Category: Events
Windsor-Essex Chamber “She Means Business” Brunch
What a motivational and exciting morning it’s been! Today I had the privilege of moderating a panel discussion at the Windsor-Essex Chamber of Commerce “She Means Business” brunch event. I shared the stage with three powerhouse professionals curated by WEtech Alliance: Zule Ankamah (owner of Zule Eats), Josipa Petrunic (Founder of TransitRewards.ca) and Brittany Charlton (Founder of Chocovate Labs).
It was such a great, candid discussion about building resilience and community. We talked about the frustration surrounding the lack of funding for women-owned businesses and why finding your community matters. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when Zule teared up talking about the risks she had to take to start her business and the fact that her kids have been by her side to support her since day one. As business owners, it’s refreshing (and often very validating) to get real sometimes. so I appreciated everyone’s openness and honesty.
After our panel, I enjoyed a delicious brunch courtesy of St Clair College Centre For The Arts, did some networking around the room and then had the pleasure of listening to Keynote Speaker Erika Harris’ emotional presentation about her personal and business journey.
I walked away afterwards with a renewed appreciation for the little village that’s constantly cheering me on from the sidelines. The people saying my name in rooms when I’m not there. The people referring me to their friends and connections because they trust me to deliver.
This year’s women’s day events are an important reminder that supporting women needs to be a priority 365 days a year, and that women themselves need to show up for other women.
My new friend Hilda MacDonald said something at Tuesday’s Leamington Chamber event that really stuck with me and sums up my main takeaway from this year’s celebrations: ”As women, we’ve always had to fight our way to somewhere, so now we see other women as adversaries. But we have to stop doing that. We need to be a force to be reckoned with….together.” 💙
Elevate Her: AI Keynote Presentation
This morning I spent a few hours in Leamington for the Elevate Her Women’s Day event. I had the pleasure of speaking to a room full of people about how women can lead in the age of AI. As the keynote speaker, my presentation touched on some important topics, like how AI is impacting the way we do business and how women can be at the forefront by learning how to leverage it responsibly.
I talked about the importance of maintaining your own cognitive abilities, while allowing your pain points to guide if (or how) you adopt this technology into your workflow. I went through some real life examples of how to apply AI tools to specific tasks, provided best practices for prompting, and reminded attendees that how they use this technology matters more than they may think.
After they forced me to give back the microphone 🤣🎤 I enjoyed a wonderful lunch courtesy of the Portuguese Club of Leamington, browsed the local vendors set up around the room and did some networking. The second half of the programming was a panel discussion featuring three local women in leadership who so generously shared their wisdom and knowledge with us all. They spoke about lessons learned the hard way, why speaking up matters and the importance of lifting others when you rise.
I don’t often get to venture out to the county for events or meetings, so it was really nice to spend the day connecting in a room full of new people and business owners. It’s always such a pleasure to present and teach about important topics relating to digital marketing and entrepreneurship.
If you’re looking for a speaker, workshop facilitator or trainer to visit your business, inspire your team or add value to your event, let’s chat!
My Experience at the WEtech Alliance Mastermind & Mingle Event
Last week I spent time with a wonderful group of woman founders discussing some tough topics and offering support at a WEtech Alliance Mastermind & Mingle event. I love the variety of programs and support that WEtech offers to our small business community. There’s so much value in what they provide and they’ve helped many entrepreneurs and startups over their lifetime.
As an entrepreneur, I know first hand that running a business isn’t all fun and games, it’s usually the opposite! Lots of self doubt, weird hours, overwhelming work, isolation and stress. It was nice to talk about the real stuff, and not just the fluff, with a group of women who really get it.
As a woman, being in a space that feels supportive and safe is so important. These sessions give members a chance to talk through barriers and get honest advice from other women who have valuable insight to provide. You don’t have to be an expert to help others, you just have to be willing to share what you DO know with those who need it.
It’s always such a privilege to connect with other woman in business and to have the opportunity to learn from each other. Even as someone who has been putting in the work for 15 years, there are always new things to learn and new ways to improve my own processes. Being open to receiving new information, especially when it might contradict what you think you already know, isn’t always easy. But it can be so rewarding to find a community you can lean on and learn from as you continue to grow.
AI Summit: AI In Small Businesses & Nonprofits Presentation
Last week I hosted a breakout session at the AI Workforce Summit focused on helping small businesses and not-for-profits understand and leverage AI with a lean team and budget.
I spent my day learning at Caesars Windsor about AI tools, processes and best practices from so many knowledgable speakers through keynotes, panels, and workshops exploring how artificial intelligence is reshaping workforce planning, hiring, and talent development. There was so much information to take in!
Real talk: I was pretty nervous about hosting my own session. I felt like I had a lot less knowledge to share than some of the other presenters. The imposter syndrome hit me pretty hard as I counted down the minutes until my time block in the afternoon. 😅
When the time came for the attendees to choose from three afternoon breakout sessions (including mine), I stood at the front by my podium, heart beating faster than it should have been, and crossed my fingers. Within minutes my room filled up and every chair was taken. I was completely taken off guard and so grateful that all those people chose to listen to ME!
Over the course of my session, I broke down all the ways AI can help small businesses in their day-to-day operations. I also provided real world examples they can use to better leverage AI and I shared some of my own experiences trying to navigate that realm, so attendees understood I could completely relate with their frustration and confusion.
At the end of the session, I was approached by multiple people from the audience who wanted to chat, ask questions, compliment my presentation and just connect. Despite my uncertainty and that strong sense of imposter syndrome (I’m sure most small business owners can relate to that!), it was such a rewarding and positive experience. It was a reminder that I really do love to teach and present, regardless of the topic, and that I want to focus more on that in the new year.
If you’re looking to provide some AI insight to a small team, I’d love to discuss repurposing this successful presentation for your specific business or organization’s needs. AI aside, if you’re looking for a presenter for an event or a facilitator for a workshop, I’d love to chat and see if Blab can help you bring your vision to life on stage!
Want To Learn More About Social Media? Register For This Workshop!
Super excited to announce that Blab is partnering with Imaginative Group to offer a workshop for small businesses at the Walkerville Brewery on Wednesday November 29th. Want to explore social media but aren’t sure which platforms are most valuable for your business? Looking to incorporate social media into your current strategy but aren’t sure how it’ll work with other elements? Let us help you take the first step towards better understanding the value of social media as part of an overall marketing strategy. We’ll be talking about the most popular platforms and the value they offer businesses, going over case studies to emphasize learning objectives, explaining the value of SEO and understanding the important role that your website plays as part of the bigger picture.
Attendees Will:
1. Learn why investing in social media and digital marketing leads to success
2. See the cost and benefits of integrating social into their current marketing plan
3. Understand how social media can help businesses of all sizes grow and thrive
Join us to discover the value of social media marketing and learn more about how it integrates into a multi-channel strategy. Snacks, coffee and water will be provided free of charge and wine/beer will be available for purchase from the bar. Click here to purchase your ticket!
Blab Explores The 2017 Small Biz Expo
Last night was a blast! Shoutout to The Windsor-Essex Small Business Centre for putting on an awesome event. Over 70 exhibitors set up shop at The Caboto Club to sell food, alcohol, beauty products, apparel, giftware and more. Blab had a cocktail table in the B2B lounge and had a chance to chat with so many awesome individuals and entrepreneurs about social media marketing. Got to catch up with some good friends and even made some valuable new connections. Blab shared the lounge area with friendly neighbour Biz X Magazine and a handful of other local service based businesses.
The event was the perfect excuse to show off Blab’s new popup banner and print material (sell booklets and social postcards) courtesy of Imaginative Group. It was really great to see how consistently the brand was communicated across all pieces. There’s still something to be said about a nice and functional print piece. Definitely a solid investment!
While fitting everything on a small cocktail table was a challenge, it ended up being the perfect amount of space to showcase my print and add some personality to my display. It’s really important to stay true to your brand, no matter which customer touchpoint you’re exploring.
After a few hours of mingling in the lounge, I managed to escape and grab some food! I picked up some dinner from Cedar Valley Selections (seriously their fattoush salad is amazing) and I couldn’t leave without a few delicious treats from Licia Ruby, Ani & Fabi and Sweet Revenge Bakeshop. By the end of the night, over 500 attendees passed through the doors to shop, eat, drink and mingle. What a great way to support local!
Blab Attends Digital Summit Detroit 2017
Another year, another Summit event! In 2016 Blab attended Digital Summit Detroit for the first time and had a blast. There was so much information to be absorbed, so many networking opportunities and an awesome lineup of talented guests speaking on a variety of digital/tech topics. I even got to meet Ann Handley from Marketing Profs and listen to the real life Siri chat with the crowd on stage. This year may not have had me feeling as star struck, but it was just as valuable in terms of content and experiences.
The event was two full days of learning from 7:30am to 5:30pm at Cobo Centre downtown. Sharing my referral link online got me a free book, t-shirt and even VIP lounge access so I was looking forward to experiencing the event in style. Day one started with a four hour pre-conference workshop where I learned everything there is to know about email marketing. What a valuable workshop! It was packed with internet research, industry knowledge and even actionable takeaways. The rest of the day was spent attending a 6 other sessions covering topics such finding success with Facebook Live posts, creating shareable content, marketing to millennials and how artificial intelligence can help your business. We even got to hear from Jonah Peretti, co-founder of Buzzfeed and Huffpost. What an awesome experience!
Day two started with networking over coffee and was followed by 12 other informative sessions on social ads, online reviews, storytelling, going mobile, UX design, harnessing the power of content and more. I learned about new software, gadgets and best practices that will ultimately make Blab a stronger and smarter local competitor. Another successful year and I haven’t even had time to go through all my notes yet!
Proud Sponsor Of WEtech’s 2017 Nerd Olympics
Super excited to be a sponsor for WEtech Alliance’s 2nd annual Nerd Olympics. The event brings together the Windsor-Essex tech community in a fun, team-building competition to challenge the mind & body. It kicks off with the official Opening Ceremonies and Nerd Torch lighting ceremony before the first event on Tuesday September 5th.
Sixteen Tech Company teams will compete in a series of events spread out over the course of three months and just like the real Olympics, they’ll be able to win Gold, Silver & Bronze 3D printed “medals” for each event. The whole event will culminate with the Closing Ceremonies happening at the Tech Awards on Friday November 17th with a presentation of the coveted Nerd Cup.
As a social media challenge sponsor, Blab will be providing all teams with a unique social media challenge that they’ll need to complete for points. The best part? Blab will be at the closing ceremonies to present the challenge award to the team who did the best job. Stay tuned to Blab and WEtech Alliance’s social channels for updates and announcements as the event progresses and don’t forget to follow along during Blab’s challenge week from September 25 – October 1st to see the entries submitted in real time online. Let’s go nerds, you got this!
Panel Discussion: Marketing And Growing Your Business
A few weeks ago Blab was approached to volunteer as a panelist for the New Canadian’s Centre Of Excellence. The organization is a community based, direct-service agency that assists, supports and promotes the full and equitable participation of immigrants and refugees in all aspects of social, cultural and economic life in the Windsor-Essex Region. Blab has volunteered for many sessions here in the past hosting workshops, hands-on-learning sessions and more.
Today’s panel discussion featured myself and Kay Douglas from Douglas Marketing Group talking to clients about how they can market and grow their businesses regardless of industry. We met some very friendly people, answered lots of questions and even had a chance to chat about our own experiences in business. It’s always fun to talk about your own adventures in business, especially if it can help other people! I’m excited to see how these new businesses continue to grow and develop over the next few months. A community can never have too many entrepreneurs!
Giving back to the community is an important part of business. Even though Blab doesn’t have tangible products to donate or give away to those in need, having a valuable skill set to contribute can be equally as valuable. I know first hand how hard it can be to start, operate and maintain a small business in Windsor so why not help other aspiring entrepreneurs by providing insight, tips and support? If you’re interested in volunteering to help out a local organization in Windsor-Essex, be sure to check out WEVolunteer to match your interests/skills up with available positions in your community.
Happy World Emoji Day!
We ❤️ emojis! Which one is YOUR favourite?
Since the early days of the internet, Emoji’s have been the best way to transmit emotion in the written medium. As internet technology advanced, so did the use of the emoji. Simple text symbols turned into a full-fledged animated series. The best part about emojis is that we’ve all used them at some point. World Emoji day celebrates the history of these emotional expressions and encourages us all to be exceptionally emotive. After all, communicating your feelings in written form can be difficult so why not inject some fun? Long ago the world used to communicate in images, before alphabetic languages were developed, and now in the modern age we’re back to using them again.
To celebrate World Emoji Day, Blab is hosting a simple online contest and giving away three emoji swag packs with tattoos, air fresheners and stickers. Visit our Facebook page for more information!
FUN FACT: The date of Emoji Day honours the date shown on the iOS Calendar Emoji (July 17).