Small Business Internship Program

I love finding interesting ways to help small businesses grow their online presence. This week I came across the Small Business Internship Program (SBIP) from the Government of Canada that provides small businesses the opportunity to develop their internet marketing and online selling capability by hiring a post secondary student. The Small Business Internship Program is a fantastic opportunity for small businesses that don’t have the time or money to develop their online strategy to bring in a student for the summer to work at growing their business online. Students will greatly benefit from this internship program by working on a relevant internet project and applying what they have been learning in school.

The Small Business Internship Program provides small and medium-sized enterprises financial support to hire a post secondary student intern to assist them in their adoption of e-business strategies to increase their productivity and competitiveness. ~ Industry Canada

How does the Small Business Internship Program Work?

In order for a business to be eligible for this program, the company must:

• be a Canadian small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) with less than 500 employees;
• be incorporated or a sole proprietorship and for-profit;
• have been operating as a business for a minimum of one year;
• have an existing web site and wants to enhance their internet presence;
• contribute a minimum of 25% of the student wages and related expenses.

What Kind of Internet Projects Apply?

A student intern can help plan and execute an internet marketing strategy for a small business by using social media, tracking website effectiveness and finding ways to drive traffic to a website. Here are a few examples of internet marketing projects that a student could undertake under this internship program:

• E-mailing: The student intern could sending e-mails to clients and others individuals that sign up to receive an e-newsletter. The student intern could be used to create the email newsletters and manage contact with customers through email.
• Blogging: The student intern could be tasked to create a blog for your business. Having a student intern working full-time on writing blog content would create a wealth of value for a small business. The blog could be used to reach out to potential customers and highlight the activities of your business. The intern could also visit other blogs related to your industry and post comments to build your online presence.
• Search Engine Optimization: A student intern could be used to review your company website to find ways to improve the visibility of your website on popular search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. The student intern could research keywords, build incoming links to your website and create content for your website.
• Social Networking: A student intern could be tasked to manage the social networks for your small business. Have the student create a Facebook Page for your business and create an online community. The student intern could also manage a Twitter account to build awareness of your company online.
• YouTube Videos: The student intern could create YouTube videos about your business. The videos could be informational about your company products and services or try to create a creative video that stands out among your competitors.

What are the Benefits of this Internship Program?

The biggest benefit of the Small Business Internship Program is having the government heavily subsidize the wages of an employee. It would be great to have an internship student working on an building your online business! Having an extra body dedicated to internet marketing is very beneficial for any small business. I believe that the businesses that take advantage of the Small Business Internship Program will increase their competitive advantage by improving their business online! With people using the internet to research products and services before purchasing, it will be more and more important for businesses to build an online presence through SEO, blogging, and social media.

Businesses that participate in the Small Business Internship Program will be reimbursed up to 75% of the wages of the full time intern up to $10,000! The government will support the cost for a maximum of 12 weeks. This will provide a post secondary student a great job opportunity for the summer.

How to do I Apply to the Small Business Internship Program?

I can’t really comment on how to apply to the program yet, as the forms will be available online on April 1st. The Small Business Internship Program forms will be found at this Industry Canada page. It would be a good idea for small businesses to start to think about what kind of internet project that they would like an intern to implement for their business. Industry Canada has outlined how the projects will be assessed, so use the following criteria to help you plan your internet project:

• Will the internship meet SBIP’s objectives?
• Will it give a student intern meaningful work experience?
• Will it give the student intern 12 weeks of work?
• Will the employer provide a minimum of 25 percent of intern wages and related eligible costs?
• Will the internship run between April 1st and March 31st of any given year?

All businesses will be notified once the project is approved. Once project has been approved the small business owner can then proceed to hire a post secondary student to do the work! I hope that if you qualify for this program that you will take advantage of it!

I would also encourage any post secondary student that is looking for a summer job to proactively approach a small business and let them know about this government internship program. Small businesses that wouldn’t normally be financially able to support hiring an additional full-time employee, may be able to cover the 25% wage cost of the program. Letting a small business know about this program may be a way for you to land a great summer job and would show the company what a proactive, go-getter you are. The program is open to post secondary student between 18-30 years old and students returning to school are preferred over graduates. Good Luck!

If you aren’t able to take advantage of the program this year – don’t worry – the program will continue until March 31, 2014.

The Success of Epic Meal Time

I was an early fan of Epic Meal Time and subscribed to their YouTube channel back in December 2010 when they only had 3 or 4 videos online. I was drawn into watching their YouTube videos through their interesting camera angles, creative cooking ideas, and their unique cast of characters. Every time a new Epic Meal Time video is created, my stomach fills with excitement to see just what kind of outrageous meal they have created. I’d like to take a look at why their YouTube videos are a great marketing success. 

The Epic Meal Time Team

One thing that makes Epic Meal Time’s videos so captivating is their team of characters.  All of their videos feature college age boys with BIG appetites with the occasional video featuring girls with BIG appetites. The Epic Meal Time team works together to prepare and cook the huge meal and then enjoy stuffing their faces afterward. I’ll just feature my two favourite Epic Meal Team characters.

Harley Morenstein From Epic Meal Time

The main spokesperson, co-founder and host of Epic Meal Time is Harley Morenstein. Harley’s character consistently appears drunk, high, and angry. Harley’s character also swears a lot, but most of the really bad swear words are bleeped out with the sound of a squawking of a bird. It’s Harley’s job to introduce each Epic Meal Time video, provide the voice over during the preparation of the meal, and to wrap up the video at the end with a humorous statement of what they will be cooking next week. 

Epic Meal Time's Harley Morenstein Buying Bacon Strips

 Muscles Glasses From Epic Meal Time

Epic Meal Time’s Muscles Glasses character is one of the most popular Epic Meal Time characters. Muscles Glasses gets his obvious name from his huge muscles and the aviator glasses he always wears in the videos. Muscles Glasses’ real name is Alex Perrault. Muscles Glasses has one job and he does it very well – to eat Epic Meal Time’s completed food creations. Muscles Glasses uses his huge muscles to lift large portions of food into his mouth. The most popular video of Muscles Glasses is where Muscles Glasses eats a huge bowl of Chili Four Loko with a wooden paddle. In February 2011, there was an internet rumor that Muscles Glasses had died due to complications from eating too much fatty foods. Muscles Glasses took to Twitter to dismiss the rumour.

Epic Meal Time character 'Muscles Glasses' eats Chili Four Loko with a paddle.

Epic Meal Time Lingo

Epic Meal Time’s Harley Morenstein describes the preparation of each Epic meal using funny catch phrases, words, and dialogue during the video. In the Turbaconepic Thanksgiving Dinner episode of Epic Meal Time, Harley pulls out package after package after package of bacon strips all while saying ‘Bacon strips and bacon strips and bacon strips and bacon strips!” The bacon strips phrase caught on with many viewers and Epic Meal Time eventually created a bacon strips t-shirt featuring the phrase “bacon strips & bacon strips & bacon strips & bacon strips & bacon strips” for fans to buy. Many YouTube users post comments about the excessive use of bacon strips in each video and about how hungry they get after watching each Epic Meal Time video.

At the end of every Epic Meal Time video Harley Morenstein wraps up the video by saying “Next time we eat … “ that usually includes an unrelated object or something that isn’t possible to eat. The ‘Next time we eat…” statement keeps the audience guessing until the following week when their new video is released.

The Epic Meal Time Fortune Cookie Says "Use More Bacon"

My Favourite Epic Meal Time Video

My favourite Epic Meal Time video is the ‘Epic Eggroll’ video. Epic Meal Time went to a local Montreal chinese restaurant and had them create a monster eggroll that was deep fried and filled with delicious chinese food. This video makes me so hungry every time I watch it. I recommend that you subscribe to Epic Meal Time’s YouTube channel to continue to get their new and amazing creations served up to you directly.

Epic Meal Time is currently in talks to get their show on TV. I wish them the best of luck!

Recent Trip to Las Vegas

I love Las Vegas. This was our third time to Las Vegas and the second time that we have vacationed there. You really can’t get a better bang for your buck than Las Vegas if you are looking for a warm destination with great resorts and endless entertainment. My wife and I recently got back from a four night stay at the new Aria Resort & Casino and thought I should write about the trip and review the hotel and the shows that we saw.

Aria Resort & Casino Review

Two years ago we stayed for three nights at the Mirage and really like it there. We were hesitant to try a different hotel, but I managed to convince my wife to book us at Aria. The Aria hotel was completed in December 2009, so we were excited to stay at one of the newest hotels on the Las Vegas Strip. Aria is located at the very back of the new City Center development that includes the Orient and Vdara hotel, the Veer condos, and the Crystal shopping center. As soon as you walk into the hotel lobby you are greeted with a sweet vanilla aroma, but that quickly dissipates and the smell of cigarette smoke fills your lungs. The casino floor didn’t seem as big as other casinos on the strip, which is a fine because I don’t gamble. There is a three storey conference centre attached to the back of the resort, numerous expensive restaurants, a spa, and four swimming pools.

The Aria swimming pool area was fantastic! They have three large swimming pools, one adult party pool called Liquid and three small hot tubs. Since it was February, they had two pools closed and the Liquid pool was also closed (they wouldn’t be able to handle me anyway!). The pool was not very busy and by not busy, I mean NO ONE was there. I had the entire swimming pool all to myself! I confess that I felt a little bit awkward swimming in a huge swimming pool with a lifeguard watching my every stroke. It was really nice though, I got a glimpse into what it would be like to be super rich and have a beautiful swimming pool and my own personal lifeguard. Each of the three swimming pools are surrounded by these little cabanas that each had a couch, a dining set, a 40″ flat screen TV, a mini fridge and their own soft lounge chairs. Since the pool area was completely bare, I could wander around and relax anywhere I wanted to – it was a fantastic way to relax and unwind for a few hours. 

Aria Hotel Room Review

Our hotel room was very nice and modern. You just have to tap the key card against the door handle and it opens. When we entered the hotel room the lights and the TV automatically turned on and the window curtains also automatically opened. It was a pretty cool feature. Aria has a touch screen remote that controls all the features in the room. From the touch screen remote I could adjust the temperature in the room, turn off the individual lights in the main room AND in the bathroom, control the TV, open and close the automated curtains, and even contact the help desk to order room service. You could set the curtains to gradually open in the morning if you wanted to wake up to light instead of the sound of an alarm.

The Aria bed was like sleeping inside a pillow! The Aria custom-made king sized mattress was incredibly soft and when topped with their feather duvet and pillows, sleeping and relaxing in bed was literally heaven.

I highly, highly, highly recommend staying at the Aria Resort & Casino. I liked the technological features in the room, the pool is superb, and whole atmosphere as the resort is bright and new. The only possible downside is that the Aria hotel is located at the back of the City Center development and is about a five minute walk from the hotel to the street, but excerise never hurted anyone…. well, maybe my hurt feet a little bit.

O – Cirque du Soleil Review

This was the first show that we saw on our trip and we were not disappointed. ‘O” by Cirque du Soleil is by far and away the most entertaining Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas. The ‘O’ theatre is in the Bellagio hotel, which is located right beside City Center. It was pretty quick to get to the Bellagio from Aria as they have a tram that connects the two. We managed to get second row seats just off to the side of the centre of the theatre. They were fantastic seats for this Cirque show, as all the action in this show takes place in the middle or at the back of the stage. This is a show that you want to splurge to get the best seats you can afford.

The calibre of the Cirque du Soleil performers in ‘O’ is top notch. The ariel jumps and high dives into the water were spectacular. I also enjoyed the clown performances between set changes. I loved the voice of one of the clown performers whenever he would say “Aye, Aye, Aye“. If you are in Las Vegas, you MUST see ‘O’!!!

The Beatles Love Cirque du Soleil Review

My wife and I saw The Beatles Love Cirque du Soleil show two years prior but had seats at the back of the theatre (they were promotional tickets from the Mirage). As big Beatles fans, we decided to see The Beatles Love show again, so we went to Tix 4 Tonight and bought front row tickets. Front row tickets to this show probably aren’t the best seats, as the stage is up higher than the first couple of rows and the stage is very spread out, plus some of the props are tall and can block your view of some of the action going on at different parts of the stage. A plus is the fact that you can really see up close all the performers and have them smile at you. One other thing is that front row audience members in Cirque du Soleil shows tend to get ‘picked’ on. I had a performer pour steam out of kettle onto my head…

If you are a Beatles Fan you will enjoy the show. The music is really good (of course) and the Cirque du Soleil performers do a good job. I found that there is more dancing around on stage than the acrobatic stunts in our Cirque du Soleil shows, but the stunts that they do are really good.

Mystere Cirque du Soleil Review

The Mystere Cirque du Soleil show is one of the older Cirque du Soleil shows on the Las Vegas strip. The Treasure Island theatre is showing its age compared to the other theatres we went to. We bought cheap tickets online before we came to Las Vegas and we had fifth row seats for this show and I thought they were pretty good.

I thought the show was pretty good, but my wife thought it was slightly boring. Two of the performers missed jumps during our show, which kind of deflated our thoughts on the show. We got two tickets good seats for $100 and that was probably a fair price for the performance we saw.

The BeatleShow Review

Two years ago we saw the ‘Fab Four’ Beatles cover band performance and this was the same show only renamed and in a different theatre in Planet Hollywood. I still enjoyed the show the second time. The BeatleShow cover band performers look like The Beatles and they go through about three or four costume changes and wig changes to reflect the different music eras of The Beatles. My wife and I tend to be the youngest people in the crowd and always get a kick out of the part where the audience is asked to stand up and dance. It’s funny watching people in their 60′s and 70′s ‘dancing’ or more accurately described as swaying back and forth.

Yesterday, The Beatles Tribute Band Review

The Yesterday Beatles tribute band performs in the Tropicana hotel and in an older cabaret type theatre where everyone had a front row seat. I liked the close and intimate room where “The Beatles” make eye contact with you and interact with you directly. Their ‘George Harrison’ was really old, probably in his late 60′s or early 70′s, but he still could rock. I liked the song selection in the ‘Yesterday’ performance better than ‘The BeatleShow’. The Yesterday show tickets were much cheaper and I thought it was a better performance. The Yesterday performers didn’t look like The Beatles as much, as the group members were all older (45+).

Las Vegas Review

This trip was fantastic! I would love to go to Las Vegas on a more regular basis to get the chance to get off the strip and experience some other attractions. I like going in the off-season when it isn’t as busy and isn’t incredibly hot. I love strolling along the Las Vegas strip and taking it all in. My one and only major complaint are those street vendors everywhere stuffing cards in your face on every street corner. It’s extremely annoying, but I guess they call it sin city for a reason.

Vancouver 2010 Olympics One Year Later

Russian Figure Skater Ksenia Makarova and Trainer Viktor Petrenko

It’s now been a year since the Vancouver 2010 Olympics when the whole city was alive and buzzing with Olympic excitement. The city of Vancouver has been trying to keep the Olympic spirit alive by having some events to relive the two week celebration and party of hosting the world. Last year, I had the fantastic opportunity to volunteer as an Athlete Host with the City of Abbotsford when the Russian Olympic Figure Skating Team came to train and practice in Abbotsford before the Olympics. 

One of my assignments was to pick up the Russian figure skaters and their trainers at the Vancouver International Airport. I loved being able to interact with the athletes and share in their excitement of participating in the Olympics. I really enjoyed watching the figure skating competition and cheering on the Russian Figure Skating Team that I was able to interact with before the games. It made the Olympic competitions just a little more personal, as I was able to cheer on people that I actually got to know a little bit.

One of the athletes that I picked up from the airport was Ksenia Makarova. Ksenia was just 17 years old and was really excited to come to Canada and be in the Olympics. She flew in from New Jersey where she trained with Viktor Petrenko, but she was born in Russia. She spoke perfect English and was very nice and polite. On the bus to Abbotsford she asked lots of questions about Vancouver and was really excited to be here. Ksenia Makarova placed 10th in her first Olympic games and I think she will be a great competitor in the Russia, Sochi 2014 Winter Games.  She wasn’t expecting anything going into the games and was here for the experience and to perform on the world stage.  

I’m happy that I was able to volunteer and help host these great Russian athletes. It definitely was a unique experience and I’m glad I got to be involved in the Olympics in this small way.

Officially Launching Haireball.com!

I FINALLY decided to actively manage this website! I’ve been holding onto the haireball.com web address for years now and never really knew what I wanted to do with it. It’s been used as a dumping ground to test various online projects for the last few years and now I feel that it’s time to develop it into my creative online workspace. I’m currently involved in a number of exciting projects, I’m learning a bunch of new skills, and I have some cool things I want to try out and do. I hope you enjoy the ride as much as I will!