Tell Us Your Story. What motivated you to start your business? Why are you passionate about what you do?

Out-Smarts was founded in 2002 - we're pioneers in digital marketing! My motivation and inspiration to start my business was two fold: 1. To empower and help other small business owners to harness the power of digital marketing. I have always been passionate about supporting small business. In the early 2000's I recognised digital marketing's potential. I saw the opportunity to share my knowledge to help other small business owners grow. It was pretty risky because, back then, no one realised how big digital marketing would become. Fast forward to 2023 and Out-Smarts has supported hundreds, perhaps thousands of small business owners, entrepreneurs and marketers across BC, Canada and around the world, impacting their business and helping them grow online. 2. My second reason is personal. A week before my daughter's first birthday, my boss at the time told me I had to go to a meeting in Toronto on her birthday. I couldn't take her to the meeting (that wasn't acceptable back then) and I didn't have anyone in that city to take care of her. Right there and then, I decided that I wanted the flexibility to make decisions for myself, to be in control so as not to miss out on the things in life that matter most. I founded Out-Smarts shortly after and haven't missed a birthday or big life event because of work since! As a seasoned digital marketer and founder of Out-Smarts, I have dedicated the past two decades of my career to supporting small businesses. In doing so, I have become a pioneer in the industry, having witnessed firsthand the evolution of digital marketing from its early days to its current state. Over the years, I have developed a deep understanding of what it takes to succeed in the digital space and have honed my skills to become a trusted advisor to my clients and mentor to younger marketers. One of the things that drives my passion for digital marketing is the knowledge that small businesses are the backbone of the economy. These businesses are often the lifeblood of their communities, and I take great pride in being able to support them in their efforts to grow and thrive. I have seen firsthand the impact that effective digital marketing can have on a small business, and it is incredibly rewarding to know that I have played a role in their success.

Describe and demonstrate, including metrics, your community support. How do you support and uplift your community, and how do they show that support in return? Minimum 25 words, maximum 2500 characters.

Out-Smarts was founded to share our knowledge with other small business owners to help them grow and as such everything we do is centred around this. We dedicate time and resources to educate our audience about sustainable and ethical digital marketing through our blog and on our social platforms. These posts and articles are designed to inspire others to commit to doing good in the world and to give small business owners easy to implement tips and tactics that they can implement to uplift their business and help them grow. Here are some recent blog posts: https://out-smarts.com/2023/01/honest-and-ethical-ideas-for-earth-day-social-media-posts/ https://out-smarts.com/2022/12/esg-vs-csr-a-primer-for-sustainable-businesses/ Our website and in particular our blog gets over 3000 views each month from around the world. We've provided digital marketing services for hundreds of clients in the last 10 years alone. Out-Smarts has a large and engaged community on social media. Twitter 12K followers, Instagram 3289 Facebook 1.2k Linkedin 421 Pinterest 450. By liking, sharing, and commenting on posts, community members help to increase our visibility on social media platforms, which spreads the word about what we do and our commitment to doing good work. As founder of Out-Smarts Marketing, I've had the pleasure to teach thousands of business owners and marketers over the years through teaching engagements both internally with clients and thanks to the support of organisations like Small Business BC, Capilano University, Bow Valley College, YMCA, Powherhouse, Social Ventures Institute, as well local grassroots communities like Groundswell Community School, Wired Women, eWomen Network. I've mentored young business owners and marketers through Forum, Futurpreneur and Women in Leadership. During the pandemic we offered our services for free to clients who were really struggling to stay afloat. We took time to develop and deliver free presentations on topics aimed at helping small business use digital media to weather the storm. One of the most important ways our community supports us is through word of mouth. Members of our community who have had positive experiences working with us often share their experiences with others, which helps us to generate new business. This is done through online reviews, social media posts, or simply by telling friends and colleagues about the services we provide.

Why do you deserve to win the Business Impact award?

Out-Smarts should win the Business Impact Award because corporate social responsibility (CSR) is integral to what we do. Our mission is to make digital marketing easy for purpose-driven companies so that they can focus more on the positive impact they make. 7 reasons why we should win. 1. We work with companies that do good in the world to help them do better online. Companies like Fairware, Vancouver Foundation, Vancouver International Children's Festival and Hero Home Care are longstanding clients to name just a few of the hundreds of firms in BC that we have worked with and helped grow. 2. We've committed to halving our greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 as part of SME Climate Hub Organisation and we're in the process of getting Climate Smart Certification (should be in place by Earth Day 2023). We have a small carbon footprint because our entire team is virtual. We minimize paper use, travel, energy use and have processes in place to recycle and donate equipment. 3. At Out-Smarts we take a people first approach to business, prioritizing work life balance. Our culture is centred around respect, empowerment and doing good work. Our team is a women led group of mainly female immigrants working both as employees and on contract. Making sure that our team has a healthy and supportive work environment is vital. We offer flexible work hours, the ability to work from anywhere, a supportive environment that empowers growth and we always pay according to living wage. 4.Our community involvement includes contributing to Social Ventures Institute, we are a Coralus Activators supporting women and non binary people working on the world's to do list. We contribute to local charities including the Greater Vancouver Foodbank, Raven Trust, Covenant House and have a referral program where we donate to a charity of choice for each referral that becomes a client. 5. Out-Smarts was founded in 2002 - we're pioneers in digital marketing with a proven track record in digital marketing. 6. Our business is built on trust and respect. Our professional approach helps create strong relationships with our clients, and we always strive to bring a sense of care for their business to everything we do. Many of our clients have worked with us for years. 7. Out-Smarts was founded to share our knowledge + we've impacted thousands of business owners and marketers over the years through our teaching engagements, mentoring blogs and social media content.

Tell Us About Your Culture. How are you creating a sustainable and healthy workplace where everyone feels welcome? Provide examples of leadership you show in interactions with clients, vendors, contractors, staff and others.

At Out-Smarts we take a people first approach to business, prioritizing work life balance. Our culture is centred around respect, empowerment and doing good work. We are fanatical about great customer service, developing strong relationships and delivering the highest standard of service possible, whilst making a positive impact on the world through our work. Making sure that our team has a healthy and supportive work environment is vital to this. We offer flexible work hours, the ability to work from anywhere, a supportive environment that empowers growth and we always pay according to living wage. We celebrate diversity. We're a women led organisation and the majority of our team members are female immigrants. This culture extends out to our clients and partners as well. Most companies in our industry take a cookie cutter approach to business they follow the same process for every client churning out work. When it comes to digital marketing we recognize that one size does not fit all. Every client we work with has unique goals, distinct audiences, different resources, and brand factors. Taking these into account, we always tailor solution that are unique to clients' organization, objectives and budget. We believe in treating our clients with care and respect, going beyond just getting the project done. Our professional approach helps create strong relationships with our clients, and we always strive to bring a sense of care for their business to everything we do. At Out-Smarts, we know that a supportive team is a successful team. That's why we always offer guidance where it's needed, whether it's for a colleague struggling with a project or a client who needs assistance. We are supportive in every way, recognizing the hard work of our team members and appreciating the effort that goes into getting things done, especially when there's a tight deadline. We value work-life balance and teach our team to do the same, so that everyone can prioritize their health and wellbeing. We have weekly checkins with all team members and the first 15 minutes is focused on wellbeing. As part of our commitment to sustainability, we send gifts to our clients that are sustainably sourced while supporting local Canadian companies. We believe that by working together, we can make a positive impact on our environment and our community.

Why do you think you should win the Premier’s People’s Choice Award?

Out-Smarts should win the Premier's People's Choice Award because we have built a community of loyal clients and followers both online and in person. Here are 7 reasons why we should win: 1. We work with companies that do good in the world to help them do better online. Companies like Fairware, Vancouver Foundation, Vancouver International Children's Festival and Hero Home Care are longstanding clients to name just a few of the hundreds of firms in BC that we have worked with and helped grow. 2. We've committed to halving our greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 as part of SME Climate Hub Organisation and we're in the process of getting Climate Smart Certification (should be in place by Earth Day 2023). We have a small carbon footprint because our entire team is virtual. We minimize paper use, travel, energy use and have processes in place to recycle and donate equipment. 3. At Out-Smarts we take a people first approach to business, prioritizing work life balance. Our culture is centred around respect, empowerment and doing good work. Our team is a women led group of mainly female immigrants working both as employees and on contract. Making sure that our team has a healthy and supportive work environment is vital. We offer flexible work hours, the ability to work from anywhere, a supportive environment that empowers growth and we always pay according to living wage. 4.Our community involvement includes contributing to Social Ventures Institute, we are a Coralus Activators supporting women and non binary people working on the world's to do list. We contribute to local charities including the Greater Vancouver Foodbank, Raven Trust, Covenant House and have a referral program where we donate to a charity of choice for each referral that becomes a client. 5. Out-Smarts was founded in 2002 - we're pioneers in digital marketing with a proven track record in digital marketing. 6. Our business is built on trust and respect. Our professional approach helps create strong relationships with our clients, and we always strive to bring a sense of care for their business to everything we do. Many of our clients have worked with us for years. 7. Out-Smarts was founded to share our knowledge + we've impacted thousands of business owners and marketers over the years through our teaching engagements, mentoring blogs and social media content.