Women in Business

Client Feature: Wendy Kerkhoff

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We sat down with Wendy Kerkhoff, President and CEO of Intellidig to learn more about her business, her methodology and her experience with AWE and the PeerSpark program.

Q: Wendy, tell us, how did you end up becoming an entrepreneur?

There’s a part of me that just always knew that I would start my own business. While I was working the recruiting industry, I honestly felt there was a lot of dissatisfaction about how the service was being traditionally provided. I knew there had to be a better way, so I went out and started working to fine-tune my efforts.

I knew that eventually, companies would reach a point where they would recognize that all of their prospective talent came from the same data and talent pool. It was becoming a race to see who could get to that person and people became tired of it. 

That’s where research came into play. I knew that we had to find the people who weren’t looking and that the internet was an amazing place to find everything about people. This targeted approach about identifying candidates is what makes us different and is also why we have been in business for 15 years.

Q: Wow, 15 years! That is incredible. How many people do you have working with you now at Intellidig? 

It ranges depending on the size and scope of project we are working on. On some projects, I’ve had as many as 20 contractors. My core team is made up of five to seven people.

Q: What are you most proud of in your business?

There’s a lot of things that I look back on and am proud of, but I have to say surviving in business is something to be very proud of in itself. Many businesses don’t make it past the five year mark, it’s a milestone.

I’m really proud of what I have developed in the business and the high-profile organizations we have served. I’ve built a company that’s both functional and operational while surviving the odds.

Q: Would you recommend entrepreneurship to a friend?

It’s definitely not for everyone, but for me it’s the right thing. It’s something I was always trying to work towards and identify the right time to do it. Eventually, I just took the leap of faith and decided I was going to do my own work.

I would recommend it to people who feel they can think outside the box and wear many hats. I love the freedom and flexibility it provides.There’s really no constraints of job or position. It really is what you make of it!

Q: What would you say you have learned from other entrepreneurs?

Definitely how lonely it can be. You don’t have the same support that you get internally in a corporate job when you’re an entrepreneur. Being involved in entrepreneur organizations, like AWE, really surrounds you with other like-minded people. There is so much value in that. You begin to recognize that everyone has challenges and that regardless of industry, my challenges are not much different than other entrepreneurs.

Q: How did you find out about AWE?

I’ve known about AWE for many years, but became more involved a few years ago. When I found out about the programs for established businesses, like PeerSpark™, I joined right away.

Q: What do you want Intellidig to be know for?

I want us to be known as a trailblazer. We really started with the concept of providing something different, a different model to a traditional industry. The most consistent challenge has been trying to break the mold and let people know that there are alternatives to recruitment. It’s been a challenge, but I’ve stuck with it and paved the way!

To learn more about Intellidig and the work they are providing, visit their new website at www.intellidig.com or visit them on Facebook.

If you have questions regarding AWE or our PeerSpark™ program, visit our PeerSpark™ page to learn more. 

Client Feature: Tracy Fortin

We sat down with Tracy Fortin, Founder of Flawless Interiors and current PeerSpark™ participant to learn more about her business, what she has gained from the program and what it takes to work with your spouse every day.

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Q: Tracy, tell us more about your business.

A: I once heard my job described as a conductor of a highly aesthetic orchestra.  I love that – and it’s so true.  Really what we do, is take people’s needs and wants as they relate to their home or office spaces and turn them into plans that can be implemented.  Our clients are super busy and don’t have time to be running around from supplier to supplier to determine what will function and look the best in their space.  So whether they are renovating an entire home, building a brand new home or remodeling an office – we take that stress off of them right from the start all the way to the finish.  From permit ready architectural drawings to the last placed accessory – we make sure their design projects are done right.

Q: What was the biggest challenge you faced as you started to grow?

A: By far, knowing when the right time to hire has been the biggest challenge, and still is.  Getting comfortable with making mistakes helps.

Q: What advice do you have for those looking to run a business with their spouse?  

A: Get really clear on each of your roles right from the start.  Define expectations and be sure to hold to each other accountable.

Q: How did you find out about AWE? 

I attended a Learning Day event and met an AWE staff person who was promoting the PeerSpark™ program.  I knew it was exactly what I needed at that time for my businesss.

Q: What is your biggest take away from PeerSpark

A: Being the architect of your own life takes fearlessness and a vision for your life plan.  You have to believe you can achieve and on the days that you don’t, have people in your corner who can believe for you.  That’s what PeerSpark™ is.  We were all in similar places emotional even though our businesses varied so greatly.  We are constantly lifted each other up and motivating each other to keep going.

Q: Who do you go to for advice? 

A: Well aside from my PeerSpark™ ladies, I read a lot.  There are so many inspiring books that have kept me excited about both running a business and the design industry.  My most recent favorite book is called “In the Company of Women” by Grace BonneyIt’s filled with inspirational advice from  female entrepreneurs around the globe.  I also have other friends who run their own businesses – so it’s a hazard of being an entrepreneur that we are constantly taking to each other about ways to do business better.

Be sure to follow Flawless Interiors on Facebook and check out their website www.flawlessinteriors.ca

Interested in learning more about the PeerSpark™ program and how it can help your business? Get in touch with us today! 

Celebration of Achievement Reception Re-Cap

We were thrilled to celebrate with some amazing women entrepreneurs, community partners, sponsors, friends and family on May 18, 2017 at our Celebration of Achievement Reception. 

This year we hosted the event at the beautiful Oasis Centre in Edmonton. The room was filled with joy, excitement and buzz. With over 200 people in the room, we were honoured to receive greetings from the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, The Honuorable Navdeep Bains and hear MLA for Edmonton-Meadowlark Jon Carson share his welcome from the Government of Alberta.

The event was dedicated to not only celebrating our 2017 Celebration of Achievement recipient, Jeanette DeBruin, but also announcing the recipients of our Emerging Entrepreneur Award, Emerging Innovator Award and Upsurge Award.

The anticipation built as a video of the finalists in each category appeared on the screen (to view these videos, please click here). We also had a surge of social media which had #AWECelebrates trending on Twitter. Check out our favourite tweets here.

We were thrilled to announce the following as our 2017 Award Recipients:

Jeanette DeBruin, AltaPro Electric, 2017 Celebration of Achievement Award Recipient

Kristi Stuart and Jill Belland, Barre Belle YYC, 2017 AWE Emerging Entrepreneur Award Recipient

Lane Edwards, Pura Botanicals, 2017 AWE Emerging Innovator Award Recipient

Nancy Klensch, Summit Kids, 2017 AWE Upsurge Award Recipient

From Left to Right: Jeannette DeBruin, Lane Edwards, Nancy Klensch, Kristi Stuart

From Left to Right: Jeannette DeBruin, Lane Edwards, Nancy Klensch, Kristi Stuart

We were very excited to celebrate with these amazing women. We would also like to extend a huge congratulations to all of our nominees and finalists. You are all doing amazing things for our communities and local economies.

A special thanks goes out to our presenting sponsor, ATB Business. We could not do this event without you! Thank you for recognizing the importance of entrepreneurship and making it a focus for your business. We would also like to thank Grant Thornton for your help with our nominee selection process. Thank you to Hillberg and Berk for the beautiful gifts for our recipients and generous gifts for all attendees of the awards program. And last, but certainly not least we would like to thank Quinn Ohler from Global Edmonton for volunteering her time to emcee this year's program.

Our awards program will open again in 2018. If you know someone who would be deserving of one of our four awards, let us know! We can't wait to celebrate with you all next year.

 

 

What You Need to Know About E-Commerce

We sat down with Ashley Janssen, CEO of Code and Effect and Former PeerSpark member to ask her about everything e-commerce and what you need to know as a business owner.

Ashley is facilitating Building Your E-Commerce Business on August 30 in Calgary. You can register here.

Q: What does a successful e-commerce website need to include?

That is a really big question with a number of different answers. The short answer is that you need to actually set up and be a business, you need a strategic plan including financial management, you need to pick the appropriate platform for selling your products, and then implement a detailed marketing plan. (Whew!)

The long answer is that, as you will see in my workshop, there are many strategic planning and business administration steps that need to happen behind the scenes before an e-commerce platform is selected and items are sold. These steps are the building blocks to setting up a successful e-commerce website. They include building a cashflow spreadsheet to make sure the numbers work, setting up the business properly through incorporating and getting everything all your business numbers, GST, licences, etc.

Then you can confidently go through the process of selecting the right e-commerce platform, payment platform, and template for your business.

Once your e-commerce platform is setup, you can’t just hope people with come to it. It is at least as much work as a traditional brick and mortar business. You need to have a marketing plan, social media and social validation, email newsletter marketing, Adwords and online marketing with landing pages, blogs for organic search results….I could go on.

Q: How do Google Analytics and Keywords impact your website overall?

Google analytics and keywords are vital to the success of an e-commerce website. Your analytics, if properly set-up, are an important decision making tool that you should be checking regularly. Your analytics are what tell you what parts of your website and marketing campaigns are effective and when you need to make changes/updates to your website.

Adwords with effective landing pages can be instrumental in educating and raising awareness to potential customers and, in turn, driving sales.

Q: What systems (tools) do you recommend to someone just starting out with their website?

This is also a hard question to answer because there are so many variables. You needs tools/systems for: productivity, email, accounting, e-commerce platform, payment platform, newsletter management, analytics, landing pages, social media management, etc. The answer to which one in each category, is, “it depends”. In my workshop I will go into more detail about some of these and give more clarity on how to make educated decisions about which tools are right for you.

Q: How has your website evolved since you first started your business?

Well, it has been a decade so that is a long answer. The short version is that we have redone our website 4 times, recently rebranded from AgileStyle to Code and Effect, and each time we get a bit better at communicating who we are and what we do.

We started out mostly building brochure type websites and evolved to custom development and web applications.

Q: Tell us more about Code and Effect.

Our tagline is: “Need software but don’t know where to start? Let us help”.

We do custom software development. Customers come to us when they can’t find an off-the-shelf solution for a business problem. We work with them to find their pain points and develop software that solves that pain.

Rather than specializing in particular industries, we serve any small or medium-sized business that has unique processes requiring unique software. Some examples would be custom e-commerce, membership portals or customer management systems.

Q: Any other advice you would like to share with a website newbie?

A website is just a small part of your overall business strategy, even when you are an online business. It is a just one of many tools at your disposal. Your website is not your business but rather a platform for serving your customers. Just building a website is not enough, there are many other things, as I will go over in the workshop, that must be done in order to make your website effective.

Join Ashley and AWE for Building Your E-Commerce Business on August 30, 2017 in Calgary.

Client Feature: Stacy Nehring

We sat down with Stacy Nehring, Operations Manager of UTV Canada and current PeerSpark™  participant to ask her more about her business and the value she has seen from mentorship.

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Q: How did you get involved in UTV Canada?

A: My Dad started UTV Canada 10 years ago. I joined him as a part-time employee seven years ago, which quickly turned into a full-time role after only a year as we reached new levels of growth! My job included everything from sales calls to shipping to sweeping the floor. I am now the Operations Manager.

Q: If you could give advice to anyone coming into a family business, what would it be?

A: My advice would be to keep the business in the business! It's not easy to work with family at all times. At the end of the day, you want to be able to have family dinners together. Put your family first, business second.

Q: When you started out at UTV Canada, did you see a gap in the mentorship you had from a business standpoint?

A: Absolutely. None of us within the family have any business background whatsoever. My Dad had other businesses he operated but none were like UTV Canada. To make the company what we wanted it to be, we definitely needed some formal mentorship to help it grow.

Q: Where did you look for business mentorship when you were first starting out?

A: The only help we had in the beginning was a family-friend who has a similar business in the RV industry, so we spoke with him a few times.  That's really the only mentorship we had except from people like our accountant or lawyer. In terms of business strategy and mentorship related to that, I didn't find that until I joined PeerSpark™ .

Q: How did you find out about the PeerSpark™  program?

A: Through an event with the Leduc Chamber of Commerce. A representative from AWE was there and my sister and I were able to learn more about the program. It wasn't until an in-depth conversations afterwards that I realized that this was the program I needed!

Q: What would you say is the biggest takeaway you have had from the program?

A: My biggest takeaway is the network of women I am now apart of. Even though we are all in totally different industries, we share the same struggles and are able to help each other through it and provide feedback and advice.

Q: What PeerSpark™  session would you say has been the most valuable to your business?

A: Definitely the Strategic Planning for Growth session. Our business was affected by the downturn and this session and mentorship helped me realize how we can move forward. We are adding a new retail line to our business this year and we are so excited!

Q: Would you recommend the PeerSpark™  program to others?

A: Absolutely. I talk about it to every woman business owner I know! The program provides great value and has helped our business tremendously. 

Be sure to follow UTV Canada on Facebook and check out their website www.utvcanada.com 

Interested in learning more about the PeerSpark™ program and how it can help your business? Get in touch with us today! 

Community Roundup

Many members of the AWE community share useful and interesting things online, and we like to draw your attention to these posts from time to time on the blog. Enjoy!

 

  • Boreal Services Group, founded by Deidra Helmig shares the five products that saved their business. From Quickbooks to Basecamp, we're sure many entrepreneurs can agree that these tools are more than helpful to any small business.
  • Knowing yourself is an important part of being an entrepreneur. In her latest blog post, Ashley Janssen (Principal at Agile Style) shares tips on how to manage your time, your relationship and your work.
  • Michelle Hordal, Founder and Executive Director of Adaptabilities recently hosted their third annual Respite N' Rejuvenate event. This organization is doing amazing things for so many families in our city. 
  • Making Calgary and area homes beautiful is what Shannon Lenstra, President of Kon-strux Developments specializes in. Shannon and her army of interior designers made the 30 Best Interior Designer Companies in Calgary list with Point 2 Homes. 
  • Michelle Cotton, President of Solstice Canada has the perfect place for business owners to rent a small office or desk (and we hear it's close to Duchess Bakery..)

Do you have exciting things happening in your business that you would like us to feature? Be sure to share them with us on social media or send us a note to external.relations@awebusiness.com.