First 2013 Loop Event

After last years Golf Loop Night @ TheBear Course, it became quite clear we were more than just a golf membership and definitely a lot more than just great deals, we were a local community. Our team knew going into year 3 that events would be something we would continue grow.  I had have always planned our golf event well into the year hoping our membership was big enough that we could sell it out. This year we planned our event before we launched our website and announced our event 2 weeks into going live. When our 3^rd Golf event sold out in 4 hours, I knew it was going to be a good time – and a good time it was. Huge thank you to our sponsors, members and the host course Gallagher’s Canyon for helping us put together a fantastic Saturday.

Our Members making a difference – This was our first event that featured a local charity; this events charity was the Canadian Breast Cancer Society. Donations were raised through an on course 50 / 50 draw and a special balloon draw that seen members purchasing balloons by donation to win prizes like a nights stay to Lake Okanagan Resort, gift certificates to restaurants, car washes, massages and hair cuts, all compliments of our great Partners!

The event featured great local sponsors like Big Surf Beer, Remax, Investor Group, 2% realty, Andres Electronics, The Golf Centre,  Duffers, Lake Okanagan Resort, Lake Country Crane, Lets Play Great Golf and many more.  The tunes were playing, the Big Surf Beers were flowing and the sun was shinning, a perfect setting for a good time.

  Thank you again for everyone who attended, stay tuned for our next event coming very soon. Hint, it will involve a patio, not a golf course… The promise we can make, it will feature some great deals, a great Partner venue and what is becoming a guaranteed good time ! Thank you again to all of our members who participated in the tournament and helping raise the money for Breast Cancer, It meant a lot!

Video of the event: 

Prove your a member

Our team at Get in the Loop has received many requests regarding the “watchlist” function and members wondering how to prove themselves at Partner facilities.

We have taken this feedback and made one minor adjustment so far. The “watchlist” was built to give our members the ability to filter the deals they like, or were planning to use quite soon. We will not remove this option but have added the “show card” button to your offers list as well.

When arriving at a Partner facility you access your member’s area on your Smartphone and press the “show card” button on the offer you are about to use.

You can find out how to bookmark Get in the Loop to your Smartphone home screen here  HOW IT WORKS

The image below gives a bit more information on how everything works on our deals.

How to best use Get in the Loop

We appreciate your feedback and are just beginning to grow our membership and Partner list. If you have any questions for us or recommendations on how we can better serve you, our members, please drop us a line here.

Cheers for now,

Matt

Golf Loop Night @ The Pinnacle

Get in the Loop is excited to announce our 3^rd Golf Loop Night, hosted this spring at The Pinnacle Course – with dinner @ Gallagher’s Canyon Bar and Grill.

Here is exactly what you needto know.

• Date:  Saturday, May 11^th
• Time: Shotgun start at 3:30
• Price: $39, includes, 9 holes, prizes and a steak dinner

Details: Like our past events, you must be a member to book a tee time, but you are encouraged to bring non-members out to the event.  Be prepared to have a great time as we have many sponsors attending for both free beverages and some free samplers!  Expect lots of great prizes and like usual, tons of fun!

We sold out in 48 hours last year so do not hesitate to book your groups spot.

To Book your time contact:  Matt Crowell to secure your spot in this year’s tournament.

• Matt@getintheloop.ca
• 778-215-5667

We will be announcing sponsors as we lead up towards the event. If you are a member and interested in sponsoring please contact Matt Crowell

Launched

Today our team would like to invite everyone to check out Getintheloop.ca, register for free to see our new Loop Partners and sign up for the memberships you love the most, I recommend all 3.

We are excited about the great strides our membership has taken over the past 2 years and look forward to connecting Kelowna further with our new Staycation and Restaurant Loop Memberships.  We have added new courses to our Golf Loop and added Partners like Sparkling Hill, Lake Okanagan Resort, Boston Pizza, Ric’s Grill and many more.  There have been some big changes to our membership and all for the better.

All of our deals are exclusive, to be seen by members eyes only. You will need to purchase your membership to see the great deals our partners are offering daily.

We’ve gone Digital (Membership Card)

Our membership card is now digital,  once you have become a member you will be able to view all of the great offers our Partners are promoting. You  “star” the ones you like the most, this adds them to your watch list.  All the offers on your watch list have a show card button. When at a Partner facility you will be asked to press this button on your smart phone to prove your self, Here is the good news, if you have your phone, your always connected to great saving opportunities and since its your cell, we know you will never leave your membership card at home!  You are welcome to use an I – pad as well.

Watch our landing page video for – How it works 

You can expect to see great deals available every day, whether your in the mood to hit the links, go out for a bite, or maybe relax at a spa, Get in the loop has you covered.  You can expect to hear from me soon, I can finally start to brag about all of the great partners we are working with.

Cheers for now,

Matt

Loop Lifestyle

When I first pitched Getintheloop to friends and family the idea was to bring more golfers to the courses and help members enjoy themselves at a discount. I had no idea the community we were about to start building. It was after hosting our first Loop Tournament @ The Harvest Golf Club that I realized we were so much more than a discount site, or membership. We had a group of like-minded members who enjoyed being active, loved supporting local and would pay to enjoy great facilities.

After chatting with members this winter we realized what Getintheloop was providing… we were creating a lifestyle of spontaneity, socializing and  self enjoyment.

We were asking our members, what exactly do you like to do? (initially the only option was Golf ) Our Partners then respond by offering you great opportunities to do what you love, more often and save money.

In our day-to-day lives we have no time to plan, getting together with friends or enjoying a nice dinner with your wife, is tough! It seems to happen less and less, Getintheloop is the solution to this problem.

Your Loop Membership is not for you to plan your Friday night dinner, or that nice round of golf with your father in law. It is not for that one weekend a year you take your wife away, which is not enough by the way.

Getintheloop is saying, hey, still plan your 3 nights of fun a year, but start to do them a lot more often. Instead of planning months ahead to go to the resort, decide on a Friday afternoon that you want to enjoy a glass of wine @Lake Okanagan Resort tonight and guess what, Getintheloop is going to get you a deal on it, great!!!!

Our Members talked about golfing together, ditching work early and enjoying a Loop deal mid week. Getintheloop is a reminder to have fun and enjoy times with your friends.

The Loop lifestyle is active and social, eating out more often, treating your self right with the Staycation Loop and enjoying rounds of golf at the best courses. We are building a community of fun lovers who support local companies regularly and are rewarded for it. I cannot wait for our members to have their first Getintheloop birthday! Signup for a membership later this week and you will see what I mean.

FYI: We will be announcing our first Golf Loop night very soon

Announcement – 2 new Loop’s

We are excited to announce GetintheLoop will be adding 2 new Loop Membership’s in Kelowna this spring.  When our new site goes live in a couple of weeks locals will have an opportunity to purchase a Golf Loop, Restaurant Loop and a Staycation Loop membership. As our new partner list continues to grow, I can promise, you’re going to want all 3.

New to GetintheLoop and wondering what a Loop is ? – Good question, a Loop is a variety of companies we think appeal to similar interests. We group them so you only receive discounts from the companies you love the most.

Just like the Golf Loop our focus will be providing our members great discounts at the most premier locations in their city. You can expect to see some great companies (Partners) in the two new Loops. I wish I could tell you who now, but what would be the fun in that, plus we are still selecting who is a great fit for our members. Got some suggestions? Let us know on our Facebook, help us build the GetintheLoop community for you!

Our Restaurant Loop will offer our members great discounts for breakfast, lunch and dinner at some of the nicest restaurants and pubs in Kelowna.  Like our Golf discounts, you can expect creativity, a wide variety of partners and deep savings that encourage you to get out and enjoy your self with friends and family.

Our Staycation Loop is something we @ Getintheloop are really excited about; the options are unlimited, especially here in the Okanagan. You can expect a wide range of exclusive savings at premium resorts, spa’s, salons and much more. If you can think of something that sounds like a quick “Staycation” connect with us on our social media, I would love to hear your input.

Thank you to all our past years Members and Partners for their support of the program early on. It is your love for our concept that has given us the opportunity to expand into other Loops and offer premium discounts beyond just golf.  You can expect to hear a lot more from me soon, I still have to update you on our new membership features and of course announce our full new partner list. The fun is just getting started, check back soon.

MC

Master’s VS Accelerator

This time last year I could not have imagined I would ever know what it was like to be a part of either an Accelerate or a Masters program. Now I can tell you the big difference between the two.

I was working commercial finance at BDC and hoping Getintheloop would grow in its second year.   I was the first one to say – “Accelerate? Naw, I wouldn’t be a good fit for the program.” I thought it was only for really techy companies and I had no idea the value they had to offer.

During the growth of my company in year 2, I realized that the Getintheloop concept had a chance. I was on a mission to improve it. I started searching for Masters programs- something that focused on the Internet, creativity and entrepreneurship.  I was fortunate enough to be accepted into the Antwerp Management School for their Innovation and Entrepreneurship program.

This was going to be the winter that I took the Getintheloop concept to the next level and got my Masters while doing it.

It wasn’t until I was invited out for lunch with Accelerate Okanagan’s CEO, Jeff Keen, and a BDC colleague of mine that I found out more about Accelerate Okanagan and the services they offer. I quickly realized that if I wanted to achieve my goal, I had to be part of this program.  Luckily for me, I was accepted as a VAP [Venture Acceleration Program] client, selected my mentor and never looked back.

If there is anyone who can tell you which of the two is more valuable for your company and personal growth it’s me. I’m 7 weeks away from completing my Masters Degree and am currently participating remotely for the past 6 months with Accelerate Okanagan.

If you compare lessons learned, personal or company development, my position at Accelerate blows my Masters Program out of the water! That is putting it nicely.  Here are a few reasons why.

• First and most importantly, the value of a mentor. I have been lucky enough to be mentored by Richard Favro, one of the Executives in Residence at Accelerate.  Richard has provided guidance on every topic needed for Getintheloop’s development, through brainstorming, business modeling, legal advice, meeting preparation and more. Each time I talk with Richard I come away feeling more confident about what I am doing and learn more in 1 hour than I do in 35 hours of class time.

• The blind leading the blind. This is how I would refer to some of my courses. In my Masters Program I am lucky enough to be taught by some very successful business owners- some of them owning 3-15 successful ventures. Their courses are tremendous; however, the problem is that not every course is taught by true entrepreneurs. I have a tough time listening to a triple mastered, doctor in business talk to our class about innovative market entry strategies for startups when I know they have never spent 1 sleepless night thinking about how their company launch is going to go. You can’t read about that gut feeling, you can’t listen to lectures and know what it feels like to fail or succeed when it’s your own idea. Every single advisor at Accelerate is a seasoned entrepreneur with extensive experience in a myriad of industries. These are the people you want to learn from.

• Sink or swim. At school, every project, business plan or test I do gets graded. Instructors provide feedback and I can try and improve on my next “test”. If I get my 65%, I pass, move on, get my certificate and graduate. With Accelerate, I am demanded to present quarterly reviews. If I am unprepared, I don’t get a 60%, I am out of the program. I have to show progress and growth. If I am not successful, I am out of the program. This is real life- do well, get better or move on. With the education system, you can do well, do ok, or do poorly, but still get by. I see too many people happy to just get their Masters and see what happens after that.  It’s easy. It doesn’t teach perseverance. It doesn’t imitate the pressures of the real world. It’s not reality.

• The one big positive a Masters program has is the vast network you build while attending. My management school has programs that are ranked in the top 25 in the world and my classmates are highly motivated, hopeful entrepreneurs. The international connections I will have gained from this experience can’t be measured. The opportunity to work with a group of young, energetic Masters students is a great experience and one I have enjoyed from day 1.

I could go on and on about the big differences, but the highlights are clear. With Accelerate’s programs, you are given a mentor that brings unlimited value to your personal growth. You are surrounded by likeminded entrepreneurs and held to a standard that pushes you to succeed.  If you have a great idea, or have just started a business and you think there is any possibility you could fit into some sort of program like Accelerate Okanagan, do whatever you can to find out more and explore your options.

I can tell you one thing, if I ever do need to hand out a resume again (fingers crossed I won’t), the first thing on my resume will be my experience running my company and being a part of the VAP program at Accelerate. My second highlight will be my corporate experience and my education will be listed at the bottom. Its more of a token necessity to gain the roles we motivated folks are looking for.

Stimulating Creativity

“ How can I become more creative” Is a question I hear many people asking.  Where do good ideas come from? How can I come up with the next Facebook ? Clearly If I had the answer to the last one I would be happy to share it, unfortunately I do not. What we can do is increase our ability to think creatively, helping stimulate idea generation and an out of the box outlook on life. These are some of the key ingredients to generating that next big idea!

The keys to being creative are actually quite simple; you have to be happy and passionate about what you are doing. If you hate what you are doing, quit! Creativity flow is turned off when your not happy, thinking outside of the box is nearly impossible.  I am not the first person to tell you this, and I wont be the last. You need to find something that excites you and you will be amazed to watch your capabilities and motivation increase.

A little known fact is that creativity is created through the neurotransmitter in the brain known as Dopamine. Seems quite fitting since dope (marijuana) is quite often referenced for stimulating creativity.  The three keys I will focus on to increase creativity and  dopamine boosts are exercise, chocolate and sex.

The power of sport can significantly increase your dopamine levels when you reach your Anaerobic Threshold. To achieve this you must take the number 220 and minus your age. This will give you a target heart rate. You then must achieve this target heart rate for 6 minutes, 3 times, best achieved through interval training.  Studies show this will boost your dopamine levels resulting in idea flow like never seen before, ha let’s hope!

The second one is easy, chocolate. Studies have shown the “happy food” chocolate can provide significant boosts of dopamine, helping produce creative thoughts one snickers at a time.  The next time you find your self sitting around thinking about your next creative ad, or how you are going to attract more followers, maybe insert a chocolate bar for best results.

Last and surely not least is sex. Yep, its true, the more sex you have, the higher your dopamine levels increase and the more creative you become. If personal enjoyment wasn’t enough reason to pursue relations, you can now chock up the desire to become more creative.

The next step is to learn to capitalize and capture this creativity. Some tricks I use is having a constant notepad on my computer and cell phone to continually brain storm.  Ideas come and go very quickly, jot them down and bounce them off of friends later to gage your concept.

Luckily for me I am writing this post from Antwerp Belgium, the chocolate capital of the world. Creativity should not be a problem for me!

Growth and Advertising

Like all entrepreneurs experience, there comes a time where big decisions need to be made.  For me that came quite early into my second season, could I juggle a career role while trying to grow a very new concept. The decision on whether to hire someone to help me was easy; the company did not generate enough money to hire anyone. Secondly, I was not ready to give up any control on the day to day of Getintheloop and how our message was communicated with our partners and members.  I decided I would enjoy a Starbucks every morning before work, spending 1 hour in the morning and then do whatever else needed to be done in the evening. When doing something your passionate about getting up extra early, is easy!

The first thing I had to learn was to efficiently spend my advertising dollars.  I met with many different local advertising consultants to gage what I wanted to do and what I thought was best. Being pretty green in business, I made decisions on a whim, and went with my gut. I decided to do a mix, hoping one avenue would have standout success, and then I could focus. I advertised briefly in the local paper, posted a 2-week ad on castanet and ran a few different radio campaigns.  For the ads I ran, I saw the most success with radio. As far as returns on ad spend, none of the avenues provided me a great deal of value. This re-assured me of the marketing avenue we provide our partners and the value that is behind the Getintheloop concept.  I found radio to be effective; it created great brand awareness and resulted in positive ROI membership sales. I was again featured in the business section of the paper as well as ran an ad in the paper.  Having someone else tell your story for you is key! The success and awareness created through articles on Getintheloop relative to any other advertising were superior. Free press beats pushed ads any day of the week. After doing some member surveys I soon figured out that the bulk of my awareness was created through word of mouth and the local community buying into the concept. If it wasn’t for our members spreading the word I don’t think year 2 would have seen half the growth that it did. In year 2 the system became slightly more automated, but still, I was a long ways from the vision of the finished product I wanted to offer my partner and members.

The membership was growing, as were the opportunities for bringing on internal partners and growing our offering. 4 weeks into our second year, the membership was already larger than the year before and that trend continued, Getintheloop saw great growth to finish up a very successful second season. Like I said in post 1, it was official, I had a concept that was working, it was up to me to keep it growing.

I planned to do the second annual Loop tournament towards the end of the summer. I decided this time that I would take the chance and we would reserve the course and host a shotgun tournament. The rules were simple, you had to be a member to book a tee time and you had to be ready to have some fun.  The same instant promotional messaging tool that we offered our partners was used to promote the tournament.  Much to the surprise of our host course, the tournament was sold out in 48 hours.  This was a great example of how our program works and the desire our Loop members had to participate in our event. The tournament saw a lot of smiles, suntans and some great local sponsors like Andre’s, Big Surf Beer, The Golf Centre, Mazda, Dodge, Peacock Insurance and many more. The rule for sponsorship is easy, you have to be local and members can sponsor a hole or event for free. Just provide a great prize for the other members to enjoy. The focus of our company is simple, help local members enjoy local businesses while helping all local businesses communicate and offer specials to our local members.

After the growth of year 2 it was now up to me to take the company to the next level. Focusing again on growth, Improving our online member and partner experience and continuing to grow our value to both our partners and our members. Stay tuned to find out how this plan is going into action.

Merry Christmas, I hope you enjoy your holidays !

The Grind

When I finally made my mind up and decided I was going to start a business, I quickly learned you need 4 key strengths to get a start up off of the ground; work ethic, persistence, a good sounding board and some luck.  In my first week of idea generation I bounced the new idea off of everyone I thought would use my product.

I am not discounting constructive criticism, or the pessimistic view, as I believe it’s necessary. I felt focusing on the future product users would help me quickly generate ideas around the product and keep the positive energy flowing. I knew there was a million ways it could fail, but I also knew there was a few ways I had a chance!

It wasn’t until I actually did it on my own that I understood how many hours you have to spend brainstorming, preparing for meetings, learning from meetings and if you have $0 funds for help, how many hours you have to spend creating content for your site.  For 2 weeks straight I spent every free hour talking, writing, meeting or thinking about Getintheloop.  Yes its true, from when the idea was first talked about, until it was a bare bones website was just over 2 weeks. I now had a website, a concept and 50 home printed tear away business cards, I was ready! ha

This is where the persistence came into play. I worked for a week pitching to my friends and family, anyone who would listen and critique me. I got better, and felt I was ready to go.  Who ever said practice makes perfect, lied. You can practice all you want, but that first meeting when it’s your idea and your own product everything changes quickly. My first conversation with a partner course was arranged via a relationship with a good family friend.  I gave my “pitch” which was way below average. I nervously stumbled through my main points and what I could do for them. I listened to some great feedback on what he liked and what needed to be my focus and then at the end he said, OK lets try it!  Wehooo ! What a rush, for the first time in business or anything work related I gave a hockey style first pump to my self in the car ! Throughout the next 2 weeks I met with business that would listen on both the Golf and Entertainment side. The feedback was positive, but getting that YES when you are not proven and new, is not easy. I heard a lot of, call us in a couple of months, or maybe we will try it next year. The one big thing I learned, it’s always easy to say no on the phone, you have to go see your prospective clients.  I had a new idea and I needed to find the right people who were open to giving it a try. This is why I am always thankful for those who took the chance and gave me a shot at proving the concept.

In year 1 I spent a whopping $125 on marketing, this gave me business cards and a few posters for the partner courses.  My advertising budget was $0, so I relied on social media, word of mouth and the help of everyone who was a part of the idea brainstorming from the beginning. I would give away a membership at men’s nights and in the middle of June I was lucky enough to be featured in an article in the business section of the paper.  All of these factors contributed to steady growth and a fun first year.  Without taking the chance and learning along the way, none of this would have been possible. I had no idea how I was going to get the word out, or gain members; I just knew I had too.

Coming into year 2 I had some new opportunities, I could now advertise, my website could improve and I had learned. It was up to me to maximize the first year’s momentum and improve the experience for both our members and our partners.  Like one of Darwin’s theories explains it is not the strongest or the most intelligent, it is that who best adapts who survives.  I knew I was definitely neither of the first two, but I had an opportunity to be the third, I could learn and change.  Some issues I had in year 1 were no e-mail notifications available to members who didn’t want to receive texts and no tool for Loop members to identify themselves at the course. In year 1 they just showed their cell proving they were receiving Getintheloops exclusive texts.  Coming into year 2 I had to make sure that e-mail notifications were an option and I had to find a way for our members to identify themselves.  Beyond that I was left with a bit of a dilemma, I now worked full time at the Business Development Bank as an account manager.  I didn’t have the finances to hire someone and Getintheloop was not able to be my only means of income.