Opinion
Opinions: everyone’s got them. More than ever – amid the cacophony of hype, spin, and salesmanship – it’s important to find business opinions that do what they promise: penetrate the clutter and give you the best orientation to business in BC. Welcome to BCBusiness. Our esteemed columnists deliver the opinions that help you think, live, and do business better. Follow BCBusiness for its signature mix of advice and opinion on the BC business issues that matter to you.
One way or another, downtown Vancouver’s esthetically challenged Sears edifice is sure to blow.
Novelty tissue dispenser. Giant prop for movies about dystopian futures plagued by hideous architecture. Build a second one and hang a “Women’s” sign on it.
These are just a few solid options for the Sears building in downtown Vancouver, now that the primary tenant is vacating. Certainly the demise of the giant, white-tiled department store block is sad for over 300 employees, and I will miss the great watch-repair department. I’m also concerned about the safety of Sears...
May 07, 2012 Tech Talk: Technology
B.C. entrepreneurs benefit from links with Silicon Valley expats.
Boosting the number of B.C. tech success stories requires continued focus on innovation and commercialization, and both require capital. However, a pile of money and a clever innovation don’t guarantee success. Effective commercialization requires experienced, networked and focused entrepreneurs, something that B.C. has in scarce quantities. But rather than lament that many of our tech companies are run by first-time entrepreneurs, let’s help them find like-minded technology people who have “been there, done that.”
May 07, 2012 Game Plan: Technology
Successful growth depends on maintaining the agility of a startup.
When new businesses change direction to find better markets or other revenue-generating opportunities, it is usually referred to as a “pivot.” However, as business conditions change ever more rapidly, larger and established businesses are also continuously pivoting to take advantage of changing market conditions and business landscapes. Tio Networks Corp., a North Vancouver company that has been operating for almost 15 years, has pivoted several times.
The Problem
By 2008, Tio, formerly known as Info Touch...
May 07, 2012 Lunch with Lucy: People
He has a super soft spot for B.C., but former premier Gordon Campbell doesn’t miss it – yet.
Of all the cultural curveballs discovered on moving from B.C. to England, one has struck Gordon Campbell most acutely: being anonymous. Where it’s normal for strangers to catch one’s eye and smile while walking down a street back home, it’s rare here, notes the former premier, now Canada’s high commissioner to the U.K.
“Here, I’m obviously not visible; no one knows who I am,” he says with a laugh on a February day at Commonwealth Kitchen, metres from...
April 02, 2012 Complaints Department: Mobile and Wireless
Running a business website on 20th-century software is a flight of fancy.
I went online to book a ticket with Laos Airlines. Some will tell you that was my first mistake, although other online reviews insisted reassuringly that the Laos Air safety record is “not as bad as people say.” They really ought to paint that on the side of their planes.
This was not a desperate attempt to get a cheaper fare to Calgary. I was travelling from Bangkok to Luang Prabang, and in that situation one’s airline options are as few as flying from Vancouver to Winnipeg. You basically have two choices:...
April 02, 2012 Tech Talk: Angel Investing and Funding
A little liquidity would encourage early-stage investors.
If you’re a tech entrepreneur, a friend or family member of one, or if you’re an angel investor, you know that the investment math is harshest at the risky early stages of a new venture. Companies often don’t get off the ground; some get a few customers and then never get meaningful traction. For taking that risk angel investors may get a large reward at the end, but in the meantime their money could be tied up for a decade or more.
More disconcerting is the fact that those who take the risk early may end up diluted to...
Do you like networking at events?
Brian Wong, CEO of Kiip Inc.,
on being a 21-year-old CEO
|
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
|
|
|
1
|
2
|
|
|
5
|
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
|
13
|
14
|
|
16
|
17
|
18
|
19
|
|
20
|
21
|
22
|
|
|
25
|
26
|
|
27
|
28
|
29
|
30
|
31
|
|
|
Save over 50% off the newsstand price with a subscription to BCBusiness Magazine
Subscribe Now
Other BCBusiness Features
Online and in print, BCBusiness articulates the trends and issues affecting business in BC. The award-winning BCBusiness, essential companion to corporate titans and entrepreneurs alike, delivers provocative BC business news and commentary on traditional and digital platforms: videos, articles, blogs, and columns addressing all aspects of business in BC, including management, marketing, leadership, innovation, technology, careers, human resources, finance, and entrepreneurship. Vancouver small business owners, managers, CEOs, and digital entrepreneurs prize BCBusiness for its signature mix of analysis and opinion on the issues and people shaping business in BC. Join BCBusiness on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn - and at the premier West Coast business networking events, like BC's Top 100 Companies, Entrepreneur of the Year, BC's Top Innovators, and Best Companies to Work for in BC.
Canada Wide Media Limited
presents
