Making the Calls

In the past few months CBD Inc. has been working on a diverse number of projects from planning a sales training event, picture day for clients, web site setups, and calling fashion magazines. Our phone usage is almost reaching capacity. But needless to say, the theme of Couture lately has been sales, sales and more sales.

Sales Training with James Kernaghan

Couture Business Development is teaming up with Profit Source Sales Training Inc. Founder and Owner to offer Saskatoon sales professionals the opportunity to upgrade their skills. James can take any level sales staff and turn them into an organization’s profit generating team. So far the most reception has come from young entrepreneurs and budding sales professionals that want to take short cuts on their personal development by learning from a seasoned expert.  This content packed training seminar is half a day, from 8am – 12pm on August 3^rd at the Saskatoon Farmer’s Market. Seats are still available, so please contact us today to reserve your spot or use the link below.

http://www.picatic.com/ticket/event8111584/?fb_comment_id=fbc_10150318415871111_18794093_10150318503926111#f1a0a3d20264da5

The World Wide Web

Candace has been working on putting together some websites for Carolyn Schur (our sleep lady expert) and Leanne Falkowsky of The Urban Wall Interiors. Although they are not launched yet, they are excited to give their company and brand a new facelift on the net. Candace has also learned the ins and outs of transferring domains, switching hosts and template websites while still managing not to grow any grey hairs (although the new blonde might be helping cover that up). Stay tuned for the launch of customer websites, as we will be posting them to our Facebook page.

The Glossy

While Candace is on the phone with tech support, Suzanne has been making more glamorous phone calls to Fashion Magazines on behalf of our Sova Design client and designer, Sherri Hrycray. With lots of bites and feedback we have been sending out information regarding Sherri and her couture hats all across Canada. For many following her career, Sherri has had some major PR with her showing in Vancouver Fashion week and her continued presence in the local newspaper and other Canadian media outlets.

Smile!

A big thanks to artist Angela Worobec of Chroma Art School & Design for using her professional lens to take some head shots of clients Don Ramage from Focal Point Coaching & TEC Canada, Carolyn Schur of Schur Goode Group of Companies, and James Kernaghan of Profit Source Sales Training Inc.. We can not wait to see the finished product, and have promised our clients not to use the discarded ones as future blackmail.

New to the CBD Inc. Group

Just a final  quick note about our newest client, VAIZ Enterprises (www.vaiz.org) we would like to give a big thank you to co-founder Chris Hanson for the IT boardroom breakdown and introduction into the company. We look forward to working with their team, learning more about their business and helping them with their sales goals.

Until next time!

Candace & Suzy

Consulting Industry Experts

CBD Inc. is excited to kick off this spring with some interesting new consulting clients, all of whom are experts in their respective fields. Suzy and Candace will be working with Don Ramage of Focal Point Coaching and TEC Canada, Carolyn Schur of Schur Goode Group, and James Kernaghan of Profit Source Sales Training. Each is profiled below:

 Don Ramage

Saskatoon’s own Don Ramage trains high performance executives. “I help business owners become better at what they do” remarks Don.  He works with both Focal Point Coaching and TEC Canada offering two different modes of services to enhance business performance. Don completes one-on-one coaching sessions to help business owners find clarity in where they want their business to go. Don also gathers CEOs with TEC Canada to discuss common topics of being a leader in a successful organization. TEC offers a unique opportunity for business leaders, enabling an exchange of ideas along with an open floor format to discuss similar challenges successful owners face at the top.

Carolyn Schur

Carolyn Schur, otherwise known to many as ‘the sleep expert’ has been speaking on sleep and fatigue management professionally since 1998. Known for her leading edge research and practical solutions, Carolyn has published the books titled Birds of a Different Feather, Early Birds and Night Owls and Alert at Work. She is also a member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers.

Carolyn has been seen in: Globe & Mail, New York Times, and Canadian HR Reporter, CBC Radio and CBC Television as well many other publications and news outlets discussing her innovative approaches to sleep and fatigue management.

 James Kernaghan

This sales guru started up Profit Source Sales Training in 2001 to change and advance the view of sales people in the community. Founder James Kernaghan has over 30 years of sales experience and believes that sales are an essential business tool at all levels of an organization, not just the designated sales team. Recognizing this is a weakness in most companies, James saw an opportunity to help companies accelerate their growth and build a better community.

Beaches and Speeches

Hello CBD clients, friends and family. The first month of 2011 has started out with a lot personal and professional development, along with growth of Couture.  Opportunities have been coming our way such as interviews with Culcher Magazine and the Chicks Who Click Royal Podcast, volunteering as mentors for the 2011 Saskatoon Sabex Awards and soon a presentation for the Women Entrepreneurs!

Beach Break

Taking advantage of some entrepreneurial freedom, Candace and Suzanne took a break in January to attend the wedding of two good friends in Puerto Vallarta Mexico. Candace was happy to make her debut as a wedding photographer with her brother’s professional equipment for the happy couple.

Chicks Who Click Royal Podcast

The ladies of CBD recently had their first interview for Culcher magazine’s Chicks Who Click Royal Podcast. Interviewers, Michelle Spezowka and Ginger Koolick asked questions regarding the operations behind CBD and how Candace and Suzy manage their downtime.  Candace and Suzy were treated like queens as they sipped on champagne and ate cupcakes throughout the whole interview. The experience was remarkable, thanks Michelle and Ginger!

http://www.culchermag.com/podcast-lab/

First Big Speaking Gig

Candace and Suzy will be giving a presentation on What You Need to Think About When Naming Your Business on Wednesday, February 9, 2011 for the Women Entrepreneurs from 12:00-1:00 pm.   Candace and Suzanne will address key elements to consider when naming a business, examples taken straight from the business world along with addressing the pros and cons of their own business name.  The presentation will be aired live to the Women Entrepreneurs ‘offices throughout the province.

Celebrating Success

Candace and Suzy are both volunteering as mentors to applicants for the 2011 Saskatoon Sabex Awards. If you know businesses in Saskatoon that deserve support and recognition for their success in the community, nominate them today (only takes a couple of minutes).

http://www.saskatoonchamber.com/content.php?page_id=114

Future adventures for CBD include bringing in new clients that are either personal brands or independent consultants, some in-depth professional training and future events in their newly painted and decorated office. As always, stay tuned…

Candace & Suzanne

Candace is the official wedding paparazzi

Enjoying the warm weather in PV, Mexico

Season’s Greetings from Couture

As Christmas approaches we would like to wish everyone Happy Holiday’s from CBD Inc.. Thanks to everyone who has followed our adventures this past year via our blog and facebook posts. We will continue to include everyone in on our happenings, whereabouts and of course new clients in 2011. We hope everyone had a great year…and CBD wishes you even greater success in the New Year.

 

We’re Blushing

CBD Inc. along with six other businesses and their leading ladies were a part of this year’s Blush in Business, wine and cheese event. The second annual event held great success with many people coming out to learn about the host businesses as well, to mingle and network together. Congrats to Brett Elmgren of Cherry Financial Inc.’s mom who won some free marketing time with Candace and Suzy and gave it to her son to use. A special thanks to Terminal Systems International, our old software friends that lent us a 42 inch LCD for our table’s presentation. (See below for a picture of all the Blush in Business participants)

What’s New

While Suzy has been busy with her Opera board meetings and planning, she has also been mastering the art of Wikipedia posting. Just call her the html wizard; she will surely appreciate the acknowledgement as it did not come naturally. For a firsthand look at her skills check out the latest Wikipedia post for DynaVenture http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DynaVenture. Miss Huber has also been putting hours in for other clients, relationship building for Guardian Eagle Security as well as hunting around for RFP’s. Both Suzy and Candace are set to start working on Dan Lucyshyn from Eastside Countertops’ website and gathering testimonials from local homeowners.

Candace was lucky to help SOVA design at their booth for the The Ukrainian Museum of Canada’s “Yarmarok 2010″ this past month. She eagerly wore some of Sherri’s designs including a beautiful oversized flower headband and helped visitors try on and purchase Sova’s creations. Do not be surprised if you see Candace around the city with a flower art piece on her head. As well, she has been working closely with Food4Thought’s Treena Wynes to get her website and marketing materials complete, and learning a lot of interesting details about good and bad foods in the process.

Teasers

Scheduling for some upcoming private CBD Inc. office events is well underway. Candace and Suzy have hired Leanne Falkowsky from the Urban Wall to complete the transformation of the space. No details are going to be given about the design and colour transformations…you will just have to wait and see the finished product. The CBD Inc. ladies are teaming up with artist Angela Worobec, owner of Chroma Art for a new business venture and are developing creative organizational solutions. Although the project is just in the beginning stages, we are excited to leak the news that we have lots of new projects on the go, and much to anticipate and share with everyone in 2011.

The ladies of Blush in Business 2010

Pictures & Parties

Bonjour…well the dust is finally starting to settle with CBD finalizing year-end.  CBD gives a huge thank you to our fabulous bookkeeper, Marilyn Gross from MG Accounting and Office Services and our great commercial realtor, David Kerr from ICR. 

New Space…

CBD Inc. just finalized the contract for our new office space dated November 1^st, 2010. We will be moving closer to our clients and to the airport. So do not be surprised if you see Candace and Suzy hauling their luggage across the streets on their way to YXE, getting ready for their next adventure outside Saskatoon. We are very excited to set up year two with two small offices and a reception area.

 Click Click…Flash

CBD recently got their new company photos taken by Saskatoon’s David Stobbe of Stobbe Photography.  Candace and Suzy have seen Dave’s work up close and first hand during fashion shoots for Sova Design. It was a no brainer… we decided to commission his services for ourselves.  Between Suzy’s need to retouch a botch bang job that morning, and Candace’s insistence on bringing her whole closet plus half her shoe collection, the day was hectic but fun.  stobbephotography.com 

Our Weekly Adventures

Last week was a busy one for CBD. After distributing the press release for Left Out to various media, the Couture ladies joined the Saskatoon fans of John Gormley during his first public book launch at McNally Robinson. Luckily no protestors showed up that CBD had to manhandle. Next was the launch in Regina, where we saw some familiar politicians, including Grant Devine. Many books were sold, and both launches were a success. www.leftout.ca

 In the Community

CBD is pleased to announce that Suzy was elected as the Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Saskatoon Opera. The organization has an exciting season planned with special events that will be coordinated by CBD’s friend LUX Events.  

Enjoy the beginning of November…we’ll post updated news and events soon.

Candace & Suzy

CBD Inc. Takes on Radio Personality

As always, another month comes with more exciting projects ahead. CBD Inc. is most pleased to join forces with Suzanne Paschall, owner of Indie Ink Publishing to release John Gormley’s penned political rant for the public at large. The radio personality himself told CBD that he has been holding the concept inside for too long and asked Suzanne to publish his novel Left Out: Saskatchewan’s NDP and the Relentless Pursuit of Mediocrity, on October 20^th in Saskatoon and October 21^st in Regina.

 The realization of John’s popularity throughout the province and otherwise has been seen via his Facebook profile page. While Candace has been managing the social media, she has seen his friend list expand daily with requests spanning into the 100’s. It has been decided to better update and manage information, the need to switch everyone over to a fan page is necessary. Thus begins that venture…

 After following projects from QA Technologies, parent company DynaVenture has recently commissioned CBD to work on similar projects.  Placing the 60-year-old company with its long and rich story on Wikipedia is the first project to be completed.  With a successful first launch of QAT on the popular web-based encyclopedia, Suzy will begin the process of placing the parent company and all of its subsidiaries on the site as well.

 CBD will also be writing and distributing a press release for Dyna Industrial on their new custom Roof Bolter used for potash mining, that they created at the request of a client.  Stay tuned for upcoming information about this company.

 Other projects on the go…Candace and Suzy will be doing an online brochure campaign for Michelle’s Flowers located in the city’s west end. As well, work will begin on the Platinum Homes Plus website as the content and aesthetics are being discussed and planned.  

Couture Business Development Hand Made Business Solutions.

Candace Fox & Suzanne Huber

Approaching the 1st Year!

It is quickly approaching… Couture Business Development Inc. (CBD) is almost a full year up and running!  In our first year, it is amazing to see how far we have come from our first client, now quickly to our 20^th. We have learned so much about small businesses, including our own along with the highs and lows of being first year entrepreneurs. We have met amazing people and established lasting relationships with some of the city’s most innovative and creative people.

The Low Down on Client Projects…

CBD and Garage Craft have been working hard at a marketing campaign targeted to local Saskatchewan Car Clubs. The perks to building this relationship…an exclusive discount to members in the garage line of products. The big trend towards this renewal of the man zone has caught with celebrities such as Brad Pitt, who is spending tons of cash on his “Man Cave”. Wives beware; the ‘no girls allowed’ sign might be creeping up in your own home. Do not forget to visit the CBD ladies and Garage Craft owner, Carlo Triolo along with his red 67’ Camero at Cruise Weekend August 21^st and 22^nd. See the lines www.garagecraft.ca

Continuing on our quest to becoming more tech savvy, our work with QA Technologies has given us a lot of knowledge regarding an industry we had previously never really heard of before, the telematics industry. While Candace is modifying QAT’s company literature to include the new integration of tire pressure monitoring to their AccutrAVL product; Suzanne has been working with Gerry Weninger of Seventy Seven signs to create a story testimonial of the financial benefits in using the AccutrAVL system.

Some Daily Dish…

 For those interested in the latest activities and projects of the CBD ladies…Suzanne has been giving sales training to Dale Hopkins of Lucid Helix Solutions.  For the past two months she has been dazzling him with her expertise regarding script writing, theory, and interactive feedback. He is doing notably well in his progress and has been quickly acknowledged by Cable companies based in the U.S. . We are sure Dale will be a sales expert in no time.

 Candace, already familiar with the process of starting a business has been helping an entrepreneur out of Regina with his new venture, WineEquipCo. From the business plan to branding, merchandising and research, she has been putting her skills to good use. The company focusing on wine equipment and accessories will soon be marketing its products to Saskatchewan residents and businesses.

Warm Welcomes…

 CBD loves working with new businesses and new entrepreneurs. CBD is excited to welcome some new clients, and industries into our mix including Guardian Eagle Security and Michelle’s Flowers. We will keep you all updated about industry news and upcoming projects with these new clients.

 Last but not least, while we have enjoyed our first location on Quebec it has come to our attention that we may have out grown our office space (Candace’s coffee cups need their own cubical). If you know any businesses leasing out space for two offices, please send Suzanne an email to shuber@couturebusinessdevelopment.com

Warm Regards,

Candace Fox & Suzanne Huber

Highlighting a CBD Event.

Last week Couture Business Development coordinated a national conference for the Saskatchewan Foster Families Association. It was a great experience and the organizers and delegates alike all enjoyed themselves and everything went off without a hitch! Phew!

From running across 4^th avenue with flag poles, to setting up the silent auction items, transporting delegates around Saskatoon, and eating more cake than one should ever consume in six days, all of the time, planning and effort was worth it. A special thanks to the Saskatchewan Foster Families Association’s staff for helping with registration.

CBD thanks the following speakers for helping to make the event a success. Thank you to the Master of Ceremonies Ron Morris from Morris Interactive, you did an exceptional job ensuring the program ran smoothly. A special thanks to The City of Saskatoon Mayor, Mr Don Atchison for his greetings, and to the keynote speakers John Brand, Director of Children’s Advocate’s office, Governor State University’s Pride of Nations presentation, Jessica McFarland from the Youth in Custody Care Network, and lastly Vera Tourangeau, a humorous yet powerful advocate for the rights of first nation children. We appreciate the hard work everyone put into making their presentations insightful and moving.

It was truly an enlightening experience meeting foster parents from throughout Canada. We honour their dedication to ensuring the well-being of foster children, and opening their hearts and homes to help in times of great need.

The Pride of Nations presentation from Governor State University showed interviews from foster parents across the province and highlighted the culture of Northern Saskatchewan, stressing the need to preserve it especially for foster children from the region.

“It feels great when children begin having that feeling of trust with you”

“Kids need to know and understand their culture, where they came from, so that they know where they are going in the future.”

“When they leave my home I hope that they take a piece of my heart with them.”

CBD wishes to thank those that participated in the trade show; Saskatchewan Blue Cross, Children’s Advocate Office, Tansi Clothing, Adoption Support Centre of Saskatchewan, Arbonne International, Camp Kadesh, Habitat for Humanity, READ Saskatoon, and Sunlife Financial.

Epic Entertainment provided entertainment for the delegates throughout the week. We were treated to the band, Branded Honey who performed at the Forestry Farm off-site event Thursday night, Game-Show Mania which had the crowd interacting in goofy attire, and the evening closing gala where the Jenelle Ocharton trio serenaded the delegates during cocktails followed with a dance with Epic’s in house dj’s entertaining.

Without the help of all those that participated, Couture Business Development would not have been able to pull off a seamless event. A final thanks to the fabulous Deb Davies, Executive Director for the Saskatchewan Foster Families Association that showed us the ropes for organizing conferences of this calibre and a true delight to work with.

We look forward to all of our new relationships blossoming from our new friends we made from this conference.

Suzanne Huber and Candace Fox

Couture Business Development Inc.

Accounting software, fashion show and juggling projects simultaneously.

This week we have been working on various projects for clients.

Our client of the week is Ferrus Computers. They are a small software company that developed a program to help aboriginal bands organize their accounting, band member information, and social assistance data electronically.  They are in over 50 bands in Saskatchewan and Alberta and are looking to expand their client base into British Columbia.

Candace and I were challenged out of our comfort zones by learning how to make, edit and produce a movie for their website. With the finals edits being sourced out by someone with the technical skills, we are happy to see that project almost completed.

We are in the process of getting the information together to get Sherri from sovadesigns.ca into fashion magazine. With her  show coming up quick, Candace and I are inviting our clients and business contacts to come and network after the event. 

Candace and I are busily completing work for our clients but need to focus a bit more attention daily to prospecting so that when this wave of work is completed, we are ready to flow into new projects.  We are also considering hiring someone part-time to research and produce prospect lists for our clients as we are finding them too time consuming.

We are getting there!

Suzanne Huber & Candace Fox

Behind the scenes of CBD.

This week we are very busy taking care of our clients.  With full work loads, appointments with new prospects, lunches with organizations and oh ya, printing our business cards we have run out of, time management is essential.

Our spotlight client: Sherri Hrycay of Sova Designs

Sherri Hrycay is a local milliner that makes beautiful custom hats and we are beyond excited to have her as a client.  Sherri and two other local designers are hosting a fashion show at Willow Studio that is going to take place on Feb 7th. 

Sherri has brought us on to help her get into fashion magazines, her hats sold in boutiques throughout Canada, and to help her design her look book for next season. Check out her site, a superstar in the woodworks http://www.sovadesign.ca/  

After we leave our meetings with Sherri we are really excited and pumped to help her grow her business.

This week Candace and I will be contacting fashion magazines to find out what it takes to have some of those models wearing Sherri’s hats.

Suzanne Huber & Candace Fox

Couture Business Development