With customers’ ever-rising comfort levels to purchase and self-service online, and increased pressure on businesses to develop end-to-end Web enabled applications to accommodate, it seems the value of human capital in sales and service is diminishing. From a business end, consider that businesses must hire, train, coach, performance manage, payroll, incentivize, and provide benefits to […]
Category: Professional Services
Entrepreneurs, you need to manage your wealth better
It seems Canadian entrepreneurs have a lot to learn when it comes to financial management. According to Intuit’s 2014 Canadian Financial Literacy Quiz, four in 10 small business owners lack basic financial knowledge. The good news is that at least some of them recognize the fact that they could use a little help. More than […]
Everything you need to know about APIs
We use our laptops and mobile phones every day to communicate with our friends, family, and coworkers. But how do programs communicate with each other? APIs, or “Application Programming Interfaces,” are the hidden backbone of our modern world which allows software programs to communicate with one another. Although most of us don’t know it, behind […]
Never run a boring meeting again with these 5 tips
We’ve all been there: A meeting trudges along so painfully, your mind wanders to what you need to cook for dinner. Boring meetings and brainstorming sessions can bruise a staffer’s workplace experience and mire office culture in a haze of fatigue. If you’re hosting staff meetings regularly, you need to add sizzle and focus to […]
Open concept vs. cubicles – What’s right for your office?
In Generation X, Douglas Coupland’s character called them “veal fattening pens”. Dilbert gave us the term “Cube farm”. The poor cubicle has been given rough treatment in popular culture while the exposed brick and open-concept office style television series situate in re-purposed factory lofts has fed into the hipster mystique of boutique advertising and “almost” […]
Courting a Valley VC: Inside Vidyard’s big raise
Guest post by Anthony Reinhart. Reprinted with permission via News.Communitech.ca When you’ve met “the one,” you just know. This might be one of the biggest relationship clichés out there, but then, clichés wouldn’t be clichés without a good deal of truth behind them. The courtship story behind this week’s news that Vidyard had secured an $18-million Series […]
9 reasons why being a journalist makes you a better entrepreneur
For all those journalists who wondered whether they could start and thrive in their own business, they might be surprised to learn that some of their existing skills are transferable. And for all those entrepreneurs who wonder what they might be able to learn from media professionals, this article will offer some helpful succinct advice. Three former journalists […]
How playing tennis makes me a better entrepreneur
In a match against my brother, I smash a volley ball into the net, and curse under my breath. I’m upset at myself for missing an easy shot, for not taking advantage of a “gimme” and this frustration creeps into my next serve. I double-fault and my brother wins the game and then later handily wins the […]
Q&A with Craig Silverman on his rumour-debunking startup Emergent
Craig Silverman has dedicated his life’s work to researching and analyzing rumors in the media and on the Internet. A fellow at Columbia University’s Tow Center for Digital Media, Silverman has published a book, Regret the Error, and an eponymous blog, examining media errors and corrections, and trends regarding veracity and verification. Now he is […]
8 tips on making a memorable webinar experience
Want to host a webinar? While webinars are great tools for lead generation and thought leadership, most companies are doing them all wrong. Use these tips to ensure your next webinar is anything but boring and frustrating for your adueince. Webin-are you doing it right? Every week I am invited to watch webinars – some […]
Infographic: The best leadership styles to motivate staff
An infographic making the rounds online looks at the various leadership approaches and how each outlook motivates employees. More than 4,000 executives were analyzed to identify six defining characteristics of leadership styles, based on results from emotional intelligence tests. As the consultants at Business Management Degree point out, these are the top performing leadership styles: Authoritative […]
B2BNN year in review – Top 10 articles, CMOs take spotlight
It’s been a wild and fun year for our B2B News Network. In the two months since our soft launch (Nov 1, 2014), we have attracted attention from B2B executives and startups from across the world. We’ll have an update on our data on the first of the year, but it’s clear our reports and […]
Why every entrepreneur needs a hobby
When you work at a start-up or SMB, it’s easy to dive headfirst into your career and think of little else. You might have family obligations and social events to attend, but as an entrepreneur you could envelope yourself in work without a second’s hesitation. After all, this company is your baby and your dedication […]
How your startup can attract more media attention
Attracting the attention of the media is a seductive proposition for many startups. From the outside looking in, media coverage is a way to stand out from the crowd, attract customers and revel in the glow of the spotlight. In some respects, media coverage is viewed as a cure for all ills. While this is […]
Does being a parent make you a better entrepreneur?
What’s more overwhelming than an already-stressful full time job? How about two jobs? That’s the general perception most entrepreneurs have when describing their jobs-kids-family workload. Recently, new father Simon Schneider reflected on the balance between running a start-up and running a family, in his article for Fast Company “How the birth of my son made […]
The top tech conferences in Canada coming in 2015
At this time of year, many of you are looking at strategic plans, forecasts, and budgets for 2015. Have you given much thought to the conference line item in next year’s budget? Aside from all the socializing and swag-gathering that goes on at conferences, they are the perfect way to boost your creativity with workshops […]
View from the VC Side: Allen Lau’s Two Small Fishes Ventures launches
The early success of Wattpad is something Allen Lau has attributed to a strong focus on community. So it was not surprising that the announcement of Allen’s new seed fund included not only his desire to contribute to the community that supported him, but an orientation toward companies with a strong network effect. He and […]
Twitter cofounder’s venture fund for ‘world-positive’ businesses
Twitter cofounder Ev Williams joined a new venture fund aiming to assist companies working to change the world in a positive way. The altruistic company, dubbed Obvious Ventures, calls itself a “world positive” venture capital company, and writes on its website: “We’re entrepreneurs. We’ve helped a lot of companies launch, grow, and generate great financial […]
How to land a speaking gig at an industry conference
Giving a talk at an industry event can be a great way to increase your visibility and grow your business. Here’s how some SMB execs have successfully grabbed the spotlight. There you are, at one of the many industry events you attend each year, listening to a speaker up on the stage giving a talk […]
Infographic: The beginner’s guide to company holiday parties
It’s that time of year, when booze and catered goodies and Secret Santa gifts take over your office. Holiday parties can be the most highly anticipated social event of your company’s calendar year, but they can also be stressful, even if you’re a seasoned vet at toasting the work mug full of bourbon. How should […]