Community Futures Program & Services | Self-Employment Program
Industry | Future-ready public relations
Business Owner | Tim Conrad
Please give us a brief description of your backstory.
After experiencing multiple layoffs in recent years, I sought stability through self-employment. I had tried self-employment years earlier in Alberta, but unfortunately, I had to wind down the business due to bad debts from non-payments. That loss, unstable employment, and the pandemic left me in a rough financial position. Developing a business in a new market would require Community Futures’ support to have a chance at success.
Through research, I knew there was a need for a public relations focus on crises, emergency and disaster communications that generalist consultants and agencies have until now filled. As well, I found a gap in online training I could develop. With the support of Community Futures SE program, I created a business plan and started the business in April 2023.
Tell us about your business. What service do you provide, and what problem do you solve for your customers?
When doom and gloom strikes, you want me on your favourite contacts list. I bring calm to chaos through effective communications.
I believe ethical communications can guide populations and organizations to prepare, respond to and recover from crises, emergencies and disasters. I want you to know more, understand the impact, and know what action to take.
Hey, I’m not all doom and gloom, I do fun things too. Need people to change a behaviour like:
· stopping glass from going in a blue cart?
· not having grease go down the drain?
· Or getting the community involved in a new development or event?
When you are looking to engage, educate or expand, Tim and Butterfly Effect Communications should be in your favourites.
What have been your successes, milestones, and challenges?
· Reached year two revenue goals by month five.
· Launched a podcast in year one and met the first year’s downloads goal within six months. The audience includes over 40 countries and 400 communities.
· Revenue mountain peaks and river valleys have been fear-inducing cliffs up and down.
· Speaker at 10 events in Nova Scotia, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia for international, national, provincial and regional audiences.
· 1,200 new followers in 2024 across all social accounts, plus 236,000 views/listens across various platforms and 63,000 hours watched.
· Hired for one full day of training within two years.
· Incorporated business at the end of 2024.
· Inconsistent revenue with two months surpassing all other months combined.
· Struggled to grow business as my only funding comes from personal finances and revenue.
· Difficulty getting the training site launched due to financial, time and mental well-being challenges.
What did you find most valuable in working with Community Futures Thompson Country?
While I’ve had multiple businesses in the past, I never had a business plan, and those businesses were never able to reach their full potential. The support from Community Futures to create a business plan was a primary reason. Secondly, I needed support for living expenses while I built the business into something which I could draw an income from. Without financial support, I would never have started a business due to the financial risk. Lastly, the knowledge and support from their team, from talking me in or out of something to listening during difficult times, along with the knowledge among the team and available through MyCommunityFutures. A bonus is meeting all of the self-employed people in the CF family.
You can’t properly quantify those people on your team who are pushing you to think bigger, dream more, or consider something you’ve not thought of. You also can’t properly quantify when they are there when you are on the edge of losing it all, yet need the support to tell you to keep going while also making a backup plan. Yet I can quantify what Community Futures did for me in those moments, along with a glimmer of hope at the very beginning.
How do you hope to see your business grow in the next few years?
Once all service lines are launched in the next year, it is likely the next stage will be focused on growth over the following few years. myCommunityFutures provided me the opportunity to get the skills and knowledge I needed for most of my business goals. This would not have been possible without support to attend two of my profession’s national conferences, which is no longer supported with myCommunityFutures. In my industry, that is where much of the best annual learning and in-person networking happens. I believe exceptions should be allowed, as Canada is big yet small in people in certain professions (this includes emergency management and public relations).
What advice would you give others wanting to open their own business?
It is a grinding hike through valleys and over mountains, through all weather in all seasons. You experience things you wish you didn’t and moments you’ll wear with pride and happiness forever. Prepare, go hard, keep attention all around you and be prepared to change plans, and eat, exercise and rest well.
Are there any mentors or other local businesses or services you’d like to mention, and why?
Besides CFTC, Venture Kamloops was a motivator and supporter from the early stages of the business’s development. Before coming to CFTC, I participated in the VK Venture Advisors, which sped up my business planning process. I also leaned on the market research VK provides.
My (Toronto-based) friend Mark Hunter-Lavigne has been an important mentor over the last few years, always being there to support me with ideas and encouragement.
