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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • AUGUST 2018
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Lee Ann Atwater
EDITORIAL TEAM John Allaire Jamie Barrie Janice Buckler Denise Alison Jody Euloth Dan Monk Jordan Parker
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Carmen Fitzpatrick GRAPHIC DESIGNER Matt Erikson COMMUNICATIONS & ADMIN LEAD Calli Gregg
MANAGING DIRECTOR Rod Gregg
SPECIAL PROJECTS MANAGER David MacDonald
RESEARCH TEAM LEADS Alia Morash Ashley Tanner
MEDIA CONSULTANT Tim Kohoot
PUBLISHER AIDACA Media
I t seems like yesterday we were just heading into summer, looking forward to vacations and time spent in the sun with friends and family. Now we come back refreshed and ready to finish off 2018 strong and awaiting the football and hockey season to start, or is that just me? Well if you are looking to make any IT changes in the last part of the year then you should join hundreds of small to medium-sized businesses across nine States who rest easy knowing that their IT department is in the hands of St. Louis-based Forward Slash Technology. Spotlight on Business chatted with company presi- dent, Monte Hickey in early July to talk about how the business got to where it is today and the company’s aggressive growth strategy for the next 24 months in this month’s issue. We are excited to have Jordan Parker as part of our editorial team and know that you will enjoy his article on Airports Council International selecting Halifax and Stansfield International Airport to host this inaugural Customer Excellence Global Summit as the ACI and members come together to exchange best-prac- tice and lessons learned on providing the airport customer experience, chal- lenges and trends and how ever-evolving technology impacts customer experi- ence management. Denise Alison of Stratigro explains how a lot of business owners struggle when it comes to Instagram. They either don’t quite know how to use it, aren’t on it yet, don’t know what to post or in the words of a couple of her clients, don’t “get it.” She explains how Instagram is a great platform to grow your visibility and attract more customers. Denise explores how you might add Instagram to your online marketing efforts to create a well-rounded social media strategy in this month’s issue.
We also revisit with Andrew Vagenas, CEO and Co-founder of Pharmapacks along with Michael and Heather Foote, the owners of and chocolatiers at Appleton Chocolates in Tatama- gouche, Nova Scotia. We hope you enjoy the issue and we would like to thank all those involved in putting this month’s issue together along with our readers as we look forward to telling more stories about successful businesses and the people behind the scenes making it happen. Lee Ann Atwater Editor
P.O. Box 35007, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3M 0G3 P: 902 593 0533 E: info@spotlightbizmag.com spotlightonbusinessmagazine.com
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A lot of business owners struggle when it comes to Instagram. They either don’t quite know how to use it, aren’t on it yet, don’t know what to post or, in the words of a couple of my clients, don’t “get it.” Instagram is a great platform to grow your visibility and attract more customers. Let’s explore how you might add Instagram to your online marketing efforts to create a well-rounded social media strategy.
Instagram arrived on the scene in 2010. This app encouraged users to take a photo, use a filter, write a caption, and post. And there were a lot of food pics. Instagram was bought by Facebook in 2012.
Let’s start off with some super interesting and fun statistics all about Instagram. Because no matter how awesome Insta- gram is, there’s no point in you spending resources in growing your Instagram if your audience isn’t there.
Airport delegates from all over the world will touch down in Halifax for the Airports Council International (ACI) inaugural Customer Excellence Global Summit.
The event, held from September 10 to 13, will be hosted by the Halifax Inter- national Airport Authority, and will feature the Airport Service Quality Awards Ceremony. “Our decision to hold the first Summit in Halifax, Nova Scotia reflects its position as one of Canada’s Atlantic gateways and is also in recognition of Halifax Stan- field International, a proud ACI award-winning airport,” said Dimitri Coll, Associ- ate Director, ASQ, Airports Council International (ACI) World, in a statement to Spotlight on Business.
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02 SPOTLIGHT ON AUGUST
08 AUGUST INDUSTRY EVENTS
12 SPOTLIGHT ON INDUSTRY 14 MESH MEDIA NETWORK- THE DYNAMIC SOUL OF SELLING Fashion for Sale 16 STRATIGRO- GROW YOUR BUSINESS WITH SOCIAL MEDIA! Should Your Business be on Instagram? 20 CONTRACTORS CORNER Do we need a Contract? 26 SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS 30 ALLUREZ Diamonds and Fine Jewerly Online 34 PHARMAPACKS Together everyone achieves more sales- especially this Ecommerce Guru 38 ACI CUSTOMER EXCELLENCE GLOBAL SUMMIT Delivering the Best Experience 40 WINERACKING DEPOT Keeping you in The Vino 44 APPLETON CHOCOLATES Some of Nova Scotia’s Sweetest Treasures come from the small village of Tatamagouche 52 SPOTLIGHT ON INNOVATION 54 FORWARD SLASH TECHNOLOGY Top tier managed IT Services from a Technology Partner
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For the Wild Blueberry, they add candied wild blueberries to the maple fondant, and then dip them in two coats of French Cacao Barry. For the Maple Blueberry in Milk Chocolate, they do the same soft maple centre with candied blueberries in Belgian Callebaut Milk or White Chocolate. The Wild Blueberry and Rum are made of berries soaked...
If you’re already one of the hundreds of small to medi- um-sized businesses across nine States who rests easy knowing that your IT depart- ment is in the hands of St. Lou- is-based Forward Slash Technology then you won’t at all be surprised by what company president Monte Hickey told Spotlight on Business in early July: “We have a very aggressive growth strategy over the next 24 months,” he said with unwaver- ing determination and enthusi- asm in his voice. “We’ve really built-up our central infrastruc- ture over these last five years with our local and regional efforts and it’s time to take our product line national
60 SPOTLIGHT ON HEALTH
62 HOLISTIC HEALTH TIP FOR AUGUST BY JANICE BUCKLER Self testing for Candida and Leaky Gut Syndrome
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A IDACA MEDIA understands that small and medium size enterprises and businesses are key to the successful growth of any economy and just as import- ant as big businesses to the global economy as a whole. By putting a spotlight on your business, organization or commu- nity with effective and interactive media and advertising we will help you capture the interest of business leaders and potential clients, giving you an opportunity to promote your brand and grow market share through mobile, online, print and social media support, helping your business connect and stay engaged with your customers.
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Jonathan David Blum’s CV is impressive. According to Bloomberg, he earned his undergraduate degree from George Washington University. Then he earned his JD (Juris Doctor or Doctor of Law degree) fromWestern New England College, School of Law. In March of this year he retired from YUM! Brands – which operates Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Wing- Street around the globe – after serving as the Chief Public Affairs Officer and Senior Vice President for nearly nineteen years. He was also the Vice President of Public Affairs at Taco Bell for almost twenty-three years and the Global Nutrition Officer for four years. He’s currently serving as a Director of The Advertising Council, Inc. and as an Independent Director of Kindred Healthcare Inc. for seven years – eight in December. All he told me was that he brews damn good beer.
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For more information on the event: http://www.petroshow.com/ Follow on Facebook: @pacificoilcon- ference EXTERNAL DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT (XDS) September 5 th – 7 th , 2018 Parq Vancouver | Vancouver, BC Canada External Development Summit (XDS) is the only annual, international games industry event with a primary focus on external development for art, anima- tion, audio, software engineering, QA and localization. XDS brings together a niche commu- nity of game developers and publish- ers, vendors, and middleware pro- viders. The event itself is composed of industry players including: the Advisory Committee, Speakers, Sponsors, Exhibitors and of course Attendees who meet in beautiful Van- couver, Canada to contribute to the advancement of our industry through collaboration, sharing of best practic- es, networking and the delivery of a high-caliber, educational program. XDS is considered to be a profession- als-only event. For more information on the event: http://www.xdsummit.com Follow on Twitter: @xdsummit Follow on Facebook: @XDSummit CALIFORNIA CRAFT BEER SUMMIT September 6 th - 7 th , 2018 Sacramento Convention Center | Sacramento, CA USA The California Craft Beer Summit and Beer Festival is the premier event for the beer community across the entire West Coast. This three day event starts with hands-on education, interactive exhibits and networking opportunities and ends at the LARGEST California craft beer festival, hosted outdoors in
Follow on Facebook: @lvmarket
UNAA CONVENTION AND TRADE EXPO August 30 th – September 2 nd , 2018 Hyatt Regency Bellevue | Bellevue, WA USA The 2018 annual UNAA Convention and Trade Expo is celebrating 30 years of UNAA with the Ugandan community in Seattle and the greater Pacific region excited to host you. In Seattle you will experience the latest in technological advancement, inno- vation and networking. But don’t forget to have some fun. Whether it’s just you or with family, Seattle is a city with lots of things to do and sights to see, and we’ve crowned it with a loaded entertainment line-up! For more information on the event: ht tps://www.unaaonline.orgseat- tle2018 Follow on Twitter: @unaaorg Follow on Facebook: @UNAA01 PACIFIC OIL CONFERENCE September 4 th – 6 th , 2018 JW Marriott | Los Angeles, CA USA The Pacific Oil Conference will take place at the JW Marriott at LA LIVE in Los Angeles. The conference will cover areas like multiple ways to network with others in the industry, attend valuable education sessions from business professionals that know your business, and meet with vendors offering the products and services you need and many more.
LAS VEGAS MARKET July 29 th – August 2 nd , 2018 World Market Center | Las Vegas, NV, USA Las Vegas Market sets the pace for what’s cool and cutting-edge, in a cross-category showcase that spans furniture, home decor and gift. The Las Vegas Market Show is the only home furnishings market in the west. It is unarguably the fastest growing gift & home décor market in the nation. Quite popular in west USA, Las Vegas Market specialises in the Furniture and Gifts in Home Furnishings & Home Textiles industries. It has a dedicated casual/outdoor and housewares/gourmet showrooms and show spaces. Las Vegas Market offers efficient access to furniture, bedding, lighting, flooring, accessories and gift resources as well as signature west coast introductions on an easy-to- shop campus at World Market Center. For more information on the event: https://www.lasvegasmarket.com/ Follow on Twitter: @LasVegasMarket
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front of the state Capitol and offering unlimited tastings from 160 breweries across California. For more information on the event: http://www.californiacraftbeer.com/ craft-beer- summit/ Follow on Twitter: @CACraftBrewers Follow on Facebook: @CACraftBrewers INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ROBOTICS, SPACE ENVIRONMENT AND AVIATION TECHNOLOGY (ICRSEAT) September 9 th – 10 th , 2018 ARC The Hotel | Ottawa, ON Canada The International Conference on Robotics, Space Environment and Aviation Technology covers the topics of Robot Design, Development and Control, Genetic Algorithms, Machine Learning in Control Applica- tions, Software Agents for Intelligent Control Systems, Humanoid Robots, Aerostructures and composites, Aircraft systems, and much more. For more information on the event: http://urlforum.org/event_details/343 Follow on Twitter: @url_forum Follow on Facebook: @URLForum CX WEEK CANADA September 12 th – 14 th , 2018 Radisson Admiral Hotel Toronto-Har- bourfront | Toronto, ON Canada The CX Week Canada, organized by the IQPC Ltd will take place at the Radisson Admiral Hotel Toronto-Har- bourfront in Toronto, Canada. The conference will cover areas like Auto- motive, Human Resources, Health- care, Finance allowing you to dive right in to some interactive learning with your peers and the executives who do business best. You will get to Immerse yourself in the next generation of customer expe- rience with keynote sessions, panel discussions, Interactive Discussion
Groups and a comprehensive expo hall.
For more information on the event: https://cxweekcanada.iqpc.com/
2018 PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND BEER FESTIVAL September 21 st – 22 nd , 2018 Delta Prince Edward | Charlottetown, PE Canada
The Prince Edward Island Beer Festival is part of the Fall Flavours Festival, this event is focused on educating visitors and Islanders alike on the art and craft of brewing and tasting beer. The festival always features a great variety of beers, live entertainment and great vibes. The city comes alive after the festival ends each night with live entertainment featured across the city at various venues! Great beer. Great entertainment. 2 things that always go down smooth, especial- ly together. Acoustic entertainment provided by local and regional players will be the highlight during the tasting sessions while various styles and varieties of local and not-so-local beer will keep things interesting.
For more information on the event: http://beerfestpei.com/ Follow on Twitter: @peibeerfest
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Pouring Perfect Pints
Did you know that an estimated 10 million Canadians drink beer as their alcoholic beverage of choice? Draught beer is the freshest of these beers, as it does not go through the same distribution channels as canned or bottled beer. It is produced, kegged and delivered fresh to pubs and restaurants. As a draught system technologist, BeerTech’s number one goal is to ensure that draught beer be dispensed to consumers as the brewer intended. It all starts with system balance. Whether it is a short draw system (direct draw from a fridge below the towers) or a long draw (from a cooler located somewhere
in the building and driven to the tower and faucets at the bar), it is imperative that the system be balanced. Cooler temperature, beer temperature, gas pressure and calculations on the route the beer will travel (distance, any gravity or lift the lines will travel, restriction caused by hardware such as tubing size and hardware within the towers) must be correct. The result will be a perfectly poured pint; cold, properly carbonated and with a nice head on the beer. It is critical after a proper install that the BeerTech system is maintained regularly. Temperatures should be monitored and the lines, couplers and faucets should be kept clean. As well, the cooler in which the beer is stored should be kept clean.
Serving quality draught beer requires time and technique. Select the proper glassware for the style and brand of beer you are offering. When pouring draught, the glass should never contact with the faucet. Hold the glass at a 45 degree angle until reaching ¾ full, then straighten and lower slightly to allow for the head to form. Beer, much like wine, has a nose. The glass should be served with the logo or label facing the customer and, whenever possible, on a coaster from the respective brewery. Follow the steps above and you are ready to enjoy a fresh, perfectly poured pint every time! Please enjoy responsibly! Ken Greer Owner Technician BeerTech Draught Systems Technologies
BEERTECH PROVIDES CONSULTING, DESIGN, INSTALLATION, CLEANING & MAINTENANCE SERVICES
HAPPY CLIENTS CHRISTOPHER REYNOLDS, ANDREW CONNELL AND LAURA MACDONALD - OWNERS OF STILLWELL BEER BAR
CUSTOM TAPS
KEGERATORS
BEVERAGE DISPENSE GAS
BULK CO2 SYSTEMS
(902) 431-BEER (2337) www.BeerTech.ca
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SURVEY SAYS: CANADIANS CUTTING BACK SPENDING AMID RISING INTEREST RATES I n a recent survey of 2,003 Canadians by Manulife Bank conducted between May 11 and 14, after the Bank of Canada had raised interest rates three times since last summer, but before the central bank’s latest hike in July to 1.5 per cent, showed that close to two-thirds of Canadians have changed their spending behaviour and are cutting back on spending on both extras and essentials to brace themselves for rising interest rates. 27 percent of respondents say that they have cut back on entertainment such as movies and bars, with 17 percent saying that they have put more money into savings accounts, and 10 percent of respondents say that they are spending less on essential items, such as groceries to cover rising interest costs. 60 percent of respondents to the Manulife Bank survey said they are concerned about rising interest rates, with 23 percent saying that they were spending more on interest payments than they did last year which is a growing concern.
RECREATIONAL POT TO BE SOLD IN ONTARIO RETAIL STORES, BUT PROVINCE WILL HANDLE ONLINE SALES O ntario’s new Progressive Conservative government announced upcoming changes to the Ontario Cannabis Act of 2017 that will allow recreational pot to be sold in retail stores while the province will handle online sales. Minister of Finance Vic Fedeli and Attorney General Caroline Mulroney laid out the government’s plan for a private sector and government hybrid system stressing their priorities would be ensuring public safety and elimi- nating the black market. “The government of Ontario will not be in the business of running physical cannabis stores,” said Fedeli. “Instead we will work with private-sector businesses to build a safe, reliable retail system that will divert sales away from the illegal market.” On October 17th, the province will introduce a system for online sales through the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) to meet the federal government’s requirements that provinc- es be ready for retail sales by that date. The government will then launch a consultation process with the aim of introducing a private retail model by Apr. 1 of next year. This new hybrid system scraps the one previous tabled, but the defeated Liberal government that would have seen a provincial monopoly on cannabis sales and the govern- ment operation of 150 brick-and-mortar stores by 2020. Under the new hybrid system plan, the Ontario Cannabis Store will not operate any storefronts, but will act as a wholesale supplier for private retailers creating an official Ontario Cannabis Retail Seal which will help consumers identify stores where federally qualified cannabis products can be found.
“Consumers can look to this seal to confirm they are buying from a legal channel,”said Fedeli.
“This is an assurance that the illegal market simply cannot match.”
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TRANS MOUNTAIN TO BEGIN CONSTRUCTION ON PIPELINE EXPANSION AFTER NEB APPROVAL T he National Energy Board gave Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC the green light for construction to start on sections of its pipeline expansion in Alberta and British Columbia. The NEB says in a statement that Trans Mountain has met all applicable pre-construction condition requirements for so-called segments one to four from the Edmonton terminal to its Darfield pump station near Kamloops, B.C.
The NEB has approved 72 per cent of the entire detailed route and will allow Trans Mountain to begin construction, includ- ing clearing right of way — subject to other government permits and regulations.
However, there are still two active hearings remaining for some segments and construction and work that relates to these areas is not permitted pending hearings for the final segment that are scheduled to begin in Chilliwack, B.C. in October.
ARE DECLINING REAL ESTATE SALES GOING TO TRANSLATE INTO FALLING PRICES?
sales and prices were up, recovering from weakness in the first two months of the year and have yet to recover from a decline of 20 percent last year that saw prices drop by about 5 percent for the Toronto market. Canada’s Construction Industry is a leader in providing jobs. So, factors that effect this industry concern econo- mists as it can have a major impact on the economy overall. marketing. Prospective buyers do not mind that prices are falling, but it can also affect their decision to purchase as the combination of rising rates and sharply falling home prices could make them delay their purchase. Current home owners and those looking to sell take a much different view with falling prices as it affects a major investment and even though prices usually bounce back, but that can take years. News of declining housing prices has different effects depending on your position in the
Buyers, owners, professionals and economists wait anx- iously for latest clues on real estate future.
The Canadian real estate industry is used to snubbing lowering predictions for the market, but it seems that buyers, owners, professionals and economists are looking to see what the future holds as real estate industry sales continue to decline. Everyone expected the rise in Canadian house prices to come to an end, but many were hoping that it would not be so soon. Well with the latest figures from both Van- couver and Toronto, which come out before the national data, indicate the boom is over. Vancouver showed the lowest July sales in 17 years. In Toronto, seasonally adjusted
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Jody Euloth is the CEO of The Mesh Media Network and Founder of The Dynamic Soul of Selling. She helps entrepreneurs, business and sales professionals and creative visionaries get over their fear of selling so they can generate more revenue and make a bigger impact in business.
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By Jody Euloth A s we head into the fall season, or ‘fashion season’ as many know it, the buzz begins around the fashion industry, the designers and the glamorous, red-carpet lifestyle that seemingly comes with it. Most major cities in the world will be hosting a ‘Fashion Week’ from New York to Milan to Toronto and Halifax. Yes, you heard it right. In case you didn’t know, Canada has a well-developed fashion scene with an incredible number of talented designers. And from October 18 th to 21 st of this year, 30 designers will be celebrated with their innovative designs coming down the runway at Atlantic Fashion Week, taking place in Halifax, Nova Scotia. But for every fashion designer we celebrate on the runway, there are hundreds more who haven’t been able to ‘make it’ in the fashion industry. And, many that have the privilege of showcasing during these exposure opportunity platforms, still struggle. Designer after designer have failed in the attempt at making a living through their passion of creating a fashion line. So many talents with the creative vision, design ability and desire to create piece after piece but lack the necessary skills, knowledge and support required to take their brand to the next level. So, besides the sweat, tears, fabric, and design ability, what is required to become a successful fashion brand? In the fall of 2017, we launched The FADD Agency, aka The Fashion Agency for Design and Develop- ment, a non-profit, pan-Atlantic trade association representing our fashion and design sector in Atlantic Canada. Up to this point, there has been a void in supporting this sector. We do a great job supporting film, music, craft and other creative industries, but fashion seems to frivolously fall through the cracks. And people often overlook the important role that fashion plays in our culture. Though I’ve been immersed in the fashion industry for years, this past year was one of deliberate research in trying to find ways to best support this sector, to uncover the true challenges that our designers are faced with. And, though there are many, there are two that seem to take the forefront: Production and Presentation. Firstly, Production. It is a costly but a necessary investment. So many designers can produce a line, but what happens when you find that buyer who loves your stuff and wants to order 100 pieces? Have you prepared for that? Have you done your necessary homework to source out the best way to produce? Do you have support with a team of professional sewers who you can trust to deliver quality? Often there is so much focus put on marketing to get your brand out there, but if you are alone in your basement trying to do it all yourself, you will never be able to scale your business. And know that from a FADD Agency stand point, we are working tirelessly to convince our government officials and agencies with funding capabilities, that a fashion hub or incubator is necessary to help support your growth and increase export capabilities. Secondly, how you present yourself and your brand is imperative to your success. Fashion Designers need to know how to properly present themselves and pitch their brand. Do you know how to persuasively com- municate why people should buy your designs? Do you speak with clarity on your niche market and what you have to offer? Do you have an outreach sales strategy? I’ve had the privilege of working with so many talented designers who lack the necessary communication skills and confidence in presenting and selling themselves. Presentation of yourself and your brand is everything. And from the community, your help is required to complete the sale. Quality fashion is for sale in our country, and your support helps in growing business, growing a sector, and growing dreams. Tickets for Atlantic Fashion Week are on sale at www.atlanticfashionweek.com. See you at the runway. For more, sales tips and strategies, sign up for ‘The Dynamic Soul of Selling’ Newsletter at www.meshme- dianetwork.ca/dynamic-soul- of-selling/ For a free 15-minute sales consultation to determine if you would benefit from ‘The Dynamic Soul of Selling 90-minute Strategy Session’ email jody@meshmedianetwork.com Jody Euloth is the CEO of The Mesh Media Network and Founder of The Dynamic Soul of Selling. She helps entrepreneurs, business and sales professionals and creative visionaries get over their fear of selling so they can generate more revenue and make a bigger impact in business. Social handles @jodyeuloth • www.meshmedianetwork.com
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By Denise Alison A lot of business owners struggle when it comes to Ins- tagram. They either don’t quite know how to use it, aren’t on it yet, don’t know what to post or, in the words of a couple of my clients, don’t “get it.” Instagram is a great platform to grow your visibility and attract more cus- tomers. Let’s explore how you might add Instagram to your online marketing efforts to create a well-rounded social media strategy. Instagram arrived on the scene in 2010. This app encour- aged users to take a photo, use a filter, write a caption, and post. And there were a lot of food pics. Instagram was bought by Facebook in 2012. Let’s start off with some super interesting and fun statis- tics all about Instagram. Because no matter how awesome Instagram is, there’s no point in you spending resources in growing your Instagram if your audience isn’t there.
monthly active users on Instagram – which is almost twice the monthly active users of Twitter and LinkedIn combined. (Twitter sits at about 335 million and LinkedIn 250 million monthly active users). That is huge!
And the audience there keeps on growing exponentially.
OKAY POINT TAKEN, LOTS OF PEOPLE. BUT WHO ARE THEY?
• 38% of online women use it, and 28% of online men use it.
Now first off, is user-ship. As of June 2018, there are 1 billion
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• 59% of internet users between 18 and 29 are using Insta- gram and 33% of users between 30 and 49 are using Insta- gram. • 59% of Instagrammers in the U.S. are under 30 – we can assume Canada follows a similar trend. • The numbers are heavily skewed to younger folk. 18 to 29-year-olds comprise 59 percent of users in the U.S., followed by the 30 to 49-year-olds accounting for 33 percent. • For those of you who are in B2B, there are 25 million business profiles on Instagram, and I will bet probably twice as many as that who simply didn’t opt to have a business profile but own a business. • 75% of Instagram users take action after visiting a post. • And, the best stats I came across: Instagram has the highest interaction rate when it comes to social media plat- forms. • According to 2016 data, Instagram has a 2.2 percent per-follower interaction rate. For a comparison, Facebook has a 0.22 percent rate. So now that you have those numbers to think about, I want to share some differences and similarities between Facebook (the most widely used platform for businesses) and Instagram.
2. A lot of the strategies that I share regularly on my show throughout my content are applied best to Facebook and Instagram, they are my two favourite platforms, and I just want to give a bit of an overview for why and who does what best.
SIMILARITIES
1. Algorithm Both Facebook and Instagram’s newsfeed are determined by an algorithm, which is a secret formula that determines who sees your post and how many users see it. I’ve spoken about algorithms before, and what I share does apply to
The reasons being:
1. Facebook owns Instagram, but it is its own platform, so I do want you to know what the difference is.
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both. Engagement is important, the quality of your posts is important, you have a window of opportunity, and creating conversations is the goal. On both platforms the Face- book’s goal is to keep you around as long as possible. So, anything you share that keeps your audience’s attention is good! 2. You can cross-publish If you are the admin of a page on Facebook, you can go into your settings on Instagram and link the two accounts. This allows you to choose to also share your posts on Facebook when you are posting to Instagram. I do this fairly often, but there are some things to keep in mind on this topic: • Often, you’ll want to change the text: there are certain nuances of Instagram that don’t apply to Facebook, and you’ll want to change, examples could be hashtags, “link in bio” etc. • Not every post is great for both platforms. You don’t want your Facebook and Instagram to be identical. Then why would we follow you in both places? • It doesn’t work the other way around, i.e. you can’t post to Facebook then also share to Instagram. • Stats show that Facebook prefers when you post natively on the platform, instead of using a 3rd party. Therefore, your reach may be lower by using this method. 3. Ads Manager Another similarity which I assume is the results in both being owners by Facebook is the ads. When you create ads for Instagram (which you need a business account for) you do so inside the Facebook ads manager. You can do a few simple things within the Ins- tagram app, but you’ll generally want to go into the ads manager for anything more complex than a boost. 1. Profiles are treated equally This is probably my favourite thing about Instagram. Both platforms allow you to have a “business account.” But on Instagram, all profiles are treated equally. On Facebook, you can’t go and comment on profiles easily, but on Insta- gram, you can, which makes engagement super easy! You can comment on anyone’s post as long as they don’t have a private account. 2. Invites vs follows On Facebook, this is how you connect with people. You are either ‘friends’ where you have both made an indication that you want to connect, or you like a page. And you have the option to Invite your friends to like your page. DIFFERENCES
getting followers, but that’s what you do need to know. You can follow anyone, but they don’t necessarily have to follow you. And, there is no way to “invite” ppl to follow you. 3. Instagram is a native and mobile platform On Facebook, you can do pretty much anything. Instagram is a bit more limited and really contains you to the app. You can’t share links in captions, you can’t “share” or retweet.” You can post a photo or a video and that’s where it stops. Everything is native, meaning you need to upload directly into the app. There are apps that make life easier. Instagram now let’s business profiles schedule posts (with the help of 3rd party apps). Before it they just reminded you and if you were lucky, it would copy the text to your clipboard. And on that note, it’s mobile only. You can access your Ins- tagram profile from a desktop, but you can’t post or do much. Again, there are 3rd party apps that let you post, but for the most part it’s only mobile.
On Instagram, you basically follow others and hope they follow you back. Yes, there is an entire strategy behind
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STRATIGRO GOES LIVE EVERY TUESDAY AT 10AM ATLANTIC ON FACEBOOK: HTTPS://WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/STRATIGRO/ THE VIDEO CAN ALWAYS BE VIEWED AT STRATIGRO.CA/BLOG, AS WELL AS ALL PAST VIDEOS.
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AUGUST 2018 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
By Dan Monk, P.Eng., Red Seal Carpenter and Owner of MONK Renovations U nfortunately, a handshake agreement doesn’t cut it anymore. There are too many unscrupulous people who are all too willing to take advantage of a situation for their own gain. Reputable businesses have contracts for everything, from leasing a vehicle, mortgages, cell phones, renting\ apartments, etc. Contracts are a natural and nec- essary part of life. Additionally, renovation projects have become more complex and a larger investment than ever before. Even the simplest project should have a contract to ensure that everyone knows and agrees to the project specifics. Just to be very clear, all professional renovators and builders will require a contract as a normal course of doing business. This is one of the added values of hiring a professional con- tractor. It would be foolish for a person to start a renovation or building project without a contract. If your selected con- tractor does not require a contract, this is a “red flag” and you should reconsider your choice of contractor. A contract is free and protects the home owner and the contractor by clearly identifying the following: • Detailed scope of work • Specific reference to products being used • Price
are included with a detailed contract, they will help to ensure smoother renovation process and help prevent or resolve any conflict. A contract should include a procedure for regular com- munication and “change orders” during the course of the project. Having regular communication between the client and contractor ensures everyone remains in the loop and all “change orders” receive approval before proceeding with the work. “Get it in writing” is an initiative by the Canadian Home Builders Association to educate the public on the impor- tance of selecting the right contractor for your project and having a contract for all renovation and new home con- struction work. This is something I fully stand behind as it is critical for a successful project and protection of home- owners. If there is anything that you do not understand, or you need clarification regarding industry jargon, please ask your con- tractor before you sign. It is okay if you do not understand, but it is not okay to remain ignorant. A professional will be ready, willing, and able to explain any details of the contract and will appreciate your questions as this allows them to address items before they become issues. As a professional, it has been my experience that a detailed contract provides a high level of comfort and confidence for the client and contractor. It allows an open dialogue to occur in advance of any conflict and permits a less stressful and more productive relationship between the homeowner and contractor. An important note to all homeowners hiring a contractor: Never sign a contract until you are satisfied with the content.
• Required deposits • Terms of payment • Timeline for completion
Additional contract documents should include the con- tractor warranty, insurance certificate, WCB letter of good standing, safety certificate, and any design drawings that were prepared for the project. When these particular items
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • AUGUST 2018
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AUGUST 2018 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
By Calli Gregg A s a student of Acadia University going into my second year of business, it was a shock when I realized what the costs were going to be for my education. Yes, my parent’s told me and yes, the university covered all the costs during my many trips to campus before registering at Acadia. However, it was not until the end of my first year did I totally understand the true cost of my education, when you include books, supplies, clothing and social spending. Social spending is my term for just about everything that is not directly related to school, but when you add it all up my university costs were just over $22, 000, which was about $2000 higher than that of the average student in Canada living on campus and more than twice what a student living at home and going to university will spend on education. As a second-year student I recommend a few things to help you save on the cost of your education because govern- ment loans, lines of credit, student credit cards and even the bank of Mom and Dad only go so far and will at some point have to be paid back. If the option is available to live with your parents while attending university this can go a long way to reducing your education cost. In saying that, I believe that every student should spend their first year on campus as it is an excellent opportunity to meet new people, experience campus life and get a full understanding of what the university offers its students. Then if the option is available you can save money by living at home, if home happens to be Wolfville, it would save you about $13,000 a year if you are staying in a single room with a meal plan.
If living at home is not an option, then opting for a shared room versus a single room can help you reduce costs or as many students do after meeting new friends in their first year look for off campus housing which can greatly reduce your education costs for the next three years and reduce your university-related debt when you graduate between $10,000 and $50,000. I also recommend that you set a budget for social spending and stick to it. Yes it is hard, but remember if you are not working during the school year it has to last from late August until mid April. So, track your spending and keep an eye on your money so that you make informed decisions about spending and make the necessary trade-offs to socialize and other spending to keep debt to a minimum. If possible, create an emergency fund and that is not a phone call to Mom and Dad. Set aside a small amount between $500 to $1,000 to pay for emergencies. Once you graduate start paying down your debt as soon as possible. Using many of the same skills that you used to control debt in school can carry over to your post-grad- uate life. Make a plan to pay off debt and stay with it and if possible living at home can help you achieve this goal quicker. Sure, once you graduate you want to get out into the big world, but as my Dad, who also went to Acadia Uni- versity, says live at home and pay off your university debt, then you can focus on your life and not carry your education debt around with you in your later adult years when you are looking to buy a house and start a family of your own.
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • AUGUST 2018
By David MacDonald I f you work in the typical North American office setting you’re likely familiar with the resident Seinfeld diehard (although I prefer to be called a fanboy). These devotees of the ‘90s television mainstay about nothing manage to find Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer references in the minutia of even the most mundane paper-pushing drudgery – or so I’ve been told. When a recent Bloomberg article about the continent-wide love for avocados written by food and restaurant reporter Leslie Patton crossed the big table at Spotlight on Business, I couldn’t help myself. “You want to know why?” I asked our Editorial Director, Lee Ann Atwater “Because people like to say avocado. ‘Excuse me, do you have any avocado? We need more avocado. Now, if you don’t remember the altered reference you’re forgiven (and probably don’t watch re-runs as fanatically as some of the staff here at the magazine do, for which we genuinely applaud you). It was from the 1992 episode “The Pitch” and the subject matter wasn’t avocados, it was salsa. Salsa was America’s South of the Border tabletop obses- sion during the Clinton administration standing alongside, as George pointed out to Jerry whilst sitting in their usual booth at Monk’s Café, ketchup and mustard and salt and pepper on many restaurant tables. Now, 26-years later, yada, yada, yada, diners have fallen for another versatile dietary staple from South Central Mexico: the Avocado. The rush to the guacamole bowl – and please, for Timmy’s sake, don’t double-dip your chip – has become a virtual stampede in the first two quarters of 2018. In October last year, the large berries hit an 8-month high averaging USD $1.64 per Hass avocado compared to the dollar-per- unit status thus far in the summer of 2018. The fact that the Where is the avocado? No avocado?’”
higher supply-lower price dynamic happened to coincide with the World Cup is probably not a coincidence. (If the Seinfeld references have been 360 slam dunks for you then you’ll probably remember how the avocado was virtually saved by the Super Bowl in the early ‘90s.) In February just before Super Bowl LII, CBC Radio’s Terry O’Reilly spoke about the long- forgotten “Guacamo- le Bowl” advertising campaign which is credited with boosting avocado sales 70 percent in a single decade and helping the aguacate along its path to restaurant menus in every echelon of the North American dining experience. It all started, O’Reilly said, “By soliciting chip dip recipes from NFL players and their families. Hundreds of free avocado and guacamole samples were given out to sports reporters leading up to Super Bowl day. It was a huge success. Mar- keting had moved guacamole from the food pages to the sports pages.” Since then, grocers and restauranteurs alike have been making big green off the Spanish pear. Starbucks has, according to Patton, “Added avocado spread to its per- manent menu in the US and Canada.” The coffee chain’s success with avocados may leave other businesses looking greenwith envy as they roll-out southwest, avocado-themed dishes. Wendy’s, Chili’s, and Chipotle have all introduced menu items featuring the high fibre, no cholesterol fruit that appears to be well on their way to becoming an important part of their respective brands. “Prices are falling as supply spikes,” Patton said. “During the week of May 13, the US market for a deluge of more than 60 million pounds of the fruit. That compares with about 47 million last year.”
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AUGUST 2018 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
By Jamie Barrie T he Millennial generation has often been said to have changed many industries, sectors and products, but it seems that is old news and now businesses are des- perately trying to capture and keep the attention of those born after 1996 known as the Gen Z demographic. That is something that might be easier said than actually done. This demographic of consumers is sometimes called “post-millennials” or “iGen” and make up more than one- fifth of the U.S. population and is the most racially and eth- nically diverse group along with the most connected and influential group or generation in the nation’s history. More than 70 per cent of Gen Zers are said to influence their family’s spending, according to a 2017 report from Inter- national Business Machines Corp. and the National Retail Federation.
billions of dollars are being spent, businesses from all indus- tries and those responsible for marketing their products and services move quickly to understand motivates this demographic to capture their consumer dollars. This is not an easy task as Gen Z are less optimistic about economic opportunity and more concerned about debt, so they are more risk-averse than previous generations in terms of attitudes, behaviour and spending. Because of how the connect Gen Z is, this gives this gen- eration an incredible combination of economic power and social media clout. For example, a disparaging tweet from Kylie Jenner earlier this year about the teen-dominated app Snapchat wiped out $1.3 billion USD in Snap Inc.’s market value, now that is the exception not the rule, but it is the new norm in business, so they better be prepared because if a simple tweet has the ability to influence this type of capital change, how else will generation effect markets and shape industries in the years to come.
When you have that type of control over where and how
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • AUGUST 2018
By Jamie Barrie M alls all across America that were once home to retailers are now being converted into shared office space as coworking companies branch out to meet raising demand. Coworking space is predicted to grow at retail properties by an annual rate of 25 percent through 2023, according to a new report from commercial real estate service provider Jones Lang LaSalle. Shared office space is expected to account for roughly 3.4 million square feet of retail space by then, JLL found in sur- veying 75 different coworking locations at traditional malls, stripmall centers and within street-level retail shops across the U.S. Retail space left vacant by retailers, including now-bankrupt Toys R Us and Bon-Ton, are being converted into shared office space. Mall owners are increasingly turning to unconventional tenants to fill some of the estimated 200 million square feet of retail space that is closed or is expected to close as retailers close.
back much larger locations from department store opera- tors like Sears, J.C. Penney, Macy’s and Hudson’s Bay, since there are few retailers, if any, still growing at that same size and scale to replace these retailers. Macerich is the first mall owner to land a multiproperty deal with a shared-office space provider. Industrious has roughly 50 locations today in 33 cities across the United States. Other popular coworking businesses popping up around existing retail centers include Regus and WeWork. The idea for some mall operators is that these coworking spaces will serve as incubators of sorts for new brands that could eventually run stores of their own within those loca- tions. More and more, landlords are looking to have strong, if not exclusive, relationships with younger brands just starting to grow. Retail real estate analysts agree there is a lot of appeal in bringing more coworking uses into retail. As tenants, coworking companies are typically signing normal- to lon- ger-term leases, and these deals promise to bring more foot traffic to the property for current retailers.
Malls in particular are under pressure when they are handed
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AUGUST 2018 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
NEW LEADERSHIP FOR TIM HORTONS PARENT RESTAURANT BRANDS INTERNATIONAL INC.
Tim Hortons parent company, Restaurant Brands Interna- tional Inc., has named Duncan Fulton as its new chief cor- porate officer. Fulton was president of Canadian Tire’;s FGL Sports Ltd. group until earlier this year where he had previously served as senior vice-president for communications. RBI is hoping that his political experience as an adviser and spokesman for former Prime Minister, Jean Chretien will help Fulton as the company faces a number of issues with disgruntled Tim Hortons franchisees and The Great White North Franchisee Association, a group that claims to repre- sent about half of Canada’s Tim Hortons franchisees.
CARLSBERG BETS RIGHT WITH WORLD CUP SPONSORSHIP
Danish brewer Carlsberg, the world’s third-largest brewer behind Anheuser Busch InBev and Heineken, raised its full year profit outlook after second-quarter sales beat forecasts on growing demand for its expensive beers in China and strong sales in Russia during the World Cup.
The company now expects operating profit to grow by high-single-digits in percentage terms this year. It had previously forecast growth in mid-single-digits.
In China, which last year became Carlsberg’s largest single market in volume terms, sales grew organically by 17 percent in a market that grew by an estimated 1 percent, fuelled by demand for its premium brands like Tuborg, Carlsberg and 1664 Blanc.
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • AUGUST 2018
GROCERS WARNS OF HIGHER PRICES IN THE FUTURE
Canadian grocers like Metro Inc. and Empire Co. Ltd., which operates subsidiary Sobeys Inc are already facing pressure from suppliers to accept higher prices in light of a recent tariff war with the United States and want to warn consumers they should expect slightly higher food bills in the future. The Canadian government implemented tariffs on a number of American-made goods, including yogurt, orange juice and maple syrup on July 1st, in retaliation for U.S.-government imposed tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum products, which are also putting pressure on some Canadian food manufacturers whose products use cans, including the Campbell Company of Canada and Molson Coors Brewing Company, which both have said that the 10 per cent tariffs the U.S. has slapped on aluminum imports have forced them to consider price increases. APPLE USES DEEP POCKETS TO TARGETS TESLA EMPLOYEES
Apple is using more opportunities and compensation to attract current and former manufacturing, security and software engineers and more recently, supply chain experts away from Tesla. Most would think that this is because of Apple’s auton- omous vehicle initiative, Project Titan, but that is not the case. Apple generally needs software, display, optics and battery-tech talent for its other products also, so it is not just related to Project Titan, but we are sure that it does not hurt they have former Tesla Autopilot, QA, Powertrain engineers and specialists on the payroll. Apple outsources much of its manufacturing however, the company seems recently to be taking more control over the manufacturing processes and equipment used to make their products which is calling for mechanical design, firmware engineers and global supply chain talent from other companies like Tesla.
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AUGUST 2018 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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