Canadian Small Business Women

Connection, Synergy, Community

Angela Boschee: Canadian Small Business Woman of the Month of July 2016

Angela at Runwayz
Runwayz began in 2005 as a home based business and has to grown to our current location in downtown Medicine Hat, Alberta. We are pleased to offer unique and hard to find gift ideas including general gift ware, baby and kids clothing and toys, ladies footwear and accessories, and home accents. We are thrilled to be soon celebrating our website’s one year anniversary! Our website isrunwayzboutique.com and we ship anywhere in the world.

Province

AB

Company Mission

We enjoy providing a great variety of hard to find and one of a kind gift ideas for everyone on your list!

Product/Service Description

Unique Gift Ideas
Ladies Footwear, Accessories, and More
Baby and Kids Clothing & Toys
Home Accents

Journey to Mompreneurship

Every since I was a little girl I dreamed of owning my own store someday. That dream combined with a love of shopping brought me to where I am today. I am thrilled to own my own boutique, balancing being a stay at home Mom with my store. I also love to host local small business showcases, continuing to offer small businesses such as myself a place to present what they have to offer to our community! I also enjoy supporting various fellow Mompreneurs by offering their products through our store,
Our Q & A with Angela
*What inspires you? 
I draw inspiration from many things including my friends and family, God, and fellow entrepreneurs that I admire.
*As a small business owner, what achievements make you most proud?
We are just wrapping up celebrating a milestone … 10 years in business!  I am really grateful to have reached the 10 year mark.  I am also very proud of all the work that has gone into creating our websiterunwayzboutique.com
Another thing that I truly enjoy is networking with other small businesses and hosting small business trade shows.  I truly enjoy helping others and am proud of the success of the shows that we have hosted.
*What advice would you give to other aspiring small business owners?
Be open to continual research and change to stay in the running
*What new things can we look forward to from your business in the upcoming year?
Some exciting new products in the areas of general giftware especially.
Follow us on twitter and like us on face book (as listed below) to stay in the loop!  We also have a newsletter sign up on our web page.
Like Angela’s page on facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Runwayzboutique

Visit her website
http://runwayzboutique.com

What Will Linkedin Do For You?

Kerry George (1)

There are a lot of places that a business owner should be found online but LinkedIn needs to be your highest priority. Why? Because it brings you new relationships, revenue, and referrals.

These days when someone finds your company online they quickly look over the website then they look to see who the owners and the leaders are within the organization. Next step for them is to google those people. Guess what comes up on page 1 of Google when they punch in your name? Nothing if you have not developed your social media profiles. Other people if your name is common. Bad reviews if you have not been monitoring the airwaves.Does that sound good to you?

There is a simple way of fixing those problems. Write content and start with your LinkedIn profile. It is an easy and free way to be sure they are really looking at you. Then the thing that comes up when they google your name is your phenomenal LinkedIn profile with your great story all about what you do.

Today business owners, entrepreneurs, salespeople, employees, and professionals of all kinds are getting on LinkedIn. The group interactions are stimulating and education for you in your field. You will make new connections that can lead to business and by putting a good photo of yourself on your profile you are giving yourself face recognition in public. When people meet you in person they feel that they already know you and they are more ready to do business right away.

The more you develop your profile and engage with others the more business you will get from LinkedIn. Patience is the key. Many people stop when they don’t get immediate business but they have not invested enough time into the process or they have been doing it wrong. If you are consistent in your posting and if you have put your contact information with your story in your summary you will eventually start making the connections that you need to make. They will call you or email you directly with offers and opportunities. Some of these offers may be their own sales pitches but others are questions about your service. Meet them for a coffee or have a Skype meeting. Keep your mind open and the benefits begin to grow.

Over time referrals also happen. Someone reads your profile and they never use your service. Yet, when a friend asks them if they know someone in your industry they feel like they know you. It is the strangest and most wonderful thing. You will get a call asking for your service because someone gave you a raving review and you have never even met that person!

Whether you have a business to business offering or if your market is primarily the end consumer you need to be on LinkedIn. More and more it is where the business is.

 

Kerry George is the owner of the Canadian Imperial Business Network which is currently the largest business network in Alberta and rapidly expanding across the country. She is a serial entrepreneur/author and speaker with a zest for life and a passion to help others succeed in increasing their potential and their bottom line. Kerry has several publications and blogs that you can follow and welcomes most interaction online.

Twitter

@createloyalty2U

@CIBNtweets

@yycbiznetwork

Blogs

http://loyal2u.blogspot.ca/

http://calgarybiz.net/blog-3/

http://kidsincowtown.wordpress.com/

http://loyal2u.ca/category/social-media-2/linkedin/

 

Developing Social Media Real Estate Online

Kerry George (1)

Developing social media platforms is just like developing real estate along the supernet highway. Like real estate these properties require purchasing, upgrading, maintenance and a plan for long term occupation. When real estate is left unattended vagrants, bugs, rodents and other undesirables move in. Social media also can have people making undesirable posts on your page or have others talking about you in platforms that you did not even know existed. Imagine if you went to Las Vegas and saw your name in lights advertising you doing something embarrassing or worse.

You have a name, a reputation, and a business to develop and to protect. Not participating does not mean that developments are not going on without your knowledge. The best protection is to be engaged and aware. Just like owning real estate, absent renters may be surprised by developments they are unaware of.

When potential clients check out your website their next step is often to check out you. Have you googled your own name? What is found there? That is a whole page that should be all about you. That is a page of real estate that you can easily own. The pieces of content should reflect your story. The pictures should be photos of you. Your LinkedIn profile should be top and center. Your Twitter handle should come up next. Your Facebook profile should be there and your blog should have several places on page 1, 2 and 3.

All you need to do to make this happen is simply make it happen. If you do not have the time, then hire someone to make it happen. It is too important to ignore for your long term success. It is like leaving property without occupants if you do not.

  1. Develop profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter first. If your market is on Pinterest and Google+ then do those as well, but definitely get the main three done. Fill in all of the blanks and make the profiles interesting.
  2. Use your photos on everything. Brand you to your business. Name your photos your name when you save them on your computer and add the alt tags or keyword tags to your photos whenever you can. Some branding experts say to use the same photo but we have found that using different photos causes people to recognize you better in public and makes them more familiar with you and that produces more business.
  3. Start a blog. A blog that is attached to your WordPress website will help you get more traffic to your site but it also features you as an industry leader. Then you start showing up on page 1 of Google as an expert when your name is searched and sometimes for other subjects as well.
  4. Consistency is key. Start a Hootsuite account and automate Twitter and LinkedIn to post interesting statements, good questions, and great tips 4 times a day. Facebook should change a post about twice a week to keep people interested. Consistency is like property management. You need to be sure the plumbing is running right and that the grass got mowed so everything is spiffy when guests pop by to have a look at your property. Automating can help you be consistent when you are busy. In an hour you can put together the main posts for the next month. Then you can be spontaneous when there is something special going on as well.

Buy your property, own your property and care for your property. Be an engaged property owner for better results and create more interest from those rushing by on the internet highway!

Kerry George is the owner of the Canadian Imperial Business Network which is currently the largest business network in Alberta and rapidly expanding across the country. She is a serial entrepreneur/author and speaker with a zest for life and a passion to help others succeed in increasing their potential and their bottom line. Kerry has several publications and blogs that you can follow and welcomes most interaction online.

Twitter

@createloyalty2U

@CIBNtweets

@yycbiznetwork

Blogs

http://loyal2u.blogspot.ca/

http://calgarybiz.net/blog-3/

http://kidsincowtown.wordpress.com/

http://loyal2u.ca/category/social-media-2/linkedin/

Basic Business Networking 101

Kerry George (1)

There are a variety of business networking experiences out there. There are the free groups on MeetUp, the weekly breakfast or lunch referral clubs, the evening mixers, and even events based around themes or trade-shows. The fact is there is no “right way” to network. All of these work some of the time and all of these will have events that are duds as well.

One of the biggest mistakes that we see business owners making is that they don’t put a full effort into the networking process and then don’t get the full benefits out of their experience. The reality is that many businesses increase their bottom line by thousands of dollars a year by participating in networking. When it is done well it can be a simple and enjoyable way to bring new, vibrant leads and excellent clients into your business.

Here are a few basic tips to get you started:

  1. Go to different kinds of networking events regularly. Make networking a part of your marketing plan. There is magic in seeing people face-to-face and having the experience of connection.
  2. Talk about them more than you talk about you.Dale Carnegie said, “people don’t care about what you know until they know how much you care.” While it is natural for participants to ask you about what you do, they really want to talk about what they do. So let them talk. If they ask you about your business say something quick in 30 seconds and then ask them another question about what they do. Keep them talking for a few minutes and then when you exchange business cards let them know that you found them interesting and that you would like to continue the conversation at a later date. Book the appointment on the spot or call them next week.
  3. Smile. Enjoy yourself. This is not supposed to be a painful exercise. It is visiting enjoyable people and talking about things that you love to talk about. Let your face know that you are happy inside and that will let others know that you are approachable and interested in them.
  4. Move around the room if you are able. Some networking events only allow you to sit in one spot, so sit in a different spot when you can. Get their early to meet others who are early and serious about their business. Sometimes you will be able to book two sales appointments before the meeting even gets started. If it is a standing event like a beer and wings night at a lounge, move around. Talk briefly with one person while staying fully engaged in what they are saying. Thank them for what they share. Exchange cards and then move around the room to meet others. Be careful not to interrupt conversations in process but stand by waiting for an opportunity to ask a question about one of the others speaking.
  5. Follow up.There is no point in networking or in even having a business if you are not going to be an avid follow up artist. Most sales do not transpire until after the 7th touch. That means if you quit talking to them after they said “no” or after they did not look interested, you are working against your own success. After one meeting with you they still don’t even really understand who you are or what you do. So develop follow up strategies that work for all of your levels of engagement. After a networking event give them a phone call and book a coffee. Send them a card. Then add them to your social media channels. Connect with them on LinkedIn. If you “like” their Facebook page and make a positive comment they will usually then say “yes” to a friendship request as well. Follow them on Twitter and they usually follow back. These are ways that they will continue to see your ongoing content and be touched by you over and over until eventually they call you for business. These things all create a funnel of activity that potential clients will fall into and your bottom line goes up as a result.

Kerry George is the owner of the Canadian Imperial Business Network which is currently the largest business network in Alberta and rapidly expanding across the country. She is a serial entrepreneur/author and speaker with a zest for life and a passion to help others succeed in increasing their potential and their bottom line. Kerry has several publications and blogs that you can follow and welcomes most interaction online.

Twitter: @createloyalty2U,  @CIBNtweets, @yycbiznetwork

Blogs

http://loyal2u.blogspot.ca/

http://calgarybiz.net/blog-3/

http://kidsincowtown.wordpress.com/

http://loyal2u.ca/category/social-media-2/linkedin/