Off the Ground Blog

As Loonie Sinks Export Becomes Attractive to Small Businesses

Feb 2, 2016

The loonie’s value has hit a decade low and while this is generally bad news for the Canadian economy, it can create business opportunities abroad. Canadian companies can now generate a profit on products and services sold at a discount on the US and international markets. Exporting has its unique challenges but it could be worth your time to see if your business could benefit from new markets abroad.​

10 Exciting Business Developments in 2016

Jan 1, 2016

It is a new year and everyone likes to predict what will come in 2016. We decided to review these predictions and share strategies you may want to try this year

Extracting Insights with Data Visualization Tools (Part 2 of 2)

Jan 1, 2016

Continuing with our review of data visualization tools, we now introduce you four more tools that aim to satisfy very different user needs. Datawrapper Datawrapper is ideal if you want to create a professionally looking graph in a few minutes. Originally envisioned for world-class journalists, Datawrapper is an open source project supported by ABZV and developed by Journalism++ Cologne. This tool enables anyone to create graphic design-like visualizations in four simple steps, without any programming skills. 

Extracting Insights with Data Visualization Tools (Part 1 of 2)

Dec 12, 2015

Data can be hard to manipulate and translate into a user-friendly graphical format. In this blog post series we will review different data visualization tools that will help you unlock the insights hidden in raw data. More importantly, these tools will allow you to answer many business and market questions and tell a compelling story to partners, employees, customers, and investors.     Tableau Public

Mentoring is a Must for Youth Entrepreneurs

Dec 12, 2015

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Introduction to Co-Working Offices

Nov 11, 2015

A co-work office is a space used by multiple contractors, companies or both. The growth in contractors and entrepreneurs has led to an explosion in co-working office space to support them. These spaces have a number of organization styles to support a wide range of businesses.

Celebrating YOU! Entrepreneur Profile (Part 1 of 2): Just Greet – Business Idea & Market Research

Nov 11, 2015

Teja Edara, entrepreneur and UBC MBA student, sits down to talk with us about the foundation of Just Greet in Vancouver, BC. We follow his journey from concept to creation and explore challenges and lessons along the way.[[{"fid":"2701","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"type":"media","link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":4855,"width":5000,"style":"width: 150px; height: 140px; float: right;","class":"media-element file-default"}}]]

Using Creative Commons Images in Social Media

Oct 10, 2015

Common online knowledge says that blog and social media posts should have an image with them. Unless you are a professional photographer, you probably do not have a lot of high quality images just sitting on your computer. It is tempting to just grab photos from Google Images but this presents a number of copyright issues. Fortunately, there is a growing body of free images online that businesses can use to promote themselves with a few requirements.