TELUS recently challenged entrepreneurs to share their best to-the-point and convincing elevator pitch for a chance to win one of two business productivity prize packs. With more than 100 submissions, Jordan D’Amico’s pitch was one of the top finalists.

Who believes a cupcake is simply a small cake? Not Jordan D’Amico. The 21-year-old Carleton University launched his online boutique, I’m With Cupcake in July 2011, with the premise that cupcakes aren’t just food, they can be a movement. He sells cupcake-themed products as well as party and baking supplies, cosmetics, and fun home décor, while working towards his B.A. in human rights.

1. Let’s start by talking about the process of coming up with the pitch – small businesses struggle with this.

D’Amico: I thought there are so many amazing online businesses. What will capture people’s attention? So why not redefine the word ‘cupcake’ to mean more than just everyone’s favourite dessert? Here, cupcake means anything cute, fun, kitsch, and clever.

2. How did you test your pitch? How do you know it does your company and product justice?

I don’t mean to be blasé but I went with my gut. My vision was products that people use everyday but with a new, fun twist and that you might not find in stores. I looked at competitors’ businesses to see how their products were selling and read reactions to products on the comments pages.

3. When did you start using social media? And how do you measure the success of those initiatives?

D’Amico: When I opened I had a Twitter account and Facebook page. I also used my food blog, Kitchen Karate, which went up in 2009 and is a great platform to promote the business. The FB page is linked to my Twitter account and is an easy way to share things. When I want to promote something I type it up and it’s sent to 700 people. About two months ago I was excited when a shipment of cupcake and party kits arrived. I took a picture of the box and posted it immediately….not that everyone is interested! The way I measure success is when people respond to posts.

4. What do you regard as your greatest success of 2011?

D’Amico: Getting the business to a place where I’m comfortable. I’m not raking in the dough but I don’t have to shut down shop. It’s growing at a pace where I can to learn about everything from shipping and packaging to sales projections. It improves the quality of what I’m doing.

5. Many businesses struggle to build their customer base and attract new customers with limited resources. Your advice?

D’Amico: A lot of advertising I use is free, like MailChimp. I send out periodic newsletters with a few promotional lines or to remind people that our stuff makes great stocking stuffers, plus photos and links to the product page.

6. How do you address customer feedback and what does it take to implement changes based on this feedback?

D’Amico: I do receive requests to source specific products. One customer asked, ‘Do you carry the cupcake pajamas I saw Kim Kardashian wearing?’ I thought the clothing is probably woven out of actual cake batter and only available at Sak’s Fifth Avenue. I never considered selling expensive things because if I was a customer, I’d be discouraged from buying online. And I want to keep this a place where everyday people can go and shop and smile and have fun.

7. Imagine you’re considering starting a new business. Given today’s environment and your experience, what are two things you’d advise yourself?

D’Amico: We live in a time of instant gratification. Then you come into a business, even an online one, and realize it’s so different. It’s not about doing it as fast as you can or having instant success, it’s about committing and putting in as much effort as you can. Second, I’d say take all the help and advice that’s offered….even if you’re not paying people!

8. What are your business goals for 2012?

I’d love to bring in products from indie Canadian artists who don’t have a platform to sell their work.

Last week we released the results of a recent TELUS-commissioned Ipsos Reid study. The study results helped us gain an understanding of how well Canadian small business owners are prepared to deal with change, what barriers they encounter and the steps they plan to take to manage this change.

This new research found that 82% of B.C. and Alberta small businesses are looking for new ways to deal with change. Small businesses’ ability to manage change is impacted by:

• lack of financial resources (44%)
• lack of time (40%) and
• complexity of processes such as technology, administrative, and billing (19%).

The study also found:

• The number one way SMBs in Canada manage change is by reviewing their current tools and technology (40 %).
• Streamlining vendor relationships was identified as the third most commonly used method to help manage change by 30%of the respondents.

We released the survey results along with our launch of Business Freedom, our new flexible wireline and wireless bundle designed to simplify and streamline telecommunications business processes as well as give SMBs the ability to adapt their tools and technology as required for their business.

At a networking event of small business influencers held last Thursday evening at The Network Hub in Vancouver, attendees discussed the results of the survey and how Business Freedom supports small business and the constant need to adapt to change.

Stephen Jagger, an entrepreneur spoke about his multiple businesses and how important it is to embrace change. Stephen co-funded four businesses, Ubertor.com, a real estate software company; Reachd.com, an in person training company focusing on online marketing; OutsourcingThingsDone.com, a leased labour business based in Manila PH and PayrollHero.com, a payroll, time tracking software company. He spoke about how change is an everyday occurrence in his business and that it’s essential to accept and even encourage change with employees.

“Change happens constantly in business which is why it is so  important to have products, services and suppliers that provide the  flexibility to adapt to those changes on the fly.  At the end of the day  it saves me time and money” Stephen Jagger

Attendees agreed that change is the new normal, a sentiment that is widely felt in Western Canada. In addition to providing valuable insight on SMB change management, the survey found that while BC and Alberta may be the most bullish in the country when it comes to change—84% said they are not afraid of change compared to 72% for the rest of Canada, still one in four SMBs said they are not prepared to deal with it (26%).  Small businesses and companies who supply these businesses must adapt and work towards providing solutions and processes to help make dealing with change more simple.

Leigh Tynan, Director of Marketing, TELUS Business Solutions discusses the new Business Freedom bundle for small business.

Attendees at the Business Freedom networking event.

On Business Freedom: “Two phones and a landline as a starting point make a lot of sense. Most small businesses have at least that as a requirement.  “Super Sam”, Taxsupport.ca

Raul Pacheco of Hummingbird604 and Lynsey Brothers of High Road Communications.

To find out more about Business Freedom and how it can support your changing business visit telus.com/businessfreedom.

A few weeks ago, I published a blog based on an article from Social Media B2B entitled “28 awesome B2B social media statistics”.  As part of that blog I highlighted 7 interesting social media stats and invited readers to let us know about your social media usage by completing a short survey. The results of the survey illustrate strong interest in social media. Here are the highlights:

• Size of business. We received responses from businesses of all size, although the largest responding group was from companies with 500+ employees (37.5%).
• Use of social media. 66.7% of the respondents answered that they do use social media as part of their marketing initiatives.
• Purpose of social media in respondent organizations. Marketing and listening top the response to this question as illustrated in this chart:

Since the majority of respondents indicated that they use social media for  listening and marketing, I would like to discuss the top 3 ways to use social media to listen online.

1.      Google Alerts

Google Alerts are email updates based on topics of interest that allow you to  monitor the web for content relevant to your business, brand, products or services. You can use Google Alerts to:

• Monitor your company name
• Monitor your key products and services
• Keep up to date on your competitors or industry developments
• Follow anything of interest to you ( celebrity news, sports teams, etc.)

Setting up a Google Alert is simple and free. Go to: http://www.google.com/alerts and follow the easy set up steps. You can even preview search terms on the Google site before you set up the actual alert. For example, here is an alert preview for the term: “Smartphone for business”.  If you like what you see, set up the alert and get ready to receive updates from Google. You can choose to receive alerts daily, weekly or as they happen and you can edit alerts anytime.

2.       RSS feeds

A great way to listen online is to set up RSS feeds. RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication” and allows you to subscribe to content feeds that are delivered directly to your RSS aggregator or to your web browser. Many blogs and web sites offer access to updated content via RSS feeds. Here is an excellent video that describes RSS and shows you how to set up an RSS feed.

I subscribe to a variety of RSS feeds that link to industry/thought leadership blogs and web sites of interest using Google Reader. I can categorize my feeds into folders and access them on my Smartphone using the Reeder iPhone app. This app synchs with Google Reader and allows me to see the feed categories that I set up in Google Reader. If you use a Blackberry or other Smartphone, look for apps that synch with your RSS reader of choice to allow you to read your feeds from any location at any time.

3.      Twitter

Using Twitter to listen online is an easy and effective way to hear what is being said about your company, your products and your competitors. There are many ways to listen on Twitter:

• Use Twitter search. Go to Twitter’s search feature at search.twitter.com and enter a term, company name or hashtag (symbols used to categorize tweets) in the search field. You will then see a list of tweets that contain the term you are searching for.
• Use a Twitter monitoring service such as TweetDeck or Hootsuite. These free applications are Twitter clients that allow you to send and receive tweets and group incoming messages. Try setting up a TweetDeck or Hootsuite account (you need to have a Twitter account) and creating columns to easily scan the tweets related to your keyword or hashtag. 
• You can access Twitter on your mobile device. Some of the apps for iPhone include TweetDeck, Twitter and Hootsuite. On a Blackberry try UberTwitter, or Twitter for Blackberry Smartphones.

What tools do you use to listen online?  Do you have any tips or tricks for effective listening?  Please let us know.

I read an interesting article in the Globe and Mail recently that asked the question: “Are you an Influencer?” It got me thinking about the role technology plays in helping employees and business owners become influencers in their company and industry.

The article discusses the trend towards flat organizational structures and requirement for different employee management skills and mindsets. Collaboration, flexibility, adaptability, influencing skills and relationship-building skills are key for people in cross-departmental roles responsible for producing results, but with no formal authority over others on the team. In fact, these qualities are most sought after by employers looking to fill senior roles.

In this environment of collaboration and independent thinkers do technologies such as Smartphones, Mobile Internet Keys, and Conferencing enhance a person’s ability to be an “influencer”? I think they can, particularly in today’s world where people in dispersed locations collaborate on teams.

Given this, here are three technologies you can use to help you increase your “influencer” status:

1. Get on the Smartphone bandwagon. Influencers are able to stay on top of current information and collaborate with others, regardless of when or where. For example, I like to look at my RSS feeds from my Smartphone to get quick access to headlines from the blogs I follow. Check out the Business App of the Week published each Friday on this blog for other ideas on how to optimize your Smartphone. 
   
   
2. Consider using Conferencing technologies such as Live Meeting web conferencing (to share desktops), audio conferencing or even video conferencing when “in person” collaboration is not possible. Influencers “check in” with their team on a regular basis. With challenges such as geographically dispersed teams, travel restrictions and scheduling issues, getting face to face interaction can be a challenge. The ability to connect with your team, even see them live via a web cam, will allow you to enhance your ability to collaborate effectively and build relationships with team members.
   
   
3. Try a Mobile Internet Key and use it to connect your PC to the web wherever you are. Gaining access to any application/program you use from your PC at any location is extremely powerful. Influencers do what’s required to get the job done. You can work remotely, collaborate with your team, get things done on your schedule. This will help you achieve your objectives and produce results.

The team I work on is made up of individuals located in 4 different cities across Canada. We use Smartphones, Conferencing, and Web meeting technologies on a daily basis. In my opinion these tools enhance our ability to influence and move team projects in the right direction.

What do you think?  Does the use of mobile and collaboration technologies support someone’s ability to be an influencer?

Related articles:

Business app of the week

Making the shift to Collaboration and Teamwork

Smartphones need smart security practices (via ComputerWorld)

Over the past few weeks, people from across the country submitted their ideas, via telustalksbusiness.com, on the places and spaces they think are Canada’s best locations for working outside the office. This week, as part of TELUS’ continuing focus on flexible work, we want to highlight some of the more interesting locations where Canadians have leveraged communications technologies to work remotely. This is the third post in a series of four articles that will appear over the next few weeks... 

When Torontonian and Spell Bound communications founder, Sara Tong wants to escape the buzz of the big smoke she has a certain place she likes to go. In her opinion, the best place to work away from the office is...

“An island oasis located minutes away from the heart of downtown Toronto – Centre Island is a great way to escape the hustle and bustle of cosmopolitan city life and still get back for dinner time.  At Centre Island, you can enjoy the tranquil environment and really focus.  In the summer, it is a fantastic way to work anywhere, anytime. And with wireless access and email availability I can make sure that I am accessible to anyone who needs me."

There must be a connection between islands and tranquility, as British Columbian and CEO of Trispark Consulting Inc. Bryan Sparks also says an ‘island’ is his favourite place to work away from the office, in this case, Vancouver Island:

“It's close to home, but far enough away to feel free. It's out in the open with a spectacular view of the land, sky and sea that makes Canada so beautiful. When I'm here, whether I'm on my laptop, mobile, or brainstorming with a pen and paper, everything flows right. The right words come out, the right ideas find there way to the page, and the emails seem to float away faster. Working away from the office is beautiful; Vancouver Island is why."

Beautiful scenery, quiet, close to home...What do you think are the quintessential elements to a good place to work remotely? Do you find you work better in a busy or quiet environment?

Over the past few weeks, people from across the country submitted their ideas, via telustalksbusiness.com, on the places and spaces they think are Canada’s best locations for working outside the office. This week, as part of TELUS’ continuing focus on flexible work, we want to highlight some of the more interesting locations where Canadians have leveraged communications technologies to work remotely. Stay tuned over the next few weeks as we share some of our key findings...

With more and more businesses giving employees the freedom of flexible work options, it comes as no surprise that TELUS was blanketed with submissions from nearly every province. Not only did people describe their favourite places to work remotely but they also sent us stories about how wireless technologies contribute to their business success.  So, while the below profiles will probably make you loathe your windowless office or stuffy cubicle, keep reading and find out how with flexible work you can make working anywhere, anytime a reality.

While we received tons of submissions from people who said their favourite place to work away from the office was their cottage, backyard or patio, it seems the most popular locations for remote working is the cozy and unassuming local coffee shop.  Here, Bianca Bruni, describes how the common coffee shop is the best place for creative thinking:

I find it much easier to think when I am away from my desk.  The whole office environment makes me a bit anxious due to the nature of the business that I work in.  When you are around stressed people it restricts the flow of creative and constructive thoughts and replaces them with quick solutions (which are not necessarily the best solutions).  When I am in an environment that is a bit more relaxed and casual it is much easier to think and be creative. Some of my best ideas have come to me over a cup of tea while sitting in a cozy coffee shop with my laptop or blackberry.  In such a relaxed atmosphere I sometimes will see someone or something that I wouldn't be exposed to in my office environment that triggers a thought pattern which in turn leads to a great solution to an issue I am working on. Never underestimate the power that an environment has on a worker - particularly those who need to be creative!”

With the growing popularity of flexible work options it seems almost everyone has a favourite spot to work that is outside the regular office. Whether it’s the time saved commuting, the reduction in stress or the boost in productivity that the majority of remote workers experience – it seems the benefits of flexible work are hard to ignore. And with the results of a recent TELUS commissioned Harris-Decima survey stating that only 46 per cent of Canadian workplaces currently offer a flexible work program, it is clear that there are many more people out there who have yet to experience the joys that working anywhere, anytime can bring.

Do you have a favourite coffee shop for working remotely? What sets it apart from other coffee shops?

Note: This post is the third instalment in our ongoing business leadership series for the Talking Business blog.  This new undertaking was inspired by overwhelmingly positive feedback around Evan Carmichael’s recent Modeling the Masters guest posts over the past few weeks.  Stay tuned for next Tuesday’s post, where Evan will profile another notable business leader.

[lead·er·ship \ˈlē-dər-ˌship\ noun]

Here’s what we found:

“The office or position of a leader, the capacity to lead or the act or an instance of leading” – Merrriam-Webster

“The process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task.” - Wikipedia

“The art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a common goal.” - About.com: Small Business Canada

“is the art of enabling people to understand their commonalities” - Jason Marsh via @JackieYunTweets

Here’s what we think:

“The act of being bold, thinking big, backing your bets, leading or embracing growth.”

What is your definition of leadership?