FREELANCE CAMP

Freelance Camp is a place to discuss and explore the different
approaches to running a successful freelance business / small
service company. It is an open, participatory workshop-event,
whose content is provided by participants.

The day consists of sessions proposed by attendees and the
schedule is created on site the morning of the event.

Freelance Camp is an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire
for people to share and learn from each other in an open
environment. It is an intense event with discussions, demos
and interaction from participants.

Saturday, November 29 10am—3pm
Ottawa House, 40 Cumberland Street S.
$30 plus G.S.T. includes morning snack, lunch &
gift bag

This is a great camp to attend if you are interested in: Marketing and Sales, Bookkeeping, Networking & Follow Up, Business Plans, How technology can improve ROI, Time Management, Legal Q & A's, etc.

If you would like to present on one of these, or a similar topic, please let us know!

It's a great idea to bring a head full of your own ideas, your laptop (wi-fi provided) or a notebook and pen, lots of business cards, and a coffee mug and/or water bottle for an environmentally aware event.


Registration is limited to the first 50 paid participants so claim your spot fast!!

Edging Into Autumn

We're back to that time of the year again. The sun seems to show itself a little less often, nights becoming too cold to be outside, and that crisp breeze that comes with the season to cool us off during the day; are all just part of my favourite season, Autumn! Though I definitely can't complain about the bright summer days and warm summer nights we had that have come to an end, the beautiful colours of fall make it irresistible to me. Walking outside to see the gorgeous trees is completely worth it, especially when you have a place like the Ottawa House to come and warm up in! We have added an excellent drink of the day menu with a warm and delicious treat discounted at just $3 each, and also a full menu of these wonderful drinks when you have that desire for a certain kind on different days. Not a single trace of disappointment will come when you try one of these delectable tastes!

Monday: Wake Up Call - a deep strong espresso shot with steamed milk and plenty of chocolate
Tuesday: London Fog - Earl Grey tea in steamed milk with a French Vanilla shot
Wednesday: Caramel Apple - hot apple cider with a shot of caramel
Thursday: English Toffee Capuccino - steamed milk and espresso and an English Toffee shot
Friday: TGIF (Thank Goodness its French Vanilla) - steamed milk with French Vanilla

Come by any time throughout the day to get your caffeine fix here at Ottawa House! It's only going to get colder out... but our drinks will not fail to warm you up!

Kicking Back to the Ocean Waves

Ahh.. hear the relaxing sounds of the beach. Karl and I've been enjoying it. We have a wonderful new noise making machine and I guess it does kind of sound like the beach. Though it doesn't exactly sound as I recall; but then it has been awhile. Speaking of Karl. It's his last week as our receptionist. We'll miss him here during the week. Who will I talk to about the beautiful ocean wave sounds? But no fears, we'll have a replacement and when I know more about it I'll be sure to fill you in.

Sept 5, scratch that. And, a nifty prize!

Just letting you know about a date change right quick. I told you the big radio shindig was going to be on September 5. Well, it's been moved a week to the 12th. Don't worry, there haven't been any dire tragedies. It was just a logistical issue and moving it will allow things to run a little smoother on all fronts. So are you excited about it? Be sure you listen in. It's going to be on Magic. Everything else is all good. We had a meeting this morning and talked about that contest I mentioned before. You'll get a kick out of it, so keep watching/listening, whatever, for more details. You'll want to get in on it for sure. The prize is downright nifty. And they'll probably tell me calling it nifty is an understatement. But seriously, you'll want it so make sure you enter when you find out how.

We're launching, soon

So there's been a bit of an absence here, I know. But that's ok. It won't happen again, honest. There's quite a bit going on. The big thing to tell you about is our official launch on September 5. It's really going to be something. We're even bringing in the radio people to hang out and work here. And before they come in, Jacquie and Doug will be at the station bright and early (realllly early) to do some hosting. So that should be an experience. And there's even going to be wine. Well, that evening, not on the morning show (at least we hope not). And there's going to be a contest going on, but I'll fill you in more about that later. Oh, and I hear we have someone else moving in soon. So the word is spreading, yay!

You'll have to keep your ears open because there are going to be a lot of really cool events going on evenings around here after everything's up and running. To interrupt that thought, recently the kids came from Shad Valley for a bit of a contest, Shad Idol, and had a great time. If you don't know anything about Shad Valley, it's, in a nutshell, where a bunch of really smart and ambitious high school students join up for four weeks and attend workshops and lectures, take tours, and compete for the Shad Cup. Sounds pretty cool, doesn't it? But back to our upcoming events. Among them will be open mic nights and speed dating. Bet you don't get to do that in your office, do you? You could try, but the boss probably wouldn't like it. And to think, that kind of behavior is encouraged here. Doesn't that make you think you could work someplace a little bit smarter, a little bit cooler?

Oh, know something else cool about working here? You can run around barefoot all you want and no one will say a word, except to encourage it. So band together, fellow barefoot enthusiasts, and come work where you won't be persecuted!

Coffee club

All the banging and drilling and miscellaneous racket must mean things are shaping up, right? It’s actually quiet at the moment; most everyone who was here has gone off to lunch. Me, I’m just having a couple cookies and tea as I work. Everyone was trying out the coffee earlier. Not a bad way to start out the day. Speaking of, did you read about the coffee club? Nice deal isn’t it. If I was the type to wake up early enough to have some time to goof off before work I'd be in. But for any of you who do join, I'll be with you in spirit.

Coffee is here

It’s here. We have the coffee in all its glory. If you’ll notice the fancy, shiny machine below the chalkboard; pretty isn't it? Now normally Karl is behind the bar there and will be happy to fix you a cup. Just ask; he doesn't mind. (After all, it's in his job description).

We’re expecting a new move-in, Bonnie. She’s not here yet. But we’re all looking forward to watching the space fill in as we get going. So of course everyone’s eagerly anticipating her arrival with coffee-baited breath.

Ryan’s back in his office hard at work. Have you checked out his website yet? We think he’s great. In fact, here's one of his videos for your viewing pleasure:
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=GIdbP3J357g
It'll give you a good chuckle. And maybe even inspire you. Everyone needs a video, don’t they? And even people who don’t need them have them. So be a follower! I know, normally you shouldn’t be a follower; you should do your own thing. But in this case, jump on the bandwagon. It’s fun!

And hey, if anyone has any suggestions or pointers for us we're all ears. It looks like it's going pretty well. But of course this is all pretty new for us; we definitely value the wisdom of experience.

So here we go, a couple pictures as promised. To your left you will see Karl, looking all important at his post behind the bar.

Chatting it up on the stool is Ryan, our faithful videographer from Pastime Productions.

http://www.pastimeproductions.ca/

And on your lower right, Krista's infamous from-the-floor shot of the room.

We're Getting Started

So we’re getting ready to open Ottawa House. The official launch will be in September, but we'll have people coming in next week already. Everyone is getting really excited as it all comes together. If you haven’t heard about it yet here’s the deal. Ottawa house is a shared workspace. People who work on their own or are in town on business can rent space here. The office has a coffee bar. When have you ever worked in an office with a coffee bar? I can safely say I’d be broke if I ever had before. Luckily my coffee habit is pretty well under control now so I shouldn't have to worry (shouldn’t being the key word).


The electrician was just up on the ladder over my head playing with the lights. He promised he’s never dropped one on anyone. But I’d hate to be the first so I’m glad he's done. So now all my lights work and I don't have a concussion. It's a good day. Krista's promised some photos so we can show off for you. But I'm still waiting on them so you' ll just have to pretend.