Ksenia judges books by their covers – and then she elevates them into works of art. Hand-crafted, one of a kind, leather-bound novels line the walls of Ksenia Kopystyńska’s downtown limestone brick studio in Kingston, Ontario. The towering windows of Ars Libri Studio (latin for “the art of books”) feature her handiwork, giving passers-by the opportunity to browse beautiful hand-bound books and other leathercraft items. Even… Read more
Business Development
Most people don’t just pick up chainsaw carving. But that’s exactly what Michael Carr did. When he was working making props for film and television, he picked up a chainsaw on a whim. “It wound up being quicker and faster to cut up the Styrofoam. And I sort of built it from there.” Chainsaw carving has always called Michael’s name. It was a whisper in… Read more
Business Development
Monika worked hard for 8 years to study to become a licenced Minister. She wanted to pursue a career in that industry, but she couldn’t find the time between her shifts as a bus driver in Calgary. “I thought I could do both,” she says. “I thought I could perform marriage and celebration of life ceremonies in between the other job. But it was hard.”… Read more
Business Development
Words that come to mind to describe Nicole: kind, driven, funny, and authentic. She’s the type of person that it’s easy to get to know because she emanates honesty, openness and caring. But Nicole has not had an easy life. Facing abuse and poverty throughout her childhood, she struggled with addiction and didn’t finish high school. After starting her own family she had to count… Read more
Business Development
Hey friends, Momentum belongs to a non-profit association called REAP, which stands for Respect for the Earth and All People. REAP businesses like ours care about the community and the planet. Each year REAP’s Be Local Awards encourage Calgarians to vote for their favourite local businesses. Winners are recognized at REAP’s annual Be Local Awards Gala with a Be Local trophy. Voting is open August… Read more
Business Development, Community Matters, Get Involved, Our Results
In my job at Momentum I’m always inspired by the courage and strength that our participants have as they move towards a better life. It’s great coming to work each day knowing people are overcoming challenges and creating a vibrant community with Momentum’s help. The other thing that is exciting for me lately is my journey as an artist. In 2016 I had my first… Read more
Business Development Momentum is partnering with Bootkik Video to share the stories, successes, failures and lessons learned from some of our city’s leading entrepreneurs. Our hope is that these stories can provide inspiration to the entrepreneurs that we are connected to as well as inspire our wider community to support local businesses and build a stronger Calgary. We hope you enjoy the stories in this series. This… Read more
Business Development
In last week’s post, we discussed the first three steps in directing traffic to your website: Know your target market, have a marketing funnel on your website and use keywords. Today, you’ll learn the final two steps in directing traffic to your website and thus increasing your sales. Step 4: WRITE CONTENT No one reads BLOGS anymore. No one opts into NEWSLETTERS. People want something… Read more
Business Development
In a recent post, we discussed how to grow your email list as a way to increase sales. You might remember, but most likely not and now my feelings are hurt, “the final step in growing your email list is to direct traffic to your website or social media sites. Just think keywords and blogging to get you headed in the right direction. You can… Read more
Business Development
Marquesa Shore had always wanted to be a business owner but, until one casual drive through the mountains, she had no idea what that could mean. She had been earning good money in Fort McMurray, but lost her job during layoffs in 2014. When she later visited Banff, she was immediately inspired: Banff needed a women’s clothing boutique, and she would be the one to… Read more
Business Development, Community Matters, Our Results