yield benefits in their business life.
Not surprisingly, media scrutiny of Solomon’s DJ career eventually became insurmountable, and sadly he announced he would cease public performances of his hobby last year. Tellingly, a spokesman for Goldman Sachs said, “Music was not a distraction from David’s work. The media attention became a distraction.”
The business media, and society at large, should be ashamed of this outcome. Luckily, most of us will never face the same scrutiny that Solomon did for moonlighting as a mix master. So if you’re ready to buck social pressures and make a commitment to the benefits of lifelong creative exercise, where might you start?
1. Give yourself permission.
It sounds hokey, but embarking on creative projects requires that you give yourself permission to commit time. Easier said than done, because here we wrestle with social conditioning around time usage, especially if you’re a busy executive. Taking an hour between meetings to hit the treadmill? Great! But if you’re taking that same hour to do a drawing class, you may find an inner voice fearful of judgment. We can learn to take our doubts not as an indictment of ourselves, but as an indictment of involuntary social conditioning.
2. Choose an area of interest with potential for cumulative progress.
It doesn’t matter where you start and where you end, as long as there’s potential for an unfolding process. Progress doesn’t imply a march toward professionalism, but rather that incremental effort can accumulate into a more meaningful
I believe it’s time we think of creative projects, no matter how amateur, as creative exercise, deserving the legitimacy that the word “exercise” bestows.
understanding of the creative skill you’re building. You’ll begin a process of selfactualization creation of any magnitude and competency builds confidence that translates into all areas of life, including your work.
3. Define a specific project within your chosen creative area.
Creativity isn’t an inherent characteristic so much as a habit. Therefore, defining a project with an outcome can be helpful for making your commitment to creative exercise tangible. For example, rather than saying you want to learn photography skills broadly, you might start by committing to shoot 10 architectural photos during your next business trip. In establishing this finite project, you’ll have a guidepost for seeing familiar sites from fresh eyes between meetings.
In sum, I believe a healthy societal approach to lifelong creativity isn’t about convincing busy professionals and highflying CEOs that they’re creative it’s about convincing people that it’s important to practise being creative throughout life, regardless of social judgment. Creativity allows us to unfold into a deeper version of ourselves, which in turn sparks growth in all areas of life, including the boardroom. That’s creative exercise. Just ask DJ D-Sol.
Alice Brum, Ian Clark, Grant Atwood
Ingrid
Vaughan, principal of My Smart HR and founder of the Smart Leadership Academy, provides HR support and leadership coaching to small-business owners and managers.
Five Key Trends in HR
COVID changed everything. So what’s next for employers?
As we work with Vancouver Island small business owners and managers, most people agree that the employment landscape has changed in an epic way over the last seven years and, more specifically, since the COVID pandemic.
Employment-related litigation has almost doubled. Worker shortages continue. Employers struggle to maintain key employees and manage day-to-day performance challenges that include simply having people show up for work and being open to job feedback. Negative social media exposure from disgruntled employees has also increased, making many employers wonder if running a business is worth it.
Being aware of how things are changing and having a strategy for how to manage those trends can empower you to make proactive decisions. These trends and predictions come from reliable sources: the Harvard Business Review, Gallup, McKinsey and Company, the Society for Human Resource Management, Forbes and the World Economic Forum “Future of Jobs” reports. These reputable trend watchers can prepare us for what’s to come and equip us with ideas for how to respond to whatever is next.
While not all of these apply to all businesses (clearly remote work for retail and food services doesn’t work), here’s what’s anticipated for the employment landscape for the next three to five years and some proactive strategies to consider for your business. “What is clearly evident is that HR is no longer just about hiring and firing, it is about building cohesive, diverse and dedicated teams,” says Dawna Day, principal director and co-owner of Magenta HR. “Having a well-rounded, skilled and people-focused HR team is essential to the success of any business.”
Here are the trends to watch in the coming year.
Remote and Hybrid Work Models
This is expected to continue along with an expectation for flexible work options.
Proactive strategy: Develop clear remote and hybrid work policies that outline expectations, communication protocols and performance
metrics plus invest in technology and tools that support remote collaboration so employees can work effectively from anywhere.
Employee Mental Health and Well-being
Look for an increased emphasis on including mental health supports, work-life balance initiatives and wellness programs for your employees. Remember, mental health in workplaces improves when attention is paid to the unique needs, skills and contributions of individual employees.
Proactive strategy: Offer comprehensive mental health resources, such as counselling services, stress management workshops and wellness challenges and create a culture that encourages work-life balance, including flexible hours and time off to recharge. Emphasize diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to create more inclusive workplaces and address systemic inequalities.
Upskilling and Reskilling
As technology evolves, there will be a greater emphasis on continuous learning and development, with organizations investing in upskilling and reskilling their workforce to meet changing demands of employees, industries and the speed of change.
Proactive strategy: Create personalized development plans for employees that include opportunities for honing existing skills and growing new ones; partner with educational institutions or online learning platforms to provide access to relevant courses and certifications.
Automation and AI in HR
Integrate AI and automation in HR processes to streamline operations, enhance recruitment efforts and improve the employee experience.
Proactive strategy: Make use of AI-driven recruitment tools in the hiring process to reduce bias in candidate selection; automate routine HR tasks like payroll and benefits administration to free up HR professionals for more strategic initiatives and employee engagement.
Being aware of how things are changing and having a strategy for how to manage those trends can empower you to make proactive decisions.
Focus on Employee Experience
Prioritize the overall employee experience at every touchpoint in their journey with your company. This will be a key to success factor in both recruitment and retention in the future. From onboarding to career development to fostering engagement and retention, employees are looking for companies that make work a great place to be and that value what they have to contribute.
Proactive strategy: Conduct annual employee engagement/satisfaction surveys to solicit feedback on what’s really going on in your organization. You might be surprised how your team feels about things in comparison to your perceptions. Design onboarding and career-development programs that prioritize employee engagement and growth so their experience with your company is positive from day one. If you want to stay ahead of HR trends and create a more engaged, productive and satisfied workforce, create proactive strategies for your business to reflect the evolving landscape and adapt to new challenges and opportunities.
WHISKY BARS, BAR NONE
Where to enjoy a dram of the best in Victoria.
Whisky is the sort of beverage that lends itself to good conversation and important moments; little wonder, then, that it is so often the libation of choice for toasting a successful business deal.
Whether it’s single malt, bourbon or mellow, club-style Canadian rye, whisky is a sophisticated sipper. It also forms the foundation for some of our favourite classic and creative cocktails: among them, the Manhattan, Old Fashioned, Boulevardier or Sazerac.
And Victoria is a town that takes its drams seriously. For one thing, the city plays host to one of the world’s great whisky events — the Victoria Whisky Festival, January 16 to 19 at the Hotel Grand Pacific (victoriawhiskyfestival.com). For another, it’s home to these five great whisky bars. Sláinte!
WHISKY LOUNGE AT FATHOM
Given that Fathom is located in the host hotel for the whisky fest, it’s no surprise that bar manager Adam Bradshaw has concocted a pretty serious whisky list. He’s tailored it for “the enthusiasts and explorers who respect the craft and the history of whisky,” filling his back bar with a rich variety of flavours and styles, paying special attention to his Canadian selection. fathomvictoria.com
CLIVE’S CLASSIC LOUNGE
If a publication as prestigious as the U.K.based Whisky magazine names a bar the Whisky Hotel Bar of the Year (2023), you know you’re guaranteed a decent dram. Bar manager Shawn Soole and his team curate a program that showcases more than 250 whiskies from around the world. Plus they shake up some spectacular cocktails, too. clivesclassiclounge.com
ARTEMIS WHISKEY BAR
Step through the secret speakeasy entrance on Wharf Street and discover a space-themed bar where the whisky selection is out of this world. There are at least 150 Scotch whiskies on the list here as well as a generous selection of Irish, Japanese and Canadian whiskies, including some real treasures. You just have to find the place first. artemiswhiskey.ca
THE CHURCHILL
With a prime location on Government Street, this sister pub to the Garrick’s Head has a chill, cozy ambience and, more importantly, an impressive whisky list heavy on the scotch and scotch-style libations. thechurchill.ca
BARD & BANKER
Just up Government Street, the Bard is a bigger, busier, shinier pub housed in a former bank, with live music, cozy snugs for high-level meetings and whisky flights that let you sample a range of styles from around the world. bardandbanker.com
LEASE OR BUY?
How to decide if buying or leasing a car is best for you.
If you’re in the market for a new company car, consider whether you should lease it or buy it. There are pros and cons to both, and only you can say for sure which is right for your business. But in general, you can follow these guidelines.
LEASE A COMPANY CAR IF:
• Your company is a small one.
• Your budget is tight and you prefer to make smaller monthly payments.
• You don’t want to be responsible for maintenance and upkeep.
• You don’t plan to use the vehicle often or for long distances.
• You want the latest and/or a higher-end vehicle without spending a lot of money.
• You don’t want to worry about the hassle of selling the car later on.
BUY A COMPANY CAR IF:
• Your company is a large one.
• You have enough cash for a large down payment and monthly payments.
• Your drivers would cause noticeable wear and tear on the vehicles.
• You want a fleet of vehicles that can be used frequently, for long distances and without restrictions regarding mileage.
• You want to customize the vehicle(s) with custom logos or other features.
• You plan to sell later and recover some of the original investment.
PRESENTS OF MIND
Before exchanging gifts at work, consider these dos and don’ts.
Ho ho ho, all you office Santas! We know you love doling out prezzies to your productive elves, but hold up a minute. There’s an etiquette around workplace gift giving and receiving, and you break those rules at your peril. You want any gift exchange to be fun and make employees feel valued; get it wrong and you can end up with hurt feelings or, if things go really, really wrong, a complaint to HR.
If you are hosting a gift exchange:
• Do aim for inclusion; gifts should be thoughtful and of similar value for each employee.
• Don’t pressure employees to participate.
• Do set and observe a spending limit.
• Don’t host gift exchanges where “stealing” is allowed this could easily result in hurt feelings and poor morale.
No matter what:
• Do keep gifts professional; avoid anything too personal or inappropriate for the workplace, such as alcohol or naughty gag gifts.
• Don’t give gifts to your bosses, especially near performance review time.
• Do establish a company code of ethics around workplace gift giving — and receiving, too — outlining under what circumstances employees may accept gifts, and what they may and may not accept.
ATTRACTING AND RETAINING TALENT IN 2025
When it comes to retaining your best people, the top priorities may not be what you think they are.
We all know that attracting and hiring key staff members is a challenge, but retaining them is an even bigger one. Deloitte, the multinational professional services network, conducted a survey to see what employers were doing to keep their best talent, how that has changed over the last two years and what the top priorities are for 2025. The short answer: Don’t worry about redoing your office space, but do pay attention to training, education and skills development. And while you’re at it, consider giving them a raise.
