Edmonton Journal – Edmonton entrepreneurs seek advice, one date at a time
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EDMONTON — As rain pours down outside, a group of about 30 young Edmontonians are mingling in the moody ARTery on Jasper Avenue.
Flirty salsa music can be heard from the speakers, as the men and women saunter from table to table meeting each other.
A double-date is unfolding in one darkly-lit corner of the room. But instead of making nervous small-talk, each person is staring intently at their iPhone.
“Do you guys have Twitter?” one guy asks.
Though designed with the flavour of a speed-dating party, attendees at Sunday’s DIYalogue were not looking to connect romantically. Instead, the event aimed to give magazine founders, crafters, website editors and other aspiring entrepreneurs a chance to meet and share their business wisdom through mini-dates.
“We have homegrown talent [here] but we don’t always tell the success stories,” said Carol Neuman, organizer of the event with Edmonton Next Gen.
As attendees rotated from table to table every 15 minutes, Sally Poulsen, the editor and creative director of local website The Edmontonian, offered her advice to aspiring businessmen and businesswomen.
“There aren’t any rules anymore. You take the risk and try,” she said.
Poulsen and the site’s editor-in-chief, Jeff Samsonow, did just that two years ago when they began The Edmontonian, while both were still fully employed.
“We were scared,” Poulsen said.
Today, the site has a steady local following and its own television spot on Shaw TV.
Karen Lee sat at Poulsen’s table. The twenty-something University of Alberta grad said she planned on going into teaching, but soon realized she wanted to be her own boss.
She arrived at the event with her own handmade business cards, her name and e-mail written in quirky block letters on fluorescent green.
“It’s so they remember me and don’t dump it. You can go anywhere and get business cards for cheap,” she said.
She doesn’t have a business plan, just a lot of ideas. After connecting with Poulsen, she hopes to start contributing to The Edmontonian.
Not all entrepreneurial tales were full of success. Funding roadblocks, creating a business plan, and being taken seriously were hot topics at every table.
“I’m still trying to get myself recognized as a business person instead of some funny girl with funny clothes,” said local clothing designer Bridget Smatlan.
After the event, Neuman said the event was “illuminating.”
“There are a lot of people who work their asses off to make the city more vibrant,” she said.