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TRANSCRIPTION WITH SPEAKERS
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[00:00] SPEAKER_01: It's VanCoovers Podcast on the Canada's Podcast Network.
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[01:17] SPEAKER_00: Hello, this is Robert Smigel coming to today with a Vancouver Entrepreneur.ca where we talk to the entrepreneurs who are making it happen here in British Columbia.
[01:25] SPEAKER_00: Melanie Yuan is managing partner at local startup advisory firm Volition, where she oversees operations and communications in addition to working with entrepreneurs on funding research and grant writing projects.
[01:40] SPEAKER_00: As COO and head of research at Women in Tech World, a national grassroots organization based out of Vancouver, Melanie took to the road for two months this past fall
[01:53] SPEAKER_00: to provide a platform for Canadian women in tech and their allies and advocates to share their experiences and ideas for creating more inclusive and diverse tech communities nationwide.
[02:07] SPEAKER_00: When Melanie isn't working with clients, colleagues and community members, she can be found traveling.
[02:14] SPEAKER_00: Well, Melanie, welcome to the show. Thanks for taking the time today to be here for all our listeners.
[02:20] SPEAKER_00: Thanks for so much for having me on Robert. Great. Okay. I want you to tell us a little bit more about yourself. Where you're from and give us the details on your current business.
[02:30] SPEAKER_01: Sure. So I was born and raised in North Vancouver. So I'm a local. I'm a local two Vancouver. I, when I was about 16, I moved out of my parents house and I went straight into working for the federal public service.
[02:47] SPEAKER_01: And spent about a decade there. Now, I've always been someone who can't just do one thing. So I love having anywhere upwards of 10 projects on the go at the same time.
[02:57] SPEAKER_01: It's just the way that my brain works. It's the way that I keep passionate about what I'm working on. So while I was working in the government for 10 years, where I was doing HR information management type projects, as well as executive correspondence working on a lot of different interesting environmental projects that were going on in BC at the time.
[03:13] SPEAKER_01: I was also volunteering in many different capacities for various online publications in Vancouver. I did food critic review for a while. I worked with a social enterprise that was doing green event management.
[03:30] SPEAKER_01: I was a fundraising team leader for a lot of different types of activities like with the MS Society doing their MS walk as well as was a community manager, volunteer manager at a couple of different charities.
[03:45] SPEAKER_01: And I just I love I always love advocacy piece. I always love keeping busy. So when I was 24, so what halfway through my journey in the federal public service.
[03:55] SPEAKER_01: I also went back to university or went to university not not back. I should say excited gone to the first place. And I went to into a degree in health sciences specifically in public public health. I was really interested in community based research and taking community first approach to action planning and community development.
[04:15] SPEAKER_01: So that really appealed to me learning about health in a really holistic way. So talking about social health and environmental health. And and through that, I got involved with a poverty reduction team here in Vancouver as well. And that was a really amazing space to be in.
[04:32] SPEAKER_01: And I learned a lot. That's when I first started getting into grant writing working in that space and absolutely loved it. Now the thing I learned when I got out of university is that I no longer wanted to be in the federal public service. It was just not me. I kept thinking of the case. So I'm doing all of these other jobs at the same time. Clearly I'm not getting something's not feeding me in this in this role and sitting in my desk. And I feel like I'm not making a difference really.
[04:56] SPEAKER_01: And I want to be more actively involved in my community. So at the time I've been working at lowerlonsil.ca as a writer. And that was owned by Paul Brassard who's a local entrepreneur here in Vancouver.
[05:10] SPEAKER_01: Who's been an entrepreneur here for about 20 years. And I sat down with him one day and I said Paul, I want to learn more about what you do as an entrepreneur. I want to learn about the four profit space. I've worked in charities and federal government and social enterprise.
[05:25] SPEAKER_01: For many years and I want to understand. And he started talking. He's like, so what are we where should we start and what do you know? And I said, no, Paul, I don't know anything.
[05:34] SPEAKER_01: I really want, I don't know anything. This is a blank slate situation. So he really started the beginning and after about two hours of us talking about his life as an entrepreneur.
[05:43] SPEAKER_01: He said to me, okay, so you're working the federal public service right now. But the thing is that I want you on my team. How can I make that happen?
[05:52] SPEAKER_01: I he loved building great teams and he saw something in me. Thankfully that he he wanted to have within his team as well. So I said, okay, let me give me give me some time. Like working the government. I know I don't want to work here, but it's also it has as such as an amazing safety net and scary to leave it.
[06:09] SPEAKER_01: So it took me about six months and then it was September 2015 at that point. And I finally left and I joined Paul at what was then called elevator ventures, which evolved into volition this past year. So I've been with elevator or I've been with what was then elevator ventures since September 2015.
[06:27] SPEAKER_01: I started in a role that was administrative and communications based because I had both those backgrounds and I said to him, I get that I'm new in this space and you need an admin assistant and you need communications. So I will come and work here. If it's like a 60 40 split between those two different jobs and he was happy with that.
[06:47] SPEAKER_01: So I started doing that and within about six months had moved into a project manager role. And then after I've been there for about a year and a half, I realized that I'd gotten a sense of the space I'd fallen in love with entrepreneurship. I fell in love with with startups and the tech and how motivated everyone is in this space and
[07:05] SPEAKER_01: that they have these big dreams. They just go for it. And it's the most beautiful thing to bear witness to and to be a part of. So after about a year and a half after I felt like I kind of got the space. I said, hey Paul.
[07:15] SPEAKER_01: I actually have tons of experience that's really, really useful to bring to startups. I have I've been professionally writing for eight years. I have a really good understanding of the federal public service as well as other sectors and I can bring that that that writing piece and that grant research piece. I'd also worked in academia as a research assistant for a few years.
[07:35] SPEAKER_01: So that's when we started moving into consultant role and also I was kind of being groomed into a managing partner position. Along with our my colleague Tyler Higgs who works on the branding side, a UI, UX, he's an amazing artist. And he he was the is the third managing partner in what's now volition.
[07:57] SPEAKER_01: So we transformed to volition this past summer and the three of us, so Paul and Tyler myself were all managing partners in the firm now. And we spent essentially just spent the last two and a half years building community and really refining our value proposition and who we want to be and what our vision is for now volition and for the community that we are in.
[08:19] SPEAKER_01: And big part of that has been events, so we do put on a pitch practice event every month for the community here in my Cooper as well as we've done in Toronto and are looking to expand.
[08:32] SPEAKER_01: And that's once a month. It's a free event for the community. It's an amazing space. We get up to 15 events pitching sorry up to 15 companies pitching at every pitch practice event. We have up to 100 people coming to each event from the startup community.
[08:45] SPEAKER_01: And we have each company comes they do the 92nd pitch. They have a feedback panel who gives them tips on how to be more investor ready, how to refine their pitch and presentation.
[08:58] SPEAKER_01: And then we have the audience vote on the top three who top three pictures of the evening in those top three pictures get various prizes, including a preview spot at event tech angel network meeting.
[09:08] SPEAKER_00: So that's a really amazing thing that we do. Yeah, I was I attended the women's pitch one which I thought was really good. Yeah. Okay, now did you need financing to start your company and how do you currently make money in your business now?
[09:21] SPEAKER_01: So this is all it's sweat equity. It is our passion project. We have just put in our own time and effort and money to date into this to this venture of ours.
[09:35] SPEAKER_01: As we're moving forward, so today was budget days I sat down and spent about eight hours looking at our 2018 budget and what our vision and goals are for the next year.
[09:45] SPEAKER_01: And we're spending the next two weeks also doing a lot of strategic and visioning sessions to sort that piece out. Our business model is that we are advisers and consultants. So there's the three of us, but we also have additional advisers on the volition team now who work in things like sales and biz dev and digital marketing.
[10:02] SPEAKER_01: And so essentially whatever a start could need which any that's anywhere from ideation to let's say series a they could come to us and say, hey, I need coaching on investor pet pet and presentation. I need UI UX audit. I need funding research grant research and and grant writing services.
[10:26] SPEAKER_01: And we have a fee based system or and we're kind of evolving that into project based fees that we're going to have in place as well. And we're still reacting to the market and kind of adjusting things along the way.
[10:39] SPEAKER_01: We're moving into doing more events because we've been able to grow that community quite a bit. We have a large sponsorship model in place for our events because they're amazing. And we're moving into not doing just doing the pitch practice events, but also doing investor pitch nights and a variety of other events that we have in the pipeline.
[10:55] SPEAKER_01: So we're also starting to manage events for companies that want to do industry specific pitch nights or other types of events. So it's kind of we have this events division and then we have the consulting and advising advising piece as well.
[11:07] SPEAKER_00: Okay. Now what is the long term vision and what will your company look like in the future? Do you see the company expanding into other areas and where beyond Vancouver BC or even Canada?
[11:18] SPEAKER_01: Yes, absolutely. So a big thing for me is to have the national lens and that really came from being on the road for the past two and a half months.
[11:27] SPEAKER_01: So I went all the way up to the Yukon and then went all the way across Canada and in RV stopped in 31 different communities. So saw rural Canada, saw urban centers went all the way to Newfoundland.
[11:37] SPEAKER_01: And it was such an amazing experience to meet people in these tech communities across Canada and to absolutely fall in love with the variety of this that we have in this country.
[11:45] SPEAKER_01: But also to realize that we're very privileged here in Vancouver. We've been amazing community. We have a lot of resources and that's not the case everywhere you go. And yet there are entrepreneurs everywhere you go.
[11:55] SPEAKER_01: And so it's a matter of wanting to make new touch points to connect with people and right now we are looking at Calgary and Toronto and potentially Ottawa and that's simply because we have partners and sponsors and contacts in those spaces right now.
[12:11] SPEAKER_01: We've already done one event in Toronto and it was a huge success and that was in early October, women's pitch night and I would love to do more of those there.
[12:19] SPEAKER_01: So those are kind of the next place. I'm Prince George as well. We've just created a really great partnership with a team in Prince George so we can start doing some like broadcasting events and see how that works out and then move into bringing more events into the space.
[12:34] SPEAKER_01: So we are taking an events approach to our national expansion, but we are looking at going Canada wide right now and then we'll see what happens in the national vision.
[12:44] SPEAKER_01: As you mentioned, I do love to travel and I do tend to go. I go to England quite a bit. I go down to LA quite a bit. So we'll see what happens in the future, but definitely national expansion really growing our team is going to be key and bringing in really high quality people to our team.
[13:00] SPEAKER_01: And then I will be able to tell you more and then within the next two or three weeks after I've done all my visioning sessions.
[13:05] SPEAKER_00: Okay, good. Okay, well, we've learned a lot about you and we've learned a lot about your company. So we want to focus a little bit on Vancouver and what it's like to do business here.
[13:15] SPEAKER_00: What are the biggest benefits for you and being an entrepreneur here in Vancouver BC? I want you to give us some of the good points about starting your company here, but I also want you to give us some of the tough things or challenges for listeners so they can keep it out for them.
[13:31] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's really good question. It's something I've been thinking about quite a bit since I've been on this tour and seeing all of the benefits of being benefits and drawbacks of being in a lot of different areas.
[13:43] SPEAKER_01: And I know a big thing that people always say is the Vancouver community is amazing. And I would agree with that. It's been a very welcoming space for me to be in.
[13:51] SPEAKER_01: I think there's a saying about how the thing you love about about someone is also the thing that you hate about them. And I would say that's true for Vancouver. Vancouver is my home and I love it.
[14:01] SPEAKER_01: We have this laid back lifestyle thing, which I love because I grew up here and I grew up on the mountainside playground of North Vancouver and I love to have time off to go to go snowboarding and to have a really relaxed place of life and to be able to breathe and have a rhythm to my life.
[14:20] SPEAKER_01: And that's really what people value in Vancouver I found. And that's what we're known for across Canada at least is for having that laid back lifestyle and we're known for poaching people from other areas of the country for that reason.
[14:33] SPEAKER_01: So that's something I love and that there's a community around that of people who want to have these lifestyle businesses and have space to breathe and play.
[14:42] SPEAKER_01: But on the flip side of that the piece around what the thing that I what you love about something is the thing you hate about it is that it means that things go at a slower pace and that that's also something that we're known for across Canada is that Vancouver Vancouver business.
[15:01] SPEAKER_01: We just so if I said to you let's have coffee I know in Vancouver that might need three up just three weeks from now if I said that in Toronto and New York or San Francisco.
[15:08] SPEAKER_01: It might be it would be like in the next 24 hours or something to that effect is just a completely different pace of life.
[15:17] SPEAKER_01: And the drawback of course of having a faster pace of life and pace of pace of business is that of course you don't have it's harder to get that rhythm in your life.
[15:29] SPEAKER_01: But then you also just things seem to happen at a different rate of change and there's just like I don't know how to explain it.
[15:36] SPEAKER_01: There's like a there's an energy in these places where where things are where the focus is business.
[15:43] SPEAKER_01: There's a different energy of just like we're going to make it happen is the startup energy but it's at a whole next level.
[15:50] SPEAKER_01: So to me that's kind of the good and the bad event.
[15:52] SPEAKER_01: Vancouver is the the laid back lifestyle and of course as I mentioned the community here is amazing and there's a lot of resources that new entrepreneurs or entrepreneurs of all.
[16:04] SPEAKER_01: Wherever they are in their journey there's lots of resources here and that's only growing so we'll see what happens.
[16:09] SPEAKER_01: I think we're very much evolving startup ecosystem here so we'll see I think my answer will be probably very different in the next two years.
[16:18] SPEAKER_00: Okay well we do some of our best workouts side the office.
[16:21] SPEAKER_00: Is there a place in the lower mainland close to where you live or work where you like to go recharge or get inspired or just think about your business and does it change with the season considering all the rain we get here.
[16:32] SPEAKER_01: No of course not true Vancouver right the rain doesn't get you down.
[16:38] SPEAKER_01: For me all I the the ocean and the mountains are my muse that's what I absolutely love unfortunate I'm very fortunate to live in lower
[16:57] SPEAKER_01: haven't been there but if you haven't been there is this wonderful long dock out into the middle of the water and you can I just go down there especially like the first snow fall of the year and it go down there you sit and it's quiet and all you can hear is like making the new
[17:12] SPEAKER_01: footprints in the new snow and it's just crunching and it's lovely and the water is turning and I just that is my happy place is down on the dock at Lonstell Key.
[17:21] SPEAKER_01: But also as I mentioned I do snowboard reasons no board it's my third year this year and so being a top Cypress mountain on panorama and seeing Vancouver from that space day or night it's I can just take a really big breath and that's such a beautiful place for me.
[17:41] SPEAKER_01: But honestly like North Vancouver is my my place it's where I go every time I have writers block I just go on a run around my neighborhood try to make my way to the forest or somewhere that's not concrete but but there's so many different places I love.
[17:57] SPEAKER_01: Cory rock I used to go and do Cory rock hike every week I used to go and do the gross grind every couple weeks it's there's so there's no there's no end of places you can go here.
[18:07] SPEAKER_00: Right spoken like a true west coast girl yeah exactly okay now this next question we have I want you to speak to our international listeners and and imagine if you were them.
[18:18] SPEAKER_00: If you were to start all over again and you just moved here to Vancouver BC but this time you don't know anyone knowing what you know now what would you do and how would you go about starting all over again as an entrepreneur.
[18:32] SPEAKER_01: Well I listened to this podcast among other there's many amazing podcast here in Vancouver that introduced you to the big the big the big voices in the community.
[18:47] SPEAKER_01: It's interesting because I just I just got involved in this community about two and a half years ago I didn't know anyone in it so I'm obviously not new to Vancouver and I worked in for many years in.
[18:56] SPEAKER_01: The event space in Vancouver so I was already aware of the fact that well a lot of people say there's nothing going on here there are multiple events going on every single night and some matter of knowing where to look to find them what you hear in a lot of communities it's you have to know where to look so for instance the BC tech association they have a great.
[19:14] SPEAKER_01: There's events calendar on their website you can go to there's so many resources I know a lot of the women's resources right now because that's just top of mind for me like women's enterprise center is a fantastic place to go with great rent resources raise collective amazing woman who have started that initiative and they are doing some really great things for new entrepreneurs they have a new program just launching in January.
[19:37] SPEAKER_01: I can't I can't remember the name right now but if you look up raised collective you would see it and it's for people who are just trying to figure out if they even if they need to do an investor round they need to raise and what that would mean and what that looks like of course we have we have lighthouse labs we have launch Academy we have spring we have volition you can always come to volition and all of our events we now have a new website up with that we'll have all of our events up on there come the new year and all of our pitch nights are going on.
[20:07] SPEAKER_01: So I think that's a great opportunity for you to be here free as I mentioned an amazing a really good quality audience so matter like Vancouver's about as many places are about it's about who you know.
[20:15] SPEAKER_01: And to know that it is a welcoming community and it's and there are events on all the time and it does take that time up front to go to the events I know that's really it can be very difficult for a lot of people depending on what your time situation is like which is unfortunate there are weekday events.
[20:37] SPEAKER_01: So I know as if you put on lunch and learns a lot of people will go to there's there's there are Facebook groups that you can tap into as well.
[20:49] SPEAKER_01: Girl gangs are really great one for women to get involved with and city business babes is another good one for women entrepreneurs.
[20:55] SPEAKER_01: But there's ones for people all walks life also going into any co working space which they're just popping up all over the place of Vancouver they tend to be really plugged into the community as well so create a co workers let's tell you the profile we work is obviously coming to Vancouver so there's just there's no there's no end of resources but it does take like Vancouver is no one for being unfriendly in general to to newcomers but it's just a matter of.
[21:24] SPEAKER_01: Getting out there and and connecting with people and knowing that everyone is open for having a cup of coffee with you so get on LinkedIn and look up.
[21:33] SPEAKER_01: Vancouver businesses and just start messaging people and say hey I'd love to go for coffee or can I take you up for coffee I just want to learn more about the community and you be surprised how many people say yes.
[21:44] SPEAKER_00: Yes just like how we met you were doing you were speaking and I had to leave and I said I got to get your card and yeah next thing you know here we are.
[21:51] SPEAKER_00: Okay what does the first hour look like for you when you get up in the morning do you have a specific routine or a ritual that helps you get motivated to start your day.
[22:02] SPEAKER_01: Yeah not right now it's it's such a it's it's bad it's been the last eight months of my life have been unhelpfully busy I would say but that being said I did create a morning routine last December that I love and I tell everyone about it and I want to get back to it.
[22:19] SPEAKER_01: So yeah it's both this time last year that I was saying I would allow and to myself that that I wanted to get a good more morning routine in place because I really understood that that's what that's about for a good day.
[22:31] SPEAKER_01: And especially being a writer I like to be in a really good head space when I want and I want to be able to write every day because that's how you become a better writers to nurse that.
[22:39] SPEAKER_01: So what I was doing I've been going to a personal trainer trainer for a couple of years at the time and we were always doing these high intensity intervals.
[22:46] SPEAKER_01: So I thought okay could I do a high intensity interval for my mind and body and because the theory behind those is that everyone has 12 minutes and everyone has 12 minutes in the morning you just set your alarm 12 minutes earlier.
[22:59] SPEAKER_01: So what I was doing is I was getting up and I was doing four minutes of meditation.
[23:06] SPEAKER_01: Sorry three minutes three minutes of meditation three minutes.
[23:10] SPEAKER_01: That's short three minutes.
[23:12] SPEAKER_01: Well another thing is that over time you realize you have more time but this is just how you start.
[23:16] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[23:16] SPEAKER_01: Is by doing three minutes of meditation three minutes of stretching three minutes of exercise and then three minutes of writing.
[23:25] SPEAKER_01: And that was my 12 minute hit and then I and that's where I started in January and then by about March I got into doing five minutes.
[23:33] SPEAKER_01: So the 20 minute session five minute meditation five minute stretch five minute exercise five minute writing and I also found if I started writing for five minutes I just wouldn't stop.
[23:45] SPEAKER_01: So I would end up writing for about 20 minutes which is a really great amount of time to write per day.
[23:49] SPEAKER_01: So it was just a way to kind of get me in a really good head space.
[23:52] SPEAKER_01: It allowed me to wake up and feel grounded and centered and that's that was my morning routine and I loved it.
[24:00] SPEAKER_01: My morning routine now I do keep my cell phone out of the bedroom. I don't believe in having to to I don't like having waking up and looking at my phone right away.
[24:11] SPEAKER_01: So I don't have that in there.
[24:12] SPEAKER_01: I'll get up usually now.
[24:14] SPEAKER_01: I'll make a cup of tea and I'll sit in my favorite reading chair for a couple minutes and I'll start getting going with my day.
[24:19] SPEAKER_01: But I did find that this 12 to 20 minute practice I had early in the earlier in the year was a better way to start my day.
[24:27] SPEAKER_01: So it's on my list of things to get back to good.
[24:30] SPEAKER_00: Do you think entrepreneurs have to be weird or unique in a positive way or wired differently?
[24:39] SPEAKER_01: I think everyone's weird and unique.
[24:42] SPEAKER_01: So I mean everyone has ideas and it's I've really struggled with this concept of entrepreneurism and entrepreneurialism.
[24:52] SPEAKER_01: I don't even know how to say it appropriately.
[24:55] SPEAKER_01: Because it's not until very recently that I started owning the title for myself.
[24:59] SPEAKER_01: Because I would just say, oh, I just have ideas and I make things happen and I'm not going to take on that title.
[25:05] SPEAKER_01: And it took quite a few people saying or challenging me to start using that word or title I'm talking about myself to start using it.
[25:16] SPEAKER_01: Like I'm talking within the last couple months, essentially.
[25:18] SPEAKER_01: So I think that that yes and away because I guess it depends on what kind of entrepreneur you want to be though.
[25:30] SPEAKER_01: And I find a lot of entrepreneurs are are unique in that they are privileged and that they found something that they are so excited about.
[25:43] SPEAKER_01: And I would love to see many more people finding that thing that they are so excited about that they are willing to go next level for that.
[25:52] SPEAKER_01: Like for myself, like stepping out of that comfort zone of being in a very cushy position for 10 years into a free fall of no idea where the next paycheck is going.
[26:03] SPEAKER_01: Working literally from 7 a.m. until 1 a.m. not seeing friends and family as much not being able to do the things I want to do as much and really having to work very hard to still be healthy.
[26:14] SPEAKER_01: And it is it's exhausting and most of my friends say they don't understand how I can possibly do it. They don't understand where I find the hours in the day.
[26:23] SPEAKER_01: But I but those but all my friends like everyone who's saying that they're like unique and and kooky people as well.
[26:28] SPEAKER_01: And I think I think everyone is wants to get to know them. So I don't know. It's kind of hard question. I feel like everyone has it potentially in them. But it's a matter of finding that thing.
[26:38] SPEAKER_01: Like believing believing that you can do it, which is kind of a next level confidence. It's not anything confidence is the right word.
[26:44] SPEAKER_01: Believe in you can just do it. And and then letting go of the fear and there's so much fear around it.
[26:53] SPEAKER_01: And I meet even early stage entrepreneurs or want to printers as some people might call them that they're just trying to figure out if they even want it that much or if they're willing to take on the fear that's going to come with it.
[27:07] SPEAKER_01: So it's it's not so much being like weird and kooky and all these pieces, which I love. And I think those are very positive words.
[27:14] SPEAKER_01: But it's it's like I haven't I haven't found the right word to be honest Robert like confidence is not the right word. But it's something around there.
[27:23] SPEAKER_00: Yeah. What books are you reading now and why or even audio books and can you recommend any books for our listeners who are also aspiring entrepreneurs?
[27:32] SPEAKER_01: I've been asked this a few times recently and I don't have a good answer for that. I right now when I have time to read, I'd gravitate towards fiction.
[27:40] SPEAKER_01: I have a long list of books that I want to read that I've heard are from podcasts such as this one that are really, really good.
[27:46] SPEAKER_01: Honestly, my favorite book and one that keeps me inspired is Anna Greengables. And I know that's not an entrepreneur book whatsoever. But for me, it kind of when I when I reread that a couple years ago, it brought me back to because I character of Anna Greengable. She's very.
[28:04] SPEAKER_01: She's very cookie like everything you just described about one on hers like she's very cookie and she's very confident and she knows what she wants and she goes for it.
[28:12] SPEAKER_01: And I realized when I reread it a couple years ago that I lost that that passion and I wanted to re refine that became my goal to become become more like that to get to tap into my creative side to let go of the fears to realize that I can do what I want to do.
[28:26] SPEAKER_01: So it's kind of an odd one and I imagine I can't imagine anyone else would have mentioned Anna Greengables is potentially there.
[28:33] SPEAKER_01: Source of inspiration, but I think you can find that inspiration anywhere in any character.
[28:39] SPEAKER_01: But I did I do want to do a plug for a book, which is Pamela, which is Paulina Cameron's, kind of 150 woman was just hit the shelves recently.
[28:52] SPEAKER_01: So Paulina is a local writer and she works a future printer and she's amazing and she's been working on these interviews with 150 woman in Canada who are absolutely outstanding and she's been she did it in a crazy turn around time like six months and gone on the shelves.
[29:07] SPEAKER_01: They're all over the place. It's a really great book. I went to the book launch got the book very inspiring. So that's my my plug for that's something I guess I'm I'm guess I'm reading it's kind of it's sitting on my on my chair in the living room when I flipped through it.
[29:22] SPEAKER_00: That's a good one. Good. Any online or offline tools that you like to use on a daily basis.
[29:29] SPEAKER_01: I have so many. I mean I guess all the main ones, the main ones what we would do your top two.
[29:37] SPEAKER_01: And and and Google Drive is absolutely everything I've tried lots of different more exciting tools and the drive I keep coming back to you.
[29:47] SPEAKER_01: I use zoom for meetings. I use mix max. I have a love affair with being really organized and having bring forward mechanisms in place.
[29:57] SPEAKER_01: That's from my years in the government of constantly need to be reminded of of emails. So mix max is kind of like an email tool that allows you to to mark things to for you to be reminded of it.
[30:09] SPEAKER_01: And you can add notes and stuff. So that's a that's kind of a favorite of mine.
[30:15] SPEAKER_01: But no, I use I end up snap see does my favorite tool for photo editing on mobile.
[30:23] SPEAKER_01: It's very cool. It's kind of like Photoshop. So that's a great one if you're wanting to curate your Instagram feed a bit better.
[30:30] SPEAKER_00: Okay. If you weren't doing what you do now, what would you like to do for profession?
[30:38] SPEAKER_01: I'm doing exactly what I want to be doing to be honest and I don't I know that's not that exciting of an answer probably but between volition and women and tech world.
[30:49] SPEAKER_01: I mean with women and tech world, I get to be surrounded by extremely motivational women all the time and going cross Canada was an absolute.
[30:59] SPEAKER_01: It was I don't even have words is an amazing amazing journey and I learned so much along the way and I was all volunteer time.
[31:08] SPEAKER_01: But so worth it. And now I'm getting to work with my research team back here in my cuver and we're developing the national report.
[31:16] SPEAKER_01: An analyzing all the data we talked over 800 women across a woman and men across Canada. That's that's the dream. Like when I when I heard about driving wind tech, which was the research to where I was on.
[31:26] SPEAKER_01: I heard about it in June or sorry not June April and I was I was like this is my entire life has has led up to this moment essentially everything I've learned was for this and it's everything I've ever wanted to do.
[31:38] SPEAKER_01: So between volition where I get to to work with entrepreneurs and and people who make things happen and women and tech world where I get to take the apply my my my knowledge in community based research and learning.
[31:50] SPEAKER_01: I have my dream situation right now. The only thing I say is there's always been two parts of me the other part of me is the artist and the writer.
[31:59] SPEAKER_01: So sometimes I dream of running off to a cabin and just doing puzzles and reading and writing and painting all day long.
[32:06] SPEAKER_01: And but I know I get I'd get bored of that and I'd get into some volunteer and advocacy work all the way anyways. So that's kind of the two the two parts of me.
[32:15] SPEAKER_01: But but I really really do love what I do and it's something that everyone in my life can see and the reason they say even though I don't understand how you're working so hard.
[32:25] SPEAKER_01: I get it because you've never been happier.
[32:27] SPEAKER_00: What kind of a job would you not like to do couldn't do it.
[32:31] SPEAKER_01: I would not go back to a nine to five working in front of the computer working for someone on projects that I don't feel like I'm making any impact on.
[32:41] SPEAKER_00: In business, what is your favorite word quote or sentence that you like to use.
[32:49] SPEAKER_01: So my mom used to say to me you even only do or you do what you can with what you have at the time.
[32:57] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's what it was. You do what you can with what you have at the time.
[33:01] SPEAKER_01: And I really like that because I think it's motivational and that you do what you can and you and what you have at the time is always going to be changing.
[33:12] SPEAKER_01: So it's also that that piece around being forgiving to yourself because it's going to be into your time times in your life where you have so much energy and you have everything's falling into place.
[33:20] SPEAKER_01: And there's no obstacles in the way and you can just give it absolutely everything every last interview you can give to the project that you're on or you can decide to do that actively.
[33:31] SPEAKER_01: But then there's going to be other times in your life where you just can't and you can only do as much as your physical and emotional well being is allowing you to do.
[33:40] SPEAKER_01: And I think all to that quote for me is really helped me to understand other people's actions and to realize that even though you don't might not understand why people are making the choices that they're making.
[33:49] SPEAKER_01: They're doing generally the best they can with what they have we might not understand because we don't understand where they're coming from but it gives you that space to realize okay.
[34:00] SPEAKER_01: So where are they coming from what is the best that they have and let's talk about that and try to understand that as opposed to jumping to some arbitrary conclusion about what about why they're acting the way they are choosing to do the things the way they are and it's really helped me to.
[34:15] SPEAKER_01: To have a different lens and to be more forgiving of myself and others and to realize that we're all just doing our best and that's a big a big thing to me.
[34:27] SPEAKER_01: So I think that that's like it's it's an interesting one that I never thought when my mom used to always say it I never thought that I would ever be re quoting it or that it would help me in such a way but I think it's it's a good one.
[34:37] SPEAKER_00: What is your least favorite word or sentence you do not like to hear.
[34:45] SPEAKER_01: You can't do that.
[34:47] SPEAKER_01: I think I've always had a problem with authority so people telling me I can't do things.
[34:53] SPEAKER_01: I don't like that.
[34:54] SPEAKER_01: No.
[34:55] SPEAKER_00: Okay. If you had to pick one or two words to describe yourself what would it be and why.
[35:01] SPEAKER_01: Oh.
[35:07] SPEAKER_01: One or two words describe myself I've always been really bad at questions like this.
[35:12] SPEAKER_00: You got lots of energy.
[35:14] SPEAKER_00: I can be.
[35:15] SPEAKER_01: Yeah. Well, you tell me the one or two words.
[35:19] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I guess I don't I've never thought of energy as a word to describe myself but but sure let's go with let's go with energy.
[35:29] SPEAKER_01: I'm like looking around the room trying to get inspiration for this.
[35:34] SPEAKER_01: Adventure I think or I want to say something around like the fact that I what feeds me is being challenged and learning and growing.
[35:45] SPEAKER_01: So something around adventure but adventure not in just the sense of traveling but also adventure in life and that I like to take different paths and learn new things.
[35:53] SPEAKER_01: So let's go with adventure and energy energy sure.
[35:59] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[35:59] SPEAKER_00: What keeps you up at night if anything.
[36:06] SPEAKER_01: I was up all night last night and I was thinking about.
[36:14] SPEAKER_01: I think I'm usually usually the reason I'd be up all night all night is because I haven't taken the time to think through a problem or whether I should say probably an issue something good or bad.
[36:31] SPEAKER_01: That's going on in my life.
[36:33] SPEAKER_01: I tend to to really think things through.
[36:37] SPEAKER_01: I don't like the term overthink.
[36:39] SPEAKER_01: That would be another thing I hate when people say this over to me is that I overthink things.
[36:43] SPEAKER_01: It's like well it's just my way of processing.
[36:45] SPEAKER_01: I just think things through a lot and sometimes that does keep me up at night and I should have learned by now to write things down when I'm thinking about them at night.
[36:52] SPEAKER_01: I do have a notepad next to my bed for that purpose but that's probably what keeps me.
[36:57] SPEAKER_01: It's never the same thing twice but it's always something that there's a barrier or challenge or an exciting thing happening the next day.
[37:05] SPEAKER_01: I'm thinking through how I'm going to address that.
[37:09] SPEAKER_00: Give us the top three things on your inspired lifeless.
[37:13] SPEAKER_00: This can be a bucket list of stuff you want to do with a TEDx talk, write books, travel more.
[37:19] SPEAKER_00: Anything like that?
[37:21] SPEAKER_01: I want to live somewhere outside of Vancouver for at least a year because I have traveled a lot but I've never lived in places for about three months.
[37:32] SPEAKER_01: I like to live somewhere and really sink my teeth into that place for at least a year.
[37:35] SPEAKER_01: That might be Montreal, that might be LA or probably London at some point.
[37:42] SPEAKER_01: It's my partners from England so that's likely.
[37:45] SPEAKER_01: I want to do that. I always want to write a book so I have ideas on the go and I surround myself with motivation to write my book but I have not done it yet.
[37:54] SPEAKER_01: I don't know what even one is going to look like but that's a like goal is to write a book.
[38:01] SPEAKER_01: So live somewhere else for at least a year, write a book.
[38:06] SPEAKER_01: It's another one.
[38:08] SPEAKER_00: TEDx talk?
[38:10] SPEAKER_01: I've never considered that but sure.
[38:13] SPEAKER_00: Do you have any advice that you may have received that you can pass on to entrepreneurs throughout British Columbia?
[38:21] SPEAKER_01: I've received throughout British Columbia.
[38:25] SPEAKER_00: Someone told you something said, yeah, that sounds about right to be.
[38:32] SPEAKER_01: No, I think my biggest piece of advice is just to reiterate what I said earlier which is you never know what can come from a conversation.
[38:41] SPEAKER_01: So that's what that's our motto at volition.
[38:44] SPEAKER_01: You never know what can come from a conversation.
[38:46] SPEAKER_01: Just start the conversation in any way possible.
[38:50] SPEAKER_01: Say hello to people, people are friendly.
[38:53] SPEAKER_01: I love talking to people.
[38:55] SPEAKER_01: So if you see me anywhere or if you want if you find me on LinkedIn, please do reach out.
[39:00] SPEAKER_01: Definitely trying to broaden the BC scope of within volition and within my own horizons.
[39:07] SPEAKER_01: And I think there's amazing stuff going on in the province.
[39:12] SPEAKER_01: I heard someone say in where was it?
[39:14] SPEAKER_01: Brandon, Manitoba, a woman said that you become very resourceful when you don't have resources.
[39:20] SPEAKER_01: And that's something beautiful that I noticed in rural areas in particular or smaller cities that don't have the kind of resources that we have in Vancouver.
[39:30] SPEAKER_01: That they become very creative and very resourceful.
[39:33] SPEAKER_01: They realize that their customer base isn't just their city.
[39:35] SPEAKER_01: So they're thinking global already.
[39:37] SPEAKER_01: They're thinking outside the box in their marketing schemes and everything that they're doing.
[39:41] SPEAKER_01: But I think that we don't do as much as we should here in Vancouver.
[39:44] SPEAKER_01: So I think like my piece of advice for BC, not that I've heard it from anyone else, but is just to start thinking outside of our own city.
[39:51] SPEAKER_01: Start making more connections because it's only going to be good for us to start collaborating with entrepreneurs across BC.
[39:58] SPEAKER_01: And to not expect them to come to Vancouver, they shouldn't have to in our digital age.
[40:01] SPEAKER_01: There are a lot of Wi-Fi problems in BC and connectivity problems in general, which I would love to have addressed.
[40:07] SPEAKER_01: But I think like creating those networks of collaboration, there's so many people doing so many amazing things.
[40:12] SPEAKER_01: And we tend to get really siloed, especially in Vancouver.
[40:14] SPEAKER_01: We tend to be competitive.
[40:15] SPEAKER_01: And we don't need to be. We have the same end goals.
[40:18] SPEAKER_01: And when you put, when you raise each other up, you only raise yourself up as well.
[40:22] SPEAKER_01: And that's not just applied to you.
[40:24] SPEAKER_01: That's something that I believe and I know to be very true.
[40:26] SPEAKER_01: And I think that BC could be doing such amazing things if we just work together in bigger ways and started seeing the opportunities and entrepreneurs that are everywhere.
[40:35] SPEAKER_00: Okay. Okay, Melanie, are you ready to have some fun?
[40:39] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[40:39] SPEAKER_00: Okay.
[40:40] SPEAKER_00: Oh wait. There's a small tropical island just off of Fiji that only has one phone booth there. There is no internet.
[40:46] SPEAKER_00: This place does exist.
[40:48] SPEAKER_00: We're going to drop you off there. You won't have a computer or a smartphone or a tablet.
[40:52] SPEAKER_00: You can use the phone booth located there any time to call the boat.
[40:55] SPEAKER_00: We'll come pick you up.
[40:57] SPEAKER_00: How long would you last before you made that call?
[41:00] SPEAKER_00: What would you do while you were there?
[41:03] SPEAKER_01: I think I'd.
[41:06] SPEAKER_01: Okay. So I feel like I would be.
[41:09] SPEAKER_01: It would take me about a couple of weeks to just get out of.
[41:14] SPEAKER_01: My mindset, like I was saying that there's two parts of me.
[41:16] SPEAKER_01: The one who's always wanted to do stuff and one who just wants to chill out.
[41:18] SPEAKER_01: So it takes me about two weeks usually to get out of the mindset of wanting to just do stuff and kind of panicking about the fact that I'm not getting stuff done.
[41:27] SPEAKER_01: But once I'd kind of gotten over that.
[41:30] SPEAKER_01: So do I do I know do I have somewhere to live here on this island?
[41:34] SPEAKER_00: It's up to you.
[41:35] SPEAKER_00: There's a phone booth.
[41:36] SPEAKER_00: It's got to go somewhere, right?
[41:39] SPEAKER_01: Right.
[41:39] SPEAKER_01: So I'd want to learn how to make.
[41:41] SPEAKER_01: I've always loved the idea of knowing how to survive somewhere,
[41:44] SPEAKER_01: but I don't know how I would know how to survive somewhere without like a book or team with me or if I can keep using that phone, I guess I could.
[41:52] SPEAKER_01: Keep asking experts how to build my my shelter and how to make food and all those things.
[41:58] SPEAKER_01: And so what I would do there is just knowing me.
[42:01] SPEAKER_01: I can I am once I'm in that zone of being happy to not be a part of the world.
[42:06] SPEAKER_01: I can do that for a while.
[42:08] SPEAKER_01: I could probably do.
[42:10] SPEAKER_01: Am I by myself by myself?
[42:12] SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
[42:12] SPEAKER_00: Okay.
[42:13] SPEAKER_01: I think I could do.
[42:16] SPEAKER_01: I could do six months if I had my partner Tom with me because he's such an amazing support system.
[42:23] SPEAKER_01: He's my best friend.
[42:24] SPEAKER_01: And so I would miss him ever so much if he's not there with me.
[42:27] SPEAKER_01: So if he's not there with me, then I'm going to say two months, maybe three months.
[42:31] SPEAKER_01: If he's there with me or if he can come visit once a month, then I think I could do about six months.
[42:35] SPEAKER_01: And I would just like write my book and I would.
[42:37] SPEAKER_01: I would be with nature and I do my hikes and I know I know I could absolutely love that.
[42:45] SPEAKER_00: Good.
[42:46] SPEAKER_00: Okay, Melanie, how can our listeners get whole of you?
[42:48] SPEAKER_00: And is there anything you'd like to add before you leave us today?
[42:52] SPEAKER_01: Well, you can email me at Melanie at FelicianAdvisors.com.
[42:58] SPEAKER_01: You can go to our website as well.
[43:03] SPEAKER_01: www.volutionadvisors.com.
[43:05] SPEAKER_01: You can find me on LinkedIn, Melanie, you in that's EWAN.
[43:09] SPEAKER_01: So I'm very findable and many different types of things.
[43:12] SPEAKER_01: And in terms of last things, I'm so grateful that you had me on here on this episode.
[43:22] SPEAKER_01: Robert, I think it's amazing that we have these types of programs here in Vancouver.
[43:27] SPEAKER_01: And I'm excited to see it grow.
[43:29] SPEAKER_01: I think that we're going to see really interesting things happening for Vancouver.
[43:32] SPEAKER_01: I'm excited to be a part of that.
[43:33] SPEAKER_01: I'm always excited to get involved with more things, much to the chagrin of some people in my life.
[43:39] SPEAKER_01: But I love to hear about what people are working on.
[43:42] SPEAKER_01: And I love to connect with people.
[43:43] SPEAKER_01: And so please do any listeners that want to connect with me, please do.
[43:49] SPEAKER_01: But I just want to thank you and to thank everyone in the community who's making this space, the place that it is.
[43:54] SPEAKER_00: Great. Okay. Well, thank you for coming on the show.
[43:57] SPEAKER_00: I've learned a lot about you and I'm sure our listeners have as well.
[44:00] SPEAKER_01: Yeah. No problem.
[44:02] SPEAKER_00: We'll see you next time.
[44:03] SPEAKER_00: All right. Bye.
[44:05] SPEAKER_00: Hey there. Thanks for taking time to listen to the Vancouver Entrepreneur.ca podcast.
[44:09] SPEAKER_00: We hope you enjoyed the show today.
[44:11] SPEAKER_00: Make sure you sign up for our newsletters and write a review for us on iTunes.
[44:15] SPEAKER_00: And then connect with us on Twitter, at Vansity Podcast and like us on Facebook.
[44:19] SPEAKER_00: And you'll get all the latest news, including the BC Weekly Business Support.
[44:22] SPEAKER_00: Where you can find out more. But what's going on with this fabulous province of ours?
[44:26] SPEAKER_00: See you next time.
