Episode 9: Be Clear, Be Ready - Opportunity is Knocking with Nicole Smith & Nicole Authier

ABOUT THE EPISODE

“Try not to bombard them with too much information all at once or you'll lose them. Give them just enough of a hook.” – Nicole Smith, Flytographer

Entrepreneurial success can be chalked up to a number of things and one of them is usually good timing. In this episode of The Go-To, we sit down with two experts who have mastered their elevator pitch, and communicated it with finesse, to land their big opportunity when the timing was right. First, we get the low down on the three elements of an elevator pitch with Nicole Smith, Founder & CEO of Flytographer and then we hear how being open to options led to the success of MYTAGALONGS' Founder & CEO, Nicole Authier. Get ready to master your elevator pitch in this week’s episode and ask yourself “when opportunity comes knocking, will I be ready?”

In this episode:

Nicole Authier shares her well-crafted elevator pitch for MYTAGALONGS
Discover how a trade show bust landed Nicole Authier a spot on Oprah’s Favorite Things List
Nicole Smith spills the three must-have components of a successful elevator pitch
Learn how Nicole Smith uses her elevator pitch to communicate company values internally as well as externally

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“Umm... I Missed That”

Entrepreneurship is a world of its own, which means the some of the lingo used might get lost in translation. Don’t worry, we’ve got your back. Here are a few of the key terms you’ll hear on this episode of The Go-To and what they actually mean.

Elevator Pitch: a brief statement that describes your company, product, or idea you are selling. The concept is that you should be able communicate it successfully in a short elevator ride.

Meet Our Guests

Nicole Smith, Founder & CEO, Flytographer

Nicole Smith is the CEO and Founder of Flytographer, a marketplace that connects travelers with local photographers for fun vacation photo shoots in over 300 cities worldwide. Flytographer has captured over 2 million memories and was recently ranked by The Globe and Mail as the 84th fastest growing company in Canada.

Nicole left a 13-year-career in global marketing at Microsoft to leap into the world of entrepreneurship with Flytographer. Prior to that, she worked as a product manager for a Seattle-based tech start-up, and is a proud graduate of SFU's business program. Nicole was selected as a member of E&Y’s “Winning Women Class of 2018” and featured in Mashable’s “Eight Women Shattering the Travel Industry’s Glass Ceiling.” In 2015, she pitched on Dragons’ Den, and in 2018 won the the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs (FWE) “Pitch for the Purse”. She is also now a board member at FWE.

When she isn’t at work, she’s likely planning the next Rosé + Real Talk (community events for women in tech) or cheering embarrassingly loud at her sons' basketball games.

Nicoles’s Go-To Advice:

Three components of an elevator pitch:
- What is it that you do? Avoid industry jargon and slang
- Why does it matter and why should we care? What problem are you solving?
- Leave them wanting more! End with a hook
Your employees should also know the company’s elevator pitch by heart - give them a tight script and have them practice again and again

Book your next vacation photoshoot and learn more about Nicole and Flytographer at www.flytographer.com. Follow along on social (and get some serious travel inspo!) @flytographer

Nicole Authier, Founder & CEO of MYTAGALONGS

Today’s busy women (otherwise known as ALL women) need to stay organized in a stylish, smart & affordable way – in all areas of their lives. From office to airport. Spin studio to school play. Running errands to running meetings.

That was Nicole Authier, MYTAGALONGS founder and CEO’s, starting point – and drive – in creating what’s now a global women’s “must have” life accessory brand with over 50 products with offices and warehouses in two countries.

This universal and valuable insight came to her after interviewing over 200 women about what they keep in their purses, work cases and gym bags. Turns out? Ziplocs. Plastic sandwich bags were the go-to for busy women everywhere to store their stuff. Makeup. Earbuds. Hand cream. Chargers. The list went on! Nicole saw and grabbed the opportunity. There had to be a better (and cuter) way to solve this “plastic bag problem” as Authier had coined it.

In 2006, this single mother of three raised in Mexico and Guatemala, launched MYTAGALONGS in Montreal, Canada. With the objective of streamlining women’s lives in the smartest, most attractive way possible, she set out to design accessories with purpose. Must-haves with style. Essentials that have actually become essential.

Heralded as one of Oprah’s Favourite Things and featured on Good Morning America, MYTAGALONGS is now available at over 150 retailers including Urban Outfitters, Nordstrom, Anthropologie, Free People and more.

Currently, MYTAGALONGS is proudly partnering with Because I am a Girl. Not only is the brand sponsoring a girl in Guatemala for every employee on the team, but they are donating 50% of a dedicated collection’s proceeds to the cause.

Nicole’s Go-To Advice:

Understand that your elevator pitch evolves over time
Understand who your audience is and tailor your pitch towards that audience - make it relatable to them!
Listen to their reactions after the pitch

Check out MYTAGALONGS at www.mytagalongs.com and follow along on Instagram at @mytagalongs

“The Go-To: For Entrepreneurs in the Know” is produced in collaboration with The Scotiabank Women Initiative™. Thank you for your support!