Erin Bury's random musings

Thoughts on social media, Community Management, and communications in a Web 2.0 world.

[gq]

[mattgalligan]

There is little more that I am excited about than the Dorito-shell taco.

[erinbury]

My Two-Books-a-Month Resolution

It's January, which means it's resolution time. I usually only make three resolutions, zero of which involve getting fit (I like poutine too much), but at least one of which usually involves a hobby. One of my biggest hobbies is reading, and in early 2011 I was inspired by a post from my friend Dave Fleet outlining his reading challenge. I've always loved reading, but I find when I'm busy books fall to the wayside. So one of my New Year's Resolutions last year was to read two books per month in 2011. 

I passed with flying colours (I read 29 books in total), which is quite possibly the first time anyone successfully completed a New Year's Resolution. So how did I do it? Well, one of my secrets was being unemployed for the month of August, though I wouldn't recommend that to anyone else :) Being off work for a month was a great way to catch up on reading (I read about 9 books in August/September alone). But I also joined two book clubs mid-2011, which guarantees I'll read my 24 books going forward. I've absolutely LOVED being a part of these book clubs, which may as well be called Cheese Club, Wine Club or Talk-About-The-Bachelor Club. I also decided to spend a lot of my free time reading instead of watching TV, which has really helped, though I'm watching The Biggest Loser as I write this so I'm not sure I'm completely succeeding on that front. Add in reading on the beach, the subway, my couch, and pretty much anywhere else I can grab 5 minutes. 

Here's a list of the books I read in 2011, divided by category, along with a short review. Happy to discuss any of my picks at length in the comments! 

Fiction

Shantaram, Gregory David Roberts - Sarah Prevette's favourite book, which she gifted to me last Christmas. It took me a while to get through the almost-1000 page epic about an ex-convict living in India, but it was worth it. Great book, but still not as good as my favourite book of all time, Rohinton Mistry's India-in-the-70s epic A Fine Balance. 

A Visit from the Goon Squad, Jennifer Egan - Recommended in pretty much every publication out there, I thought I'd love this book. Instead I was neutral. I didn't love it or hate it - I liked that each chapter was from a different character's perspective, but hated the gimmicks like the section comprised solely of a PowerPoint presentation. Great for rock music junkies though.

One Day, David Nicholls - Loved, loved, loved the story of Emma and Dex. Refuse to see the movie, since the book was just so great. A perfect romantic novel, and I won't spoil it but I bawled my eyes out at the end. For a good hour or so. To the point that I think Kev thought I was seriously deranged. Also great for book club discussion.

Bel Canto, Ann Patchett - 2011 was the year I discovered Ann Patchett. An amazing writer with lyrical prose, she weaves fantastical, imaginative stories around memorable characters. This story of hostages bonding with their captors was a true pleasure to read. 

State of Wonder, Ann Patchett - Another Patchett book, and another mainstay on best of 2011 lists. This story of a pharmaceutical researcher deep in the Amazon jungle was unbelievable at times, but you don't care because you're spending most of the book trying to imagine their surroundings. Implausible yes, easy to put down? No way.

Room, Emma Donoghue - One of the most unique concepts for a novel I think I'll ever come across. A haunting tale of a kidnapped young mother and the son who believes the entire world exists in the one room that is his prison. Couldn't put it down for the first half, and then the pace slows, but still one of my favourite reads of the year. 

The Help, Kathryn Stockett - You've probably either read the book or seen the movie, so I'm sure you'll agree that between Aibileen's stoic determination as the main character, Celia's flighty housewife, and Minny's sassy maid, this book was a gem. And it's rare, but in this case the movie was just as good as the book. But don't skip the read - it's much more detailed and hilarious/touching.

Sarah's Key, Tatiana de Rosnay - The concept is chilling. Nazis in Paris clear out all the local Jews into concentration camps, and one little girl locks her brother in a bedroom cupboard while swearing she'll be back for him. You know his fate is doomed, but you keep reading in earnest all the same. A fantastic and equally horrifying read (and historically accurate to boot).

Before I Go to Sleep, S.J. Watson - Probably my favourite read of the year (I'll probably say that about five times). About an amnesiac who wakes every day not knowing who she is, and who must piece together the mystery of her life - think 50 First Dates but a thriller. Chilled me to the bone, and couldn't put it down. I woke Kev up at 3am to tell him the entire plot in detail, and then forced two of my friends to read it. It was that good. 

The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins - I'm not a Harry Potter or Twilight fan, so I was extremely wary of these teen thrillers. But the concept - teenagers fight to the death in a future colony located North America stands now - was too good to resist. I devoured all three books, although the first two are way better than the conclusion. I don't know what my favourite part was - Katniss Everdeen's strength, the love triangle, or the view of the dystopian society. Can't wait for the movie version in March.

The Imperfectionists, Tom Rachman - Another of my favourite reads of the year. About an English-language newspaper in Rome, and the cast of characters who are involved. Standout chapter is from the Corrections editor - his examples of the paper's past mistakes are laugh-out-loud hilarious. Charming and delightful read (yes, delightful).

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safran Foer - The story of young Oskar dealing with his father's death on 9/11 is touching, imaginative and at times hilarious. This boy genius is one of the most likeable characters I've come across in a while, though I could have done without the lengthy (and odd) backstory of his grandparents. 

The Forgotten Garden, Kate Morton - This book was one of those stay-up-until-2am, can't-put-it-down books that I absolutely loved. The century-spanning family saga-cum-mystery novel is rich with detail about 20th century England, and the end is so satisfying that I wasn't even sad it was over...I just went to the bookstore to get her other books right after I closed it. 

We Need to Talk About Kevin, Lionel Shriver - An amazing, amazing book from the perspective of a school shooter's mother. You know from his birth that Kevin grows up to be a monster, but a heart-wrenching twist at the end just makes you feel for his mother even more. Nature vs. nurture indeed. 

*Warning: the next book is embarrassing and I don't care. 

Sweet Valley Confidential, Francine Pascal - I was absolutely addicted to the Sweet Valley series when I was a kid, and wanted to grow up to have Jessica's love life and Elizabeth's smarts. Needless to say I read this as soon as it came out, and it was just as satisfying as I thought it would be. And I'm not even sorry...and I still like to think I have a little Jessica & Elizabeth in me.

Fresh Lessons, Ellen Sussman - An average read about three people taking French lessons in Paris. Not exceptional, not horrible. Read it on the beach in Mexico, and it was light and fluffy enough for poolside entertainment.

Heart of the Matter, Emily Giffin - I promised myself I would stop reading chick lit sometime after the 7th Shopaholic book. So when someone picked this I was wary, but it was actually a good read. About two suburban women who fight over the same man - I found myself taking the side of the mistress, which provided for great book club discussion. 

Where are You Now? by Mary Higgins Clark - I tend to avoid books which display the author's name in font twice the size of the book's title (see: John Grisham). So when this was selected for book club I begrudgingly downloaded it on my iPad. But it was a breezy, engrossing read - I love a good mystery, regardless of who wrote it. 

Biography/memoir

Unbearable Lightness, Portia de Rossi - This book makes you realize that all your eating and weight issues are trivial compared to people who have severe diseases like bulimia and anorexia. It's an eye-opening look that even for celebrities, appearances can be deceiving. 

Bossypants, Tina Fey - Who didn't read this book in 2011? It was on pretty much every top 10 list, and for good reason. It's a hilarious (though random and with really no complete narrative) look at Tina Fey's upbringing. I laughed out loud about 732 times, especially at the transcript from her Sarah Palin SNL sketches. Perfect summer cottage reading.

Wanderlust, Elisabeth Eaves - I started this book on the plane home from Italy, as I was lamenting the end of my dream vacation. I loved this travel memoir because it allowed me to live vicariously through the author's jaunts around the globe, while also affirming my belief that she like a little bit more adventure than I do on my vacations. Oh, and the men - you'll have to read it to find out...

Business

Delivering Happiness, Tony Hsieh - I asked the Zappos CEO to do an interview for Sprouter and Hsieh responded that all the answers to my questions would be in his book. So I read it, and then devised an entirely new set of questions. Loved this book for two reasons: it explains why culture is so important to a company's success, and it shows how even successful millionaire entrepreneurs will never stop thirsting for startup success. I also love that he wrote it himself instead of hiring a ghost writer. 

The Now Revolution, Amber Naslund and Jay Baer - Review of this book here on my blog. Great for big companies trying to integrate social media into their 2012 plans.

Personal Finance

Note: I used to be really bad with money and am now as anal about personal finance as a reformed smoker is about other people's cigarettes. I devour personal finance books, blogs and TV shows.

The Automatic Millionaire, David Bach - I read this on the plane to the Dominican Republic and by the end I was convinced that I was going to be a millionaire by retirement. I'm still convinced - it gives you amazing, easy ways to pay yourself first and take temptation out of the equation.

The Wealthy Barber, David Chilton - my mom had bugged me to read this for years, so I finally did. Pretty basic (both the principles and the writing), but interesting to see how nothing had changed since the '80s. 

The Wealthy Barber Returns, David Chilton - I didn't love the first one, so I don't know why I felt compelled to read the sequel. As it turns out, it was a mistake - while the first one had a narrative tying it together, this book was a random collection of Chilton's thoughts, and other than a few relevant points about today's economic climate, wasn't very useful. Sorry if you're reading this David...

Debt-Free Forever, Gail Vaz-Oxlade - I have an obsession with this Canadian money guru - I watch her shows Princess and Til Debt Do Us Part religiously. Didn't love the book since I don't have much debt (which is better than the alternative), but it would be a great read for someone with a pile of unpaid bills.

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As for 2012, I've already read one book (The House at Riverton by Kate Morton) and started my next one, Jeffrey Eugenides' The Marriage Plot, tonight. You can also follow me on GoodReads to see what I'm reading throughout the year! 

And in case you're wondering, my top favourite books in no particular order were The Imperfectionists, Before I Go to Sleep, Room, State of Wonder, Sarah's Key and The Forgotten Garden.

[erinbury]

How to reward your company during the holiday months

Black Friday and Cyber Monday came and went, and the holidays are fast approaching. That means a few things are guaranteed – busy malls, festive parties, and holiday cheer in the office. The holidays provide a great opportunity to reward your team for a year of hard work. Here’s how to thank your team during the holiday season – hopefully it keeps them focused on the tasks at hand right up to Christmas Eve:

Throw a holiday party, no matter how small. As soon as the snow starts falling it’s inevitable that you’ll get a barrage of holiday party invites in your inbox. Most of them involve hundreds of people, open bar, food passed on silver trays, and hip venues. But when your team is small and resources are limited, it’s not always possible (or plausible) to throw a holiday bash. If you have a small team consider having a team holiday night where you have dinner and drinks, or do something fun in your city like catch a comedy show or sporting event. It’s a great way to celebrate and make employees feel valued without spending thousands of dollars on a holiday bash. Just remember to offer employees a taxi ride home if they're planning to have any drinks.

Open your office doors. An inexpensive way to celebrate the holidays with clients and employees is to throw an office open house. By spending a little bit of money on drinks and snacks, you can plug in your iPod and have people drop in and out all night. It’s a great chance to talk about 2012 planning with clients, thank your loyal customers, and give your employees a chance to mingle and celebrate. If your employees have children, consider holding it on a weekend and giving away toys.

Get creative with employee gifts. One advantage of having a smaller staff is the ability to get creative with holiday gifts. You don’t have to buy a branded umbrella or coffee mug; rather you can buy things specific to your employees’ tastes. Last year Sprouter’s founder Sarah Prevette decided to get our three employees her version of Oprah’s Favourite Things. She gave us each a tote bag filled with things she loved and knew we would too – a season of our favourite TV show; her favourite wine and glasses; her favourite book; etc. It was thoughtful, creative, and I still use many of the items today (especially the season of Glee).

Give a chance to give back. Many employees have favourite charities or causes, and the holiday season is a perfect time to support them. Since an employee charity drive won’t necessarily raise thousands of dollars with a small staff, give the gift of time instead. Give employees an afternoon off to volunteer with their favourite charity, or plan a team outing together at the local food bank. Or take a different approach and attend a holiday charity event like HoHoTO as a team – you can support a great cause (the Daily Bread Food Bank) while getting down.

Give employees flexible time off. The holiday season is busy with family get-togethers, vacations and events. With a smaller business there’s an opportunity to be flexible with the time you give employees off. Consider shutting down the office between Christmas and New Years and allowing employees to work from home for specific days, or give each person a certain number of days off during the holidays and let them plan accordingly. There’s no better gift than the gift of a lazy day by the fire drinking eggnog.

The holiday season doesn’t mean you have to shut down for weeks at a time, it just means you have to respect employees’ personal commitments and schedule. Find a way to balance time off with company priorities, and above all remember that at a small business your team is everything, so thank them in any way you can.

  This post is brought to you by American Express Canada. Check out their new Amex for Business Canada Facebook page here for the latest news, information and resources for Canadian small business owners.

Image credit: thevibeagency.wordpress.com

[erinbury]

Heart and Stroke Foundation Launches Calendar Lottery

Whether you're ready or not, Christmas is coming. It's is my absolutely most favourite holiday in the world, and I think I have more Christmas cheer than Elf and the Grinch (after his heart explodes) times ten. I love the music, holiday parties, and the atmosphere in the malls (not the lineups). But more than that I love buying gifts for people. So last week Kevin and I were sitting around talking about what we each wanted for Christmas. Last year I got him Xbox Kinect; he's used it approximately three times. Before that I got him Rock Band (he claimed it would be good for parties), it's now in my parents' basement gathering dust. 

That's when I realized that we don't need any more things (mom, if you're reading this, I still need a new vacuum cleaner). We're in the generation that's always pining for the newest, best, shiniest thing, and sometimes it's good to sit back and realize how lucky we already are, and that if I put one more dress in my closet it might spit it back out at me. So when The Heart and Stroke Foundation approached me to help promote their Calendar Lottery with the Pay it Forward campaign I thought it fit in perfectly with my desire to forego the material for the charitable this holiday season.

They're launching their Calendar Lottery again this year - the calendars are only $25 each or 3 for $70, and 100% of the net proceeds help fund life-saving Heart and Stroke foundation research. You have a chance to win three daily cash prizes of $5,000 all year long, while supporting heart disease. It's a cause that affects 1 in 3 Canadians, and a cause close to my...well, you know. Heart disease and stroke is also the number one killer of women, taking more women than all cancers combined. 

The idea behind the campaign is if you get a calendar you give a calendar and pass it on. It really is the gift that keeps on giving! Oh and the calendar features photographs taken by 12 amateur photographers from across Ontario, so you'll actually want to hang it on your wall. I have five sets of two calendars to give away - one for you, and one for someone you think deserves to have their day brightened, or someone who has touched your life in some way. To enter the contest either send a Tweet with @theHSF & #Giftandwin (with my Twitter name @erinbury at the end so I see it) or leave a comment on this blog post telling me who you would Pay It Forward to with a calendar if you won, and why.

For anyone who doesn't win a calendar, and even if you do, consider supporting The Heart and Stroke Calendar Lottery further by buying a calendar at heartandstroke.ca/calendar. And since I know you want to help support The Heart and Stroke Foundation raise as much as they can this holiday season, help get the word out about the "Pay it Forward" campaign by Tweeting using @theHSF and the #GiftAndWin hashtag. You can also support them on Facebook. 

And for the record, Kevin and I have decided to donate to several charities and spend time volunteering in December instead of giving each other gifts. Hey, if the Heart and Stroke Foundation can pay it forward, so can we. 

*Note - all winners must be residents of Ontario.

[erinbury]

Superfan, Meet Specialty Coffee

There are certain brands you just grow up with. Barbies and Disney come to mind, but usually coffee companies do not. But for me, one of my fondest childhood memories was taking my dog Shadow for a walk with my dad, a Tim Hortons coffee in hand. No, it wasn't my coffee (kids can't have coffee silly) but rather my dad's candy-like concoction with four creams, three sugars. Back then I thought all coffee tasted like dessert - boy was I in for a shock when I tasted a black cup of coffee...and I still have to have it with copious amounts of milk and sweetener, the slightly healthier alternative to my dad's favourite.

Now that I'm older I think it's only appropriate that I've remained fiercely loyal to Tim Hortons. After all, it's Canada's brand, as patriotic as beavers or Bieber. I used to go to Tim Hortons after the bar when I was home from university for late-night sandwiches (it was the only place open late in our small town); I once ate nine Timbits in a sitting before I realized just because they're small doesn't mean they're zero calories; and I regularly grab an extra-large coffee on the way to work. I defend against people who say Starbacks, or as I call it "tar," is better, and I regularly try their new menu items - and yes, the lasagna is good. I promise. 

So when Tim Hortons approached me (little old me! Fan since I was seven years old!) to hold a contest promoting their new specialty coffees I was excited. I was more than excited actually...in a sad and likely misguided way I feel an executive at the company has been following my loyalty over the years and is now finally creating the role of "Official Timbit Tester" just for me, and this is my first initiation into the company. 

But back to the specialty coffees. They've added lattes, mocha lattes and cappuccinos made with premium espresso starting at $2, available now in Ontario and December in the rest of Canada. You can also get shots of espresso (I'm looking at you entrepreneurs who are addicted to caffeine), tea lattes, flavoured lattes, and flavoured latte supremes.

The best part is, I have two $25 Tim's gift cards to give away, and I want you to win one. Since it's my contest on my blog, I'm not doing a random draw. No way, I'm making it more interesting. I want you to tell me your favourite Timbit/donut flavour in the comments, along with the new specialty beverage you most want to try. The first two people to list the same fave donut flavour as me win. Unless you are related to me or live with me, in which case you are disqualified for having inside intel. Hopefully you have good taste...and good luck!

Also, since I know you're all huge Tim Hortons fans like me and Tweet about them on a weekly basis, they have a new official @TimHortons Twitter account. Follow them and they'll DM you a Timbit...okay maybe not, but a girl can dream.

*I learned a great Tim Hortons fact today: it serves eight of every 10 cups of coffee sold at quick service restaurants in Canada, and two billion cups of coffee a year in North America. 

**No, I wasn't paid to write this post. I just really, REALLY love Tim Hortons. 

[erinbury]

Online Tools That Help Keep Your Business Innovative

In the past few years it’s become a necessity for small businesses to use online tools for their business, regardless of whether it’s a web-based company or not. Social media tools like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and blogging have become the new pillars of a company’s marketing plan, supplementing or even replacing traditional marketing channels like direct mail.Today, your company is judged more on its website or reviews on sites like Yelp and Google Places than on your advertising efforts.

Your company probably already has a Twitter account, a Facebook Page, and a blog (and if not, what are you waiting for?). But those aren’t the only tools that will amp up your marketing plan and keep you on top of online trends. And it’s not all about marketing – it’s about optimizing your website and making sure your customers have a streamlined purchase process. Here are a few sites and tools you should be using that can make your online efforts more effective, and some suggestions on how to make them work for your business:

Instagram – Sure, you’ve heard of Flickr, and you probably shared photos of your last vacation on Facebook. But the newest trend in photos is real-time sharing. Instead of snapping a photo, uploading it to your computer and posting it to your social sites, app Instagram lets you do it all in one fell swoop. Available on the iPhone, you can snap a photo, add filters and immediately cross-post to Facebook, Twitter, your blog, etc. The app also has social features – you can follow other users and like/comment on their photos. If you have a product with a great visual, or you just want to share pictures of life around the office, Instagram is a great way to do it quickly and easily. 

99Designs – When you’re first starting your business, you can’t always afford to have a web or graphic designer on staff. But it’s important to have a well-designed logo and website – no 90’s style graphics allowed. That’s where 99Designs comes in. It’s a crowdsourced design marketplace that connects you with designers around the globe for affordable design services. You can use 99Designs to source designs for print and packaging, Wordpress themes, web design, logo design, banner ads, and more. It’s an affordable way to get custom designs for your website, blogs, or social profiles without hiring someone full-time or on contract.

Unbounce – You probably have Google Analytics installed on your website to track your visitors – where they come from, how long they stay, and the bounce rate (how many visitors immediately leave). If you’re looking to increase your conversions, Unbounce is a DIY landing page platform that can help you create, publish and optimize landing pages. Whether you’re looking to A/B test your homepage or create pages for specific campaigns, Unbounce provides a template that allows even the most non-tech savvy business owner to create landing pages in minutes. It provides analytics so you can track campaigns, and plans start at $25/month. 

Square – The idea for Square came from watching an artisan turn away a customer because he wasn’t able to accept credit cards. The Square Card reader allows anyone to accept credit card payments on their iPhone. The reader and application are free, and it charges a 2.75% fee per swipe for all credit cards. While it’s not a marketing tool, it does mean that you can accept payments for your products wherever you are – conferences, the bus, walking down the street – using only the application and reader. The tool isn't available in Canada yet but will be shortly - until then, Payfirma is a great Canadian alternative. 

Marketing your small business is important, but so is making sure your website and purchase process are streamlined and effective. These online tools will make sure that you’re a leader, not a follower, when it comes to adopting online tools for your business.

    This post is brought to you by American Express Canada. Check out their new Amex for Business Canada Page here and stay tuned to catch the finalist stories in the Take Off with American Express contest.

[erinbury]

Thanks to Dharmesh Shah for letting me write a guest post for OnStartups about our recent experience with Sprouter. I've been a loyal reader of OnStartups for years, so it's humbling to see my post published there. Read for lessons from our "deadpool to acquisition" journey...and a little Canadian humour. 

[erinbury]

Innovative Companies to Help You Manage Costs

Whether you’re bootstrapping or not, keeping costs down is essential to building and growing your company. Some costs are unavoidable – office space if you don’t want to work from home; new hires to grow the company; and administrative costs like business setup costs and computers for your staff. But in the past ten years, the barrier to entry to starting a small business has drastically lowered. Now if you have a computer and a corner of your parent’s basement you can start a successful business without incurring many costs at all. This isn’t a realistic scenario for most small business owners, especially those who aren’t starting web companies.

But regardless of what your product/service is, there are several ways to manage your startup’s costs using new online tools, all without compromising customer service or quality. After all, according to the quarterly American Express Small Business Monitor 47% of small business owners would rather reduce profitability than risk losing customers due to price increases, proving customer loyalty is just as important as short-term financial gain. Read on for some effective ways to cut costs without compromising quality:

Grasshopper – Want a professional phone number and directory but don’t want to pay big bucks? The perfect solution is Grasshopper, a virtual phone system designed for entrepreneurs. It allows you to choose your 1-800 number, record a custom main greeting, add departments and employees, and receive calls, voicemails and faxes anywhere (to your cell phone, office phone, home phone, etc...). And best of all, you don’t have to purchase any expensive hardware – you manage your account online. Pricing starts at $9.95/month, and the most popular package is $49.95/month.

GetSatisfaction – Most companies have a customer service person available 24/7 to answer questions, but when you’re a startup you can’t always afford someone to do that. GetSatisfaction provides an affordable customer support solution that allows you to listen to problems and solve them quickly and easily. Once you’re signed up, you get a devoted brand page where customers can submit questions, issues, bugs or praise about your company. They can also use a “Feedback” widget on your website to submit their comments. Every time someone submits feedback you immediately get an email and can respond to their question, and the responses are public so other community members can browse topics and find answers to their own questions. Plans start at $19/month.

Olark – If you want to provide a real-time customer support person to help visitors on your website, Olark is a great solution. It’s a live-chat tool that allows any staff member (from the founder to the intern) to live-chat with visitors about their experience and answer questions. You chat inside your IM client instead of using a new tool, and you can customize the message when staff is offline. For CRM integration and four chat operators,it costs $44/month, but there’s also a basic plan offered for only $15/month.

Dropbox – Dropbox provides an affordable solution to storing your company’s files in the cloud. Once installed on your computer you can save files to your Dropbox folders and they’re immediately saved to your computer, your mobile device (using the Dropbox mobile app), and stored online in case you need to access files from another computer. You can add shared users so some or all files are shared with your staff members. The basic 2GB version is free, and 100GB of storage is $19.99/month.

Freshbooks – The tagline for Freshbooks is ‘focus on your work, not your paperwork.’ The time-tracking and invoicing tool helps you organize your expenses and invoice your clients, all from a convenient online account. You can create professional-looking invoices, send them automatically via email or snail mail (they’ll stamp and address the envelope), and get paid via PayPal or one of 11 other payment gateways. You can also set recurring invoices, and pull time and expenses into your invoices. Signup is free, but you require a paid account to add more than a few clients. 

These are just a few tools that can help you organize your books, manage customer service, and share and protect your files. While they may not help you get a deal on a talented developer, they can help keep your costs down, so you have more money for hiring and growing your business. After all, according to the American Express Small Business Monitor nearly 75% of small business owners believe their companies are financially flexible enough to weather another recession – and these tools will help them do just that.

  This post is brought to you by American Express Canada. See how YOUR business can soar to new heights in the Take Off with American Express contest. Check out the new Amex for Business Canada Page here.  

[erinbury]

Sprouter Acquired by Postmedia Network Inc.

In late July I wrote a difficult post announcing that Sprouter was shutting down. It outlined my journey at the startup over the past three years, my startup lessons, and my plans for moving on. The post was a long goodbye to the company and the team I had worked tirelessly with since joining in 2008.

The day we announced the shutdown was really difficult for our team. We loved the company, and it wasn’t an easy decision to make. I was blown away by how supportive everyone was, and was even more surprised at the desire from the community to keep Sprouter alive in some way. But the day we cleaned out Sprouter’s office space, I realized it was real and our team went separate ways.

I planned a trip to Europe in the fall, and decided to take August off to enjoy the summer, sleep in, and do nothing productive at all (although I did read about 14 books, which I count as productive). I frequently joked with Grant, Vince and Sarah about our new leisurely lives, and never thought I would soon be back working with them. 

But today it’s with so much pride and excitement that we share that Sprouter has been acquired by Postmedia Network Inc. Our team of four is returning, and I’m happy to say that I’ve been promoted from my role of Community Manager to Director, Content and Communications. We will be working out of our own office downtown, and we’ll be working closely with the Postmedia team to leverage their resources and amp up our features and offerings. 

For anyone who is wondering, no this wasn’t a big PR stunt. But I’m thrilled that everything turned out the way it did – I get to continue working with a team I love, to execute a vision I believe in, and now with the resources of an amazing company behind us.

I can also wholeheartedly say I loved my time off. I don’t think loved adequately describes how much fun I had over the last couple months. I slept in every day, explored every nook and cranny of Toronto, went to cottages, read just about every book on my reading list, caught up on TV shows, and soaked up the sun in Mexico. The time off was amazing, but I’m looking forward to getting back into the daily grind.

As for my trip to Europe? It’s still on, albeit shortened. I leave for Italy tonight for two weeks, and I can’t wait – it’s my dream trip and I plan on eating my weight in pasta. And yes, I realize the timing isn't great to leave the day we announce our acquisition, but that should further reinforce that it wasn't a PR stunt.

Thanks to everyone who supported me and Sprouter over the last couple months. The support from the community was overwhelming, and I truly appreciate it. You can read more about the acquisition on the Sprouter blog – there’s a post from Founder/CEO Sarah Prevette, as well as FAQ.

[erinbury]

Community Management 101

There are some obvious first hires an entrepreneur needs when starting a business. A developer and a salesperson come to mind, often followed by a head of marketing and a CFO. But increasingly the list of early hires includes the role of Community Manager (CM), a title that encompasses a vast variety of responsibilities within the company. I started as Community Manager at Sprouter in December 2008, when there were relatively few people in that role around the world, and especially in Canada. It was communicated to me as a mix of content creation, social media management, events, public relations, and customer service.

A Community Manager is the face of your company, the person who builds the community (whether online or offline) and ensures your existing community is supported, and cultivates a new group of evangelists for your brand. They’re much more ubiquitous now, and are increasingly showing up everywhere from three-person startups to multinational corporations. In fact, it’s no longer rare to see a team of Community Managers working to manage larger brands or in an agency environment, or even as a startup grows.

If you’re contemplating hiring a Community Manager to represent your company and to increase your brand equity in Canada or abroad, here are some reasons why they should be next on your hiring list:

They’re your eyes and ears. CMs attend events in your community, attend industry conferences, organize events to bring together your customers and audience, and monitor and manage your online social media channels. They see what people are saying about your brand and your competitors, and they talk to your community to get a sense of their needs. This kind of on-the-ground insight can help you focus your marketing efforts and product direction, and provide a constant flow of market research.

They’re the face of your brand. Often times a company’s founder will be too busy running the business to go out and network, take advantage of speaking opportunities, or create content for the company blog or newsletter. A CM is the public face of your brand, and becomes recognizable to your community through their interaction online and in person. A good CM is synonymous with your brand, and will become your company’s biggest public-facing evangelist.

They’re your 1-800 number. Larger companies like Zappos have Community Managers, but they also have large customer service departments. At a small business, you often don’t have the luxury of hiring a full-time customer service rep, and this is where a CM is extremely valuable. I handled all customer service inquiries for Sprouter in a variety of ways – through an online forum (GetSatisfaction), over the phone, via email, and sometimes even in person. Since a CM handles all complaints or issues, they can react quickly, recognize trends and suggest steps to improve future experiences. 

They know it’s not a 9-5 job. Often the hardest part of hiring for startups is finding someone who’s as passionate about your company as you are. Community Managers have to be passionate about what you do, because they live and breathe the brand. They also know it’s not a typical 9-5 job – there are evening events, weekend conferences, and late-night development crises that mean they’re always on call. But if you find someone who’s passionate about your business it won’t just be another job – it will mean they’re helping to build your business. 

Their role changes with your company. The person you hire on day one will progress as your company grows, and their role will change accordingly. If they’re hired pre-launch, their time may be consumed with a pre-launch social media marketing plan, or beta testing. Then their focus may shift to launch publicity. Then to customer service as the community grows. A good CM can quickly handle whatever project is thrown at them, and adapt as priorities change.

A Community Manager is a great way to help build your company’s brand, but it all comes down to hiring. Don’t settle for someone unless you know they’re going to represent your company in the best way possible. Look for someone with resourcefulness, online prowess, writing skills, and an outgoing personality. And above all, remember that the strength of the community is often what makes or breaks a small business.

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This post is brought to you by American Express Canada. Check out their new Amex for Business Canada Facebook Page here for the latest news, information and upcoming promotions for Canadian small business owners.

[erinbury]

Getting the Most Out of Twitter for your SMB

When I started working at a web startup in late 2008, having a Twitter account for your company was news in itself. Our company was featured in prominent media outlets solely for the fact that we HAD a Twitter account. We used it to interact with our community, and share news about our events and launches. We didn’t sign up because it was the latest trend; we did it because it was an inexpensive way to reach our target audience and our existing community members.

The current landscape is much different. It’s not news for a company to be on Twitter anymore, rather it’s expected. There are countless case studies of startup companies and large corporations using Twitter in unique and interesting ways to raise their profile and build a community – from coffee shops taking drive-thru orders via direct message, to food trucks Tweeting their location to loyal lunchtime customers.

But one thing that hasn’t changed since Twitter’s launch is how effective it is as a marketing channel for small businesses, whether online-focused or not. It’s free (except for the time it takes to make an impact); has an increasingly large user base, and seems to reflect every community and interest. Here’s what you need to know to make the most out of Twitter for your small business in 2011:

Your Twitter page is almost as important as your company’s URL. As a consumer, I know that the first place I go when looking up a company is their Twitter account, and nothing is more off-putting than a stale, poorly branded page. Make sure you get a good handle - your company’s name, or as close as you can get to it. Design a great background that incorporates your company’s logo and mission statement. Fill out your bio, and include which employees manage the account. And keep your Tweets current – if your last update is from two months ago, your customers won’t have much faith in your response time.

Decide on a goal and keep it consistent. Sit down before you develop your page and decide what your goal is for the page. Is it to handle customer inquiries? Engage your current customer base so they’ll come back, or reach out to potential customers? Or is it simply to become an expert voice in your industry by sharing news and relevant content? Deciding on a goal makes it much easier to keep the content consistent as you move forward, especially as the company grows and more employees begin to manage the account. 

Your Twitter page should have a personality. The best thing about Twitter is that it allows your brand and your employees’ personalities to shine through. Twitter isn’t about corporate jargon, it’s about conversations and often humour. If you have an irreverent brand, a well-known mascot or a star CEO, let your Twitter account reflect that. Make jokes, post photos, and don’t be afraid to share the small things about startup life, which people often resonate with the most.

Venture outside Twitter.com. While Twitter’s web client is great for the Who To Follow recommendations, Lists and a quick snapshot of your account, third-party developers have really made Twitter that much more effective. Use a social media dashboard like Hootsuite to help manage Twitter – you can schedule Tweets, allow for several employees to interact on the same account, and monitor search terms and hashtags. Add in Twitter’s mobile applications and measurement tools like Sysomos, and you can post from anywhere, and analyze the impact after the fact. 

The hardest part of Twitter is figuring out how you can use it effectively for your company. It’s not enough to just have an account – you have to be consistent, engaging and unique in order to stand out with your audience. But you have to start somewhere, and your next great marketing effort is luckily only 140 characters away.

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This post is brought to you by American Express Canada. Check out their new Amex for Business Canada Facebook Page here for the latest news, information and upcoming promotions for Canadian small business owners.

[erinbury]

Why Relaxing is a Challenge for Me

One thing I love about the startup community in Toronto is that many of the entrepreneurs I’ve met have become close friends outside of our day jobs (if you can call a startup a day job). We go for drinks, hang out at birthday parties, and even go on pirate boat cruises. And yes, that’s exactly as fun as it sounds.

So it didn’t surprise me when my friend and entrepreneur Andrea Lown asked me to join her on a spa getaway last week. Lown is the co-founder of Smart Bride Boutique, an online wedding classifieds site that lets brides buy and sell used wedding dresses, accessories and paraphernalia. Along with her co-founder Leah Andrew, Lown has built a strong community of brides and brides-to-be through webinars, contests and events like Sprout Up, where they demoed the company to a room almost completely comprised of men. (Lown caught their attention by telling them they could use the proceeds from wedding dress sales to buy a new flat screen TV)

Since many brides-to-be take their moms or bridesmaids to get pampered pre-wedding, Lown and Andrew were heading to the highly-rated Ste. Anne’s and Dorset Manor spas east of Toronto to make use of the amenities and enjoy some treatments, so they could share their experience with their community. Clearly I jumped at the chance to get out of the city and take a girls road trip to get pampered. I asked my friend and freelance writer Jen Kirsch to join, and last Thursday the four of us were on our way. Ste. Anne’s is Canada’s largest destination spa, and has been voted favourite spa in Canada by Spa Finder four years in a row. The recently-opened Dorset Manor is a smaller property, but just as upscale and beautiful.

When we arrived at the Ste. Anne’s spa in Grafton, ON the first thing I noticed was the beautiful, lush landscape and the quaint stone buildings. It was like you stepped into the Scottish countryside. We toured the property, which sits on 500 acres, and saw the numerous amenities – the pool, hot tub, cold plunge pool, sauna, eucalyptus steam room, workout room, fitness studio, tea room…the list goes on. We met for lunch with Marijo Cuerrier, the property’s marketing director (the property is family owned and operated, and Marijo grew up in the main house when it was a private residence). She explained the philosophy behind the spa – it’s not about coming in for one treatment and heading back to the office, they only offer a full day or overnight package that focuses on completely unplugging.

One of the first things I noticed when I walked in was the “no cell phones allowed” sign, which I promptly ignored (I wasn’t ‘that girl’ who talked on her phone the whole time, but I did Tweet, Facebook and check email the entire time). Marijo says they don’t enforce the rule, but they prefer that people attempt to detach from the outside world in order to truly relax. She says most people are career women from the city who rush in dressed and made up to the nines with their BlackBerry attached to their hip, and she sees them hours later fresh-faced and in a bathrobe with no devices in sight and they are changed – relaxed, calm, with no sense of stress or urgency.

She could tell from my personality and constant Tweeting that she was going to have to wrestle my iPhone from me, and challenged me to come back to the spa for 48 hours of complete isolation. I have no doubt I could do it – after all, I have no problem unplugging when I take vacations to the beach in Mexico – but why would I want to? Staying connected makes me happy, not stressed out. I love sharing experiences, photos and conversations with my friends. There was definitely some appeal in the lack of TV, Wifi and cell service in the hotel we stayed at, the Dorset Manor (we played board games and laughed, never a bad thing), but I like having the option of connecting. Optional relaxation is lovely, forced relaxation is stressful.

(My partner-in-crime Jen Kirsch)

I had an absolutely fabulous time at the spas – I laid by the pool, took a stability ball class, had a hand treatment and a scalp treatment, sat in the steam room, ate fantastic food for lunch, dinner and high tea, and enjoyed the rustic charm of these impeccable properties. But I wouldn’t say I’m a spa’s ideal client. I prefer hustle and bustle to zen, and I avoid treatments like massages and classes like yoga and meditation because I find them extremely boring. Is it because I work in the technology industry, or because it’s just my always-on-the-go personality? Who knows. So did I fully isolate myself from technology? No. But did I share some great Twitpics, and feel calm while doing it? You bet. 

[erinbury]

Sad News - Sprouter is Shutting Down

Four years ago I was fresh out of university with a fancy journalism degree and a job paying peanuts in a golf course pro shop (one of my favourite summers ever, for the record). Three years ago I was working in the tech practice of a PR agency, learning the ropes and navigating the bottom rung of the corporate ladder. While at that agency I met my boss Sarah Prevette through a mutual friend, and when I found out she was starting a small business and needed a Community Manager I jumped at the opportunity. Well actually I said ‘what the heck is a Community Manager’ and then debated about whether to leave a secure job for a startup for days on end, and finally came to the conclusion that working with Sarah and being a part of a startup environment would be a great learning experience.

Looking back almost three years later I can say that joining Sarah on the journey that would become Sprouter (it started as RedWire for anyone who hasn’t been around for the full three years) was the best decision I’ve ever made. So it’s with extreme sadness that we announce today that Sprouter is closing its doors. It’s been a heck of a journey, and one that has shaped my personal and professional lives for the better. If you’re interested in the reasons, head over to the Sprouter blog and read our final blog post. Here I’m going to talk about what being a part of Sprouter meant to me.

There are too many highlights to count at Sprouter. Here are some of my favourites:

Traveling to Paris, London, Austin, LA, Boston, Washington, Brazil, NYC, Las Vegas and several other cities to attend conferences and build the Sprouter network. Number of times Sarah thought I missed our flight because I was buying Chex Mix instead of boarding: one. Number of times she upgraded me to first class on a long-haul flight for my birthday present: one. Number of times we laughed hysterically at things on planes, in hotel rooms, or in conference keynotes: countless.

Starting a local entrepreneur event, Sprout Up, that grew from 30 people to 600, with a line down the block and guest speakers from across North America. Countless startups demoed on our stage, including Rypple, Backtype (recently acquired by Google), TinyHippos (acquired by RIM), and many more.

Writing a weekly publication, Sprouter Weekly, that became a must-read newsletter for entrepreneurs around the world. I know this because people tell me constantly that it’s the only publication they open and read in full on a weekly basis. A lot of work went into that publication every week, but it was all worth it when we’d feature a startup months before anyone else caught on (I’m looking at you TechCrunch).

Our PR success – Sprouter, Sarah or I have been featured in Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur, Forbes, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Wired, Fast Company, The Globe and Mail, Financial Post, Profit Magazine, Toronto Star, Mashable, TechCrunch, ReadWriteWeb, VentureBeat, TheNextWeb, GigaOM, Business Insider, and many, many more. I attribute our PR success to the fact that Sarah has a great story, and we were entrepreneurs helping entrepreneurs.

Our team – we were a tight-knit team of four people, and two have the same number of business cards now as the day they started (our developers). We’ve gone bowling, ate countless poutines and burritos, argued over music (and who changed the toilet paper roll last), had one of us knighted at Medieval Times, sat on Santa’s Lap, brainstormed, iterated, and just plain worked our butts off. I love our team, and I know I’ll never work with another one like it.

All the highlights of the past three years come down to the people. The friends I’ve made during our travels around the world; the entrepreneurs who have pitched me their ideas with passionate voices and animated hands; the countless people I met at networking events. I’m walking away from Sprouter with so much experience, and an online and offline community that is bigger than I ever could have imagined.

Before I started at Sprouter I didn’t know what startup life entailed. But the learning curve was steep (think the world’s highest roller coaster steep) and I quickly learned that startups mean the following things:

Taking on way more than your title would indicate – at any given time I was Sprouter’s janitor, receptionist, office manager, salesperson, head of marketing and global ambassador

Making best friends with resourcefulness – I had no clue what I was doing when I started…I didn’t even have Twitter. But startups aren’t about knowing the answer, they’re about being able to go out and find it by yourself

Hustling beyond belief – I abide by the law of two feet (a term coined by my friend and entrepreneur Andrea Lown) – anyone who came within two feet of me heard about Sprouter. Being at a startup involves getting out there in person, online and any way you can to make it a success

Knowing what you could do with more, but working with less – sure, we would have loved to have a designer on staff. Or three more developers. Or heck, a boardroom that didn’t have a microwave and a fridge in it. But you work with what you have, and you find a way to make it work

Strong leadership – the mood and direction of a startup are dictated by the person in charge, and I never for one second doubted Sarah’s vision or ability (and that’s still true today). Every startup needs a passionate, driven, smart entrepreneur at the helm to keep the team motivated

Building something from nothing – Day 1 at Sprouter we had a few users and zero brand recognition. I consider the fact that we’ve built a global brand and a loyal, engaged community of users as a phenomenal accomplishment

Taking the highs with the lows – we had a lot of highs. Speaking at international conferences, hosting live sessions with some of the world’s best entrepreneurs and investors, being featured in pretty much every entrepreneurship publication in the world. But we had a lot of lows (today being one of them). Startups are about celebrating the small wins, and about knowing that all you can do is give 110%, and hope your hard work pays off

Realizing a great idea isn’t everything – I truly believe that Sprouter is a fantastic idea, and I truly believe that it’s helped countless entrepreneurs over the past three years. But community isn’t everything

I know in the next few days and in the months to come that there will be lots of talk about Sprouter, our team, and our lifespan. Here’s what I’ll say to anyone who’s wondering: while Sprouter isn’t a financial success, it was a success to each and every entrepreneur who had a chance to promote their business, learn from an expert, debut on the Sprout Up stage, or learn from any of our projects. We helped people start and run their business, and we had fun along the way.

And behind every great idea is a great leader, and in this case I couldn’t have asked for a better boss, mentor and friend. Sarah Prevette is undoubtedly one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met, and she’s a damn great travel companion. To say Sarah and I are close would be an understatement – we’re family, just like Grant and Vince are family too, and that doesn’t end just because Sprouter’s journey is over. Sarah, thank you for taking a chance on a girl who thought Twitter was stupid and allowing me to share your crazy vision, and to wear my Snuggie in the office.

If you’ve read this far you’re probably wondering what happens to me now that Sprouter has closed its doors. I’ll be taking the month of August off to enjoy the sun and relax (a novel concept), and then traveling in Europe for six weeks in September/October, a trip I’ve been wanting to take for years. I’ll share career news as it comes up, but trust me when I say I’ll be at another startup. Agency and corporate life might be for some people, but I’m a startup girl through and through.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who supported us along the way. If you came to a Sprout Up, read an issue of Sprouter Weekly, asked a question to one of our experts, used our peer-to-peer community, had one of our stickers on your laptops, or were one of our many social media followers I thank you. It’s because of you that I was able to do my job for so long, and it’s because of you that I step confidently into the next chapter of my life knowing that no matter what it includes, I’ll be ready.

[erinbury]

Toronto's hottest young entrepreneurs

The Globe and Mail has published its list of Toronto's hottest young entrepreneurs, and I see a bunch of familiar faces on the list. The list includes 15 founders building companies in a variety of industries - from bedding to web startups to design agencies. Congrats to friends who made the list:

Julian Brass, Notable.ca

Justin Hein, Spenz 

Alyssa Richard, RateHub

Lauren Friese, TalentEgg

Ray Cao, Loose Button

Hailey Coleman, Damn Heels

See the full list of 15 entrepreneurs, and watch video interviews with each founder. I know I'll be reaching out to the founders I don't know on that list to find out more about their businesses. Congrats to everyone who was featured! 

[erinbury]

My Hotmail Blog Series: A Recap

Last December the Windows Live Hotmail team approached me to write a sponsored blog series about the new-and-improved Hotmail. As I said in my post introducing the series, I have been a Hotmail addict since Grade 7. In fact, embarrassing as it may be to admit, my very first Hotmail address was [email protected]. Hey, it was grade 6 and my best friend had the same one (except replace Erin with Kelly).

Although I switched to Gmail for my work and personal email, I maintained my Hotmail address – after all, you can send out a change of email address note a million times but no one pays attention. Even before this blogging challenge I was checking Hotmail on a daily basis, and that has only increased since then. The blogging challenge helped me with a few of my frustrations with Hotmail – namely spam and organizing my inbox.

Here’s a recap of my posts from the past 7 months in case you missed them and want to brush up on the new Hotmail features:

·      Hotmail vs. Gmail – a tech geek’s guilty pleasure challenge – my introductory post that outlined my long-standing relationship with Hotmail and detailed the challenge

·      Organizing your inbox with Hotmail’s Sweep Feature – this post outlined Hotmail’s Sweep feature, which I fell in love with. It allows you to automatically delete or move emails as they come in – so I can move bills to my finance folder automatically, or delete unwanted emails automatically (as hard as I try to unsubscribe some companies just don’t get the message)

·      Sharing photos as email attachments: Hotmail vs. Gmail – this post outlined how Hotmail’s Photo Mail feature lets you use Skydrive to send photos via email without attaching them. I HATE attachment limits, so this feature is perfect for my snap-happy self

·      Want to watch videos inside your emails? Hotmail can help – this post outlined how Hotmail lets you view videos on platforms including Justin.tv and YouTube right in your emails, meaning you can get your funny cat fill without ever leaving your inbox

·      How to collaborate on Microsoft Office apps in Hotmail – I’m a devoted Microsoft Office user (I literally couldn’t do my job without Word, Excel and PowerPoint) so I was excited to learn that I could collaborate on Office docs with my coworkers without having to go through the whole attach-send-download-edit-save-resend rigmarole

·      Viewing your Hotmail Inbox with Conversation View – whenever my girlfriends send out a cottage weekend plan I inevitably have a hard-to-follow chain of 20+ emails. In this post I outlined how Hotmail’s Conversation View can show those email chains as one conversation stream – genius

·      Hotmail and the dreaded spam – in this post I outlined the technology behind Microsoft Smartscreen, Hotmail’s spam filter. If it’s good enough for the government, it’s good enough for me

·      Spring cleaning your inbox with Hotmail – I wrote this post at the end of March, right when Canadians start thinking about spring. If you’re looking to do a good inbox housecleaning check out my tips

·      Adding Bing search results to Hotmail messages – add images, maps videos, and more to your emails. So when you say you’ll meet your friend at Starbucks she’ll actually know which one you mean…

·      Using the new Hotmail Calendar -  sure, everyone uses a calendar already. But can yours keep your to-do list and let you view other people’s calendars? Didn’t think so

·      Hotmail on the go using Windows Mobile – I do as much work as possible on my smartphone, so for my last feature post I talked about how you can check your email on the go

And there you have it! A rundown of the new Hotmail features and how they can make your inbox (and by extension you) more efficient. I hope you enjoyed the series, and I hope you’ll think of me the next time you get an email from a Hotmail address!

[erinbury]

Taking a trip in your own backyard with social media

Recently I was featured in Canadian Business magazine in an article titled The Social Network. The article talks about social capital - how you build it, leverage it and lose it - online, and uses me as an example (along with several other people including my friend Casie Stewart). I don't bring it up again to brag (although I am really proud of it), rather to set the stage for this post. 

After the article came out I received several emails from friends and family, one inquiring whether I was for hire for an agency (no agencies ever again thankyouverymuch), and one asking if I'd like to come visit the beautiful city of Kingston with a guest, all expenses paid. For anyone outside of the Toronto area, Kingston is about 3 hours west of the city and is right on Lake Ontario - it's home to the Royal Military College, Queen's University, and the infamous Kingston Penitentiary. Coincidentally, my mom grew up in Kingston, and it was also her birthday in a few weeks (July 2nd) so after Googling the person to make sure they were legit, I happily accepted. 

The view from our room at the Four Points Sheraton

This past weekend we took the VIA train to Kingston courtesy our lovely hosts Fatima and Venicio Rebelo, owners of the Ambassador Conference Resort and the Four Points Sheraton. They met us at the train station with their trademark cheer and gusto, and took us to what they call "the best hotel in the world," the Four Points Sheraton, located right on the water in downtown Kingston. Fatima's parents opened the Ambassador Hotel in Kingston decades ago, and Fatima & her husband Venicio took over the family business and have been running it for many years. They opened the Four Points Sheraton to complement their other property, and also opened a restaurant called King Street Sizzle to feed their guests but also to show off their Portuguese roots (the chorizo on the menu is to die for). 

With my mom

My mom and I spent an amazing weekend in Kingston, thanks to the Rebelos and their hospitality. Here's a sampling of what we did, in case you're planning a trip there in the future:

Walked around Brock St. and Princess St. to look in the shops - tons of boutiques and bookstores

Went on a Kingston Thousand Islands boat cruise on the Island Queen - a beautiful way to see cottage country

Ate dinner at Chez Piggy, a restaurant started by one of the members of the Loving Spoonfuls, and a Kingston landmark

Ate dinner at Casa Domenico, a delicious Italian restaurant where I ate way too much pasta

Had brunch on the patio at Pan Chancho, Chez Piggy's sister restaurant and bakery, where I had a delicious granola yogurt parfait

Explored the farmer's market in Market Square and the Fanfayr craft market

Watched the fireworks on Canada Day from our hotel room (which had a perfect view of the water)

While Fatima and Venicio aren't too focused on social media, they understand why it's important to their business. They often reach out and invite people they think are interesting to visit their beautiful city, not just people involved in online marketing but from all walks of life. I'm honoured they invited me along, and hopefully my Tweets/blog posts/Facebook updates/photos will do the city justice. Sure, it's no Paris but Kingston's a great place to go for a weekend...or to grow up if you ask my mom.

Here are some pics from the weekend:

My Canada Day outfit

Margarita on the lake

Delicious breakfast at Pan Chancho

[erinbury]

Celebrating Canadian Startup Success Stories

Today I was happy to see two announcements about Canadian companies. First, Vancouver startup (is it still a startup?) Hootsuite reached 2 million members, and created a fun Infographic to show some stats about its usage.

Second, the news that Twitter has acquired Toronto startup Backtype. Founders Chris Golda and Mike Montano were in a past YCombinator class, then were based in Toronto for a while (where they demo'd at a Sprout Up and made it on my BlogTO list of the hottest startups of 2009) until they relocated to San Francisco. They're both really nice guys with a solid product so I'm happy to see them successfully exit. 

Also a shout-out to one of my favourite Toronto-based startups, personal safety app Guardly. Founder Josh Sookman wrote a post outlining the ups and downs of their first 300 days. I'll be watching their progress closely! 

Add that to the recent acquisitions of TinyHippos by RIM and Postrank by Google in Waterloo, and it's good news all around.

Sure, Toronto's not Silicon Valley. And sure, our talent sometimes leaves to go to Silicon Valley (the dreaded brain drain). But whether an entrepreneur starts, builds or sells their company while on Canadian soil, I still consider it a homegrown success story. And I'll be watching for the next crop of success stories.