Vancouver Entrepreneurs’ Meetup at TheNetworkHub.ca

Here I sit on a warm Friday evening, drinking a Grande Java Chip Frappuccino. It finally tastes like summer. Things were hot last night as well at the Vancouver Entrepreneur’s Meetup hosted by Minna and Sam over at TheNetworkHub in their trendy, edge-of-Gastown offices. It was a little warm, but it was nothing that a cool drink couldn’t take care of.

This was the first time I attended this get together and it definitely is good to see the spirit of entrepreneurship alive and well in Vancouver. I had some great conversations, heard about some new business models (I like what Daniel Flippance had to say about his forthcoming Inhabit Street venture… to be unveiled officially  at Launch Party next week). I also have to apologize to Minna and Sam for staying around waaaay too late discussing domain names, internet marketing, and incubation models (though I also blame Pete Quily, an Adult ADD Coach, for this one … Oh and Pete, I started to take the Adult ADD test on your site, but I got distracted by this post).

One of the things that surprised me a little bit is that this little journal of mine has started to pick up some readers (as a couple of people in attendance indicated that they had read some of my thoughts over the preceding weeks). Someone commented [might have been Pete above] that he didn’t like seeing blogs that the person who was writing it was not forthcoming about who they are and what they stand for. For that reason, I will be building out more about who I am and the projects that I am involved in [if they can be disclosed due to client confidentiality] right after I finish this post.

For those too busy (or lazy) to follow a few links and read the “about me”… my name is John Lyotier and I am a veteran of the Vancouver software scene, mostly working at the cross roads of marketing and technology (e.g., internet, domain names, web strategies, marketing automation, product marketing automation, etc.) My bio is public on my resume site here. I am presently working as a consultant to early-stage companies and entrepreneurs advising them on marketing, internet, and launch strategies (while at the same time incubating a few of my own entrepreneurial ventures). My consultancy is currently under a placeholder domain over at LaunchPoint.ca. And no, I haven’t done anything to that domain to market it, promote it, or optimize it for search (it will be disappearing soon as I bring my practice under the LaunchExperts brand… one of the concepts that I am developing).

There, now that that is off my chest, I think I will go finish my Frappuccino before it has completely melted.

Canadian Franchise Association Annual Conference

I’ll come back to continuing the list of who’s who in a bit. For now, I thought I would share with you where I happen to be tonight.

I am sitting in the lounge of the Deerhurst Resort of Huntsville Ontario (about 3 hours north of Toronto). Why am I here (which some would surely classify as close to the middle of nowhere)? Well, I decided it would be good to attend the 2008 annual conference for the Canadian Franchise Association.

Last year I was at the 2007 CFA Conference in Montreal (while working with Marqui). At that time, I participated as an exhibitor. It was my belief that the franchise vertical (that being the companies that controlled the individual franchisees themselves) was an interesting vertical to pursue, and those that were in attendance were c-level decision makers with a need for marketing automation and internet technologies. Unfortunately, I left Marqui a few weeks after participating in last year’s event, so I never had a chance to follow through with many of the leads and conversations that were made. But that was last year.

This year, there are two driving reasons why I am here: first, the same opportunity still exists, and as a marketing and internet consultant, I believe I can help franchisors systematize their marketing, be it to attract new entrepreneurs into their brand, or to market and attract leads to the individual franchisees. It was apparent to me last year that many franchisors still do not understand the power of internet marketing and still remain skeptical that it is possible to provide full accountablity and measurement of your marketing campaigns. I hope to be able to generate a few leads while out here, as I am confident that I can help.

The second reason why I am here, is the concept that I am working on: LaunchExperts.com. LaunchExperts will launch later this spring and will utilize a lot of the good things associated within a brand-franchise concept, while introducing some innovation into the entire industry. And I have a lot to learn. Tonnes.

If you have not read Michael Gerber’s The E-myth, I would strongly encourage you to do so. This should be right at the top of the pile for any prospective entrepreneur’s reading list. In this masterpiece, Gerber emphasizes that it is critical for any entrepreneurial venture–whether it is your intention to franchise your business or not–to build your business out as a franchise prototype. Measure things. Hold yourself accountable. Document procedures, Systematize entire business processes. For me, I am trying to build out my consulting practice as my franchise prototype, and in so doing, create added value for myself and others who may associate themselves with the LaunchExperts brand.

Anyhow, it is a little after 11:00 PM here in Huntsville. My morning started at 3:30 AM PST. And it is going to be a busy few days. I’ll keep you posted.