I’m a big fan of the show Dragon’s Den (and Shark Tank, btw).  Today, I saw that the CBC had published an interview with the newest Dragon, Bruce Croxon.  And boy, was it ever a bad interview!  So I thought I’d republish the questions but fill them out with my own answers, which hopefully, will be more helpful to other small business owners or wanna-be owners out there:

CBC News: What was your first business experience? What did it teach you?

Julie Laurin: I tried selling crafts door-to-door in my neighbourhood when I was a kid.  It was a horrible experience.  Some of the paint hadn’t even dried on some of the pieces.  One of the neighbours gave me a quarter out of encouragement but the rest discouraged me from continuing.  That taught me that some ideas are really not worth pursuing!

What elements make a small business successful? What skills do you think a small business owner needs?

A lot of people will tell you that multi-tasking is key, but I disagree.  You have to be able to plan things properly, you have to be organized, you have to have some knowledge of what you’re doing (like basic finances) and then know how to find the missing knowledge that you need to make your business successful.  A lot of people make the mistake of going into business thinking that they can just do what they did when they used to work for an employer, but it’s not like that.  Your employer took care of everything from marketing to sales to finances to customer service.  When you work for yourself, at first, you have to do all of that on your own.  It’s a whole lot of work so I have to reiterate the fact that proper planning is key.

There’s a lot of talk about Canada lacking in innovation and productivity — what do you think needs to happen to fix that?

I agree with Bruce in saying that technology investment is necessary but I’d also like to see a change of mentality.  I’d like to see Canadians become less risk-averse.  Let’s teach our kids to be independent, let’s encourage girls to learn about money, let’s have more grants for young people to learn about things like marketing, merchandising, technology, accounting… we have to create a culture that wants to invent and wants to be innovative.  There seems to be a lack of desire for that here.  I think that the idea that we have low productivity is bullshit.  Canadians have the least amount of vacation and sick days than their other Western-nation counterparts.  We’re extremely productive.  We just don’t tend to move that productivity towards creative work or innovative products. 

What was one of your biggest business setbacks and what did you learn from it?

So far?  Not having properly documented some of my processes early on.  You need to make sure that you keep documentation on things like coding standards, change logs, etc.  You can do a job and forget about it or you can improve what you’ve done in the past in order to provide even better service later on.  I prefer the latter option – it just makes life easier for everyone.

What did you enjoy most about being a small business owner? Anything you dislike about it?

I like that I can define my workload.  At one point, I had 12 clients at once, plus my full-time job, plus two other side projects.  Now, I manage a portfolio of about 3 to 4 clients per month.  What I don’t like?  I can’t think of anything I don’t like about it!

What’s your best advice for balancing life and work as an entrepreneur?

Life comes first… always.  If you properly plan your schedule, develop processes, and hire people to work based on those processes, you can free up a lot of time for yourself to just manage the beast instead of working constantly and not having time for yourself, your family and your continued learning or interests.

What other advice do you have for small business owners in Canada?

Don’t let anyone define what your business should be… in other words, if you don’t want to grow, don’t.  I have no desire to grow this business right now, other than keeping it as a side gig.  People have thrown comments my way saying that I should grow but growth just for the sake of it is stupid.  If things are going well, if you’re enjoying yourself, and if you’re seeing profits year after year, nothing has to change.  Do what makes you happy.  Be realistic about the prospects of your services or products – if people aren’t buying, that’s a pretty good sign that you may not have started with a good idea and it may be time to either change it or abandon ship.  People seem to have two problems: not having the guts to start and not having the guts to quit.

I knew that Silly Robot’s one-year anniversary was coming up but I wasn’t really sure how I was going to celebrate it.  I’ve decided to celebrate quietly and happily on my own as I reflect in what direction I’d like to take this business over the next few years.

So far, this business has been a heck of a lot of fun!  I’ve had the time of my life working for really interesting clients, from actors to an athlete and from non-profit organizations to small and medium sized businesses.  I’ve built websites, I’ve created ad campaigns, I’ve used social media to generate buzz and to help with fundraising efforts.  I’ve expanded my knowledge of everything from web programming to publicity and e-marketing.

And I’ve also used my powers for good as I’ve proudly sponsored two anime conventions, one in Gatineau and another as far away as New Brunswick!  Silly Robot has also sponsored some materials and an ad campaign for weightlifter, Isabelle Despres.  I’ve hired local artists to create artwork for this company.  I’ve always wanted to give back to communities and people that need the help.  This business was never meant to solely focus on profit.  It has a greater purpose.

That’s not to say that there haven’t been any challenging moments.  I learned very quickly that business is not always about saying ‘yes’.  Sometimes, you have to say ‘no’.  Sometimes, even if it would be easier to just do things for the money, you have to go with your brain and be confident enough to do what’s really hard but must be done, like firing a client or letting go a contractor.  Things don’t always work out the way we wish they would.

Oh, and you also quickly learn that juggling twelve clients at a time is probably not a good idea.  I managed to make it work out in the end, but that was pretty challenging.  It’s always best to create a waiting list and have a bit more work/life balance rather than trying to keep up with demand by giving everyone your time all at once!  People are very understanding and the flexibility sometimes has to go both ways.  I’ve pushed a few deadlines at the request of clients when they felt overwhelmed with life.  It all comes down to being reasonable.

So where do we go from here?

Well, I want to explore the world of web comics a bit more so you should see something new coming up in the fall.  I’d also like start offering custom themes but that’s a pretty big endeavour and may only be offered early next year.  But for now, it’s steady as she goes.  I have a lot of work to do for one of my clients, an Olympic weightlifter, who is on the path to competing at the Olympics in London 2012.  Silly Robot helped her obtain funding through crowdfunding campaigns (a first for a Canadian athlete, as far as I know!) and now we have to start seeking sponsorship from corporate sponsors.  I also have a few more clients who are seeking my services for marketing and publicity-related ideas and I look forward to working with them this fall!  In the end, I love what I do.  I love that I can help people with their objectives and their goals.  I also love that I’m a woman in business and I can shape this company in any way I want.  I can use some of the profits to support projects that I believe in, too.

This time last year, I was taking a giant leap.  It was terrifying.  And now?  Being in business isn’t scary anymore.  It’s beautiful.  And I encourage everyone, especially women, to pursue the ideas they have and to make it real.  Be brave and take a chance.  It’s worth it.

We take a break from our regular scheduled web comic series to introduce the undead into the mix!

This is because Silly Robot has sponsored a film and some merchandise for Animaritime, a yearly anime and gaming convention in New Brunswick!  So, a big huge WELCOME to all convention attendees!  We’re extremely happy to have sponsored the viewing of the film, “Summer Wars“, and you should see our zombie robots on the official convention bags for sale at the convention.  We wish you a fabulous time at this year’s con.  Having said that, we’re declaring July “Zombie Month” here at Silly Robot!  Expect a bunch of weekly zombie web comics to celebrate the occasion.  We welcome fan art, too.  So, if you want to zombify our silly green robot, feel free to do so (as long as you’re not selling the image or making it available to be sold anywhere).  And send us a copy of your art – we’ll post it here!

And so it begins…

This is just all kinds of adorable.  What’s that you’re eating, RoboPup?

Copyright Silly Robot 2011 - By Jessica Scholze

What happens when a robot archaeologist discovers a toy dinosaur that accidentally gets activated by a curious robot?  It scares the crap out of everyone in the museum, that’s what. 

All of these ideas in the whimsical mind of the artist…

Copyright Silly Robot 2011 - By Jessica Scholze

Here’s the second comic in this cool new series!  Click on the image to make it larger.

By Jessica Scholze Copyright Silly Robot 2011

The web comic is here!  When I commissioned Jessica Scholze to start working on web comics for Silly Robot, I advised her to create a feeling of curiosity and artistic exploration; I just wanted her to bring a silly little character alive in a creative way.  And I think she really managed to achieve that with this first panel.  In this edition, the robot has a curious encounter and a whimsical idea…

By Jessica Scholze - Copyright Silly Robot 2011

A few months ago, I was thinking about cool things I could do with my business.  I’m already having a blast offering new websites or working on existing sites for clients.  I’m also lucky to be able to do publicity work – something I’ve always wanted to do professionally for a change.  But there are other things that I can do now that have nothing to do with working for clients.  For example, I can afford to sponsor cool things like conventions.  This year, I’ve focused on Anime and Gaming conventions, starting with GAnime in February and in July, I’m sponsoring Animaritime.  It’s fun because I can give back to groups that are passionate about the things that I love: movies, gaming, comics, cartoons, theatre, the arts, animation, etc.

And then I started meeting some really great artists locally.  I just wanted to be able to find a way to hire them.. for something!  That’s when I thought it would be fun to create a web comic.  Starting June 1st, and every following Wednesday, I’ll be posting a new web comic produced by a local artist.  For now, they’ll be done by one particular artist but I’ve sent an invitation to a few others to encourage them to try it out.  I have also approached a CompSci student to write copy for some of these comics later on.  I love wit and she’s the wittiest girl I know!

It’s my hope that other companies start looking at hiring and supporting local artists, students and thinkers, especially students.  Everybody needs a start.  I never let a lack of experience stop me from hiring the services of an artist or a copywriter.  I’d rather hire them, challenge them and give them the opportunity to grow.  One of the mistakes that companies make when they hire a contractor or an employee is that they look at that person with a very narrow view of his or her skills.  They think that a developer is just a developer.  A graphic artist can only do graphic art.  But what I’m finding is that some people have a variety of skills, and some don’t reveal themselves until you get to know them a bit.  And then next thing you know, it turns out that your developer is actually an amazing artist and your graphic artist loves is particularly skilled at writing mobile applications!  Too often, these people don’t get to do what they really love because we label them, we tell them to sell themselves with a resume and we don’t encourage them to talk about the non-paid stuff they do for fun.  That should change.  It’s one of the reasons why I started my own thing: no one took me seriously when I told them I loved doing marketing and publicity.  Employers rarely actually read resumes – they just read job titles.  I say screw all that.  You see talent, hire it.  Grow it and you’ll be nurturing someone’s passion.  And by doing that, you’re making the world a bit more awesome.

Having said all that, allow me to introduce you to my first artist, Jessica Scholze!  I found Jessica on Facebook, through friends of friends.  I went through her photos and saw her artwork and added her as a friend.  Originally, I just wanted to keep her in the loop for my Her Voice project.  But then, she kept adding new artwork and I thought “shit, I have got to hire her… for something”.  Sometimes, you just want someone to be a part of your business in some way.  So it made complete sense for me to ask her to work on a web comic for me.  I instructed her to use my robot and come up with simple and fun ideas.. there’s no storyline, no text, no words.  Just a robot being silly.. and sometimes, other robot creatures.  It’ll combine an aloof character with geeky ideas.  I’m giving her a whole lot of creative freedom and you’ll notice that the comic is black and white only, with simple line work.  Later on, we may be producing more detailed work.  For now, I want to go for cute and fun ideas.  Something to make you smile on a weekly basis.

Professionally, Jessica is great to work with.  She hasn’t missed a deadline and she responds well to challenges and suggestions.  Her work continues to improve – the line work keeps getting better and better, it’s really impressive.  Creatively-speaking, this girl rocks my world.  She’s an incredible illustrator and if you need an artist, I highly suggest that you hire her.

You can learn more about Jessica at her website:  http://jessicascholze.blogspot.com

So stay tuned: the comic arrives on Wednesday, June 1st! 

One of the reasons why I wanted to create my own business was to provide artists, non-profits and small businesses with a modest web presence and creative publicity services because I knew that I could help them get started in the online world.  So many friends and business owners that I knew were missing the mark – they either weren’t online or their presence wasn’t that great.  I knew I could help out in some way.  Most of all, I wanted to make websites using WordPress because, in the long run, it saves my clients a lot of money that would have been spent on hiring a web developer on a regular basis.  I’m not trying to hurt my industry – I’m trying to make it easier for those with a small or modest amount of cash flow to be online and grow their presence.

But there’s another reason why I went into business.  Obviously, the extra cash helps a great deal!  I’ve always wanted a part-time job to supplement my income but part-time work, especially work that you can do from home, is really hard to find in Ottawa.  What I really wanted to do with some of that cash that I earned through this business was to fund my ideas and projects… finally!  You know when you have a million ideas floating around in your head and each one of them costs money but you can’t pursue any of them because you can’t afford it?  Yeah, I really wanted to pursue some of them and now I can.  How awesome is that?

So I’m using this opportunity to tell you about my first project: “Her Voice”.  I just released a very simple WordPress website for it over the weekend.  The raison d’etre is this: I want to build an online community for women in the arts in Canada, with resources, funding info, mentorship programs, etc.  Community-building takes a really long time and I’m not expecting this thing to grow overnight.  BUT, I am also introducing something really new to the arts community: privately funded microgrants.  I’ll be setting some of my own money aside to fund ideas and projects and little things like business card grants!  There’s absolutely nothing in it for me, other than the ‘feel good’ feeling of being able to help out a cause that I really believe in.  In turn, I’m hoping that it’ll influence other people to give away money, too.  Through Her Voice, I’d love to donate regular grants so that artists of all kinds (filmmakers, writers, dancers, sculptors, comedians, etc.) can pursue ideas that perhaps may not be funded through government grants or any other sources of funding.

It’s also my hope to expand this idea into other domains.  I’d like to fund athletes.  I’d like to fund scientists.  I’d like to fund new start-ups.  That’s one hell of a grand vision, isn’t it? 

Hey, I can dream.

For now, please check out the website and help spread the word!

One of the reasons why I started Silly Robot was to be able to encourage small businesses, non-profits and individuals to be more open to communicating online with their clients, business partners and fans.  It surprised me to learn that so many people are still very skeptical about the purpose of social media in a company’s success.  Same with artists, actors and musicians – lots of them don’t believe that there’s any benefit in being online.

Here’s my take on it: arguing that social media can’t benefit a company or increase sales or help build a larger fan base is like arguing that the earth is flat.  There’s enough evidence to prove that an active involvement online backed by a good strategy is as crucial, if not even more important, than advertising or communicating using traditional methods.  I don’t try to convert those who don’t want to be converted: I just end up working for their competitors instead. 

The question I prefer asking is “how much social media is enough?”.  There are some service providers that will argue that one should exploit any and all social media services out there: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, etc, etc, etc.  But that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense if participation in certain social networks doesn’t add the value that the company seeks (for example, it makes sense for a web tv series to have a youtube account but some small business don’t need one).  Also, it becomes practically unmanageable unless you hire someone to dedicate their entire day to managing your presence online.  Too much diversification can hurt your business – especially if you can’t manage it.  Sometimes, it’s better to be absent than to have a presence that ends up being neglected.

I saw a thread on LinkedIn where someone was asking group members what they should take into consideration when building a social network internally.  One of the members mentioned that building a social network naturally means that its users will be commenting on profiles, starting threads in forums, asking questions and more.  By creating a social network, or whenever you join a new network, you’re now responsible for answering questions directed to you and for participating in conversations that invite your attention.  I think that a lot of people underestimate the time involved in either starting their own network or joining one after the other.

Here’s what I recommend – there are two social networks that everyone should become familiar with: Facebook and Twitter.   Then, discover LinkedIn.  I recommend these three because they’re essentially the three leading networks online.  If you’re a musician, MySpace is still worthwhile but it’s a dying network so it may not be worth investing all of your time on it.  Once you’re familiar with these places, go ahead and join them.  Try them out.  If you’re gung-ho on doing this by yourself, there’s some great literature out there that you can get for free through a Google search or if you contact me, I can send you a reading list to help you out (I’ll be posting a list of books in a future blog article!).

All in all, I think that too many businesses and individuals aren’t jumping in to social media because they’re overwhelmed by the chatter.  I say, ignore it.  Start with the basics… baby steps and grow from there or just keep it to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.  I’ll never chastise anyone for the business choices that they want to make, but I can tell you that your competitors are doing it and more importantly, people like me would love to see you online!  I love sharing info about the  business, products and people I love !  If you’re reading this and you decide to get started online, post a comment with your fan page, group, Twitter username or LinkedIn info and let me know how you’re finding it so far!

For those of you who are exploring new social networks, have you checked out Webdoc?  I’ve just joined and it seems promising so far.  Check it out at http://www.webdoc.com/ (find me by username: Jules).