Hi Guys,

Back with another Behind-the-Scenes post. We always love getting a glimpse into other small business owners’ lives, so we thought we’d share in hopes that you do too! Each quarter, we will do a quick and fun update on what we’re working on, what we’ve learned, a favourite new tool, what we’re grateful for and what we’re looking forward to. Here, we’re sharing our Q1 Update for 2017. Some of the links included in this post are affiliate links.

We’d love for you to join in and comment with your answers to the questions too!

Matt

What I’m working on: Website redesign for Bold Business Solutions, wireframe for our charity partner Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa, website design for 2 new clients.

What I’m Digging: The Genesis Framework and child themes. With more and more themes having visual page builders, it’s refreshing to be able to work with a simple and quick parent theme without all the heavy and slow components. Page load time is so important and our sites with that operate with the Genesis Framework consistently beat the newer, heavier themes.

Something I Learned this quarter: How great Freedcamp is. It’s a free project management tool that has an integrated task list and calendar and allows you to create multiple boards. We’ve just started using it, but I already know how helpful this will be to our business. We plan on writing a review on it after we’ve had some more time to use all its features and trial the paid version of it.

Favourite new tool: Freedcamp

I’m grateful for: The end of snow season. I consulted for a snow company this winter and with the insane amount of snow we received, it kept me very busy this winter.

Something I’m looking forward to: Getting my boat in the water.

Candice

What I’m working on: new copy for Bold Business Solutions, content audit for HFH GO, finishing touches on Our Toolbox page, a really great freebie coming out later this week!

What I’m Digging: a few new-to-me blogs, Paul Jarvis and Fresh by Sian. I find them both really refreshing and real and love getting updates from them.

Something I Learned this quarter: How to use Boardbooster for scheduling and looping pins on Pinterest. This tool alone has saved me 5-10 hours a week since I no longer have to log into Pinterest every day to manually schedule pins (and get lost down the Pinterest rabbit hole for an hour or two each day, haha!). I use their $10/mo plan and haven’t gone over yet. For me, the cost is definitely worth having the extra 20-40 hours a month back.

Favourite new tool: Boardbooster

I’m grateful for: Sunny days and warmer weather, family dinners, visiting and spending time with friends.

Something I’m looking forward to: Working with some great new clients on their branding and web design

We’d love to hear more about you!  Copy and paste your answers into the comments below!

• What I’m Working on:
• What I’m Digging:
• Something I Learned this Quarter:
• Favourite New Tool:
• I’m Grateful for:
• Something I’m Looking Forward to:

We love getting to know the authors behind our favourite blogs, so since it’s Candice’s birthday today, we’ve decided to share a little more about ourselves with you. If you’d like, introduce yourself and tell us a little more about yourself in the comments below!

Matt

Family: 

I live in Ottawa with my wife, Anik, our two dogs, Coby & Chloe, and our cat, Sox.

Background:

With an education in marketing and management, and an extensive background in business management, I have consulted for small businesses for a number of years.  With my assistance, they were able to increase profits, decrease expenses, and optimize processes for a better bottom line. After working for other small businesses, I decided it was time to open my own. When my wife and I moved to Calgary, I opened a Communications company to continue to assist entrepreneurs.

After four years out there on our own, we decided it was time to move back to Ottawa to be closer to family. With my sister and her fiance moving to Ottawa too, I decided to ask her to join me in starting a new business (she had been freelancing for my communications company on and off four the last four years), and that’s how Bold Business Solutions Inc. came to be.

Interests:

Boating, camping, sport shooting,

Favorite foods:

Steak, fish

Favourite TV shows:

Suits, Sons of Anarchy, House of Cards

Future Goal:

To sail around the world with my wife

Candice

Family:

I live in Ottawa with my fiance, Mike and our two cats, Kashmir (Yes, my fiance is a huge Led Zeppelin fan) and Elf (we rescued him from a shelter a couple days after Christmas).

Background:

I went to school for Psychology with a minor in Sociology. I’ve worked at a business start-up centre, along with a social service organization and a charity. While seemingly unconnected to my degree, every position I held had a large communications component which involved changing or affecting a person’s behaviour. At both the social service org and the charity, I was responsible for convincing supporters to give some of their hard-earned money to the less fortunate. And at the business start-up centre, I helped with research on consumer behaviour and how to change it (an essential component of the sales cycle).

Looking back I never could have guessed I would be designing websites and writing a blog for entrepreneurs today, but I couldn’t be happier with where I ended up.

Interests:

Reading, Sports (playing: volleyball – beach or court, or watching: football or baseball – go Jays!), hosting dinner parties for friends and families, kitty cuddles

Favorite foods:

Dark chocolate, good cheese and wine, seafood, (and really anything Mike makes for dinner!)

Favourite tv shows:

House of Cards, Suits, New Girl, Life in Pieces

Book I enjoyed recently:

Essentialism – Greg McKeown

Future Goal:

To own a piece of property on the lake and retire early.