From freelancer to entrepreneur: Making the shift

B6 W e d n e s day, J u n e 2 5 , 2 0 1 4 e d M O n T O n J O u R n a L e d m o n t o n j o u r n a l . c o m

Questions? Contact us at hello@capitalideasedmonton.com

“There isn’t a better city to take a risk [than Edmonton]; everyone pushes you to do it. When they realize that Story Engine is doing well, they ask ‘How are you scaling?’ and ‘Now what?’ ... When you run into trouble, you can phone someone up for advice… In other cities I’ve lived in, people are a little more guarded and competitive.”— Todd Babiak, co-founder of Story Engine (storyengine.com)

For the full recap of “From freelancer to entrepreneur: Making the shift,” including video and audio, visit capitalideasedmonton.com/events

Here’s what Capital Ideas members took away from the June 18 panel:

“If you’re not afraid of hard work, being an entrepreneur is actually easy. Now that we’ve been doing it for a couple of years, I couldn’t go back to working for somebody… If you have it in you, try it, don’t wait… You can go build a customer base without a product, but be prepared to work harder than ever before once you’ve sold it five times.”— Sam Jenkins, co-founder of Wellnext (getwellnext.com)

“Access your network... find resources and new ways to set yourself up for success. As an entrepreneur, you’re constantly hitting challenges and the goal posts are constantly moving, so when you feel like you’re going to hit that wall, pivot: What’s the wall, how do I get over it and who in my network can help me.”— Ashley Janssen, co-owner of AgileStyle (agilestyle.com)

“I agree with Todd Babiak to stay in Edmonton to have a great business. It’s been wonderful for my career — glad we moved.”— Dana DiTomaso of Kick Point Inc. — kickpoint.ca

“It’s tempting but dangerous to take work that’s outside of the problem you want to solve. Stay focused.”— Lisa Hryniw of Sendioso — sendioso.com

“Starting a business isn’t necessarily hard, but it is busy.”— Lauren Sergy of Up Front Communication — upfrontco.com

“Entrepreneurs would rather work 100 hours for themselves than 40 for someone else.”— Douglas Stewart of Fort Cozy — dougstewart.org

“Edmonton is a city where you cannot get away with success. People are always pushing each other to build on their success.”— Robert Tyndale of Tastemakers Edmonton — tastemakersedmonton.com

“Todd Babiak says to stay in Edmonton and quit your job. #Yeg is full of opportunities.”— Mark Zacharias of Wellnext — getwellnext.com

CAPITAL BUZZ:

ALSO IN ATTENDANCE:

THANK YOU!Melissa Richards, relationship manager at ATB Business, congratulates door-prize winner Dallas Meidinger of AgileStyle. The prizes awarded after the panel were donated by Digital Alberta and the Edmonton Journal.

NEXT EVENT: HOW DO I TURN AN IDEA INTO A BUSINESS?

RSVP AT CAPITALIDEAS29.EVENTBRITE.COMWHEN: JULY 16, 11:45 A.M. TO 1 P.M. WHERE: THE EDMONTON JOURNAL (10006 101ST ST.)

From freelancer to entrepreneur: Making the shiftFounders reflect on scaling a business instead of selling time

PHOTOS BY VICKIE LALIOTIS/CAPITAL IDEAS

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Founders reflect on scaling a business instead of selling time

From freelancer to entrepreneur: Making the shift