AFOA BC Digital Pivot Workshop Gives First Nations Tech-Driven Opportunities
I recently had the pleasure of teaching a new, exciting online course called "Pivoting Your Business Into The Digital Economy" for Indigenous businesses through (AFOA BC), the Aboriginal Financial Officers Association of B.C.
Big thanks to Wendy, Candise and Krysta (above) from the association for supporting a workshop topic that is needed for small businesses to keep up as we move deeper into using technology to adapt to our "new normal".
Did you know that 28 million Canadians are shopping online as of 2020? Or that eCommerce Retail Sales are at $25.4B (USD) and projected to increase to $33.3B by 2024?
Canadians of all ages were already fairly well versed and comfortable with online activities however, the pandemic has significantly increased the amount of time that we spend on the Internet. We are shopping, researching products and services, attending virtual meetings and events, collaborating with colleagues and connecting with others (personally and professionally) through every digital platform available.
Following is an interesting chart that shows just how active we are online, what devices we are using to connect and why it's important that all businesses are digitally enabled:
The Digital Pivoting Workshop was taught on Zoom over 2 consecutive days from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM providing tools and knowledge on how to not just survive, but thrive in today's accelerated digital economy.
Many of AFOA BC members are in economic development roles and attended the course on behalf of their First Nation communities. It was great to see people interested in learning how to ramp up their digital skills and gain the know-how to encourage further digitalization of their organizations.
Whether from the perspective of automation for work related efficiencies, team building, or using online communications platforms and apps to share the accomplishments of businesses from within their nations, participants discussed different types of technology and its usage, they engaged in collaborative exercises, shared views and experiences, and had a few laughs over hilarious social media posts and how people are creativity getting their messages out today.
Topics covered in the course included the state of the digital economy in Canada, the evolution of technology and the speed at which we are adapting to the new normal. We talked about how business to consumer (B2C) and business to business (B2B) companies have pivoted to doing business online and the technology-driven systems used today to enable greater connection, automation, relationship development, marketing and sales.
Towards the end of the class, I also showed a few people how to use Kumospace.com which is a virtual meeting place that takes online gatherings to a new level of fun, and they sure seemed to enjoy it!
Everyone walked away with something they could immediately use in their business. My hope is that they are utilizing the tools that can make their lives easier, businesses grow faster and are creating more impact in their daily communications with others. Technology has given us the ability to achieve so much more than we could have dreamed of in the past, the key is in how we adopt and use it day to day.
Feel free to reach out if this is a course you'd like to participate in or offer at your organization. Email edu@activ8inc.com or call 604-687-2004 to discuss your company's digital learning requirements.
