StartUp Weekend Hamilton 1: A Resounding Success!

This post was originally on canuckseo.com by Jim Rudnick, one of the mentors at the event!

Yup, the best weekend I’ve ever spent in #HamOnt is over and I can tell you that it was “best”

not only for me, for the 100 attendants and participants but for the city of Hamilton itself!

Everyone won and the big news is that everyone will continue to win!

First, the sponsors deserve credit for their participation and belief that holding our first ever StartUp Weekend here in Hamilton would be an event that they could take a-hold of and use to promote our city and our new culture of startups! So a big thanks to Innovation Factory, to Intelex, to McMaster Innovation Park, to Inceptive Solutions, Mohawk College, SoftMills and SoftwareHamilton too….their ability, skills and yes cash helped get this event up and running!

Next, I must also thank especially the team at our RIC, the Innovation Factory for their efforts and attention to details that made the registration, running and judging of the contest once again, the best I’ve ever been at hands down! I must mention Stephanie, Tammy, Mike, Keanin, Peter Smith, Robin Hopper and especially Ron Neumann too, who all worked very very hard both behind the scenes and out front too to make exactly the right “feel” happen for our more than a hundred participants and startup founders too!

Beginning last Friday nite, with an open mic call to any entrepreneur in the audience who had an idea, we saw I believe over 25 such ideas for startups broached and expounded upon by contest participants. They showed their passion and their belief that what they wanted to build in 54 hours over the weekend would be both an attainable goal as well as an actual up-and-running company by Sunday night judging time! And what a wide assortment of ideas we all heard….many for hi-tech apps, new social media ideas, communitys and more!

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Resources for Young Female Entrepreneurs

With so many women in the workplace today, it’s no wonder that many have decided to seek their fortunes as entrepreneurs. As a young, professional woman, you can acquire the exact knowledge and experience that will propel you into the future. If y

ou haven’t had the luxury of pursuing an research may be the best place to start for answers. By carefully selecting the appropriate product, demographic, and marketing strategies, you will be in a great position to expand and grow with an unlimited earning potential. Having the correct resources is the key to developing your business.

Top Three:
Ladies Who Launch can assist you with certain aspects of your business like promotions, connections, special offers, and events. There are two levels of membership, gold and platinum. The gold level offers access to join their online community and share in the latest information and opportunities. The monthly rate is $19 or $199 per year. Platinum members receive all of the aforementioned benefits and support as well as access to local, in-person meetings, and exclusive members-only events. The monthly rate is $39 or $399 per year.

Also known as the United States Small Business Administration (SBA), the Office of Advocacy can assist women-owned businesses with all types of research, act as a voice and advocate, and provide statistical records. Many laws for women in business have been changed for the positive due to the consistent work of the SBA, so it’s a good idea to keep them in mind.

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Financing a Startup Is Much More Than Getting Someone to Sign a Check

You have a great idea, the drive and energy to make it happen, but your savings are
light. You need to find capital to get started, but you feel that the strength of your idea
and your persuasive marketing talents will surely make investors grab t

heir checkbooks
and start signing. If only it were that simple, but, unfortunately, it is not.

Gone are the free-flowing nineties when investors would literally throw millions of
dollars at a good idea. Angel and venture funds are still licking their wounds from the
bursting of the Internet bubble a decade back, and what funds they do raise primarily
go to shoring up the previous “mistakes” in their portfolios. These investors tend to be
very risk averse in today’s environment, preferring rather to buy struggling companies,
repackage them, and then sell for a profit, corporate “flipping”, if you will. While they
may see hundreds of potential deals a year, they are very selective, choosing perhaps
two or three from the lot to support.

Within this context, a “budding” entrepreneur should avoid the temptation of seeking
money from highly structured angel or venture-type funds. The competition is too great,
and the demands for a “sure deal” will severely discount the value of your business
model. The more prudent path is to focus on less demanding funding sources, namely
friends, family, business partners, vendors, and locally sanctioned state development
funds.

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Need Funding for Your Idea? 5 Tips That Will Have Investors Throwing Money Your Way

Do you think your business idea can become the next Google, or the new Facebook? Does your idea have what it takes to become the successor to Amazon? In order to get your idea off the ground, you’ll need funding to get started. One of the m

ost important steps that startups will undertake is the process of finding investors for their business ideas. There are many angel investors and venture capitalists out there just waiting to hear a pitch that will convince them that they are looking at the next successful business—you want to be this business.

You can increase your chances of obtaining funding with careful preparation and practice. The following are some tips that can help you successfully sell yourself and your idea:

5 Tips to Master before the Big Presentation

1.Be Easy to understand
Presenters pitch their business plans to investors in the hopes of obtaining funding. However, this task will be near impossible if investors cannot understand what you are explaining. This may sound obvious, but many find that speaking to investors is more nerve-racking than they anticipate. One key tip for any presentation is to be articulate and concise, so the investor can easily follow your business plan. Other general tips include: don’t speak too quickly, avoid announcing to your audience and keep away from informalities.

2.Be Prepared with what you are going to say
This again teeters on the brink of obvious, but many people think they know everything about their idea without research; this is almost always untrue. Know everything you can about your idea and industry. One of the quickest ways to turn away investors is if you appear to be unprepared and unqualified. In order to prevent this, presenters should be as informed and knowledgeable as possible. Provide information on the competition, the market, operations, finances, and possible long term plans. In other words, know about more than just your specific idea. Investors will try to understand everything they can about the pitch, so be ready to deal with any potential questions thrown your way.

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Interview with Brad Kendall of digihedron.com

I am very happy to interview fellow YEC member and someone that lives in my hometown. I am happy to get to talk with Brad, and know entrepreneurship is live and well in Winnipeg!

YGG: We k

now you’re a “Young Go Getter”, but so our readers know, how old are you?

Brad: 23

YGG: Can you tell us the quick history about your business and what motivated you to start it up?

I started a computer store with my dad when I was 13. My father has always been an entrepreneurial inspiration to me and I was always interested in technology. I think he saw an opportunity to really get me motivated and start down the entrepreneurial path. I quickly picked up a lot of the knowledge necessary to running a business, working after school and on weekends. Of course, my first owners draw from the company at 14 was pretty motivating too.

YGG: What are the most crucial things you have done to grow your business?

There were many things I have done that have helped my business grow to the point that it is today. One of them was reading the four hour workweek. That book changed my life. The biggest lesson I learned from that book was the 80/20 rule. I basically run my life off of that rule now. I looked over my books and noticed that 80% of my profits came from 20% of my customers and also that 20% of my customers were causing 80% of my problems. In addition to that, I noticed another trend, that the top 20% of my clients were all in the same industry. Focusing on one industry allowed me to really explore with automation and delegation. I basically went from working 20 hour days to 2 or 3 hours a day, allowing me to focus on other entrepreneurial interests. I also make more money now, which is great!

YGG: What has been your most effective marketing tactic or technique?

Most of my marketing comes from word of mouth. I develop awesome relationships with my clients and they never hesitate to recommend me to their peers. Again, picking a specific vertical market really helps with word of mouth marketing as everybody knows each other within the industry.

Another tactic that really works for me is breaking downtime and other problems into an actual figure. A simple explanation would be say an employee works on a computer 40 hours a week and he costs the company $20.00 / hour. 2 hours of downtime a week would end up costing the company $40.00. I found clients really respond to actual figures instead of fancy brochures or websites.

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Marketing Your Small Business on a Shoestring

Taking the plunge and starting your own business is exciting. Being able to take full control of the product or service that you are selling is a satisfying experience. If you are used to life in a confined cubicle, it can be very liberatin

g to finally go out on your own. If you have ever started a small business or been involved with a start-up, it is likely that you already know how difficult it can be to promote your product with little funds available. When nobody has ever heard of your brand and you’re competing against some well-established players, it’s easy to feel like you are facing an uphill struggle to get established. Fortunately, the Internet today provides many inexpensive and free tools that you can take advantage of and use for marketing your business. With some creativity and ingenuity, you can gain maximum exposure spending a minimal amount of money. Bear in mind that you can save on cash but the hard work still has to be done. Below are six suggestions to help you market your small business with limited funds.

1. Identify your target customers. Yes, this sounds like an obvious thing to do but it is often a step that is rushed by eager entrepreneurs. The better that you know your target customer, the better that you can target them. Marketers and designers often create personas around their target customers where they really drill into the details of who they are targeting. Creating personas involves going beyond gender and age. Questions to consider include where your customers work, what type of car they drive, what they do at the weekends and where they like to go on holiday. Imagine what a day in the life of your target customer looks like from the time that they wake up until the time that they go to bed. Explore their habits, likes and dislikes. You will begin to see opportunities to market to your customers that you might have missed before.

2. Take the time to talk on Twitter. Think back to a time when you received good customer service at a store. What made the service stand out to you? Aim to make your customers feel as appreciated on Twitter as you do when you shop at your favourite store. If a follower has a question or an issue that needs solving, be sure to address it quickly. If a follower gives your business a compliment, retweet it and be sure to thank them. Twitter is not all about you and your brand, it is also an opportunity to have a casual conversation. You know that feeling when you visit your local coffee store and the barista engages in a little chit-chat with you in between making your coffee? It leaves you feeling good doesn’t it? Being genuinely interested in what other people are up to is always a nice thing. Ask questions, make observations and interact. Successful brands today make a personal connection with their customers.

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Interview with Devesh Dwivedi from Breakingthe9to5Jail.com

I would like to introduce Devesh, I met Devesh last year and we quickly became friends large in part to our similar entrepreneurial mindsets. He also came on board to help me plan and execute nd Calgary which was an excellent success. But I will let him tell you in his own words about his journey!

YGG: We know you’re a “Young Go Getter”, but so our readers know, how old are you?

Devesh: 28

YGG: Can you tell us the quick history about yourself, and what drives you to succeed?

Devesh: I started my first business when I was 14, it was a comic book rental business that I started with a couple of friends who were also big on reading and collecting comic books, since then I have started multiple businesses in fashion, beauty, technology, education. I also worked for multiple Fortune 50 companies in different capacities for half a decade after my MBA from State Univ. of NY (Oswego). I started consulting a coaching small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs out of my technology business and realized that helping entrepreneurs succeed was my true calling, something that I enjoyed doing the most. Now, I help cubicle imprisoned aspiring entrepreneurs break out of the 9-5 jail and start their own businesses.

YGG: How did you get started in this business?

Devesh: As I mentioned I had been an entrepreneur before going for an MBA and traditional corporate job and even after working at many different companies in different capacities I always felt imprisoned, because I just couldn’t work and grow as I wished. I missed the freedom and fun I had as an entrepreneur. Following the instructions that came with “that’s just the way it’s always been done” flavor is what I’m allergic to. I have always been interested in meeting new people and talking and when I mentioned my job as a 9-5 jail at the networking events people started recognizing me as ‘9-5 jail’ guy more than my name, that how ‘Breaking the 9to5 jail’ was born, first a group, then a blog, now a book, blog and source of inspiration and information for aspiring entrepreneurs…

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Best ways for you business to save money on your wireless bill!

Left unchecked your mobility bill for your business can easily get out of hand. Long distance, data, roaming and overages can easily eat into your bottom line. This can be amplified if you provide phones to your employees. But with a little k

now-how and these practical tips you can be a mobility bill managing wizard in no time!

Apps

Usage Trackers

There are a pile of apps that are out there that can track usage on the phone and even alert you when you are getting close to your caps that you set based on your plan. These apps are a great start in the war against your bill.

Here are some cools apps for usage tracking:

Another great tool is your carriers online billing and account management portal. It can give you a breakdown on your usage to date for all of your phones!

Skype

Most OS’s support Skype on your phone. This is a low cost tool for making international calls right from your phone. Just load the app and sign in, once in you may have to buy Skype credit dependant on where your calling. This is a much cheaper option for calling international than most carrier rates.

Google Voice

Also a great option for calling, and it integrates tightly with Android. You can also have one number to give out and it will ring multiple phones!

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