You Can Do That Here

Culture. Webster’s defines it as the manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively. Culture is also a perfect way to view and understand a particular group of people or geographic region. It’s a beautiful thought really, understanding and getting to know a place or people by their collective achievements.

 Here in the Kootenays much of our everyday life, work, and fun is dominated and dictated by the spectacular geography and natural playground that surrounds us. Indeed whether simply living in their shadow, creating art inspired by them, achieving great feats of human strength and endurance by scaling and descending them in all variety of forms, Kootenay people are a culture defined by our mountains. 

Capturing that culture, and publishing it in a high quality magazine over the past decade and a half has in many ways put Kootenay Mountain Culture magazine at the forefront as the true story of record for our region rather than the traditional newspaper.

 True to the culture of the region, it was born out of passion and a pioneering, enterprising spirit. Tired of having his freelancing story ideas stolen by other publications, like any true entrepreneur, Peter Moynes of Nelson new there had to be a better way.

 15 years later, Kootenay Mountain Culture Magazine has become a legend within and beyond the region and has also expanded to the coast with Coast Mountain Culture and many other publications in between. I sat down with Peter in his home office overlooking Kootenay Lake to dive deep into the motivations, the struggles and the joys of being the mastermind behind capturing the achievements of mountain people and capturing the culture that we all know and love.

Good Health.  If there is one business that has a universal appeal to all humans, it’s a business that helps us all be happier and healthier people.  As our good health and the foods and nutrients we consume continue to become more important in a world of “Food like products,” and as global connectivity continues to open up new offerings from around the globe, superfoods are the next great trend. As little as a couple of decades ago seeking out so called exotic plants from various ecosystems around the world would have likely meant physically going, seeking, finding and learning about them in person.  In the information age, a trip to the Himalayan foothills in northern India is merely a few clicks away. Yes the opportunity to discover such plants and superfoods is now open to everyone with an internet connection and the time to spend seeking.

Miel and Kirk Dubeilewicz of Invermere, BC came across just such a superfood nearly 10 years ago that they hadn’t previously heard of or found available in Canada. It wasn’t just any food, it just so happened to be the most nutritious plant in the world, The Moringa tree. Starting out as consumers, and immediately noticing the health benefits themselves, the married couple and now business partners set out on an adventure to be one of the first companies to bring Moringa to the Canadian market. The short story? It wasn’t easy, but this inspiring energetic couple made it happen despite numerous roadblocks and setbacks they are now in the game and on their way to what they hope will be a happy, healthier and in their own personal case, a wealthier world.

Seek out the world’s most nutritious plant, survive through Health Canada’s regulatory process and be one of the first to bring a new product to a new market? You Can Do That Here.

Bread and Dough. Although it's impossible to trace the exact date of the first slang usage of "Dough," as a term for money, it seems to have originated in the 19th century. Where  bread was the traditional everyday necessity of life at the time, to earn one's living was to earn one's bread, therefore bread became synonymous with money. The authoritative Oxford English Dictionary found the earliest printed use of "Dough," as a slang term for money in 1851: "He thinks he will pick his way out of the Society’s embarrassments, provided he can get sufficient dough.” The quote appeared in the Yale Tomahawk, a publication of Yale's Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity.

Phil Gadd, originally from the UK, has lived out this expression in both of its meanings. Having discovered the beauty of life in Fernie,BC while on a snowboarding holiday, the former film and television editor from London, made it his mission to find a way to both live and make a living in Fernie. Inspired by a unique bakery/café run by a friend in southern England, his plan was set in motion.  Fernie’s bakery had recently closed, and he and his wife emigrated.  Three years later he was running The Loaf as a million dollar plus business and living the life of his dreams and was both literally and figuratively rolling in the dough and making lots of bread. He’s now set his sights on helping others achieve similar success.

Emigrate to a new country, launch a million dollar business in a brand new industry, and teach others how to do it as well? You Can Do That Here!

The Genetic Code.  It represents the very instructions of life itself. Yes the many genes that make up every living organism have an in depth story to tell. They contain vast volumes of information that we’re only just beginning to explore the possibilities of. In the realm of science it may just be one of the fastest growing areas of study, as well as perhaps one of the most critical to the future of life itself.

But what about the business side? More and more we are seeing and hearing about practical business applications of genetics. From companies like 23andme that will send you back your genetic sequence from a mailed in DNA sample, to pharmaceutical companies partnering with geneticists to develop the next wave of innovative drugs.

Alison Cutts, of Nelson, BC is helping lead a team working on developing, among other things a better drug to combat pain in a new and innovative way using genetics. The surprising part? She’s doing it from her home office n Nelson, BC along with her team located on the coast. I sat down with Alison to dive into the fascinating world of genetics and learned how it’s done, how it’s helping us all be healthier people, as well as the cautions and ethics of such a powerful science.

Discover gene mutations of ultra-rare diseases and use that knowledge to develop new pharmaceutical products from your home office in Nelson, BC? You can do that here!

Jobs. For many entrepreneurs they are the worst thing imaginable.  They are the very thing we’ll happily work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week just to avoid the 9-5 work week... We want to control our own destiny, and drive our own success, even if that more often than not means additional stress, additional hours and a strong to severe risk of not getting paid at times. If only there was a way to avoid that last part, it would be a dream world, where everyone rises to great heights.

What if there was a way to design the lifestyle you desire, do something you love with passion and purpose, dictate and drive your own work, workplace and workmates? What if there was a way to in every sense be an entrepreneur, without the financial risk?

Cam Shute of Nelson, BC is a smart guy. An Engineer and outdoorsman from an entrepreneurial and artistic family, he’s driven by great challenges. He found that in his job, designing new backcountry skiing products for G3 Genuine Guide Gear, but his inner entrepreneur wanted out. The resulting story is how he found his niche as an entrepreneur within a job and is living his dream.

What is it you truly love doing? What are those things that when they engulf you your whole world radiates positive energy outward? Now think about how your job and work make you feel. Are those two things one and the same? If you are like most, probably not. But why not?

 Why do we feel like we have to do certain things in life why do we put up with the monotony and stress of jobs that we don’t love?

 For many there can be no more frightening thing than revealing your inner self to the world and letting people inside your inner workings.

 But what if... either through choice or through adversity we took the time to ask those first two questions of what we love and why we’re here. And what if we fashion or careers and work around that in way that we can sustain our pocketbooks as well as sustain our wellbeing?  What if through discovering your own passions and living them out you could also spread wellbeing to everyone else around the world?

 That is precisely what Dragon and Danu of Winlaw are doing with their business Raw Magic Chocolate. Through adversity they discovered their purpose, came together and launched a fascinating and unique business with a genuine and noble purpose.

 Discover your true calling? Build a business around your lifestyle? Spread well and heal the hearts of the world through a unique and thriving business? You can do that here!

Getting started. It is the single most difficult thing to do in the business world and it is what separates the entrepreneurs from the wannapreneurs. If you can just get started, you have boosted your likelihood of success by 100% over the alternative. But how does one get a business or an idea started?

There are countless different ways and means to get an idea from your mind to your market. At the core of every successful start there are three things:  Understanding your market, learning if, when, why and how the market wants your product and raising enough money to deliver it to them.

It sounds easy right? Well… yes and know. Easy in that you know what you need to know, hard in that it is a lot of work to make that happen. In the past, even just a matter of a few years or a decade ago, going through that process could take months or more likely years. With the advent of crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter, you still have to put all of the work in ahead of time, however in 30 days you can quickly learn if it’s going to fly and if you did your homework ahead of time can run through those three stages through a single Kickstarter Campaign.

Eddy Boxerman of Nelson, BC recently ran a Kickstarter Campaign of his own to launch a table top board game idea he’s been building with his business partners. Sitting down with Eddy in his office above Oso Negro, he walked me through his experience, how his campaign went way above his expectations, and the critical things to understand before running your own campaign.

Create a board game, and raise $220,000 on Kickstarter to launch it into the market? You Can Do That Here!

Mother Nature. She has given us everything we could possibly ask for, and shown us the natural beauty, longevity and prosperity of building sustainable systems. Mimicking and building-in natural processes into your business can often mean pumping up the bottom line and sustainability of your business.

Three folks who know this well are Shannon Hames of Flat Bags, Annette Carberry of The Red Dresser, and Mandy Lawson of Revived Wax.

These three vibrant young women have started three diverse businesses that all share one common thread. In each case they have woven an environmental consciousness into their businesses, and in the process, found innovative business models to turn one person's trash into another’s treasure. Indeed, in each case, and many others, the "Environmentally friendly," business model is often also the most profitable model.

What started as a chat over drinks on a lakeside patio, later became a scramble out of the rain, a dash inside, and then a move down the hall to a quieter couch, only to be met by an intrusive air conditioning system. What is entrepreneurship though if it's not rolling with the unexpected punches, and turning challenge into opportunity?

Andrew Zwicker sat down with Shannon, Mandy and Annette to hear their unique stories of taking a low value waste stream and turning it into high value new products for sale.

Storytelling. It is one of the oldest past times and jobs in the history of humankind. Whether handing down knowledge, entertaining a crowd or selling the virtues of a product or service, the ability to tell a great story, is truly among the most powerful of skills. Whether painting on cave walls, or developing content for a new mobile app, there is no greater way to engage an audience's mind, heart and soul, and perhaps even their purse-strings, than a great story.

In the marketing world of today, content marketing is one of the hot buzz words. The savvy customer is no longer sold by annoying ads. Instead, they are seeking out great content whether 140 characters or 3,000 words long. They want to learn, be educated and entertained, not sold too. Ignoring that desire to sell, and rather putting that effort into creating great content often leads to more customers grown, and more sales longer term, than going for the sales kill right off the bat.

So what is that secret to creating great content? Vince Hempsall of Wo Now Media, has got it figured out. From a background in print, through online content and marketing creation, all the way to developing content for apps, his ability to tell a great story crosses mediums.

I sat down with Vince in the front yard of his Nelson home to hear his story and get some tips on how we can all tell better stories.

Relationships. Solid, trusting relationships are the foundation of just about everything. From husband and wife, boss and employee to business and customer and everything in between, the fuel that drives each to great heights is their ability to create, grow and nurture a strong relationship.

 Even just a couple of decades ago, the number of people you could possibly reach out and build a strong relationship with was pretty limited to who was in your immediate presence or who you reached out to over the phone, or by mail. If you were hoping to run a successful business you needed to be where you those customers were to make those relationships and fuel your growth.

The advent of internet connectivity just about anywhere, anytime put in place the infrastructure to reach out and connect to the world. The rise of Social Media created a reasonable facsimile of being able to “Be in the immediate presence,” albeit virtually, of any customer in the world, and thus allowed more businesses to operate from wherever they choose.

To that extent, social media is absolutely critical for businesses to build strong relationships with their potential customers. Figuring out how to do that though is a major challenge faced by many. It’s certainly not a build it and they will come scenario.

I sat down with Aerin Guy of SpaceRace Digital in Rossland BC, and connected with Rachel Ross of Mandala Custom Homes in Nelson to learn how they’ve mastered the art of using social media to build relationships and grow their companies.