After research and numerous conversations I truly believe YouTube will see a large increase in companies coming on board to utilize this powerful tool to enhance their marketing campaigns! I am honored and excited to announce I will be working with Josh Rimer to provide companies a more comprehensive package for their branding needs. We also have the benefit of teaming up with Junction Marketing to provide a high level of marketing analysis and strategy! For more information please contact me directly!

Keep an eye out for some exciting new clients, news and branding over the next 2 months! 

~alisha

http://joshrimer.com/

http://junctionmarketing.com/

Working with some exciting projects this year we, at AMVentures are shifting our focus! The client's brand is still the TOP priority, however, this year it's bigger and better! 2011 proved to have some interesting challenges, good solid projects and most importantly exposure to new ways of marketing!

Working with high profile events, such as Miss World Canada www.missworldcanada.org we can offer clients a marketing solution that gains them impressions into the millions through TV, digital marketing and the event. 

We are also diversifying our client base and putting an emphasis on YouTube working with the talented and consistent Josh Rimer. Providing clients with a solid footing and allowing them to reach specific markets through product placement and advertising. 

Keep an eye out as AMVentures is launching a pilot project as well as a new brand in the first quarter! More to come on this exciting news soon! 

We hope you are as excited about 2012 and really growing your business as we are! 

Gearing up for Vancouver’s unconference Freelance Camp with guest speaker Mike Vardy, I started to reflect on last year’s camp. With a grin on my face and fond memories I decided it was time to share my top 5 favorite things I learned at camp with you, my lovely network of entrepreneurs, freelancers and business savvy friends. And yes, I made them all start with the letter “C” just for fun!

5. Camaraderie – I was still fresh with my business at last year’s camp and I was nervous, I have to admit. I was impressed with the level of compassion and camaraderie I was shown during the process. I met amazing new people that I still talk to and have done work with. I met people that have referred me for business and people I feel blessed to refer. This reminded me of camp as a kid in the sense of building lasting relationships.

4. Creativity – Freelance Camp 2010 was full of various types of people, sharing their ideas in a giving and transparent manner. What I found even more exciting than that was the high level of creativity that went into the thoughts and presentations. There must be a magical statistic that shows the ingenuity and creativity of freelancers to be off the charts. Imagine what can happen when you put 135 in a space together and give them permission to be creative!

3. Captivating – The whole process was exciting. From the moment I arrived (which at 8am I am not an excitable person) it was full on! We got our waves coffee, picked a chair, were given paper and pens and an opportunity to pitch our seminars. That’s right we literally created seminars beforehand and then pitched them in 30 seconds. After people voted what they wanted to learn we were slotted on a big wall and off we went! EVERY session I attended was captivating, informative and passionate.

2. Credible – Freelance Camp is tapped into social media and technology; this is a good thing…right? Well when you are credible with solid speakers it is fantastic! #freelancecamp trended for 3 hours on a Saturday. With positive transparent feedback freelancers shared not only within the room but with thousands of people via social media.

1. Courage – The most important thing I learned about myself at Freelance Camp 2010 was courage. I learned, with gentle pushing from a friend, that I could pitch and share ideas with others. I felt safe and had permission to be myself as a professional woman in business. It was invigorating and sent me on a path to create more opportunities for sharing within my network. I truly felt that freelance camp gave me the courage to maintain a sometimes scary course as an entrepreneur and I will be forever grateful.

So how can you have the experience of going to camp as a freelancer? It’s easy attend 2011 Freelance Camp http://www.thenetworkhub.ca/freelancecamp/

You can also follow comments and meet other freelancers on twitter at @604freelancer

I had such a warm response to the Casual Conversations with the Mann lunches at Charm Modern Thai that I reflected on what my friends and network would benefit from, welcome to Conversations with the Mann featuring special guests!

In the coming months I have the pleasure of hosting a lunch and learn series featuring some of the amazing people in my network. They will be one-hour lunches, brown bag style, unless we have a restaurant who wants to showcase a take-out lunch menu and the whole goal: inform and empower!

Believe it or not I get asked about BNI’s, networking clubs and in general about my personal network. This got me thinking, I am so fortunate to have a vast network of diverse, intelligent, artistic and warm people. After the Casual Conversations with the Mann experiment I had such an overwhelming response to people wanting information and enjoying the networking aspect of getting together to learn and discuss at lunch time. Out of those two elements came this particular lunch and learn series!

What does it look like you ask? Simple, register on eventbrite, there is limited space so please make sure if you RSVP to show up. Next, arrive at the network hub on Richards www.thenetworkhub.ca at noon sharp on the day of. Mix and mingle for 10 minutes, enjoy an informative 20 minute presentation by the guest speaker while eating your lunch, participate in 20 minutes of Q&A and then another 10 minutes to network. In and out, back to work in an hour.

What are the goals? First off informing and empowering my personal networks by the sharing of information. These lunches do not cost to attend and the people sharing the information are not paid to share. This is about shared learning within our networks. It’s about creating synergy, a stronger business community and working smarter and more effective. The second goal is to gain experience for those sharing, confidence for those asking questions and new contacts with similar needs and ideas for all involved.

Who can attend? Anyone that hears about the event and registers can attend! If you hear about the event you are part of our network, either through social media, personal contact, a friend of a friend, you are part of the business web! This is not a group or exclusive “we are so cool we have to monitor who gets to eat lunch with us” this is simply a network of people who value other’s ideas and talents and want to share. I don’t have to tell you to be respectful or participate; people in our networks already do that.

OK so who are the featured speakers? To start with we have Alexei Schwartzman from PLI Financial giving you MUST KNOW tips on taxes on April 6^th. Michael Yurechko discussing SEO and FACEBOOK advertising and why it’s effective on April 21^st. In May we are excited to bring in Jesse Bowness to go over Real Estate and mortgage tips for those of you ready to own as well as the guys from Gauge Mobile discussing QR Codes, what and how to use them for business and promotion!

Keep an eye out for specific information as well as registration information on all Conversations with the Mann through our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/amventures and the website www.amventures.ca. I also love throwing up links and information on twitter @amventures.

See you for lunch! http://themann.eventbrite.com

Thursday March 24, 2011 I got to see first-hand why people are buzzing about The Buzz Entrepreneur Events. Sponsored by the Investors Group the event almost throws you for a loop as you walk in the door. I have to admit I has a bit skeptical about the use of Joseph Richards for an entrepreneur event, but George and his staff did an excellent job of providing service and giving you a warm welcome.

After check-in you enter into an event that was full of fresh young faces, it honestly looks like the next generation of power entrepreneurs in there, hungry for information and eager to create synergy amongst their peers. My favorite part and what I believe contributes to the “fun” vibe of the event: FaceBox Media and Wink Beauty!

FaceBox Media is an eco-friendly photo booth that is downright fun! It’s low in energy use, uses recycled materials and works to reduce their carbon footprint by using clean energy! Learn more about them at http://faceboxmedia.com/. I had a blast with friends taking pictures at the booth. The guys from FaceBox Media are so delightful and the experience memorable.

Organizers – courtesy of the FaceBox Media facebook page http://www.facebook.com/faceboxmedia

Wink Beauty Lounge is always a personal favorite of mine. Vivian Ko, owner and founder is a personal friend so I am a bit bias; however, she BECAME a personal friend after I experienced Wink Beauty Lounge at the first Buzz Event! Wink provides stashes and lashes for the event experience, my favorite moment of the event was Dammy Og, founder of Reach Magazine, taking a 2 minute break from working incredibly hard to put on the cheesiest mustache you have ever seen and taking a picture. You just can’t get that kind of entertainment anywhere else in Vancouver. Find out how to get Wink Beauty Lounge to stash and lash your next event at http://winkbeautylounge.com/

Speakers, speakers and more speakers! Often you go to an event where there are too many speakers and it’s noisy, people want to mingle and they go on way too long! The Buzz Event did have 5 speakers and it was a bit noisy; however, all the speakers were quick and to their point! My favorite speaker was Melody Fury, from Van Food Tours and @gourmetfury on twitter. Melody is tiny and it was my first time meeting her, I almost didn’t recognize her from pictures I had seen but she is impactful! Witty, to the point, engaging and demands the attention of the crowd through her interactive style. I was pleased to be enlightened and entertained by her story.

I always love the opportunity to network with Alice Chen and hear about her new products, like Single Ring. She is elegant and more soft-spoken with solid business sense and sharp as a tack. The Buzz Event brings in great speakers like Melody and Alice every time they do an event!

I have attended all three Buzz Entrepreneur Events and watched them build momentum. This past event was by far the most dynamic in numbers and crowd energy. Reach Magazine and Vancity Buzz have created an environment where entrepreneurs, especially fresh out of the gate ones can get information, support and simply meet other people like them. I truly believe these types of events where people are encouraged to network and collaborate will help shape a strong entrepreneur community!

Out of all the business and finance questions I wanted to ask Super Sam with Five Star Financials www.taxsupport.ca why he has Superman on his desk was at the top! Sam, one of the nicest guys you will ever meet has a vintage Superman article “Superman vs the Taxman” that shows how hard taxes can be and how the right tax advisor can save you money.

Sam shares his top 3 favorite things about co-working:

1. Meeting so many people with the similar challenges of having their own businesses
2. Enjoying how camaraderie replaces “office politics” that often occur in the workspace
3. The cost of operation being so affordable

With his MBA and over 12 years being an entrepreneur Sam specializes in Small Business Advising. He is passionate about “taking the stress out of small businesses and start-ups”. Five Star Financials has two on-call assistants as well as a network of CA/CGA’s through their second website www.cgabc.ca

One of the things we spent time talking about was HOW does one “take the stress away”? Sam with his great smile laughs and says “by helping you keep your money away from the government”. That, in my opinion is an excellent way to not feel stressed. Business Finance advisors are there to do just that, help you maintain cash flow, keep accurate records, keep more money in your pocket and help you find the resources you need to keep money coming in to your business.

In addition to micro-blogging on twitter through his handle @cantaxpro Sam blogs regularly on his site providing relevant and essential information for businesses. His site is loaded with great information as well as the “Worry Free, Peace of Mind, Money Back- Accuracy Guarantee: We promise to prepare YOUR tax return the most efficient way so that you have the least income tax. If CRA adjust your income tax return, we will review it for accuracy at no cost to you.” Now that is a deal even Superman can appreciate.

“Being able to make something happen!” That is what motivated Annalea Krebs to become an entrepreneur, she loves making things happen and has done a stellar job. Annalea is definitely a mover and shaker in the entrepreneurial world, having launched her second company Ethical Deal on November 8^th, 2010. When I sat down with her I was honestly amazed at the focus, drive and articulation when it comes to her philosophies, her vision of how business can change and connect communities and how genuine she is.

Annalea is “enjoying the ride” and constantly fascinated by “how quickly things change in business”.  She sought out being an entrepreneur early on in her career, during and after schooling she did countless hours volunteering and building her leadership capacity all while focused on the end goal, launching her own companies.

Ethical Deal is Annalea’s second company and where she spends numerous hours managing 10 staff and connecting the community with local green companies. Ethical Deal is mission based and intended to educate, create awareness as well as provide a resource to savvy shoppers.  “EthicalDeal was born out of a mission of making green mainstream. We use the group buying model to introduce people to green alternatives – making it easy and fun for people to discover their green city!” – Ethical Deal website.

I asked Annalea about being a woman entrepreneur and if she felt like that created more challenges for her she simply said, “If you think it’s an issue, it will be an issue.” We agreed that this is an incredible time to be a woman entrepreneur and that there are some really exciting opportunities available to women, especially in media. Annalea was highlighted in Fast Company’s 25 Women Run Startups to Watch, check out the story here: http://www.fastcompany.com/1722401/25-women-run-startups-to-watch

She had some fantastic advice in getting started as entrepreneurs here are some of the highlights:

1. VOLUNTEER – Seek out opportunities to intern, volunteer and work within the industry you want to start a business in to gain experience, leadership and management skills
2. Build the Right Team – Making sure you have people on board that believe in your companies mission and culture is crucial to the success of your new business
3. Everybody is a Customer Champion – make sure YOU and the people you work with exhibit and “can-do” attitude, demeanor is a very important trait in a manager as well as people you hire

Part of the Network Hub co-working family, Annalea and I chatted about co-working and the benefits. “I love co-working”, she said emphatically. The in-direct support of so many companies working hard and making their businesses a reality are inspiring to her and her team. “Co-working makes coming to work fun and makes you feel like you aren’t alone in business.” I couldn’t agree with her more.

I enjoyed the hour I spent with her over coffee and look forward to getting to know her and Ethical Deal even better. Check out her site at www.ethicaldeal.com

People often ask me how to promote their brand through hosting an event; of course this is a really detailed process.  I have spent half my life planning events and these are just a few really basic tips to keep in mind. Let me be very clear, this is not going to tell you everything you need to know to be an expert event planner! The goal is to give you a few tips to help you along the way. As a business it’s often best to consult a specialist before promoting your brand to the public.

 1.     Alphabetize your guest list – I cannot tell you how many events I attended this year where the organizers made the mistake of not alphabetizing the guest list. This simple error can cost you an exuberant amount of time checking people in and gives a horrible first impression.

2.      Cover the basics of event planning – Parking, lighting, coat check, the best thing I can tell you is to make an excel spreadsheet of all the basics of your event and check it off as you go! This should involve NOT over-decorating. You aren’t planning a kid’s birthday party but an event for business (unless of course your business is kid’s parties in that case go wild). Choose décor wisely.

3.      Don’t get lost in “party planning” – ALWAYS keep your brand front and center in your mind! This is important. Your brand is the reason you are having an event. Make sure that people are always reminded why they are there. The first thing you should ask yourself is “Why am I hosting this event, what do I want to gain?” When you feel overwhelmed or need direction just revisit this simple question.

4.      Target your audience – Who you have in the room is as important as what you are presenting to them. Check your lists carefully and make sure you have your bases covered a good balance between people who support your brand, people who are getting introduced to your brand and your brand ambassadors. If you are confused by these 3 categories make a table! Under people who support your brand don’t forget your investors as well as people who use your product or services. When selecting those you want to introduce to your brand make sure to defer to your market research! Who needs your products or services? Who are the key influencers in your area that fit your target market? Finally make a list of your brand ambassadors, these are the people who not only speak to your brand but do it in a way that aligns with the integrity of your brand. They are also people that have their own networks and are willing to promote you. Brand ambassadors are an integral part of your event and often set the tone for the night.

5.      Swag – do it right or please for the sake of everyone at your event don’t do it. This is the best advice I can tell you other than alphabetizing. Swag is the biggest waste of volunteer time, and environmental resources (really how much paper and plastic needs to be trashed).  If done wrong it is completely ineffective as a marketing tool for your sponsors and will cause you grief. I have thrown out so much lame swag in 2010 that it can’t even be called swag. On a positive note I saw some really good swag too! Malene Grotrian Fall 2010 Fashion Show, JK Models one year anniversary, and Sun Life’s Illuminate the Sky event are a few that did a fantastic job.

There are still many things to share with you, if you have specific questions about events or how to promote your brand, comment and keep reading. I just may answer it in a future blog piece.

February 2011, 

Unwinding the cable Jay Baer hits the stage and utters his first words of the night “This is so very Mick Jagger”. Instantly he has my attention. Let me take a step back and give you some background information. I attended The NOW Revolution event put on by Jason Baker, Teri Conrad from Red Barn Group and Kemp Edmonds, hosting Mr. Jay Baer as well as a local panel at Caprice, February 15^th.

I have to admit; I have never read Jay’s blog or his book and honestly didn’t know who he was before the event. After you go to so many events they all tend to run together. This on the other hand was an exception! The venue Caprice Nightclub on Granville Street is great for larger speaking events, sound quality was good, visual effects were easy to see, the chairs were even comfortable. These guys knew what they were doing with the set-up! Now back to Jay.

He was funny and witty with a very powerful message including visuals, excellent case studies and some bold quotes, for example “If you don’t love social media, you suck at social media” and “Hire for passion not for resume”. My favorite case studio is about a hotel with the most hilarious bad review. You will have to get the book for the full details.

The part of the message that got my attention as a Public Relations specialist is that twitter is a tool and NOT a strategy, I wholeheartedly agree! He conveyed the importance of building a culture within your business and how connecting with your audience is the key to successful business practices. Stressing the importance of brand management through answering your public as well as taking accountability through apologizing and he delivered his message with clarity and humor.

I am really excited to read the book that came with our ticket that night, another really solid move by this planning committee to learn more about the NOW Revolution. It was refreshing to hear someone eloquently speak on using the tools as part of building brand awareness and sharing culture and not just pump you with scores and numbers.

After Jay finished his portion there was a break and then the panel had a turn to add value. Kemp Edmonds did a really fantastic job of keeping his 4 panel members engaged and giving them questions that allowed them to showcase their particular skills. My two favorite tips came from Erin Gerrity “Take a step back and do an assessment of the big picture” and Shane Gibson “Social Media is not a video game”. There were questions from the audience and some good banter. All in all it was well done!

I would recommend events planned by this committee in the future as well as taking the time to check out Jay online (which I now do) at http://www.convinceandconvert.com/

December 19, 2010

Last night, December 18, 2010 I had the pleasure of attending ABL’s ArtFelt Affair; yes, that’s right I am using the word pleasure in regards to attending a fundraising event in Vancouver. As some of you know I am a tough critic when it comes to events, especially fundraisers as I have spent over 10 years planning them. The first question you may be asking is what or who is ABL! To be honest I didn’t actually know myself until last night.

 ABL, officially the Arts Benevolence League, is a group of fresh-minded philanthropist that combines their love of art and culture with community improvement. “OUR MISSION IS TO SUPPORT, EDUCATE AND EMPOWER OUR COMMUNITIES THROUGH THE ENJOYMENT OF THE ARTS.” – www.theartsleague.com Last December they held their inaugural event SPECTATION, with proceeds going to Canadian Cancer Society. Last night Union Gospel Mission was the recipient of their hard work. 

Now that you have the background information let me tell you why this event was a pleasure to attend. The event started at 9:00pm at Pamela Masik Studio, which was beautifully decorated, well-organized, constant flow of traffic without line-ups and all the logistical makings of a solid event. Here is the best part, it was FUN! The line-up of entertainment was different, unique and combined in a way that is rarely done well in Vancouver. You know what else? I didn’t know hardly anyone in the room! OK, I know that can almost sound arrogant but seriously in a dressed up crowd of under 40’s I generally know almost half the room. This is a whole new, fun and incredibly well-dressed group of young professionals.

Let’s get back to entertainment: The night was emceed by Sharad and Nisha Khare, not only are they amazing people and friends of mine but as many of you know they are incredible as a team! Bringing high energy and style they announced some hot acts! Pamela Masik, just back from her Art Basel showcase in Miami did a live unique performance; it was interesting and captivating with paint flying and music playing! The DJ line-up was great kicking off with the fantastic DJ Leanne, followed by one of my favorites Pat Lok, then BlondTron and Ned Kelly.

AXE Capoeira brought new flavor and a lot of energy to their performance. I have to be honest I have seen AXE a couple times in the past 2 years and have always enjoyed the Capoeira part. This time they brought a whole new set to their performance with more drums and showcasing Brazilian dance style in addition to Capoeira. They even pulled in the audience and taught some new moves, Nisha looked fantastic busting a move with the AXE crew.

I stayed for the final big act of the evening the Breakdance Exhibition by the N.O.N. CREW. I am a personal fan of the Now or Never Crew and have seen them several times.  In addition to their competition experience, they have also performed in many local shows as well as large stage performances for TV productions and concerts.  If you get the chance to see them at an event, DO IT!

This event inspired me to write about what the organizers: Christian Chan, Kevin Mizuno, Max Hager, Sharad Khare and Austin Woodward accomplished last night! They raised money for charity, brought in a unique and beautiful crowd, showcased some incredible local talent and did it with style and solid planning! Congratulations guys I am officially impressed! Looking forward to more from ABL and even signed up to receive information on future events.