On behalf of the staff at Webnames.ca, we would like to congratulate Cybele Negris on receiving Business in Vancouver's 11th Annual Influential Women in Business Award.

We would also like to extend our congratulations to the other honourees:

• Janet Austin, CEO, YWCA Vancouver
• Ida Goodreau, Corporate Director and former CEO of LifeLabs and Vancouver Coastal Health
• Sarah Morgan-Silvester, Chancellor, University of British Columbia
• Janine North, CEO, Northern Development Initiative Trust

This below article "Cybele Negris - Queen of her Domain" is from Business in Vancouver March 23-29, 2010; issue 1065

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Is it still relevant to focus on the success and role of women in business? That's one of the questions we asked this year's IWIB honourees, and they responded with a resounding "yes." As successful as women have become in business, there are still great strides to make and milestones to achieve; which makes our annual IWIB section even more relevant for inspiring women of all ages to reach their full potential.

Queen of her Domain 

Cybele Negris may have taken the long route to achieving success, but it wasn't for lack of entrepreneurial drive.

Article by Curt Cherewayko

To think: shyness nearly relegated Cybele Negris to an academic career in psychology, far from the front lines of the Internet where she stands today.

Years before co-founding web domain registrar Webnames.ca in 2000, Negris dropped out of the commerce program at UBC and completed a psychology degree, which required her to do fewer front-and-centre presentations.

At the encouragement of her professors, she was taking a hard look at pursuing a PhD in psychology.

"I did quite a bit of research in the last year and a half of my psych degree and realized that was really not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life and that business was my first love," said Negris. "I took the long route I guess."

She overcame her introversion through a lot of work, including the Dale Carnegie self-improvement program for businesspeople.

Since then, self-improvement, particularly the form that comes through community participation, has been a key factor in Negris' career trajectory.

She is one of four founding partners and COO of Webnames, a UBC spinoff that registers, hosts and manages website domains and domain portfolios for thousands of Canadians and Canadian businesses.

Though profitable since its first year of business, Webnames doesn't disclose specific figures.

Negris said that the company has grown steadily in revenue, profitability and employee count since year 1, when sa;es were $2.5 million.

In the mid-1990s, with only a psychology degree and a handful of business courses under her belt, she was going to pursue an MBA to get back on the business track, but landed a role with Richmond-based Pegasus Pharmaceuticals.

"That ended up becoming my real-life MBA," said Negris. "I was thrown into the fire."

Leveraging the strong connections that she forged at UBC during her years as a student there, she moved on from Pegasus and began work in the university's human resources department.

She was quickly promoted to the role of faculty relations manager for the president's office.

After two years there, she realized that she was better-suited for work in an entrepreneurial setting.

"I end up giving my all with any job," said Negris. "I realized at that point that if I'm going to work this hard I should be working for myself."

She was consulting for UBC's University-Industry Liaison Office when she met John Demco, the manager of computing facilities at UBC's department of computer science.

Demco had created the ".ca" domain registry in 1987 in a bid to give Canadians a national identity online.

But the registry was growing so fast that what essentially started as a hobby was becoming a full-time volunteer job for Demco.

As a result, he and UBC transferred control of the registry to the better-equipped Canadian Internet Registration Authority(CIRA). Negris was sent over to Demco's office to help manage the registry in the months before it was to be transferred to CIRA.

Demco expected that he would need to explain the highly technical inner workings of the registry to Negris at least a few times before she grasped it - as was the case with most people.

"She came back a day or two later with the most astonishingly complete notes I could imagine," said Demco, noting that his rule of thumb was to expect people to grasp 20% of his introductory explanation about the registry.

"She got it 100% right the first time - it was just unbelievable."

After transferring the registry from UBC to CIRA, Demco, with Negris and two other technology professionals, Stephen Smith and Matthew Lane, founded Webnames.

It was one of the first registrars in Canada to sell and manage domains from CIRA's registry.

Demco, Webnames' director, said that among Negris' contributions to the company is an ability to constantly find ways to tweak operations and make the Webnames machine run more smoothly.

For someone so driven and thorough, Negris acknowledges that her career to date appears rather unfocused.

"That's what I love about business and being an entrepreneur: there's so many opportunities [that] you need to be flexible and ever-changing," she said.

"All of those experiences I had when I was younger prepared me for being an entrepreneur."

She a is prominent member of the Vancouver business community as a director of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, a director of the Vancouver Economic Development Commission, vice-chair of Small Business BC and a director of the B.C. government's small business roundtable.

She also is a former president of Wired Woman Vancouver, a non-profit organization providing education, networking and mentorship to women in the technology sector.

She remains a mentor at Wired Woman, but stepped down three years ago after having her second child with her husband of 10 years, Brad.

Among the reasons that Negris joined Wired Woman, which reaches out to girls as well as women, was to build the support structures needed to provide girls with more encouragement to pursue careers in the technology space.

"There is still a lack of women in executive roles in most industries, especially technology," said Negris. "So it is important to have positive role models who can mentor future generations to reach their best potential." •

cgc@biv.com

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5 Questions: Cybele Negris

What accomplishments are you most proud of?

I'm proud that after close to 10 years since Webnames.ca was founded, I can honestly say I still love what I do and am passionate about our ability to keep things fresh and innovative while maintaining our core competencies. Also, our success allows me to give back to the community that has made us successful.

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What is the biggest challenge you have faced?

Like any entrepreneur, two key challenges are a constant lack of time to accomplish everything and "Entrepreneurial ADD" - most entrepreneurs have a lot of ideas and, as your company grows, more opportunities come along. Successful entrepreneurs can focus enough to get the next milestone accomplished while not stifling innovation on what may be the next big thing.

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What career decisions would you make differently were you starting out today?

I would have embraced my leadership role earlier. Years ago I thought of myself as a shy person who just wanted to be behind the scenes rather than be the face of an organization. These days, I have to limit the number of events I attend each week. I do 15 to 20 speaking events each year.

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What's one business lesson that you'd like to pass on to others?

Surround yourself with successful, hardworking, positive people. That includes hiring people who have a track record for success as well as partnering and networking with highly successful, smart people.

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Is it still relevant to focus on the success and role of women in business?

It's great to have the opportunity to celebrate success no matter who you are, male or female. BIV also recognizes young entrepreneurs (male and female) through the Top Forty Under 40 program and BIV's lists recognize success across many industries, so I see no problem in celebrating the success of women.

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Business in Vancouver (www.biv.com) has been publishing in-depth local business news, analysis and commentary since 1989. The newspaper also produces a weekly ranked list of the biggest companies and players in a wide range of B.C. industries and commercial sectors, monthly features and industry-focused sections that arm its subscribers with a complete package of local business intelligence each week.
  

I'm asked to speak to small businesses frequently at a variety of technology or entrepreneurship events. A frequently overlooked, but important thing I always mention is to have an effective email strategy. People are typically surprised when they hear this. After all, how strategic is sending and receiving communication? Below are some do's and don't's when setting up your company email.

1) Don't use Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail or your ISP's email service as your business email. I cringe every time I see on someone's business card yourcompany@hotmail.com or yourcompany@ISP.net.

Many companies, in particular micro-businesses and small businesses use Gmail, Hotmail or their ISP's email service for business email. This looks unprofessional and gives the impression of a very small or even fly-by-night business.  

2) Do use your domain name for your email. Set up an email like yourname@yourcompany.com or .ca. You miss out on a great branding tool by not using your business name for email, in fact, you are actually promoting someone else's brand instead of your own. Why advertise for Google or Hotmail when you can advertise your own company?

3) Do set up multiple email accounts to organize your business, and where desirable, appear larger than you are. For example, info@yourcompany.com, sales@yourcompany.com, president@yourcompany.com, finance@yourcompany.com and support@yourcompany.com. All of these emails can be forwarded to the same person (or multiple people) but this gives the impression of sophisticated operation.

4) Do set up multiple email accounts to help determine your HR needs and business bottlenecks. Small businesses typically don't have the resources to implement sophisticated tracking systems to monitor what types of enquiries they get. The sole proprietor or business owner typically answers all the emails and by the end of the month, has no idea what kept them so busy. By setting up a separate email address for each division of your company, it is a great way to track types of questions you get from customers.

At the end of the month, just tally up the number of enquiries to each email account and you will know what area of your company kept you most busy. Over time, you can determine where your next hire should be or where you should make improvements in your operations.

5) Do use an automated signature. If you are typing your name, title and contact information every time you send an email, stop wasting your time. Most email programs have an automated signature function. You can include messages about a current promotion, new product or service, links to your blog or twitter and even a small image of your logo for branding purposes.  

6) Do determine if IMAP or POP email is best for you.

IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) allows you to access email on a remote mail server. Essentially, if you access your email from multiple computers or locations regularly, you may want to consider IMAP. If your computer is stolen or damaged, your email is still on the mail server. The disadvantages of IMAP are that email is not available when you are offline and if you are storing all your past emails on the mail server, it can start to eat up disk space.

POP (Post Office Protocol)  downloads all new messages on the mail server onto your computer and deletes them from the server. POP's advantages are that email is available when you are offline and because email isn't stored on the server your disk usage on the server is less. The main disadvantage of POP is that you cannot access your email from another computer. You may want to couple POP with use of webmail as a work around.  
 

Promotion: Save 50% off new email accounts at Webnames.ca until March 31, 2010. Webnames.ca email also includes great business features such as shared calendar, shared contacts, instant messaging and more [learn more].  

If you need help with your email setup, please contact the Webnames.ca support team at 1-866-221-7878 or email them at support@webnames.ca.

Yesterday I attended the launch event for Small Business BC's new Start-Up Kit.

Produced by the Small Business BC team and partners the Start-Up Kit contains comprehensive business start-up information, is nicely designed with colourful bright photographs and extremely valuable content. 

The kit is divided into five categories:

Getting Started, Business Planning, Financing, Legal/Taxes and Resources.

Each section contains helpful Worksheets, Checklists, Tips, Case Studies, and Resource Websites (government, industry & professional associations).  

Small Business BC CEO, George Hunter and his staff noted that they sourced a local manufacturer to produce an eco-friendly product. "The binder is manufactured in Vancouver from 100% post-consumer waste fibre with FSC approved recycled paper pages; a product with a small foot print and a wide reach."

Small Business Start-Up Kits can be purchased for $69.00 at: 

Small Business BC's bookstore
Suite 82 - 601 W. Cordova St.
Vancouver, BC V6B 1G1 

For map and hours of operation go to http://www.smallbusinessbc.ca/company-contactUs.php

 The Kit can also be purchased with a Start Smart Seminar package for $159 [view the seminar catalogue]. Call 604-775-5541 for more information ot to purchase a copy of the Start-Up Kit. 

I am extremely honoured to have been appointed to the Government of BC's Small Business Roundtable.
 
Since forming in 2005, the roundtable has held over 35 consultations with more than 600 small business owners. The 24 members of the Roundtable represent small business organizations from every region of B.C.
 
The Roundtable presented its 4th Annual Report to Minister Iain Black at the Vancouver Board of Trade event on Friday October 16th. The report presents recommendations to government and the small business community on ways to improve B.C.'s business sector.
 
Below are Highlights of the Small Business Roundtable 4th Annual Report.
 
Recommendations to the small business community include:
 
* Strive to leverage government resources
* Take creative approaches to retaining staff
* Become involved in the local community
* Develop worker skills, and learn how to participate in the green economy
 
Recommendations to government include:
 
* Continue support for training and labour development
* Continue to reduce regulatory burdens on small business
* Continue to reduce tax complexity
* Continue to build on the success of B.C.'s international trade outreach to expand trade
 
The roundtable report acknowledges government's support for small
business, including:
 
* Accelerating a reduction in the small business corporate income tax rate
from 4.5 to 2.5 per cent, saving small businesses an estimated $401
million over three years

* Increasing the small business tax threshold from $400,000 to $500,000 in
January 2010, saving small businesses $20 million per year

* Eliminating over 152,000 regulations since 2001 - a red tape reduction
of over 42 per cent

* Spearheading efforts to create a new private-sector pension plan for
British Columbians without a retirement savings plan

* Breaking down barriers to doing business, including developing on-line
tools such as BizPaL and providing greater flexibility through the Mobile
Business Licence

* Supporting labour market planning through $100 million per year on
trades training since 2001; $3 million towards youth entrepreneurship
education; $16 million over three years to help B.C.'s immigrant
workforce; and $17 million in Labour Market Agreement projects helping
businesses develop and deliver training suited to their needs

For a copy of the report, please visit: www.smallbusinessroundtable.ca/publications/Pages/default.aspx
 

Join Webnames.ca and our COO Cybele Negris at Small Business BC's Entrepreneur Showcase on Wednesday, October 7 from 5 - 8 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 655 Burrard St, Vancouver.

Highlights of the Showcase include:

• Network with over 250 local business professionals
• Meet some of Vancouver's most successful entrepreneurs
• Visit the 'Showcase' featuring exhibits from 17 amazing entrepreneurs
• Enjoy great conversation, appetizers, wine, products samples and more

The event kicks off Small Business Month in BC and will provide startups an opportunity to mingle with  well known Vancouver small businesses. The networking event will give emerging entrepreneurs an opportunity to learn from seasoned experts who have built and grown thriving businesses in B.C. 
  
George Moen, President of Blenz, will deliver the keynote address.  He will share his key principles that Blenz has used to grow from one small coffee shop in downtown Vancouver to more than 100 franchises worldwide.

Attendees of the Showcase will also have the chance to meet the following business leaders from diverse sectors including retail, technology, transportation, wholesale and more:
 
Rick Baxter, West Coast Air
Judy Brooks, Blo Blow Dry Bar
Brad Brousson, Silver Hills Bakery
Graham Buksa, Rayne Longboards
Harvey Chiang, Flying Wedge Pizza
Joyce Groote, Holeys
Brent Hohlweg, Men In Kilts
Shanda Jerret, GumDrops Wet Weather Boutique
Chef Ann Kirsebom, Chef Ann Kirsebom's Gourmet Sauce
Kin Wah Leung, Kin's Farm Market
Jen MacCormack and Michael Ziff, HipBaby
Scott Morrison, Browns Social House
Nancy Mumford, Le Petit Spa
Cybele Negris, Webnames.ca
Ricki Sahota, Twin Berry Farms
Marsha Simons, Sisters Secret
 
For more information and to register, visit www.smallbusinessbc.ca/showcase. 
Early bird tickets are only $39 until Sept.18th.  

We're looking forward to seeing you there.