Author Archives: Michael Zipursky

Words with Manny Bahia, Co-Founder of VancityBuzz.com

Manny Bahia is a real estate agent with SRS Westside Realty and also the co-founder of VancityBuzz, one of Vancouver’s best known blogs covering news, sports, entertainment and more. You can connect with Manny online at @mannyvancity

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Manny, you’re a real estate agent and also run one of Vancouver’s top blogs, which one did you get into first?
Hi! My career as a real estate agent began in the summer of 2006 when the market in Vancouver was early in its blistering hot stage. I wanted to take advantage of family and friends purchasing and selling real estate at the time. My time was limited since I was still at Simon Fraser University completing a BBA and Economics joint major. I figured working with family and friends would help me financially and also assist me in gaining valuable experience I could take to clients in the future.

Vancity Buzz began as a passion project in my childhood friend’s basement in July 2008.

We are always looking at adding new features and sections to Vancity Buzz to distance and differentiate ourselves from our competition.

How did VancityBuzz come about and why did you decide to start it?
Vancity Buzz came about with our passion for the city of Vancouver. Developments and urban planning have been a cornerstone of making Vancouver the great city it is today and we had an opinion on it. We also had opinions on civic and provincial issues, sports, and entertainment. So we started a blog in my partner’s basement and began weekly meetings which we continue to this day.

Our angle has always been expressing news and opinions with light-hearted satire, and simply keeping it real. We avoid all that boring mainstream media news.

VancityBuzz has become a premier site for Vancouver information, looking back, what was most critical in making it a success? What took it from being ‘just another blog’ to such a visited and talked about online destination?
The most critical point in time which took Vancity Buzz to the next level was the 2010 Winter Olympics. We pulled all-nighters compiling guides and news for Vancouverites and tourists.

At the same time, my partner with Vancity Buzz, Karm, was deeply engaged in the Twitterverse and building quite the following, quickly. He engaged with locals on a personal level, entertained, and disseminated the content they were looking for from Vancity Buzz. His commitment to social media has been unwavering.

We wouldn’t be where we are today without our content and commitment to our social media channels.

Most recently, our growing team of the most amazing up-and-coming writers in Vancouver has been the boon to our growth. Content is king when it comes to online media.

We are always looking at adding new features and sections to Vancity Buzz to distance and differentiate ourselves from our competition. I think what Apple does with continuous innovation is something we admire greatly. Our current web guy has done a phenomenal job of implementation.

Has running the blog directly impacted your career as a real estate agent in any way, positive or negative?
It has been a negative impact since the inception of the blog. It is impossible to run a startup online business and, at the same time, be out and about selling real estate. Even with smartphones, there are certain tasks for which you need to be at the office on a computer. It is a juggling act.

However, it is nothing but positive going forward. Vancity Buzz has grown to a level of self-sufficiency and become a strong promotional engine in Vancouver. Recognizing this, we have a couple projects in the pipeline, launching shortly, which will be promoted through Vancity Buzz, along with me as a real estate agent. Our Vancity Buzz family is so solid and we’re all exploring exciting opportunities together.

He engaged with locals on a personal level, entertained, and disseminated the content they were looking for from Vancity Buzz. His commitment to social media has been unwavering.

Running one business can be challenging enough, what does your typical day look like running two?
Each day is fairly flexible, but scheduled the night before, based on urgency and priority. The morning begins with me attending sponsor emails at my home office, followed by showering and all that morning stuff. The rest of the day involves: real estate, managing technical/backend issues and development, event management, sponsor relations, Project X, Project Y, etc.

We have an amazing team where everybody is willing to take on each other’s responsibilities and understanding of outside commitments. Adding the right core executives has been instrumental in providing the positive direction Vancity Buzz has headed.

I keep myself sane with meditation. I also take out at least a night per week for family and friends.

Is staying productive a key focus for you?
Productivity is huge. Having your own businesses keeps you busy at all hours of the day, seven days a week.

I’m a huge efficiency and micromanagement kind of guy. I can’t live without my Blackberry smartphone with Google Calendar, and Toshiba laptop.

However, I think the most important tool for productivity would be meditation, by far. A focused, clear, and relaxed mind goes a long way to make the right decisions and increase mental stamina and efficiency. Twenty minutes per day can save you hours.

Do you have a good work-life balance?
Work-life balance is important, depending on the circumstances. When you’re in early stages of a startup, forget about life. Once things stabilize a bit, you need to take breaks to keep sanity.

I keep myself sane with meditation. I also take out at least a night per week for family and friends. My family, friends, and girlfriend are very supportive and I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without them. Vacations are important for recharging. I live by the “work hard, play hard” doctrine.

Can you share a personal or business challenge that was hard to deal with and how you overcame it and what you learned from it?
The toughest business challenge I had to face was holding off as a real estate agent at the beginning of this year for four months. We were going through a transition period at Vancity Buzz and so I focused all my attention on it, giving up real estate opportunities. Sometimes it’s good to focus on paddling one boat than multiple boats.

In hindsight, it worked because we reached a level of self-sufficiency, giving more flexibility now.

What is your favourite quote of all time?
Anything motivational. I hear or see a new quote every day. Whether it’s academic or rap music, I don’t have a favourite.

What is one thing that your coworkers, clients or friends may not know about you?
I love them like family.

Ron Cann, Director of Product Marketing & Sales at Central 1 Credit Union

Michael Zipursky

Ron Cann is the Director of Product Marketing & Sales at Central 1 Credit Union, a wholesale financial services provider which serves credit unions, banks and corporate clients across Canada. Ron also serves as the President of BCAIM and sits on the board of the CMA. Prior to joining Central 1, Ron held positions at Karo Group and the North Shore Credit Union.

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Ron, what are the first few things that you do each morning?

I go into work early so I try and be “Stealth Dad” and slip out of the house without waking anyone up. I try and workout every morning at our office gym so usually that’s first on the list. Once I hit the desk I’m scanning my Google Reader, LinkedIn updates and a few news sites online. I then focus on clearing my email and organizing the day.

Email seems to be a problem plaguing all professionals these days, do you have any tips for dealing with email and to make it more productive?

I have been focusing a lot on this, as email can be a real black hole. I interviewed a few colleagues to see what works for them and here is what I’ve developed as my process:

Do away with folders and rely on your email tool’s search capability. It’s massively improved over the years especially if you use a Mac.
Create two folders (1) Action (2) Archive. Create a system to prioritize your Action folder.
Every morning empty your inbox by either (1) deleting (2) archiving or (3) putting in the action file to take care of later. If the email item takes less than 2 minutes to deal with it, deal with it at that moment.
Commit to checking email at planned intervals. Turn off all notification sounds, alerts, etc. I check email in the morning, just before lunch, mid afternoon and then at the end of the day. Tell your staff/co-workers that if they really need to talk to you then to pick up the phone. Most items in an inbox don’t need 30-second turn-around times.

What time do you usually arrive at the office? And what does your typical day look like?

6:30ish if I’m working out and 7:30 ish if I’m not. My day is a hodgepodge of meetings and project work and can go from extremely strategic to extremely tactical in the blink of an eye as I have a lean team. Continue reading →

Words with Search Marketing & E-business Specialist Harmit Kamboe

Michael Zipursky

Harmit, as I read over your work experience, one thing that stood out is your focus on results. Why have you chosen to list out the results you’ve achieved rather than just list the work you’ve done for your employers – like so many others do?

Well, numbers are pretty much everything. They state the facts clearly and make it easy, at least in my mind, to figure out what works and what does not. At the end of the day, that is what every one wants to know.

In the case of some SEO work where I have had success, it comes down to having a basic understanding of how documents gets indexed and ranked.

I like the fact that the numbers take subjectivity out of the equation.

You search marketing work and case studies have shown some dramatic increases and over-achievement of key metrics. How were you able to achieve that and what should other people keep in mind if they want to achieve results like that?

I think everything comes down to understanding how things work. Knowing the problem is half the battle.

In the case of some SEO work where I have had success, it comes down to having a basic understanding of how documents gets indexed and ranked. Ask yourself why does some one else rank ahead of you? How can you provide more value to a user than them?

In the case of some of my PPC work, where I have had success, it comes down constantly eliminating the wasteful traffic and getting the CPA (Cost Per Action) to move lower. Proper recognition to overall click attribution is a big part of accurate measurement. It was a few years ago that did I some work with Circuit City. I was amazed at the number of phone orders that were being generated by some of the PPC work I was doing.

It sounds a bit contrived but it is true. Doing whats good for users is usually what is important and that is what search engines look for too.

In the case of some of my e-commerce work, it was all about opening up additional channels of relevant traffic and monitoring the Cost Per Order. As an example while working for an e-commerce retailer, researching and documenting the process and then selling on the different global Amazon sites under a different name and price point was something that allowed us to sell more on a commission only basis. Continue reading →

Monique Sherrett CEO, Boxcar Marketing & Internet Marketing Consultant for B’stro

Michael Zipursky

Monique Sherrett is the CEO (Chief Everything Officer) of Boxcar Marketing, a Vancouver-based internet marketing consultancy. Monique also serves as an internet marketing consultant for B’stro, a marketing and design company located in Vancouver and San Francisco.

Monique, you’ve been involved in the internet (and even internet marketing) since 1999, which is before most people even knew what the internet was. What kinds of work were you doing than and how does that compare to what you’re doing now?

It’s true, I remember when Google launched in 1998.

In my university days when my fellow Arts students were taking biology for their science requirement, I decided to take computer science and learned how to code.

My early web experiences impressed upon me the need to build an audience and respond to their needs, to use the tools available to ensure your intended audience finds your work, and to give back through participation beyond your own website. These remain great lessons.

I built my first website in 1998 for Jesse James Press, which was my first entrepreneurial adventure with, my now husband, James Sherrett. Jesse James Press was a small publishing company that we ran with two other English majors.

The second site I managed was Treeline, an online literary magazine. I was the graphic editor and also the wine columnist from 1997 to 1999.

Those early experiences really set the stage for the work I did for Raincoast Books as their internet marketing manager, including launching the first Canadian publisher blog and one of the first publisher podcasts in 2006, then handling community management and outreach for the Harry Potter titles.

My early web experiences impressed upon me the need to build an audience and respond to their needs, to use the tools available to ensure your intended audience finds your work, and to give back through participation beyond your own website. These remain great lessons.

What are the first few things (work/business/personal) that you do each morning?

Morning is my favourite time of day. I often get up early and work out at the gym. As a non-gym person, I like to be only partially awake when engaging in exercise.

Once I’m suitably awake with all those great endorphins from my workout, I grab coffee at one of my favourite shops and am online by 7:30-8:00.

Having a mix of East Coast and West Coast clients, as well as clients and partners in Europe means that I need to be tapped into what’s going on well before 9 am PST.

My first stop is usually Twitter, Google Reader, email then back to Twitter. Somewhere in there, I fit in filming and uploading to YouTube my 1 Minute Marketing tip for the day. My goal for 2012 is to post one per business day.

Next I check the Facebook, Twitter and Google+ pages that Boxcar Marketing manages on behalf of clients.

And between meetings, phone calls, and more email, I work on writing and posting content or engaging on other sites depending on the day of the week.

Since there are so many social media sites and so many different things to do for each client, we use an editorial calendar to keep us on track. As Boxcar Marketing, Crissy Campbell and I set two priority outcomes each week for ourselves, plus we have weekly goals for each client.

Having a mix of East Coast and West Coast clients, as well as clients and partners in Europe means that I need to be tapped into what’s going on well before 9 am PST.

“We plan so we can measure, we measure so we can improve.” Knowing what success looks like for our clients means we can ensure we are staying on track by doing a little check in each morning.

You’re an Adjunct Professor at Simon Fraser University, you run Boxcar Marketing and consult for an SF based design company as well, what does your typical day look like?

There are typical weeks but not typical days. Because Boxcar Marketing’s approach to online marketing is about responding to people and interacting as much as possible, it means that the daily schedule we have in mind can quickly go out the window.

Setting the two priority goals for the week and keeping in mind our client goals means Crissy and I can adjust our schedules as needed. As one of my SFU professors used to say, “we’re aiming for results, not effort.”

On that note, my role as Adjunct Professor at SFU means that I also have to be flexible in where and when I work. In the Fall semester, I teach an undergraduate course in online marketing, PUB355, and I co-teach the marketing course for the Master of Publishing program. In the Spring semester, I supervise the distant education version of the undergraduate course and do some guest speaking in the other publishing courses.

Teaching is something that I really enjoy. I find it incredibly rewarding to see a group of people come into a class with a certain set of knowledge and leave 13 weeks later with even greater knowledge—and often as people I’d want to hire. Continue reading →

FreelancecampTO Returns

Michael Zipursky

UPDATE: FreelanceCampTO has just notified us that there may be a change of venue. For full details visit their blog post on this here.

Just In: From Rachel Young of Camaraderie Coworking Inc.

FreelancecampTO returns for another stellar event

Building on the success of the first event, freelcancecampTO returns.

As a freelancer, access to professional development is limited, but on Mar 25 Toronto-area freelancers can learn from one another at freelancecampTO. It’s a camp-style event where attendees deliver the sessions, and everyone has something to teach.

Beginner level topics include:

Establishing a Niche Service
Legal Pitfalls to Avoid When Starting
The Small Business Web

And advanced level sessions include:

Social Media and Your Employment Brand
Sales and Marketing for Freelancers
Running a Freelance Translation Business Part Time

Steve Slaunwhite Keynote Address Continue reading →

Advanced Job Search Now Available

Michael Zipursky

We have always put design and usability at the forefront here at FreshGigs.ca. From the way jobs are listed to the job posting experience for employers.

And today we’re happy to announce that we’ve just released “Advanced Search” to make it even easier for professionals to find relevant job opportunities.

Here’s how it works:

On the main page of job listings you’ll notice a new link just to the right of the search box labeled “Advanced Search”.

Clicking on that link will open a box with several options to make your job search more relevant.

For example, you can now select the province and category of the jobs you want to search through. Of course, you can still use the search box. Advanced Search will however make it easier for you to sort through and find the most relevant jobs.

This is a new feature that we hope you’ll enjoy. We welcome your feedback and suggestions and would love to hear from you if you experience any issues with the new search or with ideas of how to make it or anything else on FreshGigs.ca better.

Happy searching!

International Speaker & Social Media Whiz Alyson Schafer

Michael Zipursky

Alyson Schafer is the best-selling author of 3 books on parenting and is a psychotherapist. She has spoken internationally and more recently at TEDxKids in Brussels. Alyson regularly appears in the media and is very active in social media.

Alyson, let’s start off by finding what you actually do as a psychotherapist and parenting expert?

Yes, I am a therapist by training, but I don’t see clients any more. Most of my work is educational in nature. I do workshops, speak or media appearances discussing parenting and discipline issues. I help parents understand how to manage behaviours without being punitive or using rewards. Its hard to know how to be effective without being mean, or being a door mat.

I am motivated because I have mission – not a career, otherwise I would have packed it in long ago.

The image of someone working in therapy and parenting is generally quite conservative. You’re a very active speaker and are involved in social media, why did you choose this approach?

I don’t think I am conservative! I have been an early adopter to technology and since most people know how important “word of mouth” “relationships” and “connections” are for business is just made sense to do that even more extensively on line.

How have speaking and the use of social media affected your career? Any tangible results?

I think my true gift is as a speaker. I love to entertain while giving people ah ha moments. When you speak its an IRL experience that helps “build my tribe”. But – I am limited by time and space IRL. Social media allows me to connect virtually with people and stay connected build my tribe with out limits and boundaries. Social media also allows me to point people to all my blogs, my registration pages, point them to a tweet chat I am hosting, links to other resources etc… I can’t imagine how my business would work without it, frankly.

What was the most difficult challenge you faced in building your business and how did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge for me was time. As an entrepreneur you have to be willing to work long hours and be willing to have patience to succeed. This is my 12th year in business, but the first 5 to 10 years were as much work with less recognition and remuneration. I am motivated because I have mission – not a career, otherwise I would have packed it in long ago.

You’ve received a significant amount of media coverage. For people that want to attract media attention to their own business or organization, what would be your number 1 tip for them?

For the uninitiated, start with the media outlets that are desperate for content. The small regional / local daily lifestyle shows have to come up with something every day. They don’t expect guests to be seasoned. Learn to write up an engaging chat sheet for the interviewer and submit it as part of your pitch. That will get you experience and experience helps you get bigger media venues eventually.

Social media allows me to connect virtually with people and stay connected build my tribe with out limits and boundaries.

How do you approach productivity? What challenges do you have in this area? How are you overcoming them? Any tips for others?

I just hired an assistant. Like many other self-employed people, I waited too long before having the nerve to do it. Keep asking yourself, “am I doing the activities that are the most fruitful to move my business to where I want it to go?” I just wrote up a business plan with goals for each quarter. It helps me focus so I don’t say “yes” to side projects that are “fun” but actually a distraction from the real direction I have. I just can’t squander my time anymore.

Do you have a good work-life balance? If no, why? If yes, how do you achieve it? What are you beliefs around this?

As a therapist I feel I have to walk to the talk. I wake early and I don’t watch TV at night. That’s how I make it work. Everybody has a lot more time than they think if they would just turn off the TV! Each morning I read for half an hour for my mind, and then do something for half an hour for my body; work out, run, yoga meditate – depends on the day. In the evenings when I am not speaking I do something creative. I take guitar lessons and I sketch. Parenting work comes to an abrupt halt from May to September, so for all the long hours and travel in the winter, I get the summer almost entirely off so I head to our cottage and also do an annual camping trip with my girls where I am off the grid all together.

Keep asking yourself, “am I doing the activities that are the most fruitful to move my business to where I want it to go?”

What is your favourite quote of all time?

“I am mistaking my way to success”

What is one thing that your coworkers, clients or friends may not know about you?

Boy, I tell everybody everything! I doubt I have any secrets. My latest personal ambition in to learn French. Not many people know that. C’est bon?

Marketing Analytics and Insights with June Li

Michael Zipursky

June Li is the founder of ClickInsight Corporation, a Canadian web analytics firm that works with business owners and entrepreneurs to use the insight from analytics data to grow their business. An instructor at the University of Toronto and at the University of British Columbia, June teaches courses on…you guessed it, web analytics! June also speaks regularly for organizations and associations across North America.

What are the first few things that you do each morning?

When I worked in a more structured corporate work environment, I was always in the office by 7 am. My most productive time was between 7 and 9 am. Now, as there are evening networking events and industry meetings, things are more fluid. Because we collaborate internationally, with the time differences meetings occasionally happen at 6 am or 6 pm.

First thing I do is choose my top 3 to-dos for the day. Some days are fully dedicated to client work and others to running the business or working with the marketing and analytics community.

When do you first check your email?

Well, it’s not the first thing I do when I wake up! Usually just before I pick my to-dos for the day.

Do you have any tips for dealing with email?

Since our company email addresses are public, email spoofing is reality we have to put up with. Part of being visible. So setting up and maintaining good spam filtering rules is needed.

Client and project email is handled about every couple of hours and categorized. I encourage staff and associates not to mix topics and conversations without changing the subject line.

Email routing to folders is key for industry email. Reading is necessary to keep up with online marketing so I receive a lot of newsletters and alerts. I scan the subject lines once a day and delete the majority without reading.

Work-life balance takes constant work.”

What does your typical day look like?

We have client meetings at their offices, so when I am in the office, 8:30 to 9 am. A typical day is a mix of business development and client project work. Client work may involve customer research, market research, auditing web analytics implementations, making recommendations or training and coaching. In addition to business development, non-client work also includes contributing to the analytics and marketing community through the Web Analytics Association, Canadian Marketing Association and Emetrics conferences.

What’s the most interesting thing about your job? Continue reading →

Marketing & Media Hacking Insights with Mitch Joel

Michael Zipursky

When Google wanted to explain online marketing to some of the top brands in the world, who did they call?

No, not Ghostbusters. Mitch Joel, of course!

Mitch is one of the leading minds in marketing and media today in Canada. We had an opportunity to connect with Mitch and interview him.

Here’s some of what you’ll learn…

How 2 small decisions Mitch made in his career proved to be very BIG.
Why people are approaching Social Media the wrong way and how to do it the right way.
How SLOW marketing can deliver massive results and ROI.
What Mitch looks for when hiring professionals at his digital agency.
Mitch’s secret sauce to productivity.
And much more…

It’s not about doing what others aren’t doing… it’s about doing what feels intuitive to you.

Author Archives: Michael Zipursky

Here’s some of what you’ll learn…

Listen to the interview