This is a response to an external business blog.

The blog I have chosen to respond to, is Amy Porterfeild’s blog on “how to attract leads on Instagram.” Her blogs are generally about breaking down how to attract attention on social media sites, specifically Facebook, and how these can generate extra revenue for your company. In this blog/podcast she discusses how to gain popularity on Instagram. She discusses how taking meaningful and informative pictures can be an effective tool to gain success. She always mentions how is is important to be established on Instagram before it hits “critical mass.” She also talks about making your posts interactive almost like a magazine spread to showcase your business. Taking advantage of the 15 second video is also an effective tool. Making the video concise, entertaining and informative can be a challenge but if done correctly can be great tool to help grow and expand your business. This blog is intended to help out small business achieve and I found it informative and engaging.

http://www.amyporterfield.com/2014/10/how-to-attract-leads-on-instagram/

One of the hottest topics in Vancouver recently has been Uber. The ride sharing company, founded in San Francisco, has been growing substantially since 2009 and has received great success worldwide but particularly in the US. The company is valued at 18 billion dollars. That is insane. Uber first entered Canada through Toronto but has hit a hiccup since trying to enter other major Canadian cities. I want to focus on Vancouver.

Recently, Uber has started an online petition and has received over 10 000 signatures. The problem is the Taxi companies. They do not appreciate the competition that Uber will bring and are preparing to file a lawsuit if need be. My issue is this. Vancouver has a shortage of taxis and part of that is due to city bylaws and with the addition of Uber I do not believe it will hurt the taxi business. I believe that it alleviate the strain on them and more importantly, alleviate the congestion in Vancouver. Vancouver is most congested city in North America and Uber can help cut the traffic down and have a positive affect on the environment.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/11/07/uber-petition-vancouver_n_6124740.html

http://www.forbes.com/sites/markrogowsky/2014/06/09/are-investors-nuts-to-value-uber-at-18-billion-in-a-few-years-thatll-seem-like-a-bargain/

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/taxi-companies-start-national-anti-uber-campaign

This is a response to Mark Graham’s blog post about “Big Brother Marketing”

I agree with what he is saying and wanted to dig a little deeper into the topic. To sum it up, Mark is saying that large companies, such as Google or Facebook, monitor our use and device marketing schemes that are personally catered toward the consumer. I personally am fine with that. Some people may disagree and argue that it is against our rights to privacy. The fact of the matter is that Internet is not a private place, your Google searches are not private, your Facebook wall is not private. In my opinion, people should be more educated in the fact that these are not their sites and that there are consequences in using them. Personally i prefer advertisements that are catered toward me and for the companies it is a more efficient way of marketing

“If you look at the difference between spending $300,000 to buy a 30-second spot on “Dancing with the Stars’ vs. spending $300,000 on very targeted and measurable digital campaigns — given the proliferation of data and what you know about your customers — I think you have a much greater shot of doing the latter,”

http://adage.com/article/news/marketers-big-brother-bad/234290/

https://blogs.ubc.ca/markgraham/2014/10/05/big-brother-marketing/

This blog post will relate to what I learned about entrepreneurship and relate it to someone I look up to, Chip Wilson. He was born in Calgary and started his own retail company in 1979. He then endeavored on starting the company Lululemon Athletica in 1998. He grew this business exponentially until selling a majority in the company in 2005 and eventually going public in 2007. He is an icon in Vancouver. He set out and accomplished a feat that few others have, and all be it in the retail industry. I admire the growth of the company and the legacy that the brand is. After hearing Nolan Watson and Ian Crosby speak to our class, it motivated me to want to start my own company and achieve the success of having your business grow and thrive. I know that it will not be easy but I am prepared to put in the work.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/lululemon-founder-to-sell-half-his-stake-to-private-equity-firm/article19961793/

This blog post will relate first nations issues to the world of business, particularly sports. The sports world at times has not been the most politically correct. But this time, there is a public outcry. The well know National Football League Team, the Washington Redskins, have received numerous messages ordering them to change their name. Some first nations groups consider the term “redskin” offensive, similar to the n-word. And the public has responded as well. There has been numerous protests and even a commercial that aired during a prominent Redskins game early in the season. How does this relate to business? According to Forbes.com, the NFL’s revenue is about 9 billion dollars per year, the Washington Redskins team is valued at 2.4 billion dollars, and the owner, Dan Snyder’s net worth is 20 million dollars. Money rules the sports world today. And if the owner believes that the name change will have an adverse affect on the team’s value, then it is up to him to decide whether to change the name or not. There is a lot at stake. Although the name is unethical and I also believe that they should change their name, the owner is stuck between a rock and a hard place.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/nfl/washington-redskins-controversy-3-things-you-need-to-know-1.2784255

http://www.forbes.com/teams/washington-redskins/

http://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-businessmen/producers/dan-schneider-net-worth/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/monteburke/2013/08/17/how-the-national-football-league-can-reach-25-billion-in-annual-revenues/

Class 20: Social Enterprise and The Arc Initiative

“If the United Nations was fully funded why would we need the arc or social enterprise”

This is a valid question to ask, but i believe that we would still need these initiatives. To ask this question, one would have to fully trust and believe not only in the UN but just in the simple fact that one organization can change the world. I believe that this thinking is flawed.

Although the UN is a global organization that has the support of many countries, it cannot solve every problem by itself. But with initiatives such as the Arc and social enterprise in general, it can be one step closer. Call me pessimistic but i believe that there will always be injustice, a divide between the rich and the poor and problems such as poverty. This is beyond the control of the these initiatives and even the UN. This is how the world has been since the beginning of time. Some people are more fortunate than others and we should be grateful for that. But i do believe that the Arc and social enterprise do very good work. They help supply the resources and knowledge for people to succeed and end the circle of poverty.