Finding the perfect fit for your team can be tough – especially when it comes to IT, a field that requires a very specialized skillset. We wanted to get some expert opinions on what questions to ask a potential new IT hire, so we opened up the discussion on our Ultimate List of IT Checklists and asked for input from some Canadian IT professionals.

Below is a list of important questions to ask in an interview, according to these experts.

1. Tell me a little bit about how you got into IT.

It may be an obvious question, but finding out about a potential hire’s IT journey is an important part of the hiring process. This is also your chance to get a feel for a potential hire’s personality. Mat Panchalingam, Senior Manager of IT & Operations at IT World Canada suggests asking applicants to tell a (work appropriate) joke. “This is important to me because you have to have thick skin and a good sense of humor working in IT. Having a good sense of humor is key in cooling down hot situations and helping you help end users.”

2. How have you helped solve an IT-related problem?

Panchalingam then asks aplicants to describe their biggest screw-up, how they got through it, and what they learned from it. “I don’t consider any candidate who doesn’t have an answer to this because everyone has had a workplace mishap. Being honest and accepting that you aren’t perfect but can learn are vital [characteristics].”

3. How do you keep cool when a co-worker is facing an IT emergency?

In addition to solving problems on one’s own, an important skill for any IT employee to have is the ability to jump in and help a co-worker through a tough situation. Data Centre Administrator at Upper Canada District School Board, Todd Lamothe wants to hear about each potential hire’s involvement in the process of solving problems through teamwork.

4. What kind of computer do you have at home? Can you tell me about your network topology?

“I always ask new hires what kind of computer they have at home, or if it's for a networking role, I ask them about their network topology,” says Ben Lucier, IT Strategic Planner at Tucows. IT workers who are passionate about their career often have a very interesting setup at home, and this experience can lend value to their role at your organization.

5. Can you give me examples of things that you’ve modded in the past?

Pat Kitchen, IT Manager at High Road Communications, agrees with Lucier and expands, “Another good one is ‘Give me examples of things you've 'modded' in the past.’”. Kitchen says a question like this is a good soft opener in an interview.

We want to continue to build this list and gather your thoughts, so we welcome your comments on hiring for your IT team below. And if you would like to start another IT checklist, please visit our Ultimate List of IT Checklists here.

Terry Wells, Vice President, IT Infrastructure Operations, TELUS

It’s LindaOJ here again today, happy to be writing another TELUS Talks Business Blog post, and I have a few questions for you today about communication.

1. Did you know how you communicate can ultimately save you time and money?
2. Did you know people judge you by the way you communicate?

Communication is an integral part of our lives, from the minute we wake up until we go to bed we are communicating with family members, friends, business colleagues and customers. Some of these people may have relationships with us that span many years so have gotten used to the way we communicate, or don’t communicate. When it comes to customers it’s another matter.

As a small business owner myself I network at a lot of different events and this is where I learn a lot about communication.

One example is the networker who has just met me, introduces themselves to me, takes about 10 minutes sharing everything they do, what they sell and all the reasons why I should buy their product or service. I tend to go very quiet when this happens, listen and observe their body language. Some things I am looking for are:

• Comfortable and at ease when chatting with others, confidence when they speak about their business, knowledge about their products and services, but more importantly, a desire to find out more about me, their prospective customer.
• Are they using my name when they converse with me, or are they offering me the typical sale spiel which fits every size, budget, location etc.
• A chance to join the conversation, share some information about myself, often as not this is not possible as the person finishes their ‘elevator speech’ offers me a business card and moves on to the next person.

Communication is vital when networking, but the above examples are a great way to determine if you, the possible customer wants to take the next step and find out more about the products/service being offered you, or if you walk away. Ultimately when people communicate in a way that demonstrates it is all about them and the sale they want to make, their communication skills are not up to scratch and they lose more than they gain.

Emails are another great example of our how communication may lead to misunderstandings or no replies. It is very easy to fire off an email and fail to add the call to action. We might think that the reader knows what we want, but are they mind readers? If you don’t ask for a reply by return more often than not you will not receive a reply at all.

"We're at the point now where the challenge isn't how to communicate effectively with e-mail, it's ensuring that you spend your time on the  e-mail that matters most." - Bill Gates.

More of a concern for me with communication today is Twitter. I think 140 characters is a great idea and if you keep it simple you can communicate very well with fewer words. But, the problem arises for the people who do not understand Twitter and constantly want to sell, they take the short cut and communicate via direct message. So many businesses lose out because they cut to the chase with no run up communication and I find this rude. Twitter is a great way to build a relationship and take it from there.

I think I am a good communicator, but even I get it wrong. A few years ago I had left a message with the Mayor of Toronto and was I surprised when he phoned me back, or so I thought. This is how a telephone call ended up in a state of utter confusion and caused a lot of laughter from my family. The phone rang; I picked it up and stated who I was. The person speaking had an accent (as do I) and I asked who he was. My brain heard “It’s the Mayor”. I promptly went on to explain why I had contacted him, and I talk fast when I am excited. I told him how happy I was he had phoned me back and then I paused for breath. The guy sounded confused and kept on saying “It’s the Mayor” or so I thought. Eventually it came to light what he was saying was “It’s Damere” who was actually a friend of one of my sons. I think if my brainset had not been in the mode of “The Mayor” I might have thought twice before making an assumption, especially as I knew in the back of my mind that the Mayor of Toronto had a Canadian accent, which the person at the end of the phone obviously did not have.  I believe my thought process was so caught up on the challenge I wanted to share with the Mayor my listening skills disappeared and my communication suffered.

From Wikipedia:

Communication is the activity of conveying information. Communication has been derived from the Latin word "communis", meaning to share. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast distances in time and space. Communication requires that the communicating parties share an area of communicative commonality. The communication process is complete once the receiver has understood the message of the sender. Feedback is critical to effective communication between parties.

From the above meaning of the word Communication you will see the last line states “Feedback is critical to effective communication between parties”, if this does not happen challenges can arise.

Have you ever noticed how in a heated debate someone’s attitude might change, they could become aggressive or even feel threatened, this can alter the image someone has of a person. If you are in the business world you could be seen to be unfriendly, or untrustworthy, judged by your actions that follow communication.

Whether you are communicating by the written word or spoken word you should take time to think out the message you want to convey. It has been said that if you smile when you are speaking to someone via the phone they can tell you are in a happy frame of mind.

Texting is a popular way to communicate; some texts are sent with typos in them and spell something different than the intended message. Most of the time this is funny, but there have been occasions when this could cause problems.

Richard Branson, a man I admire very much is very much into communicating with people he works with. His monthly newsletter to employees offers details for Virgins future plans, plus how to contact Richard if they feel they need to. I believe this kind of communication stems from trust, and the trust offered from Richard to his employees encourages loyalty which is a wonderful asset in any organization.

I am a good communicator, but have had to tailor how much I communicate depending on the individual person I am dealing with at the moment in time. Not everyone needs, or wants, all the information. I still have challenges when I am dealing with lack of communication, but tend to deal with each person differently. Where my business is concerned I do have my list of how I want employees to communicate with me and what kind of time frame. Knowing my expectations leads to less confusion and challenges long term. When I feel communication is not forthcoming and it should be I have to step back and review the situation, rather than act on my emotions. Again the situation is determined on the person I am communicating with, and it took me a long time to learn this.

"We never listen when we are eager to speak."
- François de La Rochefoucauld

Linda Ockwell-Jenner is a President of Motivational Steps and Co-Founder of the Small Business Community Network (SBCN) based in Waterloo Region. Find out more about Linda at www.motivationalsteps.com and www.sbcncanada.org

My name is Evan Carmichael and I believe that the fastest and most effective way to build a business is to model the strategies of people who have already done what you’re trying to do. I call it Modeling the Masters. My last post with almost 60 comments was 3 Success Tips from Robert Kiyosaki (Rich Dad Poor Dad).

Today we're going to look at how a high school dropout who was constantly in trouble with the law turned his life around and started to believe him himself. He would go on to become two-time former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion and multimillionaire entrepreneur. This is the story of boxing great George Foreman and the top 3 lessons that you can learn from his success.

Must Watch Video

"Learn to sell and you'll never starve."- George Foreman

George "Big George" Foreman (born January 10, 1949) is an Olympic gold medalist, two-time former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, and entrepreneur. A high school dropout, as a teenager, Foreman didn't know how to read or write. He took to the streets and got into trouble by picking pockets and mugging people. His sister told him "You'll never be anything."

After finding himself on the run from the police one night and digging himself in a pile of mud to avoid their dogs finding him, Foreman decided he had to change his life. He enrolled in a job skills training program for youth and began learning how to read and write. He later also learned how to box and entered into amateur competitions so he could send $50 home to his mother every month. After a year and a half of learning to box he entered into the Olympic Games and won the gold medal. He went on to win the World Heavyweight Boxing Championship twice.

After twice retiring from professional boxing, Foreman became an entrepreneur and toured the world selling George Foreman Grills. In 2002 alone, the company earned $922 million from selling the grills. Foreman would go on to earn 3 times more money from the grills than throughout his entire career as a boxer.  He has also moved on to selling TV shows, clothing, books, and Indy Car racing teams.

Action Item #1: Learn How to Sell

If you want to be a successful entrepreneur you need to develop the ability to sell. Selling is not just convincing customers to buy your products or services. Selling is getting employees, media, investors, suppliers, and everyone else who is involved in your business to believe in what you're doing. It starts with a strong passion for what you're creating. If you love what you're doing and think you can really help people, it's easy to get excited about it and draw others in. If you don't really believe in what you're doing, why should others believe in you?

After Foreman came back to boxing and, at 44 years of age became the oldest person ever to become champion, he started getting calls to endorse companies and become their spokesman. When they saw that he could sell anything from food appliances to cleaning products the companies lined up to get him to represent them. From Doritos to Kentucky Fried Chicken to McDonald's, Foreman went to work selling their products - and people listened.

According to Foreman: "In time I learned the importance of selling... I love selling... If you learn to sell, it's worth more than a degree. It's worth more than the heavyweight championship of the world. It's even more important than having a million dollars in the bank. Learn to sell and you'll never starve."

Action Item #2: Get People to Like You

People like buying from people they like. The more you can get your customers to like you as a person, the more likely it is that they're going to buy from you. People also prefer buying from people rather than corporations. Make sure you show clients the history and the people behind your company. Talk about how and why you started the business and the impact that you're having. The more personal you can make it the more people are going to like you and the more they'll want to buy from you.

During his early boxing career, people hated George Foreman inside and outside of the ring. He stormed into the ring with rage and didn't have much finesse to his game. He was in it for the money at the start and he didn't care what other people thought of him. He even showed up to one fight against Muhammad Ali with an angry German  Shepherd by his side to try to intimidate his opponent. But in order for him to be an effective salesperson he had to change his persona and get people to like him.

According to Foreman: "I'd get mad at the critics, other boxers. I wanted to destroy everybody with my fists. I figure I am going to make a lot of money. I didn't care about nothing else but making a lot of money. I didn't care if people liked me... I cut off all my hair and my mustache. I didn't want to be identified with the old guy... I learned to make people love me to get my message across... When I had a chance to box again, I saw boxing not as a sport the second time around, but as pure business which meant making meetings and trying to make myself attractive to Madison Avenue ."

Action Item #3: Keep Trying Until it Works

It's rare that entrepreneurs make it big off their first idea. And even if they do, the idea has changed many times from what they thought they were going to create. Failing is a part of business. The key is to get started. Too many people don't start because they're afraid of failing. You will know failure - keep going. Fail smarter the next time and eventually success will be yours.

Foreman isn't afraid of failing in business. He's done everything from specialty shoes made for diabetics to a health-food restaurant chain to a reality television series. He's willing to try almost anything if he thinks it might be a good opportunity and it's something he believes in. As long as the business is something he can feel proud of and won't damage his integrity, Foreman is willing to stretch his brand to almost anything. You never know until you try!

According to Foreman: "You've got to start out early in the morning and look at hundreds, literally hundreds of things. And it may take a year, it may take three or four years, but you're going to hit something so you have something to put on the table for your family... You know you put out a lot of buckshot, you're going to strike one."

True Story

With a criminal record and a reputation for being a troublemaker, few gave Foreman a chance. When he joined the U.S. Job Corps looking for a way to get off the streets, he caused so many problems that he was almost expelled from the program. His supervisor advised him to find a different outlet for his anger and suggested he take up boxing. When Foreman first started to box, he was so scared that he just closed his eyes and swung his massive fists to win the fights. It was only until he started going up against better boxers that he had to learn to fight with his eyes open.

More Quotes

"The greatest asset, even in this country, is not oil and gas. It's integrity. Everyone is searching for it, asking, ‘Who can I do business with that I can trust?'"

"You must preserve the quality of your name, your integrity. You don't want to lie about anything. And it's something that people will be happy about once they get to know you. Because people count on you."

"Make a decision you'll be able to sleep with, wake up the next day, look in the mirror and feel good about yourself."

What Do You Think?

How do you sell your products or services? How many times have you tried starting different businesses? What part of George Foreman's message impacted you the most? As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts if you leave a comment below!

Evan Carmichael

To learn more check out my list of George Foreman articles or my website, EvanCarmichael.com.

If you're in the market for a new smartphone that goes above and beyond what you're exiting one can do, get your hands on the Samsung Galaxy Note ($199.99 on a 3-year plan), a 5.3-inch Android-powered device that folds in tablet-like functionality.

Yes, that's right, it's a hybrid product that acts like a smartphone on one hand -- you can make calls and send text messages, and it can still slip it into your pocket or purse – but its larger real estate means it's also ideal for consuming media, be it reading e-books, watching video and playing games.

For businesses, the Samsung Galaxy Note is also great for working on documents, web browsing and reading long email messages without having to continuously scroll down the page.

If you can get past its supersized body – it might look a little odd held up to your ear – you'll no doubt agree this two-in-one device borrows the best from both worlds.

In other words, don't knock it 'til you try it.

Before we get to other features, including an integrated stylus pen and support for Telus' fast LTE (Long Term Evolution) network in select cities, a few other words about the Galaxy Note's screen – which is, after all, the first thing you'll notice when you boot it up. The 5.3-inch screen (measured diagonally) isn't just big, it's beautiful. Called an "HD super AMOLED display," the detail on video, games, websites and other Android apps is simply stunning. This 1,280 x 800-resolution display also has excellent contrast (resulting in dark blacks), high brightness and wide 180-degree viewing angle -- in case you want to share the device with someone while watching a video or playing a game. The Samsung Galaxy Note is 9.65mm thin and weighs about 178 grams.

The large screen might also mean it's easier to type on the virtual keyboard than smaller phones, like the 3.5-inch iPhone. You can use the soft QWERTY keyboard to type vertically or horizontally or opt to use the Swype option, where you simply drag your finger from letter to letter and lift up to make space between words (those who use Swype swear by it). There's also a speech-to-text option but this Android feature doesn't work as quickly or accurately as Apple's Siri, found on the iPhone 4S.

If you prefer to use a stylus pen instead of your fingertip, there's one bundled in the back of the Galaxy Note. Called an "S-Pen," this small stylus lets you sketch or draw on the screen. A small button on the side of the pen can perform extra functions, too, such as snapping a screenshot of what you're looking at. For example, take a snapshot of a map, write something on the screen (such as "meet me here") and then email ot text the image to someone. The S-Pen also offers 256 levels of pressure sensitivity, so the screen knows how thin or thick you want the line to be.

You can expect powerful speeds, too, from the peppy processor (1.5GHz dual-core) and the fast LTE speeds for broadband-like downloads and uploads, media streaming and web browsing. In cities without LTE support (yet, that is), the Galaxy Note will revert back to HSPA+ speeds across Canada, which covers the majority of the country.

Finally, the Samsung Galaxy Note includes 16GB of integrated memory, but you can expand it up to 32GB via removable microSD cards. The back of the device sports an 8-megapixel camera with LED flash (capable of shooting HD video, too) while a 2-megapixel camera is at the front, ideal for video calling (though not tested for this review).

The battery was good as it lasted all day when using Wi-Fi for the most part, but it didn't fare as well when using 4G in Toronto as the device's "Low Battery" warning popped up at dinnertime.

Overall, however, the Samsung Galaxy Note is an extraordinary smartphone/tablet ("phablet"?), ideal for both consumers and businesses. It might sound like it's simply too big to use as a phone, but before you pass judgment visit your local carrier's store or other electronics retailer to try it out for yourself.

It’s February and I am happy to be writing my TELUS Talks Business Blog Post again, even if it means I have to write it whilst I am on a conference call, emailing my clients, working on a keynote presentation, and working out at the gym to make sure I lose those extra pounds I gained at Christmas!

Just joking, my blog post just happens to be about not having enough time in the day and as all small business owners know, there is not always enough money in our business plan to hire accountants, IT people and marketing gurus, so we have to do it all ourselves and there are only 24 hours in a day.

I do have some tips that helped me make it appear that there are 25 hours in a day, and I even managed to sleep a healthy 8 hours after a full day in the office.

• Put a planner on your office wall. Make sure you put everything on there including your lunch time, gym break, shopping and obviously your appointments with clients, phone calls etc.
• Make a promise to yourself not to answer your phone when you are in the middle of a project, remember you do have voice mail, you can always phone the caller back.
• Stick to your schedule; if you plan on being in your office at 9am make sure you keep to that time. If you get behind during the day you never find the time to catch up.
• Schedule time for your social media: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and know why you are spending time on those platforms. Focus, whether you have scheduled 15 minutes or longer, when your time is up, quit at the exact time you have on your planner.
• Take time to read the book you know you have to. Set a goal for a chapter a day, during your coffee break if that works for you.
• Plan for exceptions in your schedule such as your car breaking down, the train being late, a client not turning up, etc. If you need to, set new goals for the next day or when you have availability. Leave open spaces in your planner for these emergency changes.
• Know that you will probably not be able to finish everything in one day, accept this and walk away. Your work will still be there tomorrow and you will feel refreshed and ready to go.

We tend to set tight schedules that we know we can’t keep to. This can make us irritable, angry and even suffer low moral.  If there is an emergency and you have to work from home once you have eaten supper, know that this can’t happen every night. Once you get into the habit of taking work home it is difficult to turn back. Set sensible goals, make new habits and believe in what you are doing and know it works.

I think there is a term that could be used to describe what I am talking about: time management. It’s about knowing how to use your time wisely, effectively and how to get the most out of every minute of your day. Saying that, if it’s not fun and you are making yourself sick through overworking then you are not doing it properly. The time has come to look at your budget and see if you can out-source some of your work otherwise you might not have a business for much longer.

Let me share a quote: “A stitch in time saves nine”. This quote means: a timely effort will prevent more work later. The Phrase Finder suggests, “The stitch in time is simply the sewing up of a small hole in a piece of material and so saving the need for more stitching at a later date, when the hole has become larger, clearly, the first users of this expression were referring to saving nine stitches.”

We can transfer the meaning of this quote over to our work ethic and if it means keeping to a sensible work schedule, which in turn may help stay healthy and alert. We will probably get more done than if we are forgetting things which are important to the smooth running of our business.

We were given 24 hours in a day for a reason, use your 24 hours every day sensibly, productively and don’t fight old man time, you can’t win.

Linda Ockwell-Jenner is a President of Motivational Steps and  Co-Founder of the Small Business Community Network (SBCN) based in  Waterloo Region. Find out more about Linda at www.motivationalsteps.com and www.sbcncanada.org

TELUS recently challenged entrepreneurs on the TELUS Business Facebook page 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, Lindalu’s pitch was one of the top finalists.

After an injury forced Lindalu Forseth to leave her job as a leasing manager in the automotive industry, she didn’t skip a beat. She moved to Powell River from Calgary and then followed her passion by starting the Malaspina Soap Factory.

“If you’re not passionate you’re not going to survive. We started out on a shoestring, which I wouldn’t recommend,” she laughs. “But we’re still here three years later.”

Using ingredients like clay, oil, and herbs, she handcrafts colourful soaps that resemble cakes and fancy pastries. They’re sulfate, paraben, and detergent-free. “My business is all about balancing nature with science.”

Let’s talk about the process of coming up with the pitch – it’s something small businesses struggle with.

In 60 seconds or less include what the customer needs to know. You’re not begging for their business, you’re going to tell them what they need to know and why they want to buy from you. There’s emotion in there whether you’re working for yourself or someone else.

How did you pick which social media tools to use? How it has most helped you?

On Facebook you can have relationships with your prospective clients and customers who are already buying from you. By looking at the statistics I know who is looking at my product and similarly I can see statistics on my website. I have a good idea of the age ranges of my buyers – they’re mainly men and women, 35-55. The next group is women 25-35.

How do you measure the success of social media initiatives?

At this point I only have 200 or 300 friends or ‘likers’ on Facebook, but on occasion I’ll do ad words and target my audience. I have statistics at my fingertips that say I’m getting this many hits per day, per hour, this many actual visits. And these are the pages they are looking at, these are my entrance pages, these are my exit pages and this is where the business is coming from. When you have to do marketing or poll people that gets terribly expensive. So why do it when you can do it very inexpensively with social media?

Quite a few businesses struggle with building their customer base and attracting new customers with limited funds.  Your advice?

When you get a customer pay very close attention to them because it’s easier to keep a customer and less expensive, than it is to go find a new one.

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

The customers are the experts. So the changes I’m making are product and fragrance changes and that allows me to start narrowing my lines, which saves me money and time on production.

In 2011, what technologies did you rely on to grow your business?

If I lost my computer I would really be upset. And the Internet. I’m a paid vendor and I advertise on badgerandblade.com, a male shaving forum of 40,000-50,000 men. And I market through my website. So it wasn’t just technology it was my male customers!

What do you regard as your greatest success as a business in 2011? How did you make it happen?

My greatest success is my shaving product line. It took me 18 months to two years to develop it. I launched in January and I now have three private label accounts and it’s in some stores. It’s made my Internet sales explode. My customer is not the one who likes his five-blade cartridge and the goo in the can.

What are your business goals for 2012?

To let the business grow naturally because the natural, rather than forced growth, is getting better long-term results. The people who want to carry my products or private-label them are coming to me. And you’ve got to learn more from your failure than your successes.

Amber Nasrulla is an ex-pat Canadian writer based in L.A. who specializes in profiles from business leaders and scientists to Hollywood celebrities. Her work has appeared in North American and British publications including L.A. Times, The Globe and Mail, Los Angeles Magazine, ELLE Canada, Chatelaine and London Weekly Times.

To follow TELUSBusiness on Facebook go to facebook.com/telusbusiness.

OK, so this headline might imply you can add more flash memory to your beloved smartphone.

Instead, Microsoft's Windows Live SkyDrive -- which gives you up to 25GB of free storage per account -- now has an iOS app, so you can access your password-protected files from anywhere you've got an Internet connection.

Still, this "cloud" integration is a great way to expand the capacity of your device – including the ability to stream video to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

To get going, you first need to sign up for SkyDrive on a computer. All you need is a free Windows Live ID, such as your Hotmail e-mail address, Messenger or Xbox LIVE ID. If you like, you can start uploading documents and media on your PC by dragging and dropping the files onto the site.

Next, you'll download the free SkyDrive app from the Canadian iTunes App Store here. Once downloaded, and you've typed in your ID and password, you can begin accessing and managing your stored files while on the go -- plus you can also upload photos or videos from your iDevice to SkyDrive over Wi-Fi or 3G connectivity.

It's also possible to create (or delete) SkyDrive folders from within the app, share files with someone -- by emailing them a link to the public folder on your SkyDrive -- and you can open documents, view photos and play videos (in either .mp4 or .wmv formats).

The 4.4MB app and service works very well for the most part, though there are a few limitations.

For one, you can't search through all your content by keyword. For example, I uploaded thousands of Word files and PDFs to my SkyDrive, which are listed alphabetically, but what if I wanted to open a document called Zebra.doc? It could take minutes to flick through to the end.

Secondly, you cannot upload documents from your iPhone -- only photos and videos smaller than 100MB apiece, and only one at a time.

While the app works on iPad, it's not optimized for it, therefore you need to expand the app full screen by tapping the 2x button and as such, it doesn't look as good as it could.

Overall, however, the free SkyDrive works well on the iOS platform (it's also available for Windows Phone devices) and at 25GB per account, it offers more free storage than most other cloud storage solutions.

TELUS recently challenged entrepreneurs on the TELUS Business Facebook page 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, Hailey’s pitch was one of the top finalists.

After 10 years in the corporate trenches Hailey Van Wyk was primed to launch her own business. She wanted the flexibility to set her own hours, look after her two young boys, and to nurture her passion for marketing. Two years ago she launched Concept Marketing Consulting in Edmonton. Her clientele are small business owners, from music teachers to IT businesses. She parachutes in and helps devise strategies that will increase revenues, generate new clients, and improve customer service.

How do you know your pitch does justice to your business, especially to people hearing about it for the first time?

One of the things about being self-employed is that you you can’t go to the next cubicle and ask your coworker about an idea. I try to maintain relationships with business people I respect and they vetted the elevator pitch for me. If I do any proposals or work for clients I generally have two or three people I consult, “Hey I need a second opinion!”

When did you start using social media?

From a business perspective I’ve been struggling with it. I don’t want to start a business FB page until I have a strategy. You see a lot of small businesses that jump on the social media bandwagon and they don’t have a strategy to support that long term. I don’t want to be that person. I’m working on a social media and cross marketing strategy. I’m making sure it’s comprehensive and succinct and has longevity associated with it. I hope to launch in first quarter 2012.

Which social media do you prefer?

Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn have to be intertwined. There are a plethora of small business associations already established and I need to leverage those groups in order to find the right client that fits my niche market. Online networking is the initial stage. I want to be the person who goes in and says, “I can help you increase your sales. I can help you improve your customer service and it won’t cost you a huge amount of money.’

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

Get back to grassroots marketing. We can’t expect that our online ad is going to reach the target market. We need to get our feet on the street; we need to hand deliver or do a targeted direct-mail campaign. We need to do a better job of better honing in on who our customers are, what their specific needs are and how we’re going to be able to help them in their business.

In 2011, what technologies did you rely on to grow your business?

I work on the go with my BlackBerry and laptop and of course a wireless connection wherever I am. People will think you are rude when you’re on your Smartphone but I am really just trying to get work done. I’m so glad I was born in this century because I don’t think I could operate any other way.

What do you regard as your greatest success as a business in 2011?

With any small business owner, it’s about maintaining momentum. When I look back at the last year the biggest success is that we’re still in operation, maintaining focus and we keep moving forward. It’s not one thing – it’s seeing the foundation come together.

Let’s imagine you’re considering starting a new business. If you could talk to yourself before embarking on this new business given your experience, what two things would you tell yourself?

Have a plan. If you start without a plan it’s a waste of time and money and it’s mentally it’s exhausting. Get advice from people who have experience in other areas of business. I have a passion for marketing but I’m no accountant or IT expert. Second, have courage, because, at the end of the day things aren’t going to go the way you thought. Set realistic expectations for your business so you don’t feel unmotivated.

Amber Nasrulla is an ex-pat Canadian writer based in L.A. who specializes in profiles from business leaders and scientists to Hollywood celebrities. Her work has appeared in North American and British publications including L.A. Times, The Globe and Mail, Los Angeles Magazine, ELLE Canada, Chatelaine and London Weekly Times.

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