Why You Need Social Media For Your Business

Social media is critical for businesses in 2021 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, if you’re not a fan of social media in your personal life this can be a challenge. We get it! Social media is not without its criticism, unnecessary comparisons and misinformation are just some of the reasons why some people might not engage with it.

From a business perspective, however, social media is filled with opportunity. Unlike any other marketing approach, social platforms can allow ideal customers from all over the world to find your business instantly. In this way, you can connect with others that believe in your vision and can help you succeed. Even more so, social media allows you to directly communicate with your customers, whether it be for promotional purposes or operational.

Without a doubt, you can leverage social media for your business to improve brand awareness, build community, communicate with your customers, and stand out from your competition.

Brand Awareness

Social media platforms are the perfect place for your business to develop brand awareness. From showcasing eye-catching brand materials on your profiles, to telling your brand story to capture the hearts and minds of your consumers, social media allows you to stay top-of-mind so that when it comes to making a purchase decision, your business is front and centre.

Through sophisticated algorithms, social media applications are excellent at recommending profiles to the right audience, thus increasing the visibility of your business to those most likely to resonate with, and be interested in, your offering.

In particular, Taboola identifies four key advantages of brand awareness you can gain through social media:

1. Increase market share and sales

2. Scale in new places

3. Improve brand perception

4. Acquire audience data

Community Building

Ideally, your customers are not only one piece in a transactional puzzle. The goal is to foster relationships with reciprocal value. The more value that you can provide to them through interesting, exciting, or informative content, the more you will be rewarded with trust, loyalty, engagement, and affinity towards your brand and the products you offer.

This concept comes from what is known as inbound marketing, in which your business can use tools to attract, engage, and delight your customers to lead to conversion and retention, and eventually, the growth of your business.

The purpose of social media marketing is not to gain followers to speak at, it is to build a community that you can engage with, a practice that is much more sustainable and will result in a much higher ROI in the long run.

Think about the brands that you love—what do they have in common? We can guarantee that it’s because they’ve invested in an engaged community, and social media is an excellent way to do just that.

Check out this website for tips to build a social media community.

Communication

Don’t you wish there was a way to reach your customers directly, in a place you know they’d always be, where you could speak directly to them? Social media is exactly that!

Through social media channels, you can speak directly to your customers, to communicate product launches, promotions, your company values, and important information like location and hours of operation.

Not only so—social media communication is a two-way street! Social media presents an excellent opportunity to excel at customer service interactions: you can answer questions, respond to feedback, and generally build goodwill through positive, personalized interactions with your customers.

Competition

Finally, social media profiles are an opportunity to stand out. Similar to a physical storefront, social media profiles present your business to the public, urging customers to choose your business over its competitors. On social media, you can highlight what sets your business apart, including differentiating factors, stellar branding, customer reviews, and more.

And, if you’re still not convinced, social media may be necessary simply for your business to remain competitive, given its ubiquity in marketing strategies everywhere.

Strategy is Key

While social media is incredibly important, there are some stipulations that you’ll want to keep in mind if you wish to succeed. 

First, you want to ensure that you are on the right platforms, not every platform. Whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, the list goes on, consider your target market and which social media applications they congregate on, in addition to the nature of each platform and where your content will best fit.

Second, quality is important. Aim for consistent, high quality content that aligns with your brand and represents it well. Quantity is irrelevant if your posts are substandard or lack intention.

Lastly, follow the 80/20 Rule. If you want your audience to engage with your content and share it with others such that your profiles can grow, 80% of your content must be interesting, informative, exciting, humorous, entertaining or simply offer something valuable to your audience. The remaining 20% can be promotional or sales-oriented, but once you start to exceed that, you’ll likely see performance drop.

With a dedicated social media strategy, you can stick to best practices like the above, with measurable results to achieve business goals. It might not be easy at first, but we can guarantee that it’s worth it.

Bold Leadership Feature: Kathy Leskow

Kathy Leskow is the founder and CEO of Sherwood Park’s Confetti Sweets. The business began as a home operation, with Kathy baking cookies for local farmers’ markets out of her kitchen. As demand grew, so did her business—Confetti Sweets now has a storefront and distributes their products in grocery stores across Alberta.

The confectionary industry might not be one that immediately comes to mind when thinking about digital transformation. Certainly areas like telecommunications, finance, or advertising are leaders in the digital sphere, but digital transformation is for everyone—particularly businesses who wish to thrive for years to come as innovative technology becomes more and more ubiquitous.

What is digital transformation?

Digital transformation involves the integration of digital technologies into all areas of a business, which ultimately allows both your operations, and the ways you deliver value to your customers, to evolve. But, digital transformation also goes far beyond implementation alone. With new technology comes significant change, and such change must be managed strategically through a strong, agile organizational culture.

This is true regardless of industry, but how a business might adapt to the cutting edge is far from cookie-cutter.

“I am always looking to streamline our processes. For example, I love equipment that can take over repetitive tasks such as scooping cookie dough, dispensing cupcake batter, etc.  I believe it makes our bakery more efficient and the end product more uniform.  I also love any software that will automate tasks, such as scheduling.  Unfortunately my staff often disagree with me on this, and they resist technology. When I found the [Bold Leadership], I was immediately drawn to the subject matter, and I was eager to learn about new ways we could use technology in our business.”

Digital transformation requires leadership. Only by defining your mission and vision as a company can you begin to translate that vision into a digital strategy. Diving deeper, the question moves from “What is digital transformation?” to “What does digital transformation mean for me and my business?”

​​”I quickly learnt that I did not exactly know what digital transformation actually was.  I also learnt that digitizing processes is not always better, and you need to be thoughtful about what you are wanting to achieve. It taught me how to measure success, and I can now go back to my employees with proof that it does (or doesn't - I hate being wrong!) improve our processes.”

Kathy alludes to two key tactics to keep in mind when leading digital change. 

Be ready to support your organization. As Lori Schmidt, AWE Bold Leadership Program Advisor describes, “Culture change is something that cannot be forced; it requires the support of every member of the organization.” Supporting your team throughout adjustments to their workflows is paramount. From listening to hear about the benefits and challenges of new processes, to making space for the fear and emotion that change can bring about, knowing that your team is all in this together can make a world of a difference.

Help your team see and buy into the unifying purpose of your organization. “Help your people be prepared - with a new mindset, new skills and motivation around a renewed purpose,” Lori states. Attitude is everything, and by building a mindset of enthusiasm in response to change into your corporate culture, you can work to prevent resistance in the future.

Lastly, a key component of a digital strategy, or any strategy for that matter, is setting specific, achievable goals so that you can measure your success. 

“A big part of the course was also setting strategic objectives and KPIs.  The course gave me focus and has pushed me to achieve specific goals. I highly recommend the course to anyone that wants to move their business forward.”

Achieve Bold Goals with Bold Leadership! Curious about how you can lead digital transformation in your business? Learn more about the Bold Leadership program today!

2021 AWE Awards Recipients Announced

AWE Awards Recipients an Unstoppable Force in AB Business

EDMONTON, AB – Four Alberta women were recognized for their unstoppable contributions to the Alberta business community in a special online ceremony at last night’s AWE  Awards.

“These exceptional, diverse, resilient women are not only changing the face of Alberta business; they are changing our entire economy,” says Marcela Mandeville, CEO, Alberta Women Entrepreneurs. “From providing jobs to building community, these women have made unbelievable contributions to our province.”

The awards, made possible by presenting sponsor ATB, recognize the efforts of women entrepreneurs in four categories.

The 2021 AWE Award Recipients

Emerging Entrepreneur Award

Awarded to a female entrepreneur who has built a strong, scalable business foundation and has achieved early success.

       Nicole Janssen, AltaML

Nicole Janssen co-founded AltaML with Cory Janssen in 2018 after they both recognized the global opportunity for AI and the wealth of local talent in Alberta. In just three years, they have expanded to three cities and have grown their team to over 125 individuals. More than just wanting to create a company to help other businesses with their AI and machine learning needs, Nicole wanted to create a purpose-driven business that focuses on creating a sustainable and more inclusive economy, which is why ensuring women are represented in tech is at the cornerstone of what AtlaML does.

Indigenous Entrepreneur Award

Awarded to a leading Indigenous woman entrepreneur with a strong business concept and demonstrates plans for future growth and commitment to the community.

       Bobbie Racette, Virtual Gurus Inc.

Realizing the freelance world often meant no job security and low pay, Bobbie knew the only way to fix it was to build something herself. With that, she launched Virtual Gurus. Her goal then and now is to provide work for marginalized communities. With more than 30 full-time employees (and growing) and over 350 contractors who work across Canada, Bobbie has ensured diversity and inclusion are at the heart of the business. Of those 350 contractors, 95% identify as female, 65% as part of the BIPOC community, and 45% as part of the LGBTQ2S+ community. What makes Virtual Gurus stand out is that they not only provide work to the underrepresented they also train them through the Virtual Gurus Academy, and they provide their contractors with one of the best online VA communities.

Upsurge Entrepreneur Award

Awarded to a female entrepreneur who has built a solid foundation for her business and is now experiencing rapid growth.

       Chloe Dusser, Wee Wild Ones

In 2013 Dusser noticed there was an increasing need for nature immersion in little kids, with her dream to bring children closer to nature Wee Wild Ones was born. Striving to develop future critical thinkers, problem solvers and leaders of tomorrow, Wee Wild Ones has grown to two locations with more planned offering a balance of explorations in both indoor and outdoor environments. More than just supporting the children in her care, Chloe is committed to changing the childcare industry in Calgary. She is an advocate for reforming the low standards of childcare and ensuring the industry becomes more environmentally sustainable.  

Celebration of Achievement Award

Awarded to an exceptional female entrepreneur who has achieved recognizable success and acts as a role model for women in business. This visionary woman is an inspirational leader who has built an entrepreneurial venture in Alberta that has made a significant impact on the economy and the community. 

       Jennifer Carlson, Baby Gourmet

Uninspired by the lack of options in the baby food aisle, Baby Gourmet’s journey started when its founders realized they could do better in 2005. Just over 15 years later, the company has grown to Canada’s leading, mission-driven organic meal and snack brand for babies and toddlers. From humble beginnings at the Calgary Farmers Market, the company was sold earlier this year to the Hero Group, an international food company focused on branded nutritional food products.

“Supporting business owners is at the core of what ATB does,” says Nikki Briggs, Head of Women in Business, ATB Financial. “Congratulations to all the recipients for all they do to improve life in Alberta.”

Since 2012, the annual AWE Awards have recognized more than 800 women entrepreneurs in Alberta. This year’s winners join a prestigious list of Alberta entrepreneurs who are making a difference in their communities and around the world.

Along with the awards, AWE has worked with thousands of entrepreneurs through coaching, mentorship, leadership development, business advising, access to capital, and access to networks over the last 25 years.

To learn more about the awards, the recipients and watch the awards ceremony, visit: https://www.awebusiness.com/awards.

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For More Information:

Catherine Larose

Marketing Lead, AWE

catherine.larose@awebusiness.com

587 635 4278

Alberta Women Entrepreneurs Announces 2021 AWE Awards Finalists

AWE Awards Finalists Bettering Alberta Daily

EDMONTON, AB – A group of nine Alberta women entrepreneurs proved themselves unstoppable in a year of challenges growing their businesses and bettering their communities and were named this year’s AWE Awards finalists.

“These finalists represent incredible possibility, remarkable innovation, and undeniable talent,”  says Marcela Mandeville, CEO, Alberta Women Entrepreneurs. “They are moving their businesses and our province forward.”

The awards, presented by ATB, recognize the efforts of women entrepreneurs in four categories. This year’s finalists include:

Emerging Entrepreneur Award – Awarded to a female entrepreneur who has built a strong, scalable business foundation and has achieved early success.

• Nicole Janssen, AltaML

• Andrea Reindl, Legacy Creative Inc.

• Jody Carrington, Dr. Jody Carrington Consulting Inc.

Indigenous Entrepreneur Award – Awarded to a leading Indigenous woman entrepreneur who has a strong business concept and demonstrates plans for future growth and commitment to the community.

• Bobbie Racette, Virtual Gurus Inc.

• Carrie Armstrong, Mother Earth Essentials

• Annie Korver, Rise Consulting Ltd.

Upsurge Award – Awarded to a female entrepreneur who has built a solid foundation for her business and is now experiencing rapid growth.

• Chloe Dusser, Wee Wild Ones

• Stacy Nehring, UTV Canada Inc.

• Kristi Hines,  Hines Health Services Inc.

The final category, the Celebration of Achievement Award, was presented to Jennifer Carlson of Baby Gourmet. The AWE Celebration of Achievement award pays tribute to an exceptional woman entrepreneur who has built a business in Alberta with a significant impact on the economy and the community. Jennifer and the award recipients in each category above will be recognized at the virtual annual awards celebration on October 5th.

“ATB Financial is delighted to partner with AWE to celebrate Alberta women entrepreneurs and their success,” says Nikki Briggs, Head of Women in Business, ATB Financial. “Congratulations to all the finalists.”

Since 2012, the annual AWE Awards have recognized more than 800 women entrepreneurs in Alberta. Previous award winners include such notable Alberta entrepreneurs as Karina Birch of Rocky Mountain Soap Co., Karen Ryan and Lara Murphy of Ryan Murphy Construction, and Angela Santiago of The Little Potato Company.

Along with the awards, AWE has worked with thousands of entrepreneurs through coaching, mentorship, leadership development, business advising, access to capital, and access to networks over the last 25 years.

To learn more about the awards, visit: https://www.awebusiness.com/awards. To get your free ticket to the Awards Celebration, visit our Eventbrite.

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For More Information:

Julie Gathercole
Communications Lead, AWE

403-968-6424

Contract Opportunity: Part-time Facilitator/Business Advisor

Are you interested in joining a dynamic team passionate about growing and supporting Indigenous, women owned businesses in the Northwest Territories?  Are you energetic with an entrepreneurial spirit?

Alberta Women Entrepreneurs in partnership with the U.S. Consulate General, Calgary and The Northwest Territories Chamber Commerce is searching for an Indigenous woman to fulfill a contract position as facilitator/business advisor for the Academy for Women Entrepreneurship program. This role will support program participants through discussion sessions and advising support over an 8-week period.

Apply by October 11!

Client Feature: Elaine Broe

AWE had the opportunity to catch up with Elaine Broe, an inspiring woman entrepreneur whose expertise has taken her to incredible heights. Over the years, she’s cultivated an extensive consulting practice, eventually culminating into a creative solution-oriented business called The Leadership Collaboratory. The primary focus of her business is to partner with organizations and individuals to develop purposeful, transformative leadership that can evolve with our ever-changing world. 

Elaine Broe Leadership & Learning Experiences has been around for eight years, and in that time the company has taken on a diverse list of projects and opportunities. “In one week, I might be coaching leaders, then I’m working with an in-company client to develop a tailored learning experience for their people. Some of my clients describe me as a triple threat. I'm a facilitator, an executive coach, and an experience designer.” Elaine appreciates the variety she gets through her role. 

While some people have always dreamt of becoming entrepreneurs, that wasn’t the case for Elaine. She didn’t originally start her business to be her own boss, but because she wanted to focus on doing the work that she loved, and in her own terms. After working in the leadership development and adult learning space for over 20 years, it got to a point where the work she was doing as an employee was missing what she loved.  

The usual thoughts of “what if I fail?” did cross Elaine’s mind, but she instead chose to focus on the possibility of her endeavor into entrepreneurship being a success. “It's funny, as entrepreneurs we have the innate ability to constantly imagine the worst-case scenario. When we go out on our own, we think, what if we fail? As we consider our options a rare few of us think; what happens if I'm extraordinarily successful? How will I manage that? How will I juggle all these clients? We don't consider it. Choosing to be an entrepreneur can be a really fascinating leap and I'm glad I took it.” 

In the beginning of COVID-19 here in Alberta, Elaine’s business came to a screeching halt for three months. Many entrepreneurs were forced to hit the ground running to implement the changes needed to respond to the pandemic, which involved a lot of agility and making very difficult decisions. Elaine recognized that for her it was important to take this time to recover from the pace that she’s been operating at. “The pandemic brought a bizarre relief. When you think about it, requiring a pandemic to give yourself a break—and I know that I'm not the only one —is mildly terrifying when you think of how we approach work in North America.” 

A small part of the reason why Elaine decided to take a break during the earlier months of the pandemic was that there wasn't any funding available for her type of business. For Elaine, that support didn't surface until August, through Alberta Women Entrepreneurs’ Regional Relief and Recovery Fund. “The loans helped me set up the technology that I needed, and to invest in new platforms and create online programming that I was proud of. The pandemic helped me reinvent my business and myself.” When Elaine received her funding, she quickly realized that she needed a mindset shift to make the most out of this opportunity to scale and evolve her business. 

“With the Alberta Women Entrepreneurs team, they had my back right from the start. The first six months of the pandemic were really challenging. After our initial interaction, I knew that this wasn't just a transaction, it was about the relationship. In a pandemic, any entrepreneur can learn from this organization. It’s about relationships. AWE set the stage for our partnership in how quickly they replied to my questions and their patience as I learned how to provide the reports and back-up that was needed. “ 

The past year has taught us many lessons, many of which we hope to apply as we are in the road to recovery. What stood out the most for Elaine is the care and nurturing that is required of a leader to be able to care and nurture for their people and for their business. “Honestly, I do not have a “ramp up” mentality right now. I am so fortunate that it's been a very busy year and I don't want to end up in the same spot that I did on March 13, 2020. I'm getting selective about my work over the next six months.” Elaine highlights the importance of learning from the pandemic and trying to avoid slipping back to pre-pandemic habits. “One of the lessons I keep having to relearn over and over, is that prioritizing yourself is prioritizing your business.” 

Elaine has some profound advice for entrepreneurs as we continue to navigate the new normal. “Continue to be in the dance. This last year and a half, for many of us, the playlist was not something we wanted to listen to. We didn’t know the dance steps. We wanted the party to end. We were not having fun. I love the metaphor of a dance, thinking of this as being in flow, rather than a push and a pull. That dance of trust with ourselves, with the systems at play, changing policies and rules; the dance with our clients as they figure out what they need; and the dance with our businesses and our teams where we hopefully create space to evolve, without needing a pandemic as the catalyst.” 

2021 AWE Awards Nominee Spotlight: August 24, 2021

AWE Awards Nominees are unstoppable! Here is a snapshot of some of the exciting things that have been happening with various women entrepreneurs nominated for the 2021 AWE Awards, curated by Taproot Publishing.

Mentions

• Alethea Austin of Achieve Wellness Spa spoke to CBC about her struggle to recruit staff in Wood Buffalo.

• Nicole Janssen of AltaML joined The Ai Edge to talk about Alberta as a hub for artificial intelligence.

• London Drugs highlighted Baby Gourmet in a post on greener choices for baby products.

• Dr. Jody Carrington spoke to Global News about managing back-to-school anxiety.

• Ellie Bianca is a finalist for small business of the year at the Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council Business Achievement Awards, which will be presented on Oct. 5. Evelyne Nyairo was also quoted in Afros in tha City after receiving the Cassels Black-Owned Small Business Grant.

• Innovate Energy cited a recent report from Highwood Emissions Management in a post on certifying responsibly produced natural gas.

• We Leave Today mentioned toiletries from Mother Earth Essentials as one of the perks of staying at the Spirit Ridge Resort in Osoyoos.

• The Triple Treat Tonic from PUUR Ingrid, produced by QNaturals, was honoured by the 2021 Clean Beauty Awards, a worldwide competition recognizing the best performing products made without harmful chemicals.

• Authority Magazine spoke to Afton Brazzoni of Scribe National about what you need to succeed as a female founder.

• Orpetron Web Design Awards saluted Tiller Digital as its site of the day for Aug. 13.

• True Angle Medical has been named a finalist in the Venture competition at Falling Walls 2021 in Berlin from Nov. 7 to 9.

• Tycoon Events won for best virtual marketing event at the Canadian Event Awards and for best industry innovation at the ESPRIT Awards.

• Laura Gustafson of ulivit spoke to the Edmonton Journal about the company's new Plant Protein 2.0 product.

• Bobbie Racette of Virtual Gurus joined Judy Fairburn of The51 and Jeanette Sutherland of Calgary Economic Development to talk about pivoting skills for sustainable futures on the Employment and Social Development Canada podcast.

Events

• Aug. 23 to Sept. 3: Transitioning to Wellness & Resilience, a course from ReTrain Canada

• Aug. 26: Starting Your Own Podcast for Business from AWE

• Aug. 27: TalkMaze Summer Speech and Debate Tournament for students in Grade 9 and under

• Aug. 30 to Sept. 2: FLIK Resume and Cover Letter Toolkit sessions

• Aug. 31: Sales Strategies to Maximize Your Industrial Tradeshow Investment with KO Advantage Group

• Sept. 8: Black Women, Are you Ready for Entrepreneurship?, a BCW in Action event in collaboration with AWE

• Sept. 9: Pay-per-Click Advertising & Conversion Tracking for Business from AWE

• Sept. 17: How To Create A Brand For The Digital Era from AWE

• Sept. 22: Global Energy Show Awards, where AltaML is up for the Collaborative Trendsetter Award

Posts and publications

• ABC Bees shared tips on preparing hives for fall.

• Learn more about Achieve Wellness Spa's expansion to Signal Hill in Calgary in this sponsored post on Curiocity.

• Clavis Studio offered advice on how to style throw pillows.

• Discover Coding hailed the third phase of the CanCode Program to help students and teachers gain digital skills.

• Dr. Jody Carrington modelled some of her favourite outfits, many of them from local boutiques.

• Jade Fulton of High Voltage Leadership passed along some insights on leading through rough times.

• Julie Shipley-Strickland Wealth & Risk Management shared some lessons learned from investing.

• Hear Danielle Klooster of On Point with Danielle and Ranchelle Van Bryce talk about imposter syndrome on Sharp Women: The Podcast.

• Proactive Seniors suggested some activities for people with dementia and their caregivers.

• Tiller Digital put together a list of 10 business books to read in 2021.

• Kelli-Rae Tamaki of TMH Business Coaching shared thoughts on what you need to be a great role model.

• The Travel Chicks podcast took a look at tourism in Wood Buffalo.

• Tycoon Events recounted the origin of its name.

• Virtual Gurus suggested three ways to help in-office and remote team members work together.

• Vytality at Home blogged about Zoom fatigue and seniors.

Help wanted

• AdaptAbilities is hiring a community specialist in Stony Plain and an in-home support worker in Edmonton.

• AltaML is hiring an executive business partner — energy and resources in Edmonton and a sales enablement specialist in Toronto.

• The Canadian School of Natural Nutrition is hiring an anatomy and physiology instructor in Edmonton.

• Elder Move is hiring a downsizing and packing specialist in Edmonton.

• Highwood Emissions Management is hiring for three roles: emissions manager, emissions engineer/technologist, and administrator.

• Virtual Gurus is hiring for three roles: vice president of sales, sales manager, and client success manager.

For a complete list of the 2021 AWE Awards Nominees, click here.

Bold Leadership Feature: Vered Levant

Vered Levant owns a human resources company called VimyHR. Her company helps businesses that need support with human resources, but not a full-time HR employee. With her team of consultants, she offers a variety of services from recruitment to succession planning. The solutions that VimyHR offers are customized depending on what the organization is like and what services they need.  

Vered’s been working in human resources for about 15 years. After studying economics in school, she was hired as a Labour Market Information Manager for a not-for-profit organization. In her role, she learned about the challenges that small businesses were facing. After about two years, she changed roles to a position with the Government of Saskatchewan; this was her first human resources position. “I was asked to move into the HR department as they were blending the two areas. I had no HR exposure whatsoever, but they trained me and told me I was a natural.” 

She later on moved to Calgary and began working in a corporate environment. When there was a downturn in the economy in 2016, she wasn’t happy in her role anymore. “I didn't see a light at the end of the tunnel doing layoffs. I hadn't been exposed to that side of HR before. So, I needed a break. I was pretty burnt out.” 

After pausing her career, she started getting phone calls from old colleagues and small business owners for HR support and guidance. “About six months later, I thought, ‘wait a minute, there's something here. There's something that I can create to support small businesses that don't need full-time HR help but need some expertise to know how to pay people, how to recruit, how to manage difficult situations and coach their employees.’ Then VimyHR was born.” 

““I have never loved what I do more than I do today.””

— Vered Levant

Vered discovered AWE’s Bold Leadership Program on social media. “After I got accepted into the program, I was really excited just to learn more and have more support. It can be very lonely being an entrepreneur.” In the program, Vered could connect with like-minded female entrepreneurs. She knew she was wearing too many hats in her organization and needed to take the advice she was giving her clients about streamlining their business.  

The program’s coaches have helped Vered automate her processes so she can spend more time serving her clients and reducing non-billable hours. The coaches have also given Vered line of sight to what’s in the pipeline of her business, and where her consultants are spending their time. “We've surpassed our targets already for new client relationships in the first quarter. I need to get my back office cleaned up to be able to manage that capacity.” 

When the pandemic hit, interest in Vered’s company climbed. People started to see human resources in a new light. It also led her company to need to digitally transform faster than she had anticipated. Vered is implementing Monday.com, one of the tools she learned through the program, to assist her organization in streamlining activities and staying organized.  

With the help of a Bold Leadership Expert Advisor, Vered is currently in the initial stages of offering HR-related courses. “We're finding that we’re getting a lot of requests for interviewing support, the do's and don'ts of screening, reference checks, all those pieces. So, we’re going to put them into courses and work on that over the next several months.”  

Vered’s favourite aspect of the Bold Leadership program: 

“I loved hearing the stories of other organizations and how they're leveraging these tools and their success stories. The speakers that were brought in were really fascinating and inspiring. For them to share their digital transformation journey, how much it's helped their business and their vulnerability around that, that it's not going to be perfect. It's continually a journey and you're going to make mistakes and it's okay. I think that was the big thing for me. It was such a fear to go in the wrong direction, and now I'm realizing I know that I can do this.” 

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Vered completed the Bold Leadership Program with AWE. The program is designed to support women entrepreneurs who are creating new strategies and implementing technology and processes that will improve their business performance. Applications are now open for Bold Leadership, learn more and apply today. Deadline to apply is August 15! 

Shifting to a Recovery Mindset

Now that vaccinations are well on their way and restrictions are beginning to lift, it’s time to shift your mindset from surviving, to thriving! Business owners over the past year have had to adapt to many unknowns, with their focus being on how they would survive the pandemic. Now that the end is in sight, the key to success will come from effectively shifting to a mindset of recovery. Here are some ways you, as an entrepreneur, can begin to imagine your recovery journey!

Follow a Roadmap

It’s important to assess the unique opportunities your business faces. To kickstart the recovery phase, we recommend starting with a strong framework where you identify what you need to focus on first, and then which following actions are most relevant. 

The Small Business Roadmap for Recovery & Beyond: Workbook from Deloitte is a helpful resource to guide you through the various stages of recovery including:

• Reflect-  help get your business up to speed with what’s changed

• Restart- mobilise what you can already control

• Revitalise- understand opportunities for growth in the future

Image by Deloitte

Meet Customers Where They’re At

Just because things are moving slightly back to normal, doesn’t mean that you can’t continue providing value in the new ways you adapted your business for COVID-19. The work you put into pivoting during the pandemic doesn’t have to go to waste—maintain curbside pickup, continue takeout dining, offer livestream classes, etc.

We’re all feeling a little bit hesitant, so reassure your customers that their safety is your priority. Continue offering things that allow for ultimate accessibility, like remote work or recording webinars. Some people may not be ready to jump right back into the swing of things, so they will appreciate that these modifications are still in place.

Build Contingency Plans

We now know just how quickly everything can change. You don’t have to start planning for the next pandemic, but it never hurts to have a plan in case an unforeseen event arises and affects your business operations again. If something were to happen and your business couldn’t operate how it normally would, what would you do?

Financially, this could look like adjusting your non-essential spending or having more of a proactive approach to paying off debt in order to build up your savings. From a culture perspective, maybe the option for employees to work remotely is part of your business model going forward. The more you can do now to prepare, the better!

Prioritize Digital Transformation

“Digital interaction with B2B customers is now two times more important than traditional channels—more than a 30 percent jump since before the COVID-19 crisis hit.” - McKinsey B2B Decision Maker Pulse Survey

While COVID-19 accelerated the pace of the digital era, it doesn’t show signs of slowing anytime soon. For many companies, the only option to survive the pandemic was to transform their digital presence, and companies that were already more advanced in their digital operations had a head start. 

In this day and age, staying on top of digital trends and acting early is what will elevate your business and help you adapt quickly, in any circumstance. AWE’s Bold Leadership program is a great program for established women entrepreneurs who are ready to look at their business through a digital lens..

Support One Another

We got through this together, we’ll continue to get through this together. Revived optimism has taken hold of many entrepreneurs and we really should be proud of how our communities have responded and adapted to so much uncertainty. Continue to support local businesses, continue to be understanding and patient and do whatever you can to lend a helping hand in a time of need. If there’s one thing we’ve learned through this all, it’s just how powerful supporting each other can be!

We got through this together, we’ll continue to get through this together. Revived optimism has taken hold of many entrepreneurs and we really should be proud of how our communities have responded and adapted to so much uncertainty. Continue to support local businesses, continue to be understanding and patient and do whatever you can to lend a helping hand in a time of need. If there’s one thing we’ve learned through this all, it’s just how powerful supporting each other can be!

We all just survived something incredibly traumatic that will take time and effort to recover from. The resilience of women entrepreneurs in Alberta is truly inspiring and we know it’s going to take courage to have hope for the future. You have proven that you can persevere through the hardest of times and you now have the experience and tools to handle anything. You’ve survived and now it’s time to thrive!

Client Feature: Kara Deringer

Kara Deringer is an international speaker, a best-selling author, a coach, an instructor at the University of Alberta, a consultant, and she has recently added restaurateur to that list! Her journey into entrepreneurship began when she took over Pink Gorilla Pizzeria in Edmonton last spring. And yes, that’s about exactly when our province stood still as the first wave of COVID-19 reared its ugly head.

“When I first took over, a lot of the restaurants in Edmonton were closed, because everyone was trying to figure out how to pivot, what AHS guidelines were, etc. I got my licenses as soon as I could so that we could at least stay open for takeout. We've been through openings, closures, outdoor dining, 50% indoor dining, and we've converted our parking lot in the back of the building to a patio. It really has been an adventure, but a good one.”

Despite the learning curve that comes with jumping into restaurant ownership, not to mention the challenges that arose with ever-changing restrictions, Kara says she’s always looked for ways to be creative and use those circumstances as opportunities to build her business up, rather than bring it down. 

Taking a glass-half-full approach, every obstacle was a stepping stone for her to allow certain areas of her business to flourish amidst COVID-19 limitations. “I was always asking: What is the blessing in this? So for instance, the blessing in taking over at that time was that we were open for takeout, so we focused exclusively on making our takeout business extraordinary. And then, as we opened for 50% dine-in, we focused on our dine-in service,” eventually bringing in new menu items and happy hour specials as additional offerings, describes Kara.

But, it certainly wasn’t easy. Even with utmost perseverance, there were some struggles that brought particular difficulty for Kara, including accessing the funding she needed to support her business during the pandemic. She remembers searching and searching for grants and loans her business would be eligible for, repeatedly experiencing defeats such as cut-offs they had just shyly missed by two weeks, or a young entrepreneurs’ fund she had just missed by turning 40 two months earlier. She even tried contacting AWE, but at that time, all spots had been filled for the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF).

After the RRRF applications had opened up again, and opportunity arose for Pink Gorilla to receive the funding so long as Kara completed the paperwork immediately— she didn’t hesitate to accept.

After being disappointed so many times, she felt nothing but sheer gratitude when the funding  arrived. “When the loan money landed in our company bank account, I was really emotional because it felt like the first time support was out there for a new business owner like me. The business was being rewarded for the hard work that me and my team had put in - including the thousands of hours that I had volunteered to build Pink Gorilla. It was a deep sense of relief, like, we're gonna be okay.”

Over the pandemic, she’s made a strong effort to preserve her mental health, though finding some semblance of balance can certainly be a struggle in entrepreneurship. She admits that there are two sides to the coin.

The first, is that as an entrepreneur, it’s all in. “We knew that as a family going in—my kids recognized it early on in the process. Within the first few days of me taking over the restaurant, my son said to my mom (his grandma),  “I think I'm really gonna love this restaurant. And, I think I'm really gonna hate it, too.’” Kara says that in many ways, finding “balance” is extremely difficult as a new business owner. Together, her family has made some necessary adjustments in order to navigate this venture into entrepreneurship.

The second, is that entrepreneurs do need to look for strategies for protecting their mental health. “I have used a business coach myself. I have accepted help from friends and family, so whereas I tend to try to be strong and independent, I've pushed myself to say yes when people offer any kind of help.” For her, making time to get out for walks and taking a quick power nap are some of her other strategies to maintain her mental health.

Through it all, her number one objective has been focusing on people: both customers and staff. With a happy team, her employees are willing to go the extra mile to help the business in such a difficult time. And from the beginning, she says, they’ve worked on providing an extraordinary customer experience, doing everything possible to make customers happy when they, too, are struggling.

We all have our own experiences impacting the lens through which we perceive the world and how we interact with it. But, Kara adds, it’s important to bring compassion to the table.  “Behind a business are people. They're employees, they're managers, they're owners, and people just trying to do a good job and serve the public. If there's any message I'd like to deliver to the public, for the benefit of not only myself but all business owners, it's to encourage customers to have empathy for businesses.” 

Kara is certainly no stranger to challenges, and like all of us, she’s had one heck of a year. With all that she’s learned, her advice to fellow entrepreneurs is, in one word: persistence.

“I do think persistence pays off. That being said, there's a qualifier there: not blind persistence.  As entrepreneurs, we can get caught up in the passion of the business. And, at the end of the day, the balance sheet has to work.” She explains, “As much as it takes passion and persistence, I also think that we need to be realistic with our financials and our balance sheets.”