business.creativity.life.

Have you ever been in a situation where you needed just a little boost of motivation to either make your idea or reality or keep pushing through the one you’re working on? Well, this video ‘Entrepreneurs Can Change the World’ developed by Grasshopper (and brought to my attention by the Sprouter blog) is a gem that needs to be tucked away in your vault of motivational tools. Using simple graphics and words of motivation the video enlightens and inspires viewers to take flight with their thoughts. Check it out and see for yourself!

SproutUp Ottawa was honestly my most anticipated meetup to-date. Sprouter is an online community geared towards entrepreneurs as it’s an online tool that lends itself to connecting veteran and budding entrepreneurs world-wide. To help promote the tool and the communities it is establishing, Sprouter has been to Toronto, New York City and now Ottawa to have face-to-face meetups for Sprouter members and those keen to join. This event definitely did not disappoint! With presentations from Aydin Mirzaee for Fluid Surveys, Scott Annan for Network Hippo and Saul Colt for Zoocasa the evening was filled with resourceful information, helping hands and most importantly: laughter!

Whether you are a dot-com-millionaire or someone who just heard about entrepreneurship 2 minutes ago, tonight’s SproutUp Ottawa meetup was a must-attend event. The overall environment and mood of the evening was one of ease and relaxation all revolving around the understanding of learning and meeting new people. Everyone was cheerful and friendly, all willing to share their entrepreneurial story and lend a helping in any capacity. Between the Girl Geek Dinner on Tuesday evening and today’s SproutUp Ottawa meetups I felt like I was attending a social media tour and collecting business cards as MVP trading cards along the way! In two days, the people I have met and the conversations I have had have been so intrinsically rewarding. Everyone hesitates to attend those pesky ‘networking events’ especially after a long day of work, but honestly at both events I never once felt like I was ‘networking’. Conversations and demeanors were similar to those with old friends full of laughter, funny stories and insightful information all over yummy food and drinks. I can’t wait for the next SproutUp meetup and am tempted to make a day trip to Toronto for their next monthly meetup (October 14th). Even if the trip doesn’t pan out I’ll be sure to maintain more of a profile of awesome upcoming events such as Girl Geek Dinner, SproutUp and more in the future.

Sprouter is yet another addition to the world of social media and online communities, except this time it’s targeted to one primary domain: entrepreneurs. The website is geared towards global networking and collaboration between entrepreneurs. Better yet, founder and CEO, Sarah Prevette, is a fellow Canadian! 

Sprouter is definitely a great initiative that enables valuable connections and information for anyone interested in entrepreneurship. But before you get too excited, unfortunately it’s still in private-testing and is issuing members by invite only. But there may be a silver lining for the eager entrepreneurs of Ottawa.Erin Bury, of RedWire, has taken liberties to create a ‘Sprout Up Ottawa‘ Meetup group for all of us Sprouter enthusiasts to get connected. Their first meetup is coming up fast: September 16 at The Velvet Room (see details below). So don’t wait, get involved and let your entrepreneurial ambitions sprout!

Sprout Up Ottawa Meetup Details

When: September 16 (6-9 pm)

Where: The Velvet Room

62 York Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A1
(613)241-6810 

Details: Sprout Up Ottawa Meetup Group