2Paths Team Blog

Come one day last December, an illustrious day in the UK (i.e. rainy and miserable), I had my first heart warming conversation with Trevor, our PM at 2Paths. I had just come back from traveling for 12 months around the globe. Some might say I wasn’t in the mood to talk shop, but my mood much improved by the time our phone conversation had ended. It was my first work prospect since arriving back. It proved to be the first and the only one I was interested in, as a month or so down the line, I confidently got on a flight over to Vancouver and eagerly started my new job in the quirky neighbourhood of Gastown, where the 2Paths offices are located at.

The question remains (trust me, I get asked this a lot!), why did I pick Vancouver over anywhere else, and in all intents and purposes why 2Paths? The simple answer to both is that I got a good vibe. That’s the kind of person I am, or which I found myself becoming after my year’s travel. Motivated by instinct, and happiest when surrounded by people who share my mentality. At 2Paths, I have become accustomed to certain buzzwords, such as “thought leadership” and “agile development”. The difference here is that they signify something. More than that, it’s what we strive for.

Bottom line? I may not be making as much money as my tech buddies in London, but I’m having heaps of fun doing what I love, in a place I’m fast growing to love

You know that corner of your apartment that, due to convection and warm currents and static and whatnot, attracts all the dust bunnies from the rest of the floor? Vancouver is sort of like that.

I’m not saying that Vancouver is full of refuse, it’s not; it’s full of wonderous people and things, but it seems that most people you come across are from somewhere else in Canada.

As a newly initiated Vancouverite (within the space of a week I made it up to a mountain and managed to get punched in the head; I feel like I’ve finally been accepted). I thought I’d collate some of my observations to help anyone who’s newly arrived here or is thinking of making the move. I’ll expand this list as more things happen to me.

• The Bus - It costs $2.50 to take the bus - but you can get this little booklet thing from 7/11 and other stores that contains 10 rides for $18. So that’s a savings of $4.50, which over time adds up and can be spent on one of the many wonderous vices this city offers (a Guide to Vancouver’s intersections will be posted one day). After months of breaking $20 bills by buying superfluous packs of Big Red, I figured this out and have been a lot happier since.
• Eastern Delights - If you don’t like japanese food or have some kind of sushiphobia, this is the place to get over it. The way people talk about it and make plans, you’d think it’s not a meal, it’s an occult ritual of some sort. There is a lot of sushi here that ranges from traditional to totally made-up stuff that only exists in Vancouver. When the Olympics swing through town I can’t wait to try a Two-Man Luge Roll (don’t read deeply into that).
• Scenes and Cliques - There are quite a few established social groups here, so usually what happens is new Vancouverites form their own, or if you’re lucky you end up wedging yourself into one like a bloodthirsty tick. A lot of these groups are based on some kind of music, art, activity, sport, or illegal leafy substance. Choose wisely because these are the people you will form lasting bonds with and possibly whose floors you will pass out on.
• Coffee shops - There are coffee shops everywhere. Coffee culture is serious business here. At any given time if you peek into one of these caffeine-dens you’ll see armadas of Macbooks and interesting people who’ve parallel parked their shopping carts in front of the shop. These places are great to take a date because if things go bad you can make a quick getaway down the street in one of these carts and make quite a killing down at the bottle-return too. Don’t worry Romeo, things are looking up!
• Neighbourhoods - Kits, The Drive, the West-End, Yaletown, etc… You’ll hear these names a lot and all you have to remember is that they all contain at least one Starbucks.
• London Drugs - This store has nothing to do with London. It’s a pharmacy that sells giant TVs. I’m not trying to promote them or anything, just warning you of their schizophrenic nature. Oh yeah, pharmacies here in BC still sell tobacco products, which is shocking if you’re from other Provinces.
• City Ambassadors - You see them out on the street especially in the downtown area. They are extremely friendly and are there for you if you need some help or information.
• Snow - If there’s at least 1/2 an inch of snow on the ground when you wake up in the morning, you don’t have to go to work.
• Stuff - Outside of work/school, most people are “into” something. There are a lot of athletic and artistic activities going on, and it’s good to get involved in at least one thing. Don’t get cable, you’ll regret it.
• Relaxing - Vancouver is relaxing. Just let yourself fall gently into the pile of dust bunnies, and you’ll be fine.

Yesterday, I attended a Forum for Women Entrepeneur’s social for mentors and mentees. It was there that I sat with my most recent mentor Louba Rapaport and my adopted mentor Gonzalo Naranjo. Sitting with them was like putting on an old glove - familiar, trustworthy, and cozy. Now I’ve only known Louba for a little over half a year, and I’ve known Gonzalo for even less. But the relationship I have forged with them seems like we’ve known each other alot longer. Louba and Gonzalo started a company called Alterna Technologies Inc. in Calgary from the paper napkin stage, and brought it to a company of 200 employees before signing out and moving onwards. They then started a consulting company called Resnotio, offering primarily sales and positioning consultation. It was in that capacity that I first met Louba as my formal mentor through the FWE. The first conversation I had with her was in the midst of some angst to do with one of our clients. What struck me out of that conversation was the depth by which she was able to listen and diagnose the problem, but also the no-nonsense approach she then discussed with how to deal with it. Having dealt with a number of sales and marketing type organizations, I am always a bit wary of the pitch and the lack of delivery from many of this sector. But this was the first time I really felt like I was getting real value. She was dealing with real issues and offering very considered solutions. It just all made sense and provided great clarity.

From there, our mentor/mentee relationship grew, and in October, 2Paths decided to retain Resnotio for more formal back office sales processes and that was when I first met Gonzalo Naranjo who provided an equally dynamic and very complementary role to Louba. In this capacity, we remained until recently in December when Gonzalo was asked to be the CEO of a burgeoning bio medical device company called Pulse Tracer. I haven’t seen Gonzalo much since then until yesterday at the FWE event, and we got to catch up if only for an hour. Gonzalo is ramping up a financing phase for Pulse Tracer, and Louba is busy as ever with Resnotio which doesn’t surprise me one bit.

Afterwards, walking towards Louba’s car for a ride back to the office, I discover one of Louba’s quirks, and that is she has favourite parking lots that she loves to park in despite the lack of proximity - in this case 6-7 blocks! On the way, we talked and laughed and discussed all sorts of things happening in the world and in our lives. What struck me as the most memorable of our walk was the life and positivity in those two. I’m obviously endorsing them as smart business people that I respect and trust immensely, but more than that, they are no nonsense, down to earth people full of energy and life - who could want anything more!