April 2012
2 posts
The only piece of startup advice that matters
I’ve been given lots of startup advice over the years, read my fair of startup books, and have attended more startup related events than I’d care to admit. But of absolutely everything I’ve learned, there is one piece of advice I’d give aspiring entrepreneurs over everything else.
Build your network before you need it.
We built and launched ShopLocket in 4 months on a shoestring budget. We may...
ShopLocket in Action! Get your very own ShopLocket...
March 2012
1 post
What happens after you interview at Y Combinator —...
Last November I flew down to Mountain View and interviewed for the Y Combinator Winter 2012 class. Spoiler: We didn’t get in. When I interviewed we had been working on ShopLocket for just over a month. A couple weeks prior to interviews I quit my job. I quit before knowing whether we got an interview in the first place. I wanted the decision to start working on ShopLocket full-time to be 100% my...
February 2012
1 post
ShopLocket is Now in Beta! Start Selling Online in...
Today, we are very excited to start rolling out beta invites for ShopLocket. (Woohoo!)
ShopLocket lets anyone start selling online in just minutes, risk-free. We help you leverage your social networks, display your product in a beautiful way, and – of course – make more money.
ShopLocket was founded by myself, Katherine Hague, and Andrew Louis. We’re backed by Heather Payne, the company’s...
November 2011
1 post
October 2011
1 post
Launching the Canadian Maker Passport!
I’m excited to announce the launch of the Canadian Maker Passport! This is a project I’ve been working on with ThingTankLab for the past couple months. The first passports were distributed at SoOnCon on September 30th, and were gone in a flash! If we do say so ourselves, they are pretty awesome and we can’t wait to get them out to more people.
The Canadian Maker Passport...
September 2011
1 post
Something worth waiting for...
Reblogged from a recent article on Women 2.0.
Katherine is a 20-year-old aspiring entrepreneur currently living in Toronto and working as Marketing Manager for local startup ecobee. After spending the past 5 years learning the ins and outs of Toronto’s tech scene, Katherine is more excited then ever to be part of such a vibrant community.
I found what I love early on. It’s hard for me to believe...
July 2011
1 post
What I Earned After 141 Days in the Shopify Theme...
This year, at the end of February, I released a theme to the Shopify Theme Store. Today, I’m releasing all of my sales numbers to date.
When I decided to create a theme for Shopify, I knew Shopify was growing quickly. At the time they had over 11,323 stores using the platform (I think its over 15,000 now!) and only around 72 themes available in the Theme Store. Of the 72 themes, many were actually...
June 2011
1 post
7 Reasons Why its Better to Be a Woman in Tech
I want more women in technology and entrepreneurship as much as anyone. But at the same time I think that we tend to undervalue the power of being in the minority. Its important to acknowledge the opportunities that come with being a woman in this industry, rather than focusing on those aspects that might make it less than ideal.
Here are 7 Reasons Why its Better to Be a Woman in Tech.
1) You...
May 2011
1 post
2 tags
February 2011
1 post
New York Now Available in the Shopify Theme Store!
Today I’m excited to announce the launch of New York, a theme for Shopify. Shopify is an e-commerce platform that lets store owners easily set up and manage their online store.
I have watched over the years as Shopify has grown into the awesome ecosystem it is today. Now, upon the release of this theme I am thrilled to be a part of it! The new theme was built by the amazing and talented CSS...
August 2010
1 post
Fashionably Late: Franchising Still to Arrive at...
I’ve been spending a lot of time over the past few months thinking about social media and its interaction with the world of franchising. Why have so few franchise networks been able to successfully leverage social media tools, and why do so few digital media agencies look to franchises as prospective clients?
Social media has taken our world by storm and has long out grown its infancy. In fact,...
July 2010
1 post
Avoid the Social Media Guru
Social media is not complicated, and its not expensive. In fact, its free! Anyone that tells you anything different is probably trying to rip you off. This is coming from someone that is currently making her living off providing help to companies on social media strategy and implementation. Hypocrite? I like to think not, and here’s why.
Give me or anyone else that understands the first thing...
June 2010
1 post
Good Customer Service is Not Enabling
Social media and customer service, are they an effective mix? Its a fine balance but my feeling is that social media can and should be used as a tool for enabling customer service. People are talking about you and your company and you need to be where the conversations is happening.
When it comes to customer service, ignorance is not bliss. Online feedback about your business can be positive or...
January 2010
2 posts
My Tour of Zappos
I have long been fascinated what it takes to develop of strong corporate culture. A couple years ago while watching an interview with Tony Hsieh on an Oprah special, ‘Millionaire Moguls’ , I got my first glimpse of Zappos.com. I always remembered that the multimillionaire CEO sat in a cubicle and only made $37 thousand a year. Then this past fall Inc Magazine published an...
CES 2010
I have long been fascinated by technology. I am currently in Las Vegas where I just attended the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). CES brings out over one hundred thousand technology enthusiasts each year. Over the last few days, I have had the opportunity to experience some amazing new products not yet released to the public. Among the new technologies were 3D televisions, ultra flatscreen TVs,...