Ideas and Stuff Calgary | A Local Calgary Podcast

Meet Charles Bird, the COO and Co-Founder of Contract Club. Contract Club is a Calgary-based technology startup that takes the stress out of paperwork. Think of Contract Club as a central hub for your documents, online signatures, and a database of contracts for you to use. Have a few great contracts that you are happy to share? You can share them on Contract Club and have a reoccurring revenue source. This company is being built by a very intelligent group of engineers, lawyers, and developers.

Charles is the high energy COO who comes from an agriculture background. He is a sharp business builder and knows what it takes to be successful. In this episode, Charles gives some invaluable advice for those who are building a business or working at a startup. What skills are most important when starting a technology company? How many hours do you need to put in? How can you build your network? Learn about Contract Club and one of the great minds behind this business.

https://joincontractclub.com/

https://www.instagram.com/contractclub/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-bird-991236107/

Kristin Poch has taken her family passion and put it on wheels. Beatnik Bus is a mobile record store that pops up in different locations around Calgary. Think food truck but with vinyl record sales. This cool concept comes from Kristin's love for records paired with a continuation of her father's dream to open a record store.

In this episode, you will meet Kristin and hear the story of where this whole idea came from. Kristin also shares the cool story of where she found the bus and she takes us through her record buying process. You will also learn about how to get started with listening to vinyl and what equipment you require.

In this episode, Kristin will take you through the challenges that come along with starting a brand new business concept and how you can overcome setbacks. Finally, you will find out what is currently spinning on Kristin's personal turntables.

Enjoy this episode with Kristin Poch

http://www.beatnikvinyl.com/

https://www.instagram.com/the_beatnikbus/

https://twitter.com/the_beatnikbus

https://www.facebook.com/Beatnik-Bus-826698850719701/

Meet Jen Lussier, the CMO of AnyQuip. AnyQuip is taking heavy machinery into the sharing economy. This Calgary-based startup allows owners to easily rent their ideal heavy equipment to companies and individuals requiring this machinery. AnyQuip connects people and allows businesses to improve their bottom line through sharing.

Jen is a fearless and motivated entrepreneur. In this fun episode, you will hear the story of where the idea came from, and you will get a sneak peek into Jen's day to day life. Jen will also tell you about her experience at SXSW this year. Enjoy this episode with one of Calgary's great entrepreneurs.

https://www.anyquip.com/

https://www.facebook.com/anyquip

https://twitter.com/AnyQuip

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jalussier/

Terry is not your everyday entrepreneur, he has founded numerous Ecommerce businesses, written books on Ecommerce, and trains budding entrepreneurs looking to sell their products online. Selling online can be tricky to navigate: where do you start? How do you start with Amazon selling? How do you get the word out about your product? All these questions and more will be answered by one of Calgary's best Ecommerce giants.

Terry has written 3 books and runs the popular product websites Leafwood and Mule Ties.

Learn more about Terry Arsenault

https://www.leafwood.co/

https://muleties.com/

http://shopidd.com/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/shopifyecommercegroup/

Meet Kathleen Smiley, a Calgary-based Social Strategist. Kathleen has a razor sharp understanding of social media and she knows everything about how to build a following. She advises and works with some great Calgary companies on the social media and blogging. In this episode, you will learn how to build a following on Instagram and you will learn the importance of maintaining a social media account. You will also learn strategies for blogging and what to do if you "don't think you have enough time for social media".

This in-depth conversation is for business owners, social media lovers, and business development teams. Enjoy the conversation with the fun and engaging, Kathleen Smiley.

https://www.instagram.com/itskathleensmiley/

https://twitter.com/kathleensmiley

Local Laundry is a Calgary-based clothing company focused on making apparel that builds community. Spend a few days in Calgary, and you will undoubtedly see one of Connor and Dustin's Local Laundry shirts on a proud Calgarian. Not only is the clothing for Calgarians, it is also for your individual community. Live in Kensington and proud of it? Well you need the Local Laundry Kensington T-shirt. Not only are these guys creating a cool brand, they are on a mission to raise $1 million dollars for Canadian charities and they have hyper-local artists design the apparel for their given community.

In this episode, you will hear some great advice from Connor and Dustin on how to start a business and you will hear their story. They will walk you through how they started the company, and they will take you behind the scenes.

All that and these guys will keep you laughing throughout this episode.

Learn more about Local Laundry Apparel:

https://locallaundry.ca/

https://www.instagram.com/locallaundry/

https://www.facebook.com/locallaundryapparel/

https://twitter.com/locallaundry

Meet the two guys who are turning the accounting world around. Quan and Randy Co-Founded McRally, a cloud-based accounting firm based in Calgary. This is a deep dive into some of the issues with the current accounting model and how cloud accounting is truly the future. In this episode, you will learn what cloud accounting is and how it works; furthermore, you will learn what drives Quan and Randy, and you will hear all about their lives behind the scenes. You don't want to miss this episode if you own a small to medium size business as this is their bread and butter. Enjoy this episode with Quan Ly and Randy McRae.

Learn More

https://mcrally.ca/

https://www.facebook.com/McRally.ca/

https://twitter.com/McRallyCanada

Rainbow unicorns pooping? You bet! Poop Heart is a Calgary-based art company that creates colourful bathroom art. Erin Moffatt is the creator and founder of Poop Heart and she is changing the world with her beautiful, characteristic designs. Poop Heart has grown so quickly that now you can pick up everything from prints for your bathroom wall, to hats, to children's clothes, all with the colourful Poop Heart design. Furthermore, Erin has partnered with CAWST. CAWST teaches people how to get safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene in their own homes, using simple, affordable technologies.

In this episode, Erin discusses how an engineer becomes an artist, some of the challenges in starting a business, and how she built Poop Heart.

Tune in to hear Erin's story!

Learn More

https://www.poopheart.com

https://twitter.com/poopsheart

https://www.facebook.com/PoopHeart/

https://www.instagram.com/poopsheart/

http://www.cawst.org/

Seed is transforming the clothing industry by designing, creating, and producing ethical and naturally sourced clothing in Calgary. Seed's characteristic Antidote Pant can be seen on Calgarians in yoga studios, at home, on a hike, or just around town. Behind Seed is one of Calgary's most inspiring entrepreneurs, Blake Ward. In this episode, you will meet Blake and find out more about the man behind Seed. You will also learn about how Blake started his company and his vision for locally sourced, ethical clothing around the world.

Learn More About Seed

https://theseedstore.ca/

www.instagram.com/iamseed_

Dog walking has never been so easy. Spot is a dog walking service at your fingertips. Mark and John are two young entrepreneurs who have developed an app that connects dog owners with dog walkers in a safe and efficient manner. Not only can you easily have your dog walked with the click of a button, you can make side income by signing up as a walker. In this episode, you will learn about developing an app without a technical background, pain points in starting a business, and you will get to know the two enthusiastic guys behind Spot. Mark and John perfectly embody what it means to be co-founders of a quick moving startup.

Web: www.spotwalk.ca/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/spotwalking/