Next up in the QSC Lunch & Learn Health Series is Dianne Birt.  Dianne will talk to us about the connection of food and fitness to our mental well being. Join us Wednesday, May 02 at noon here at the Commons (224 Queen Street).  Admission is free for members, $5 for non-members and light refreshments are provided.

]]> http://queenstreetcommons.org/2012/04/26/dianne-birt-next-up-in-the-lunch-learn-health-series/feed/ 0 karenmurchison db http://queenstreetcommons.org/2012/04/24/get-set-to-launch-your-great-business-idea/ http://queenstreetcommons.org/2012/04/24/get-set-to-launch-your-great-business-idea/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:33:14 +0000 karenmurchison http://queenstreetcommons.org/?p=1482 Continue reading →]]> Start Up PEI Challenge 2012

Have you dreamed of starting your own small business, but haven’t been able to take that first step? What would it take to get you started? You know you don’t need much – an idea, a plan, some cash, some support. Here’s your chance – tell us about your idea, and why you should be the one to win the first Start Up PEI Challenge, and you could win a package of capital, business and management skills to launch your entrepreneurial idea to the next level.

The Start Up Business Package includes:

• Cash prize of $500
  • Donated by Hannah Bell, winner of the ACE Regional Competition (www.acecanada.ca)
• Business and project planning consultancy
  • Service and mentoring provided by The Solution Agency
  • approx. value: $500
• Domain name registration and website design
  • Service and mentoring provided by Logikl
  • approx. value: $250
• Social media and marketing consultancy and launch
  • Service and mentoring provided by Tinker Media
  • approx. value: $250
• Valuable media exposure
• Ongoing mentorship and networking opportunities

Want more information on how to submit your idea?  Go to www.thesolutionagency.com/start-up-award for submission guidelines and eligibility.  Be creative, have fun, and be inspiring!

Follow @startuppei on Twitter for updates and tips!

Don’t wait – competition closes May 20 with winners announced May 31 2012 at a live fun event in Charlottetown!

The Queen Street Commons  is a social hub for many of the small and personal entrepreneurs that are driving the real new personal economy on PEI where most business has less than 5 employees and the majority less than 3. Our members are very diverse. They include Artists, Musicians, Developers and Programmers, Marketers, Financial Consultants, Therapists, Retailers, Foodies and more.

To celebrate the visit of the StartUp Canada team, the QSC has invited for dinner at the Queen Street Commons (QSC) 224 Queen Street, Charlottetown at 6:00pm Tuesday May 8th. Many who are well known in their own networks to come together and to enjoy each other’s company and discover how we might all help each other strengthen the network.

Our hope is that this night may be a beginning of a real network of ultra small business entrepreneurs on PEI. Something similar took place when blogging was new and Will Pate asked a few of us to lunch. The result was that silverorange moved downtown. Reinvented moved in with them. The QSC started. Rob Paterson worked with Jevon MacDonald for 4 years and a host of other good things. All begun with Sushi!

We hope that this will be an opportunity is for each of PEI’s sub networks to get connected. For the craft folks to meet the tech folks, the writers to meet the artists, the foodies meet the marketers, the consultants to meet the musicians etc. This is an image of what we all might look like if we do get together:

Right now we each live in our own little world.

The question before us is this. What if we could make this larger network real? We could help finance each other as we have done for Raymond Loo and Patrick Ledwell. We could sell each other services. We could offer each other advice and access to our own networks. The better the network, the more powerful the very small business.

Our friends from StartUp Canada can then help us link up nationally into an uber network in Canada and the UK and the US.

Join us at the Commons on Wednesday at noon as Karen shares some of her insight into Urban Farming and the associated health and social issues. Karen will also spend some time talking about an exciting new project she is involved with in Charlottetown – the Inspired Farmers. Come and learn more and maybe even get inspired!

If you live in the San Francisco area, you and your iPhone are needed…STAT!

Ok, it’s not all that urgent, but it could be a cool opportunity. Some background: Read More

To accomodate some scheduling challenges, we will be hosting our regular Lunch & Learn session on TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2012 at noon instead of our regular Wednesday date.

The really great news is that now we are able to have Jen Campbell from Jen & Derek’s Organic Farm join us to talk about her experience and successes with the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) business model.

Jen has a very interesting background and experience and is a very busy person operating the CSA and raising very young twin boys. Come and join us!