How did you become an entrepreneur? Was it something you always wanted to do or did you have an ‘ah ha’ moment that propelled you into a new career path?

For Roxanne Pettipas it was her dog that inspired her to start her own business. Before that, Roxanne was working as a supply teacher and she and her partner had been splitting their time between Toronto and the Bahamas. Eventually, Roxanne grew tired of coming home to an empty apartment so she decided to get a daschund named Buddy to help keep her company.

“I used to take Buddy out for walks using this little neck collar, and after a while I thought he had developed allergies because he would gag and cough every time we were out,” she said. Roxanne admits she didn’t know much about dogs at the time, but she quickly realized that Buddy was choking from the pressure that the collar was putting on his throat. Roxanne searched far and wide for a solution to the problem, but every harness she found was bulky and awkward with too many clips and clasps. “Buddy wasn’t happy and neither was I, so that’s when I decided to make something for him.”

Perhaps it was her background as an art teacher that made her so industrious, but instead of waiting for someone else to produce an acceptable harness Roxanne decided to create one herself. “At the time I was using a soft pliable tire rubber in my art class, so I used that material to create the very first Buddy Belt.” She then consulted a shoe maker and a clothing designer to help her understand how to work with leather. “I had to learn it all,” she said, “Whether it was working with an industrial sewing machine, or learning about patterns, dies, and templates, it all stemmed from wanting to create something comfortable for Buddy.”

Like a traditional collar the Buddy Belt has one buckle that is fastened between the shoulder blades instead of around the neck. The animal’s front legs are then extended through the two holes underneath the collar that helps reduce strain on the neck.

Once Buddy starting sporting his new harness around the neighbourhood, the orders started rolling in. After spending countless hours at the library making patterns, Roxanne developed 11 different sizes of Buddy Belts to meet the needs of teacup, toy and standard size dogs. As Roxanne became heavily invested in her idea, she was offered a full time teaching job. At that point Roxanne found herself having to choose between her business and the teaching career she always wanted. In the end she decided to pursue Buddy Belts full time. “It was a hard decision, but I knew I’d regret it otherwise,” she said.

What I took away from interviewing Roxanne is that you can turn a problem into a business idea. If other people are having the same problem as you, there may be a gap in the market for a new product or service that addresses that problem.

If you want more information about Buddy Belts please visit the website.

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The number of people who actively use Facebook has reached epic proportions. Last year the site had approximately 500 million active users and over this past year it has grown to over 800 million users. As the number of users continues to grow, so too does the amount of time we spend on Facebook. According to one article, Facebook accounts for about 16% of our total time spent online.

Perhaps one reason people are spending more time on Facebook is because they’re enthralled with games that can be played on the site. If you’ve ever played a game on Facebook – you know how addicting these games can be. One game I’ve been obsessed with recently is called Mousehunt. Founded by a social gaming company called HitGrab, Mousehunt has been attracting hundreds of thousands of players since its inception in 2008.

This week I sat down with HitGrab’s Co-Founder Bryan Freeman to hear about how he started the company. “I used to work at a dotcom,” he said, “but then I started doing some marketing work on the side to make a few extra dollars.” After earning seed money, Bryan and his Co-Founder Joel Auge decided to start a new venture. “Originally, we started out doing some web-based experiments to see what stuck,” said Bryan. After dabbling in a few different areas, the duo started working on Facebook development and noticed there was a bigger opportunity in creating games for the popular website.“One night we came up with a concept about catching mice, and when we shared it with everyone at the office they thought we were mad,” laughs Bryan. But after the initial shock, the team saw the potential for the game and then they spent the next couple of years developing it.

The game’s revenue model is similar to many online games. The game is completely free for people to play, but players can buy additional features if they want an enhanced gaming experience. I was shocked when I heard who the paying audience was made up of. “In Singapore we have an audience that’s really young, in the UK we have an audience of middle aged women, and in the US it’s completely mixed,” he said.

The widespread appeal of the game is a big part of HitGrab’s success. As HitGrab employees shared the game with their friends and family members, the game went viral and more people started joining all over the world. “It really was amazing to see how fast the game caught on, and we were shocked to see our players come from all over the world” said Bryan. To reward their success, Facebook gave the company 1 of 5 coveted grants for $250,000.

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Unless you’re an accountant you probably hate accounting. Heck I’d even bet that most accountants probably hate accounting, but it’s an essential part of any small business. Accounting – when done correctly – helps small business owners record transactions, prepare financial statements and tax returns, and also maintains order in their day-to-day business operations.

Unfortunately many small businesses are still relying on a shoe box full of receipts to prepare their records. The shoe box method can be dangerous because it can lead to creeping expenses, overdue accounts, cash flow shortages, data insecurity, added personnel costs, audit risks and even bankruptcy (eek!). These risks are very real, so I asked Kirk Simpson President and CEO of Wave Accounting why so many small businesses are still using this method.

“People don’t start small businesses because they love accounting,” he said, “They start them because they want to be a photographer, or real estate professional or a life coach.” For many small business owners accounting is the necessary evil that comes with running the business they are passionate about. And naturally, the tasks that small business owners hate the most are often the ones that they tend to neglect.

“The accounting process is very painful and very manual for small business owners,” he continued. Even with the help of online spreadsheets and expensive accounting software, many small business owners still find the task daunting. According to Kirk the problem with traditional accounting systems is that they aren’t intuitive for small business owners. “Many of the accounting programs still make you manually enter your expenses. At Wave, we atomize the process as much as possible so there is less manual entry.” Through partnerships with financial institutions, Wave will automatically import and categorize small business banking transactions into the software so business owners can see where they are spending their money.

Another problem with accounting software according to Kirk is that it makes small business owners keep their business and personal spending separate. ”The reality is that many small business owners use the same credit card on the weekends to buy diapers as they do during the week to buy office supplies.” Wave makes it easy for small business owners to categorize their spending based on whether it’s for business or personal use.”

The secret to the company’s widespread success and adoption is that they developed the service based on the accounting needs of small business owners (what a genius idea!). “We spent a lot of time developing the software based on how small business owners actually work, not the way an accountant, bookkeeper or software program tells them they should,” he said. With over twenty years of combined experience in the digital media and small business accounting industries, both Kirk and his co-founder James Lochrie strive to keep the perfect mix of utility and usability at all times. Maintaining this fine balance has helped them become a leading provider of free accounting software and is why thousands of small businesses are starting to use their service.

The key thing to take away from this is that accounting doesn’t have to be difficult. With the free tools that are available, small business owners can be more informed when it comes to running their business. Being more informed not only leads to better organization at tax season, but it also ensures that small issues are dealt with before they turn into major problems.

For more information about this topic, attend one of our free small business webinars.

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It seems like ‘Made in China’ is branded on just about everything we buy these days. From clothing, to electronics to furniture – so much of the manufacturing process is being conducted outside of Canada. And, while I’m not opposed to outsourcing, I don’t believe it’s the best solution for every small business.

Just ask Ricky Pacheco – Founder of Pop49 – a Mississauga based company that provides signs, point of purchase materials, and other promotional items for a variety of businesses. “99% of what we make is sourced from Canadian suppliers,” he said. “We support a lot of small businesses in Mississauga, and if we can’t find a small business to use here, we’ll expand our search to the GTA.” Ricky noted that he will use a Canadian company wherever possible, and he will only outsource to the US or China when a Canadian supplier does not exist.

Just as I was about to praise him for his dedication, Ricky insisted that his strategy isn’t all altruistic. “Logistically it just makes more sense. We have a lot of customers who need things in a rush and if we buy everything locally we have a lot more control over the final product.” This is understandable since there are a lot of risks with using international suppliers such as geopolitical instability, inadequate vendor capabilities, and decreased managerial control over things like product quality and delivery timing. For small businesses whose livelihood’s depend on exceeding the needs of their clients; the risks simply aren’t worth it.

Not only is it important to meet and exceed the needs of your client as a small business, but it’s also important to build relationships with them as well. “By maintaining control over our product we’ve built trust with our clients who know we always deliver on time and under budget,” said Ricky.

Meeting your obligations can help you build a reputation for being reliable. Being reliable and building trust with your customers can also help you get more repeat and referral business. As the 80/20 rule states, 80% of your business comes from 20% of your customers, so keep your current customers happy.

In the end it’s up to you to decide whether or not outsourcing is the right decision for your small business. But, before you do business with a company located across the Globe, you must consider whether or not the benefits outweigh the potential risks. Make your decision carefully as the future of your business may depend on it.

For more information about Pop49 or custom designed point of purchase materials please visit www.pop49.com.

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Startups, like babies, don’t stay small long. By their nature, they quickly move one of two ways:

1. They become bigger, by being acquired by a larger company, or through funding that allows for growth.

2. They fizzle out and die.

While there’s not yet an industry standard for determining when a company stops being a startup, experts have their own opinions about when that change occurs:

• When it begins to scale
• After 2 quarters of consecutive positive free cash flow
• When it’s more than two years old
• After 2 rounds of funding

Time to Operate Like a “Real” Business

No matter what your definition of  what makes a startup not a startup, the time comes when you have to shift your thinking and operations model. Gone are the days when you had no one to answer to. Now, even if you’re the boss, you have to account to investors, partners and lawyers. Things move slower on the other side of the startup fence. You’re not the only decision maker anymore, so everything, down to the brand of toilet paper your company uses, has to have a unanimous vote from the Board.

You also have to look out into the future and decide what you want to do. If you’ve been acquired, you may choose (or be invited) to act as as consultant as your startup transitions into being a piece of a larger corporation, or you may take the money and run. Often for startup founders, there’s a lot of emotional attachment to the company, so it’s hard to let it go and give up control to a corporation.

What’s next for you, if you’re not running your startup? If your acquisition pricetag was hefty enough, sitting on a beach sipping from a coconut might be an appealing option. But if you’re like a lot of other serial entrepreneurs, you might not be able to fathom not working. You’ve already got the connections and the experience of running a successful startup, so why not create another?

My point here is, running your startup is a very finite situation. Keep your eye on the future and know what your next step will be so it doesn’t take you by surprise.

Photo: Flickr user dierken. Creative Commons 2.0.

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We’ve all heard the phrase “starving artist”. Typically this description refers to some poor soul who is struggling to make ends meet while putting their time and effort into their art. When I think of the term, I think of someone who has the courage to risk everything and follow their passion.

Meet Claire Hall. After I interviewed Claire in her downtown Toronto art studio, I was inspired. Through her business, Claire helps people feel more comfortable in their homes by creating custom-designed artwork at an affordable price. “Many people want original artwork, but they don’t have thousands of dollars to spend on it,” she said. Claire’s solution is simple. Clients can submit a picture of their room through her website and she will create custom art based on their décor and budget.

When I asked her how she got her start she said, “I went to school for fashion-design, but I always loved to paint.” Claire’s hobby became a business when she decided to load some of her paintings onto Facebook. “After one day I had 20 orders, so I took it as a sign.” Shortly after, Claire left her successful career in the fashion industry to pursue her true calling.

Not long after that she ran into a problem that is all too familiar for many entrepreneurs – getting business. “Once people found out about my business they were really interested, but getting the awareness was tough.” That changed when she was featured in the Toronto Star earlier this September. “The day the article appeared, I received over 1,500 visitors to my website, 200 emails and 100 orders.” The article was so effective that she now has a 50 person waiting list, and the orders keep coming in.

This story not only illustrates why you should follow your passion, but it demonstrates how small businesses can profit from free publicity. When your submit your story to news outlets, you aren’t the only one benefitting as journalists are always looking for new and interesting content to write about. Additionally, if Claire purchased an advertisement in the Toronto Star there’s a good chance that most readers would have skipped over it. Why? Because traditional advertising just can’t compete with the credibility that public relations can offer. Most importantly PR is free! Free publicity can work wonders for businesses with a limited advertising budget. So get your name out there by submitting information to newspapers, social news websites, or to journalist support sites like Help A Reporter Out (HARO) – and you might be surprised at what happens next.

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One day I had a hole in my shirt and didn’t want to throw it out. I had been crocheting a lot in my spare time, so naturally, I decided to cover the hole with a crocheted chick. I liked the texture and look of it. I happened to be in a designer consignment store one day in Port Credit, Mississauga, ON, and was chatting with the owner, who expressed interest in my creation. I came back another day to show it to her and she allowed me to sell more clothes with crocheted designs on them on consignment in her store. Now I have clothes and accessories in 7 stores in the GTA, an online website, and can be found at craft shows such as the Distillery Art Market at the Distillery Historic District in Toronto, ON. I sell kids/babies, women’s, and men’s clothing.

Most of my original designs are inspired by nature and wildlife. My part-time work and study in environmental/biological sciences has inspired me to green my business, and so I have developed an eco-line for which I  use 100% organic cotton shirts for my crochet appliques. I currently use acrylic yarn for my designs, which is machine washable and dryer friendly. In an effort to conserve and be more eco-friendly, I have been experimenting by making my own yarn out of old clothing. I will be continuing to look for or develop more eco-friendly yarn.

Click here to visit Katnip

Tell us your story. Send an email to: andrew@bizlaunch.com

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www.dbtalent.com

There are a LOT of wannabe talents out there – from actors to dancers to musicians to artists of every type. I should know. I’ve owned a talent agency for almost 32 years. And I’ve seen or heard the best and the worst. So how do YOU realize your dream and take it to the next level?

Oh sure, you say. You live in Austin, Texas. How many “real” artists could you have possibly dealt with? Well, I guess that depends on what you consider to be a “real” artist. My definition is a person who can make a decent living doing what they love to do. That doesn’t always translate to living in a Beverly Hills mansion. But it may get you reliable transportation, buy you a house, put your kids through school, take some cool vacations, and eventually retire without starving.

Sound good to you? Then do your homework! Learn about how to run your business. You ARE the business and business has little time for whiners. Do you understand how to develop a marketing plan? Do you have a working website? Do you understand how to put money away so when that record label disappears you can survive until the next one comes along?

I know, folks walk up to you all the time and say, “Wow, your daughter is sooooo cute. She should be in a film or doing commercials.” Or, “You’ve got a GREAT voice. You sound like an announcer. You should be on the radio.”

Those comments will get you into a legitimate agents door in about – well – I don’t know how to count the minutes in NEVER. Do you have any experience? Have you taken classes or acted in community theater?

So – do you go it alone or look for an agent? If you want an agent have you been to their web site to see who else they rep? What’s so special about you? What will an agent or ad agency or producer get from you that they can’t get from 1,000 other guys? Do you know how to submit? Should you do it through the web site, through the mail, just walk in? What materials are needed? If it’s for voice over do you have a voice demo for all the categories in which you want to land jobs (game industry, IVR, commercials, political advertising, industrial to name a few)? And if you don’t know what those categories are why not? Isn’t this the industry you said you wanted to be in to fulfill your dreams? How about headshot and resume for on-camera work? Do you have one for film/TV acting vs. commercial acting? A modeling portfolio? A live performance recording of you and the band? Photos of your band?

Do you know what the union rates are? AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists – www.aftra.org), SAG (Screen Actors Guild – www.sag.org) and AFM (American Federation of Musicians – www.afm.org). Do you know there are both regional and national rates? Do you know how and why those rates were developed? Do you know how they’re changing and why?

Or maybe you planned on just posting on a pay-to-play web site or Craigslist and hope to take any job at any rate to get you started. How many of you are now Googling pay-to-play?

Maybe you thought you’d call an agent or walk in the closest agent’s door and wow them with your greatness. Of course, it’s up to them after that. Isn’t that their job? Think again.

Learn the business before you submit. Have great materials. Take classes. Understand who’s going to ultimately hire you and why your particular skill, look, sound is needed. Have a business plan. Have a niche. Then you’re looking at a win-win for everyone. And who knows – maybe you WILL be the next biggest thing since the invention of the Internet.

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1. Everybody loves coming to work everyday
2. Everybody that works in it is proud to say so
3. Customers are proud to say: “we do business with them” or “we buy there regularly”
4. Suppliers are proud to say: “we supply them”
5. It has solid values and principles
6. It is making a positive difference in the world
7. It is very profitable

This is what I want to build

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Spoiled Sugar is owned by Brigitte Cusson who is a stay-at-home mom of 11 month old triplets and a 4 year old boy. After the birth of her triplets she was tired of the multiples of threes that were coming in from big box stores, which got boring very quickly! Looking for original products she sought out handmade products. She wanted to be different!

People fell in love with the products her children were wearing, and were always inquiring about where they could find such stylish gear. From that, Brigitte’s “5th baby” was born – www.spoiledsugar.ca. Spoiled Sugar brings together mompreneurs from all over the world and showcases their items in a user friendly easy to shop boutique.

Spoiled Sugar carries quality, funky, fresh handmade children’s goods. The products on found on Spoiled Sugar are unique and original, you’re not going to find these at your local store! It’s a must for every baby shower, baby gift or just to spoil yourself or your little one!

Everything from hair clips, to bonnets to teethers and eco-friendly snack bags can be found on her boutique – check it out today: www.spoiledsugar.ca

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