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What motivates people in your company?

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Deepti Sami, founder of Bolly-D Dance Fitness (bolly-d.com), says her company provides staff with an outlet for fun and autonomy. “Our unique business model encourages staff to become entrepreneurs themselves, so we provide them the opportunity to get self-employed and own their own business. Who wouldn’t like that kind of flexibility?”

PHOTO SUPPLIED BY DEEPTI SAMI

“For us, foremost is a feeling of being connected to the others on the team by value alignment. Second, it’s feeling connected to the purpose of the business, and understanding how one’s contributions influence those outcomes. Personally, I believe that people motivate themselves if you create the right environment, talk openly and often about alignment, and choose people carefully with an eye to those values.”— Angela Armstrong, president of Prime Capital Group — pcclease.com

“Culture — plain and simple. If they enjoy coming to work and having fun, they are productive. We have a cubicle setup, and decorating it to their personalities is not only encouraged, but almost required. Zappos gave us the idea, and we took it to the next level. Amazing how far that goes at zero cost to the company.”— Jocelyne Lanovaz, vice-president of Finance of CashCo Financial — cashcanada.com

“What motivates employees at Alberta Women Entrepreneurs is the elevation of women in business. Ninety-five per cent of Alberta businesses are small businesses, and approximately 38 per cent of small to medium-sized businesses in Alberta are owned or run by women. Their efforts and successes motivate us.”— Lori Thexton, loan portfolio manager at Alberta Women Entrepreneurs — awebusiness.com

“Leadership. I see everyone on my team as true leaders, and I tell them so. They own their roles and know that the entire group is available to help them be successful. How can you not be motivated when this is the work culture that is cultivated?”— Shirley Leonard, owner of Pinnacle Organizational Performance Solutions — pinnacleperformance.ca

“An employee’s relationship with their manager has a big impact on how motivated and engaged they will be. Good managers understand what motivates their team; they can get the extra discretionary effort from their employees. Bad managers hurt companies because their employees don’t go the extra mile for a leader they don’t like or respect.”— Alison McMahon, CEO of TwoFold — gettwofold.com

“The single most important aspect that motivates our employees is other Executrade employees; we hold each other accountable, act as a family and recognize achievement. It’s in our culture, distinct in our industry and a key hiring consideration as we build our team. Our people motivate each other to do more, be more and achieve more without the burnout and resentment that sometimes comes with consistently going above and beyond without getting the deserved recognition.”— Darryl Moore, vice-president of market and communication at Executrade — executrade.com

“To be honest, I am all the people in my company! But I stay motivated by the fact that I do what I love, and I love what I do. When the time comes that I need to hire more people, I will look for individuals with this same passion and drive. You have to like your job to succeed at it.”— Mark Remple, president of Point Of View Media Video Production — pointofviewmedia.com

“The community we surround ourselves with. We work in an office with other hustling startups. When we see them grow, we want to grow; when they achieve success, we want to achieve success. Our company operates under the precedence of growing the startup community, so when we see companies we work with reach their goals, it empowers us to work harder.”— Almar Sheikh, co-owner of Nimbus Creative — nimbuscreative.ca“Individual motivators are different for

everyone, and understanding that helps managers understand how to uniquely motivate their staff. Investing some time, energy and tools into understanding what motivates each employee pays huge dividends when it comes to retaining the talent we work so hard to attract in the first place.”— Bruce Baker, founder and president of HR ALL-IN Inc. — hrallin.ca

“We have developed a culture that provides the right support to motivate oneself ... We accomplish that by ensuring our staff know that they are valued, promoting a healthy work-life balance, hiring staff whose values align with ours, and providing opportunities for both professional and personal growth. Our staff also know that the decisions they make on a daily basis have a direct impact on our business.”— Shelly Barless, president and CEO of Dust Queen Maid Service — dustqueen.com

“Investing in your staff’s potential by allowing them to explore their niche, letting them know that they are valued and that their opinions are heard, and giving them opportunities to grow and explore their passions.”— Kareema Batal, general manager at Urban Organics Market — urbanorganics.ca

“Giving employees autonomy and opportunities to be creative is key. It is important to recognize their strengths and encourage them to succeed. Positive, ongoing feedback is vital.”— Keltie Brisson, owner of Rehab and Retreat Senior Care Specialists Ltd. — rehabandretreat.com

“Motivation is instilled when team members feel like they matter; when someone recognizes that they make a difference, or when they feel their opinion is heard. No one wants to work somewhere that makes them feel like a disposable cog.”— Colin Christensen, principal at Think Hire — thinkhire.ca

“An environment that creates teams with shared goals provides freedom to make mistakes, fosters open communication, and facilitates focused discussions about career development helps to create a motivated organization.”— Chris Falconer, people and culture manager at EllisDon Construction — ellisdon.com

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These answers are in response to a question posed by Wellington Holbrook, executive vice-president of ATB Business. Here’s his take:

“We all are responsible for our own motivation; in other words, it is very difficult for one to be motivated by others unless the individual chooses to be motivated. As a result, hir-ing and recruiting employees that possess the trait of motivation is the most ideal situa-tion. Nonetheless, there are lots of things entrepreneurs can bring to the table that will help. First of all, you have to understand your employees; what’s important to them and what isn’t? By answering these questions, you can identify ways of telling your business story that connects with the individual in question. The other thing that business owners need to bring to the table is purpose, be it making a difference in the community, solving a problem or just making the world a better place. Having a purpose is something most people aspire to, and the purpose of your business might be just what your employees have been looking for in driving their own motivation.”

Becoming an entrepreneur is no small feat, but with so much to do to get a business off the ground, knowing where to start can be half the battle. That’s why Eryne Sarabin of ComLinks Events (comlinks.ca) wants to hear from you.

What’s the first thing you should do when start-ing a business?

You can answer the question in two ways:• Open today’s Capital Ideas email if you’re a member, or• Visit capitalideasedmonton.comWe’ll publish the best answers, along with your busi-

ness name and website address, on Dec. 10.

COMMUNITY QUESTION: What’s the first thing you should do when starting a business?

Entrepreneurs share how they keep their staff inspired and productive

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