Posted by kboon on January 26, 2010 under Stories | Comments are off for this article
Had the pleasure of listening to a talk by Ali Asoria, the CEO of Well.ca.
Ali started Well.ca back in September 2007 in the back of his dad’s pharmacy, and within two short years the business has grown to be the top online health and beauty store in Canada. They made Profit Magazines “Hot 50” as one of the fastest growing companies in Canada in September 2009.
What’s the secret to their success? Here is a quote from their website.
What makes us different?
“Our company is made up of kind, friendly people that want to go the extra mile for you. With customer care at the core of our business, we strive to give you the best shopping experience possible!”
The answer is Customer Service. Ali explained how the customer is at the core of their business philosophy. Every interaction is an opportunity to provide exceptional customer service; even to the point where they include a hand written note on every order.
When they hire new staff, they want to find the most friendly people and create as Ali says, “a local store feel”. They are not afraid to admit when they’ve made mistakes and they take the time to talk to their customers.
Obviously there are other factors which enhance the customer experience. Some you can see on their website, which is well designed with easy navigation, fast checkout and the incentive of free shipping.
But there is something more to Well.ca.
When you visit their website you get the real sense that they’re interested in you. They want your business and they want to connect. There are profiles of their employees, team photos and they are connected on Facebook and Twitter. They are blogging and creating a two-way conversation with chat and a prominent 1-800 number.
When people ask me, how do I do use social media for my business?
Well.ca actually has the answer! Create a quality website, be friendly, approachable and take care of your customers! Engage in a dialogue and be there to assist and support.
Ali closed his talk with two comments that I thought were most enlightening.
“We don’t spend on marketing” and,
“We are a technology company“. (they are not a drugstore)
Perhaps ideas for future discussion.
In my next post I will talk about Haiti, the fund raising efforts and the ability of communities to make a difference.
Posted by kboon on January 25, 2010 under Stories | Comments are off for this article
Last week I had the opportunity to attend the first Guelph Technology event hosted by Linamar. There were a few hundred participants representing various industries from manufacturing, government, entrepreneurs and a growing number of technology companies. Jim Estill, the founder of EMJ & Synnex was the keynote speaker and there were several breakout sessions throughout the day.
There were two speakers with insights that I thought could benefit every business owner or entrepreneur. One with traditional businessbackground, and the other on the leading edge of newer technologies. Both demonstrated (in different ways) how they have used technology to increase productivity, communicate more effectively and increase revenues.
Phil Greenway from Greenway Home Products (GHP) described some of the changes within the past 50 years of his career. GHP develops, manufactures and distributes a broad line of water, heat and home products. They have a dealer base across North America and manufacturing locations around the world.
Phil spoke about business in 60’s and 70’s, before computers and fax machines. He described his early experiences of setting up a global business, describing his travels to Western and Eastern Europe (before the fall of the Berlin wall). With no computers or cell phones, contact with home office was often scattered, and it could take days or weeks at a time before he could connect.
In the 80’s computers were introduced and by the 90’s bar-codes, EDP technology and supply change management streamlined the whole inventory and manufacturing process. Communication became instantaneous and global markets opened around the world.
Productivity has been one of the main benefits of technology for Greenway, where at one time it required 4 employees to generate $1 million in revenue. Today it takes 1 employee to create that same $1 million.
Phil finished his talk by describing how Communication, through video conferencing, with tools like Skypehave saved tens of thousands of dollars in travel & phone costs. Being able to track inventories online has changed how Greenway distributes and manufactures product.
Although privately owned Greenway and its various companies are worth millions. Their success has been due to their ability to change with the times and adapt technology to their business model.
In part 2, I will talk about Ali Asoria and the success of Well.ca.
Posted by kboon on January 22, 2010 under Stories | Comments are off for this article
My site is officially 2 weeks old and I’m excited about the response and feedback that I have received from many of you. I want to give you an idea of what is coming.
My passion is to share ideas that add to our knowledge and help us improve our life (or business) in some way. I am particularly passionate about technology and our ability as human beings to create wealth. Whether we have our own business or work for someone else, we all have our dreams and goals. There is a drive within each of us that wants to create a better live, not only for ourselves but for those we care about.
In my travels I meet many brilliant people, innovators, entrepreneurs and socially conscious individuals who make a difference. When I talk or listen to these people I’m always fascinated by their stories. I want to understand what makes them tick and how do they feel about life. If they have a successful business I want to know, what is that golden nugget, or idea or philosphy that allowed their business to succeed.
These are the stories I want to tell; stories of people using technology, automation, social media; building relationships, communities and establishing trust; with products that are innovative and exciting; with business models that are simple and effective; and with leadership qualities of inspiration, empowerment and drive to make a difference.
If you have your own stories feel free to comment or connect with me on Twitter.
Dave Carroll was recently on the View (Video). He was the musician, who was on a United Airlines flight going from Halifax to Chicago. He saw his guitar being mishandled by baggage handlers, and when he arrived at his final destination his guitar was damaged.
After being turned down (several times) by United staff for compensation, he decided to write a song and make a video. The video became a smash hit on YouTube and as of today has been viewed over 7 million times.
Dave harnessed the web (and the power of YouTube) to gain a worldwide audience, expand his reputation and earn money. As business owners and entrerpreneurs, what can we learn from Dave’s experience?
Here are 5 ideas that stand out for me:
1. Be Likable – One of Dave’s best traits is his likability. When you listen to Dave’s story, watch the videos or go to his website, there is a quality that draws people to him. Likability attracts an audience.
2. Have a Clear Message – Marketers take note. Dave and his band were able to craft a simple, clear message that had an impact not only on the people who watched the video, but on companies who are recognizing the need to respond more proactively to customer complaints.
3. Showcase your Creative Talents – Dave (and his band) have a skill at songwriting and performing and used their skills to reach their audience.
4. Keep your Risk Low – To write the song and produce the video required time and maybe a few hundred dollars. Not every method will work so be prepared to experiment and try a variety of approaches.
5. Diversify your Income and Opportunity – Dave and his band have been able to use this event to sell more music cds, and tour more. He has also been able to expand his reach with paid speaking gigs and other income sources. I like the affiliate ad for custom hard shell Calton Cases (at the bottom of his home page).
Posted by kboon on January 14, 2010 under Stories | Comments are off for this article
The best way to start this blog is begin with a story.
This will be the first article in a series on Entrepreneurs who have created success using the web. I’ll try to vary the industries because I want to show examples from a variety of backgrounds.
Markus Frind is the CEO of Plenty of Fish, who as a lone entrepreneur and software programmer created a free dating site. His website has attracted over 10 million people and has generated millions of dollars in ad revenue. Started as one entrepreneur with an innovative idea, and created a personal fortune of over $10 million per year.
According to this interview on CBC he spends an hour or two a day working his business.
(Note: Please let me know if you have any troubles viewing this video)
The Question for business owners and entrepreneurs:
What has Markus accomplished?
He had anIdea.
He Committed someTime to build the website.
He made it easy for visitors to understand the Value & Message: Internet Dating and IT’S FREE!
He Built a Community – The tools were made simple for a community to develop.
He Found a Revenue Stream – Through Google Adsense.
He made the business Self Running – He created a business that is easy to manage and his time commitments are minimal.
These are some valuable ideas for business leaders and entrepreneurs who want to create income from the web.
Comments are off for this article 
When they hire new staff, they want to find the most friendly people and create as Ali says, “a local store feel”. They are not afraid to admit when they’ve made mistakes and they take the time to talk to their customers.
