Got too much on your plate?

December 28, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

Save some room for dessert

By Elliot Chan, Opinions Editor

Formerly published in the Other Press. Oct. 2013

So now you’re popular; or at least, people are starting to expect more from you. Responsibilities, commitments, deadlines, schoolwork, part-time jobs, and relationships. When you do have free time these days, it fills up pretty quickly. Nobody has to point it out to you—after all, you feel it from the strain of carrying the world on your back—but they do anyways: you look tired and it can’t be ignored. How did this happen? How did you get so much on your plate?

It’s not a question of how, but rather a question of why. Those with too much going on have made a conscious choice to say “Yes” more, and by doing so, they’re receiving more opportunities. The result is far from the worst-case scenario. Sure, you’re thrashing about in the deep end, but what better way is there to learn to swim? Don’t be distracted by the competition; you set your own bars in life.

You are being productive and there is a clear path of progress, but the weight of it all can be damaging. You want to do more, but you’re afraid the standard of your work and the quality of your relationships will diminish, while the amount of rest you get will start depleting. Don’t panic yet: the crisis is all in your head.

Pick your battles. You’ll want to do everything, and that’s respectable, but sometimes it’s impossible. Prioritize your work, and ask yourself what’s most important to you. Sure, money and reputation are important, but it’s still your life and you get to determine how it plays out. Do you want a promotion at work or do you want to ace an exam? Do you want to spend more time with the family or do you want to earn a little bit more for a vacation? Understand what you are working for: by having a clear goal, you can then choose the most pertinent task and accomplish it. Focus on one thing at a time, and if work falls to the back burner, acknowledge it, communicate it, but don’t ignore the loss; someone is always willing to help you or forgive you, as long as you vocalize your issues. Your passion will decide what is most important—not your friends, family, instructors, or employers.

Covering your ass is not a bad habit. A little safety net while you work can help reduce stress. Always communicate with clients, employers, and everyone else in your life. Update them on the progress of work—honesty is the best policy. If they don’t appreciate you then, in my opinion, they aren’t worth working for or hanging around with. Keep the onus on you, and don’t be pushed around by others. Work hard, but do it because you want to do it, not because someone else demands it.

Treat yourself, because after a long day of toiling, you’ll need to recharge. Take a breather or a day off. Work and school are important, but you need to find time for friends and family. Watch a movie, go on a trip, and make plans that will break you from the norm. Schedule them in and treat those enjoyable obligations like they’re a paying job, because when it’s all said and done, that is what you’re really working for: the sweet reaping of fun.

Facebook Not Forever: The Social Media Giant is Over the Hill

December 28, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

I was late to start: I opened my Facebook account around 2007, when all my other high school friends were advocating it and praising about the innovative capability to make events, share pictures, and occasionally poke each other.

I remember feeling hesitant when signing up for the account—I knew I was opening a Pandora’s box. I would never be the same.

Over six years later I have shared a lot of good times on Facebook. But my attitude towards it has changed multiple times over the course of my active account. I began by simply using it as a social hangout. Then I used it as a professional networking platform to seek work and experiences. Today, it’s just a place for me to keep tidbits of my life and to check in with old friends that I don’t get to see in person.

So when news about the gradual decline of youth engagement in Facebook surfaced, I was far from surprised.

What does the word “decline” even mean in the Facebook world? After all, the social media platform has approximately 1.2 billion active users. It seems everybody we know have Facebook—and that is part of the problem. The younger generation will never feel the liberty of social networking if Mom and Dad are creeping about, commenting on pictures and liking posts.

It’s true; we, the mass, are in fact making Facebook lame. This proves that the life expectancy of social media only has the longevity of the generation that pioneered it.

Success is the best poison any company can hope for and Facebook is coping with the repercussions now. Competitors that were once dominated have changed their strategy from facing the giant head on to luring the aging youth away like the Pied Piper. In a survey measuring the most important social media platform for teens done by Piper Jaffray & Co., 26% said Twitter is the most important as of Fall 2013 and 23% said Instagram is most important, matching Facebook (also 23%), which dropped from 42% a year ago.

Twitter and Instagram can obviously celebrate their accomplishment, but they aren’t Facebook’s only competition today. Messaging apps, although are smaller, are as intimidating as any other competitors on the communication market. This case was proven when Facebook offered a generous $3-billion to buy the ephemeral picture and text messaging app Snapchat.

The startup founded in 2011 by a couple of Standford students turned down the offer. Many thought they were insane—but I don’t.

I believe mobile is the future and that is where Facebook will lose the youth. Sure, they have their own messaging app, but with so many different ways to chat, not even SMS is safe, let alone Facebook’s mediocre application. The rise of Whatsapp, the resurgence of BBM, and the novelty of Snapchat will all act as alternatives for a text-heavy world that can often get very boring, especially for generations with shorter attention spans.

In 2007, I imagined my relationship with Facebook in the future. I saw myself as this distracted creature with a habitual tendency to check up on my network of friends for no reason. I am now that being—and if the younger generation saw me, they would think I’m so not cool.

But while the coolness and popularity of Facebook has declined significantly since the early 2000s, that doesn’t mean it’s going anywhere. Like phone numbers, emails and postal codes, Facebook accounts will just be another thing modern people use in their daily lives without acknowledgement.

It might not be hip or trendy, but it’s still necessary. And some might say that is the best accomplishment. And for the moment the Zuckerberg camp can breathe a sigh of relief: they’re not Myspace. Yet.

Fight for your right

December 28, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

The pros and cons of peaceful protest

By Elliot Chan, Opinions Editor

Formerly published in The Other Press. Oct. 2013

What began as a peaceful protest near Rexton, New Brunswick on October 17 turned violent as armed RCMP clashed with those opposing shale gas exploration and fracking. Led by the Mi’kmaq First Nations people, the protesters created a blockade and asserted they were “willing to die” for their position. Molotov cocktails and firearms don’t necessarily demonstrate peace or a willingness to negotiate, so when the smoke cleared, guns were holstered, and the roads were emptied, 40 protesters were arrested and five RCMP vehicles were torched.

This was a fine example of a peaceful protest gone wrong, but has a peaceful protest ever gone right? Has dissatisfaction ever been effectively communicated through defiance? Do rebels ever sway public opinion? Personally, I am a supporter of protest: when injustice is clearly displayed, it’s our duty as citizens to stand up and stand together. The history books are full of great examples of effective peaceful protests. Of course the results weren’t immediate, but those who banded together sparked changes and got the rolling wheel of revolution heading in the right direction.

What some consider mischief, others see as heroic. Hell, when put in a high pressure situation, I hope I have the guts to march out in front of a moving tank like the students did in Tiananmen Square during the June Fourth Incident in 1989. I like to think that I have the courage to stand up for my fellow man when the situation calls for it. We all like to believe we can take down Goliath, and we like to cheer for the underdogs, but often we simply bark—what happens when we bite?

More often than not, we consider protest to be a waste of taxpayers’ dollars. Just take a glance at the accomplishments—oops, I mean the consequences—of Occupy Wall Street in 2011. When done right, a protest will trigger debates, dialogue, and meaningful conversations. When done wrong, it becomes a spectacle and a shame on the city, country, and even mankind.

There is a lesson we need to learn from all of this: lessons from Mahatma Gandhi’s hunger strike, Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington, and John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Bed-Ins for Peace. The strikes, boycotts, and protests garner attention, but all lead to tragic results. They effectively call attention to a problem, thus paving way for a solution, but we must recognize that there might not be such thing as a peaceful protest: all protest hurts in one way or another.

As disruptive as it is, protesting is our human right—or it should be. North Americans are accustomed to their safe little abodes and often only see the devastation of violent protests in other countries. Those people in Egypt and Turkey aren’t uneducated ruffians causing trouble for the establishment. They’re just like us, trying to find comfort and trying to defend something they truly believe in. Those people are “willing to die” for their cause, and to me that is something humanity needs. Protest is an amiable choice and a potentially horrible one—but when push comes to shove, only the cowards are passive.

Sphero 2.0 Revolutionizes Mobile Gaming Platform with Introduction of Augmented Reality

December 28, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

Introducing Sphero 2.0 by Orbotix: if you haven’t heard of this unique gaming platform yet, you are in for a treat. On the surface, there is nothing particular about the ball, it’s round, white with a little cute blue logo, but inside there is definitely something going on—an engine.

I place it on the charging dock and plug it to the wall. A light inside flashes and glows, changing colour several times. I download one of many apps and connect it to Bluetooth. I still don’t know what to expect.

Sphero 2.0 is more than your average RC toy and I learn that right away. First off, how many RC toys can I control with my iPhone? How many RC toys will allow me to upgrade, thus increasing the speed, adjusting the handling and changing the colour spectrum of the LED light inside? How many RC toys have over 25 free apps associated with it? These apps transform it from a simple controllable rolling hamster-ball to multiplayer games and augmented reality controller.

At the moment there isn’t much like it.

“We have set the standard for devices that connect to your smartphone that you play with, but it has more than one use,” says Chuck Lepley, marketing manager at Orbotix. “We are ahead of the curve and that is what we want our company to be—we want to create robots and that is what Sphero is—it’s a robot that can do these different things. We want people to expect more from their toys and their gadgets.”

Colorado-based Orbotix is not aiming to push the Sphero in any one direction. From the onset, there is a lot of appeal from different demographics. Children love the interactive game play, hackers love the programmable aspect of the device, parents enjoy the educational factor and pet dogs—well maybe they don’t appreciate Sphero as much. But there is no current intention of targeting one audience and turning the gaming platform into a robot vacuum cleaner. Yet the new technology is definitely opening a lot of doors.

Sphero 2.0 is a different device to different people; the same way a smartphone has different usage to different people. We are considering more today when we are making a purchase for a mobile device. Game play is becoming the next desirable feature for smartphone and tablet owners.

“If you look at where we are now,” Lepley tells Techvibes, “we didn’t expect our phones to be our CD and MP3 players. Even with tablets, [users are] watching movies and tv shows. We didn’t expect our phone to be our camera.”

I parade the Sphero 2.0 around for a bit, navigating it into crevasses of my house that I never knew a little glowing orb could go. Although the game play is innovative the controlling is not easy in tight parameters. The game requires the users to over come a slight learning curve.

In addition, Orbotix included a couple of ramps. But getting it to launch and catch any real airtime is difficult. The most surprising element of Sphero is that it’s waterproof. There isn’t any spectacular practical reason for Sphero to be afloat, but there is something mesmerizing about an illusive glowing ball playing Marco Polo with you in a swimming pool. Just be careful with your iPhone.

As technology develops and more companies catch on to Orbotix’s creations, they will begin to see that they’re doing more than passing the time with zombie attacks (Rolling Dead) and space invasions (Exile). Augmented reality has been around for a while, but never used in any significant way. Even though Sphero 2.0 can be as simple as a hot-potato game between friends and families, it might also be the stepping-stone to many more advanced gaming.

As well as sparking user’s imagination, the platform had attracted the attention of many other tech-savvy programmers looking to explore new innovative avenues.

“We do something called Hack-Fridays at our office,” says Lepley. “Every afternoon on Friday developers and engineers can work on whatever they want. One of our developers made this basic thing where he used the Sphero to control a teapot on the screen by tilting the ball. We thought it was really cool so we decided to make an app for it and it ended up being Exile. We then made several other apps like it. But there are third-party developers who make tilt-based games, they’ve included the option to use Sphero as a controller into their games.”

Since Orbotix introduced Sphero to the public in December 2011, there have been many more advances. The company is intending to increase their product line, adding to the family of robotic toys, as well as heightening the experience of the current Sphero 2.0.

Whether you intend to drive it around furniture or showcase it at parties or develop inventive programming with the MacroLab app, Sphero is a new breed of gaming. And it is now available in retail stores across Canada.

We don’t need no education

December 28, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

Homework and exams can only do so much

By Elliot Chan, Opinions Editor

Formerly published in The Other Press. Oct. 2013

Mark Twain once said, “Don’t let schooling interfere with your education.”

As I round into the latter-half of my two-year program, this quote resonates more than ever. Sometimes I get so focussed on grades and assignments that I forget the whole reason I signed up for college in the first place. After all, I’m attending post-secondary for the same reason everybody else is: to achieve my full potential in a career of my choice. But when an opportunity knocks, what choice do I really have?

The education system can only teach me so much before I become disinterested and start to reject the content. Nay, it’s just my inability to retain it. I sit through lectures, I jot down notes, and go through the classroom motions until I’m released once again with a list of readings, several assignments, a scheduled exam, and project deadlines. Unsure of what I’m getting out of it, I feel overwhelmed and anxious.

People tell me to pay my dues, but trudging along learning something that will be forgotten or never applied feels like a complete waste. Public schools and general studies are just that—general. Catering to the masses and focussing on a few, schooling may often feel like the instructor is teaching to another student while you sit idly by waiting for some relevant content to spark your interest. Sure, with a little luck, we’ll end up with that piece of paper honouring our completion—but is it worth the price?

I say build your own curriculum and don’t just follow schooling. Classrooms and lecture halls can only do so much. In preparing for the real world, it’s important, nay, critical to experience the real world. Don’t just get a part-time job at a local restaurant if you’re studying law. Strive for something in your field and don’t fall for the trap of convenient work. I understand that those opportunities are hard to come by and jobs are incredibly competitive, but take the chance. You’ll learn more interning at a firm than you would serving drinks, or even cramming for an exam.

Volunteering may seem like offering free labour, but if you think that then what do you think homework is? Being an unpaid helper shows the public that you care about your craft, that you’re willing to take time out of your busy schedule to learn, and that money isn’t the priority. Volunteering is a terrific way to network and meet future employers, regardless of the volunteering circumstances. By surrounding yourself with people of the same professional interests, you can gain knowledge and inspirational fuel.

Travelling is the best and only way to see the world. You’ll learn more about yourself sitting at a bus terminal halfway around the world than you would sitting in a two-hour lecture about global economics. Didn’t get the course you wanted? Instead of spending your money on meeting your post-secondary credit quota, book a trip. Tuition comes in many forms and that means education does as well.

Just because you are in school, that doesn’t mean you can’t learn outside of it. Workplace preparation is more than exams and homework. It never hurts to be an all-around interesting person.

ACJA Hosts Résumé Clinic for Young Aspiring Journalists

December 28, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

by Elliot Chan

Formerly published in Story Board. Oct. 23, 2013

Competition is stiff for most career choices and journalism is no different. So, in the same way we keep our body in contending shape by going to the gym, we must do the same for our application package. We must work out our résumé, analyze our cover letter, and develop an engaging demo reel. We might break a sweat, but that is all part of the process.

On October 19, 2013, the Asian Canadian Journalists Association of Vancouver hosted a résumé clinic inviting employers from different media outlets — from CBC to the Georgia Straight — to offer young journalists feedback on their résumés and application package.

“The way you want to look at it is—how hard am I going to make the other person work?” askedBhupinder Hundal, News Manager for OMNI. “If you are making me work, I don’t like that already. I want you to make it so simple and easy for me that I get what I need just by looking at it.”

Less is more when it comes to impressing the hiring committee. Don’t overload your readers with information and experiences. Rather focus in on several key experiences that relate to the job you are applying for. You might have had a part time job at Starbucks or a short stint serving at a restaurant—great—but all of this is irrelevant unless you can apply it and explain its importance to the employer. By chopping out the less pertinent material, you’ll have more room to concentrate on what the readers actually want to know and elaborate on that.

“You have a lot of information,” said Hundal, “but it is information that doesn’t apply to me. What you need to do is think about what the person on the other end is going to need and want.”

If you are applying for a researcher job, highlight your research skills. Applicants should take advantage of the fact that more and more employers are viewing applications on a screen rather than on a piece of paper. Have a hyperlink to some of your best sample work (but remember, stay relevant).

“I want a hyperlink in our alpha tracking system that I click on and it plays in every region of the world,” said Zafira Nanji, human resources at CBC. “I don’t want it locked to my email address. I don’t want you to ask me to add this person’s email address so I can share it with a coworker.” She added, “It has to be easy.”

The worst thing an applicant can do is fake passion. Don’t try to fool the hiring committee. If you want to work at CBC, remember the news anchors’ names and actually watch the broadcast. For some this will require some research and time—but there is no alternative. Flex your muscle and develop some character, because above all else, an employer wants to see you making an effort and displaying genuine passion.

“I’ve done the sloppy job of putting a résumé together in 15 minutes,” said Kirk LaPointe, CBC Ombusman Office Advisor, “saying things like ‘I really want to work for you, I have great respect for your organization,’ Come on. Get past the cliché. As we say in the Canadian Press, ‘Avoid clichés like the plague’.”

Good habits are as hard to break as bad ones and as a young journalist it’s important to have more good than bad. Developing a solid, healthy reputation starts with a respectable application package and online presence. Treat yourself like a brand and pay attention to the content you’re posting on social media—because employers will Google you. Separate your personal life from your professional.

You’re young and inexperienced and employers know that. So don’t try to fool them. “Don’t try to make yourself sound smarter,” said Ted Field from Global BC News, “because you end up making yourself sound dumb.” Sometimes “I don’t know” is the best answer to give. Employers don’t care if you don’t know—because journalism is all about not knowing, but then finding out.

Curse those cussing kids

December 28, 2013 / Elliot Chan / 1 Comment

Fudge it, just let children swear already

By Elliot Chan, Opinions Editor

Formerly published in the Other Press. October, 2013.

Profanity is a rite of passage. No matter how innocently we begin, at one point or another we all end up saying those socially frowned upon words. Sure, I believe in a more sophisticated form of language—the kind I dress up in for my grandma or bring into a job interview—but those words lack substance. They feel fake, forced, and pretentious. Like educated grunts from the time of cavemen, swearing brings human interaction back to the ground level. When used properly, it can express honest emotions without any blurred lines. The pent-up rage we feel can often lead to physical violence, if not for the ability to curse. The freedom to swear allows us to be verbally confident—and that shouldn’t be limited to adults.

In 2010, a Sociolinguistics Symposium study showed that children are swearing earlier than ever, escalating at around ages three to four. The fingers were quick to point at television, music, and vulgar parents, but perhaps the problem isn’t the parents or the children; perhaps the problem is culture. Children are intelligent and they are quick to understand irrational rules, such as the “Do as I say, not as I do” rule. Swearing doesn’t hurt anybody after all, and once they realize it they’ll abuse it, especially out of parental earshot.

We often associate swearing with anger and hostility, but most of the time we swear when we are excited. “This food is goddamn delicious,” or “This is the best fucking song ever.” Perhaps we could do without the “goddamn” and the “fuck,” but then it would be a completely different reaction. Inhibiting the ability to express emotion is more crippling than a few innocuous words.

Once censorship is removed, swearing becomes the norm and not an urge to be defiant. Without risk, there is no adrenaline, and children will begin to use swear words selectively the way intelligent adults do. For parents, omitting the taboo will also cancel out the hypocrisy of telling a child not to swear. Communicating with children like they’re adults is not a hindering act; it’s one of respect, showing that the child is just as smart or has the capacity to be as smart as we are.

In an article published by the Association of Psychological Science, a study showed that swearing takes up an insignificant 0.3 per cent to 0.7 per cent of our daily speech. Profanity is universal and can be found in virtually every language. Although North American culture still uses it to separate high-class from the low-class, there is no proof that people with greater wealth are swearing any less than those in poverty.

Of course we can give our children those swearing training wheels—words like “fudge,” “darn,” and “shoot”—but no matter how you sugarcoat their potty talk, you are not saving them from the inevitable. I’m sorry to say it, Mom and Dad, but your sweet, innocent child is going to cuss and they’ll use those words to talk back to you one day, the same way I did with my parents. The earlier we let our children swear, the less of a problem it becomes. After all, there really is only one bad word, and that’s “hate.”

Book Review – My Year of the Racehorse by Kevin Chong

December 28, 2013December 28, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

My Year of the Racehorse
by Kevin Chong

Greystone Press, Mar. 2012,
224 pages, $22.95 (Paperback)

Reviewed by Elliot Chan.
Published in Ricepaper 18.1, Summer 2013.

In the outset of Kevin Chong’s memoir My Year of the Racehorse, he did not know a lot about owning a racehorse, why people decide to own racehorses, or even how to make any type of extravagant purchase at all, least of all of a live animal. Chong’s pre-purchase considerations include whether it really makes sense to add more complications to our lists of things to do when one could just buckle down, save up for an apartment suite, attempt to find true love and end one’s days with no regrettable tattoos. A racehorse, well, that just seemed like an unnecessary gamble.

For most Vancouverites, the Hasting Racecourse has just always been there, like the hollow tree in Stanley Park or some other historical landmark of no relevance, but still worth saving. Until I read this book, I too would drive by it on Renfrew Street and dismiss it, unaware of all the jubilance and heartbreak exploding inside. Chong’s story
brought me into a world within the stables and upon the tracks. From bandaging an injured horse to finding a spot in the winner’s photo, Chong brings to life the glamour and austerity of horseracing. It is a culture so close to home, but so different, as if it was a machine taking me back to a bygone time.

The result is Chong’s sometimes heartfelt, sometimes comedic, but always relatable retelling of the year he spent as a racehorse owner. Or at least the owner of a portion of the racehorse: the hoof and a hank of hair, maybe. Relatable may at first strike readers as an odd choice of word, since most likely don’t own racehorses. But the book is somehow just that, relatable, as it explores that eternal enigma; the thin line between rational and irrational, and the happiness we find with uncertainty and hesitation. In this light, Chong shows how his compulsiveness is not so foreign, nor his ultimate solution: in order to accomplish everything on his to do list, he must compromise.

At first Chong admits that buying a horse was an act of exploitation. He wanted to see what would happen to him, with no awareness of the consequences; it surely must be a chance for growth. But as the story develops, we begin to see
Chong’s eclectic decisions mirroring our own. We flip through old photo albums and see all the phases we went through growing up: the awful haircuts, the skinny jeans era, and the year as a racehorse owner. My Year of the Racehorse offers a glimpse at our own life, the things we do to avoid the things we actually should do. With dry wit and plenty of adventure along the way, Chong perfectly captures the complexities of choosing between what we have to do and what we want to do.

–

BUY 18.1 ISSUE HERE.

Indochino Leverages Customized Marketing Campaign to Get Men Dressing Better

December 28, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

Indochino is a leading online custom menswear company, and it’s one that began with a simple vision: helping men dress better and easier.

Cofounders Heikal Gani and Kyle Vucko set to achieve their goal by developing a straightforward online system that allows customers to quickly enter measurements, select garments, and personalize their outfit in 30 minutes or less. Few weeks later the fully customized suits will appear on the doorsteps of customers.

Since 2007, Indochino have been seeking innovative and creative ways to approach men—who often have the tendency to be more reserved when it comes to fashion. Online tailoring sounds too good to be true for many and that is why Indochino considers the value of in person experience. Thus, bringing to the life the Traveling Tailor Pop-up Shops that have made tours across North America, including Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland and Vancouver.

“We created these Pop-up stores and events to go into a city and connect with the customers and potential customers in a very short period of time,” Sarah Wallis, COO of Indochino, told Techvibes in an interview. “[Indochino] gives them the experience, the handholding and the high-touch interaction that they want and then we take care of the rest. Furthermore, after they’ve gone through the experience once they’ll feel much more comfortable coming back, they don’t need to take measurements again—they simply have to select their garment. It’s like shopping at any clothing website, except what they get is fully tailored to them.”

Indochino’s main tool for spreading the words about the Traveling Tailor Pop-up Shops is with Facebook. Customers’ voices tend to be louder than companies, so when satisfied people talk, others listen. That being said, Indochino still applied several critical components to the Pop-up shop marketing strategy. Because each event is only around in a certain area for a brief period (one to two weeks), timing is key.

“[First,] time is of the essence in terms of getting it in front of customers, having them make appointments,” said Wallis, “and having them come see us. The second thing is that it has to be geographically targeted. We don’t want to spend any money telling a customer in Florida about an event that is happening in Vancouver. Finally, what Facebook allows us to do is ensure that we are talking through our own existing customers to custom audiences.”

There are now numerous touch points for companies/tailors/customers interaction, and online presence is just one. Although Indochino is exploring the vast landscape of the Internet to appeal to a broader audience, they believe retail stores have their own advantages and shouldn’t be ignored.

Brands need to recognize the different devices and habits of today’s customers; smartphones, tablets, laptops, call centres, social media and retail stores all work together to create an ecosystem to serve the public. So the idea of the online marketplace wiping out malls and retail stores in the future is not one that Indochino prophesize.

“It’s not necessary for us to have a fulltime retail presence in any specific area,” said Wallis. “Our Pop-up events provide the level of interaction that our customers want. And then we can move on efficiently to other areas and interact with other customers.”

The Indochino Traveling Tail Pop-up Shop will be in Vancouver until November 3. Then they’ll be heading to Calgary and San Jose to wrap up 2013. In addition, their holiday collection is now available on their website for you to personalize. For more details about Indochino and their Pop-up events please visit theirFacebook site.

Kashoo’s Startup-friendly Software Enables Anyone to be an Effective Accountant

December 28, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

The number of small businesses in the country is growing, and for a while we thought that accounting software were never going to catch up.

One of two things needed to happen: either people had to get smarter, be more organized, and find more time in their day to process all their book keeping—or the act of accounting had to become more accommodating.

Well, I don’t know if we’re any smarter, organized, or efficient at what we do—but one thing is certain: Vancouver-based Kashoo, an online and mobile accounting application, is revolutionizing the way small companies establish and maintain their business. The result is no more headaches, neglected invoices, and taxing shoebox of receipts.

“Every small business owner hates accounting and record keeping,” Jim Secord, CEO of Kashoo, told Techvibes in an interview. “It’s hard to do, it’s confusing, and the tools are antiquated—there is QuickBooks or Simply Accounting. With the advent of Cloud and mobile, we saw an opportunity to do it a lot differently. Not only to make it easier, but to make it more convenient. And really disrupt the accounting software world that largely went unchanged for the past 20 years.”

Harnessing the possibilities of touch screen features and mobile convenience, Kashoo is making rock stars out of accountants. The old image of a tepid individual in a dimly lit room, with empty cups of coffee, file folders and a calculator on the desk is no longer a correct portrait of accountants—today with smartphones, tablets, and portable computers, anybody can be an accountant.

“I don’t think software can ever replace [accounting] expertise,” said Kasey Bayne, Kashoo’s director of business development. “With Kashoo, accountants aren’t doing things like entering your receipts—but more high value things such as business planning and making smarter decisions. More like a business advisor type of role.”

Some people cringe at the word “accounting,” but Kashoo is doing more than changing people’s opinion—they’re gaining popularity success. After iOS 7 was released in September, Kashoo had been the top 10 business apps in 83 countries, top five in 54 countries and number one in Canada.

“Accounting software is pretty much international,” said Secord. “For a small business person, whether you are running it in Canada or if you are running it in Nigeria—it’s very similar.”

The app has over 100,000 registered small businesses in over 180 countries. Kashoo’s iPad app is currently available in English, Spanish and French (with Japanese and German in development).

All in one, but still focused on the specific needs of small businesses, Kashoo offers features that allow users to track income and expenses, making the worrisome annual tax season less of a chore. Features including a built in camera to capture receipts, a quick expense entry function and on-the-go invoicing, not only makes the job easier for business owners, but they’ll be inclined to do it.

“A lot of time, it comes down to the expenses,” said Secord. “There are tens of millions of dollars that small business people in Canada lose because they’re just not organized with their records. They don’t claim the proper deductions.”

With technology becoming so accessible, work and personal life are blending together—so why not make it easier? Kashoo enables users the flexibility of managing business even on vacation. Although some may be repulsed by the idea of having work everywhere, the ability to operate anywhere anytime is a liberating advantage.

On October 10, Kashoo announced its partnership with Paychex, a leading provider of payroll, human resources, and other solutions for small to medium size businesses. Collaboration was more logical than strategic, since both companies have overlapping qualities. Those who use Kashoo will also use Paychex and vise versa.

“[Paychex] recognized the synergy of having an accounting software with payroll software,” said Secord. “When people are starting a business or when their business gets to a point—it may be two or three years—and they say maybe it’s time to get organized and stop running out of a shoebox or an envelope and handing it over to the accountant. Paychex understood that and if they wanted more payroll customers, then why don’t they offer accounting software. They looked around, found Kashoo, and said that is the accounting software they wanted to offer.”