Where to begin? Ever since I won Smoffice, things are going extremely well for me. I have met lots of great people at the Creative Space and I have a great support system that includes the other winners of Smoffice; we occasionally get together at The Creative Space and chat about what we are up to. I’ve gotten more work done on my business at the Smoffice than I would have working out of my home office (by far).
My company has also had some great exposure from some of Barrie’s newspapers; I was interviewed by the Barrie Examiner, the Barrie Advance, and was mentioned in Barrie Snapd. The news articles resulted in some direct sales of my products! It’s been fantastic having support for my business in the city of Barrie.
There’s also been great work-life balance since starting my first month at Smoffice; I’ve also taken advantage of the YMCA membership I won; my wife and I love going to the gym in the evenings.
We’ve also taken advantage of ordering Topper’s Pizza!
I have met with some of the mentors available from SmOffice. Chad Ballantyne and I discussed that although I am selling a product, I am also in need of telling the story that goes along with them. This past Tuesday was busy first meeting with Chris Adams of G Shift. We discussed market strategies and campaigns to get a cash influx with an agenda to launch a kickstarter campaign before the holiday rush. Later that day I met with Amy Bracco and Don Bourne. Amy will be helping me with label requirements. I will be following up with Don about my pricing structure.
Earlier today I met with Marc Castel, who encouraged me to share my story of what it means to be a chef from an Indigenous perspective. Marc gave me some unique and innovative ideas that I would not have thought of myself in terms of how to make my business a success.
I also had a great meeting with Barb Stuhlemmer of The CEO Elite. We charted out financials and designed a realistic timeline to achieve some of my 1 year goals.
I’ve also set up mentor meetings for this upcoming week; I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to learn from them. I am realizing there is still a lot to do and I have a long way to go but I am on the right track with the help and the support of the Smoffice.
Looking forward to heading into the Smoffice next week and chatting with Chad Ballantyne; he makes the Smoffice a positive and energetic environment.
