How to connect in this tech-driven collaborative era

Pointers more reminders of best practices

SAN J OSE , CA L I F.• I first ventured to Silicon Valley 16 years ago, in search of the heart of American technological innovation. Ironically, I was here the week the NASDAQ peaked; the heartbreaking dot-com meltdown was just getting underway.

Six months later, I was back: The magazine I worked for was a partner in a new series of awards for Canadian entrepreneurs in the Valley. Everyone applauded as the top prize when to John Roth, CEO of Nortel. ( The same year he was named Canada’s CEO of the Year.)

Last week, I was in San Jose for QuickBooks Connect, a community- building user conference organized by Intuit. Focusing solely on software innovations that save accountants and small business owners time and money, Intuit positions itself as a champion of entrepreneurs — which explains why it gathered 5,000 advisers and business owners here to explore their common future.

Here are some of the best pointers from Connect 2016 to help you succeed in this new era of tech- driven creative collaboration: ❚ Technology is forcing professionals out of their shells. Powerful online platforms are assuming more and more of the data collection that used to be the province of accountants and bookkeepers. Jim McGinnis, Intuit’s key lead in the accounting segment, opened the conference with three warnings to advisers: move your firms online ( and access clients’ financial data more easily); become a trusted adviser, by studying clients’ data more fully to identify problems and opportunities; and market more fearlessly. This last rule applies to every entrepreneur. “Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there,” McGinnis said. When talking to prospects, just ask, “Can you use a better accountant?” ❚ If you’re in a business that bills per hour, find a better way. That’s essential for accountants, some 30 per cent of whose billable hours are threatened as automation eliminates digging through files for bills and receipts. But it’s also essential to adding more value for clients. As one of three Canadian advisers on a Connect panel exploring new pricing strategies, Winnipeg- based Melissa Michalski put it best: “Timesheets strangle you. When I stopped tracking my time, I could do more of what I’m supposed to do. It frees your brain to be as creative as you can be.” ❚ Get social. Intuit CEO Brad Smith identified social media as one of five key trends transforming business. “It’s changing how people make purchasing decisions,” he said. You may have trouble leveraging the other four: machine learning, big data, mobile and cyber- security. But it’s dead easy to start creating community t hrough t weets, blogs, photos and video. ❚ Seek new opportunities in old waste streams. Ugandaborn Derreck Kayongo spoke about founding the Global Soap Project, which recycles partially used hotel soaps into new bars for distribution to sanitation-challenged communities in 90 countries. This long- overlooked niche now feeds factories in Orlando, Las Vegas and Hong Kong. ❚ Find inspiration in your mission. Speaking on a panel of entrepreneurs who have appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank, Pat Crowley of Utahbased Chapul told of his difficulties convincing consumers to eat gourmet energy bars made from crickets. Yet he was driven by certainty that worldwide water shortages will compel people to derive more nutrition from insects in future. “Our wanting to make a better future kept me going,” he said. (It also led to a deal with Mark Cuban.) ❚ Celebrate every success. All the Shark Tank entrepreneurs agreed that successes and disasters are part of daily life in business. “You have to celebrate your victories, no matter how small,” Crowley said. “It’s easy to focus on all your challenges, but it’s also important to pat yourself on the back.” ❚ Leverage your opposition. U. S. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, winner of five gold medals in Rio, found himself having to explain the “gameface” photo that captured his intense glare before a race this summer. Intensely competitive, he explained, “When someone makes a negative comment, I make it a motivator. I use it as fuel.” ❚ Always dream of better. “If your dream isn’t bigger than your reality, you have a problem,” said Dave Alwan, a Shark Tank veteran with Illinois- based Echo Valley Meats. “If you don’t dream big, you can’t think big.”

IF WE BUY (RELAY), WE CAN REALLY ACCELERATE HOW QUICKLY WE CAN GET (ITS MOVABILITY FUNCTION) TO MARKET . … IF YOU’RE ALWAYS RELYING ON HIRING GREAT PEOPLE AND THEN BUILDING GREAT STUFF, YOU’LL QUICKLY FALL BEHIND — TED LIVINGSTON, KIK FOUNDER AND CEO