In Focus is our gift to the community. A way for us to help show our recognition for the people, businesses, and organizations that help make our city great. The team at KamloopsBCNow.com is passionate about this community and the people that make it amazing. We want to show our friends, neighbours, family and colleagues that we notice them and the fabulous things that they do.
What is your name?
Sarah Mathieu.
How long have you lived in Kamloops?
It’s crazy for me to think that I have been living in Kamloops for seven years now. I am originally from a small town in Ontario, called Chelmsford, it’s about four hours north of Toronto.
Who is your favourite person to spend time with and why?
My hubby. Us newlyweds have so much in common, it’s gross. Luc and I met in trade school and our first date was dirt biking. We mountain bike together, snowboard together, hike, travel... you name it, we truly are best friends. Like I said, Yuck!
What do you always find yourself saying?
My family and friends can attest to this, “I just had the best invention idea!”
If you could spend one whole day with anyone in the world who is currently alive, who would you select?
Probably my grandma. She just turned 101 last summer and still has quite the personality! If she was strong enough, I’d take her to a big mall so she can buy and return stuff all day, that’s just what she does!
Who or what inspires you?
At this moment, currently the businesses I get to visit are inspiring me everyday. My new career allows me to visit many of our local stores to provide them with free and paid digital marketing tools. During the last four weeks I have met the most inspirational and like-minded people. If you think about it, everyone who has opened up their own store or business, at one point or another, did it to follow their dreams. I find myself losing sleep thinking about some of the history and potential we have in some of our local stores.
What are three things on your bucket list?
Just three? When I was little and my grandmother was sick, she visited Alaska and since I can remember that has always been number one on my list. I would love to finish my Bachelor’s degree, which I am currently taking online, with hopes to one day get my MBA.
Please tell us about a defining moment in your life.
It would have to be when I moved to Kamloops alone, when I was 19 years old, and didn’t really know anyone. I can’t imagine my life had I not moved out west; I love it here and it really feels like home now.
What are you passionate about?
Success. I like to be good at everything I do. I like to try new things and challenge myself almost every single day.
What has been your favourite day of your life, up to this point?
Our wedding day! We got married New Years Eve of 2016!
What has been your proudest accomplishment?
Fun fact: I am actually a Red Seal Electrician! I would have to say this is my biggest and proudest accomplishment to date.
Where is your favourite place to dine in your city?
No questions asked, Sushi Valley in Valleyview. But a close second would be Nobble Pig!
What is your favourite activity or event in your city?
I used to volunteer for the CIBC Run for the Cure for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, so I feel this is dear to my heart. I met some amazing people during this experience and it was so incredible to watch the city and survivors come together!
What is the name of your business/organization?
ShopKamloops.com or sometimes I just refer to it as ShopKamloops.
What does your business/organization do?
It is a digital marketing platform that is for local businesses only. We want our local businesses to succeed online and be found in search engines, so we offer really affordable marketing with no contracts. We build websites, offer SEO, e-commerce, coupons, newsletters, gift-certificates, the list goes on and duplicate everything onto our ShopKamloops profile so that our customers get twice the exposure. As we continue to build ShopKamloops with our local products and services, we are creating an online store, similar to Amazon, but for locals only, it’s pretty awesome. Every product or service is optimized for local search and works its way up in Google placement with time.
Where can people find you or your business online?
ShopKamloops.com is the best way to find what kind of services I provide, under 'Add Business' or 'About' and as it grows, similar to the ShopKelowna.com size, you will be able to find products and services from our local businesses as well.
Where can people find your business on social media? (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.)
I like to use Facebook and Instagram to promote our local businesses and do simple reminders to my followers to 'Think Local First.' I’ve posted a couple 'Local Lessons' that people seem to enjoy. Our platform updates Facebook and Twitter simultaneously, so the content on Twitter is the same as Facebook. I am just starting to use Linkedin for more marketing and business related content.
Where do you want your business/organization to be in five years?
I would love to support as many local businesses as possible with my digital marketing platform. My goal is to one day flood our local search engines with the products and services from our local businesses, to make it easier for the consumer to choose local stores first or at least 'Think Local First.'
What three qualities do you feel that your business/organization exemplifies?
Team work. With my tools and the local businesses help, we can build an online local community to make it easier for our shoppers to think local first.
Commitment. I plan on building long-term relationships with the businesses I work with, which is why we don’t do contracts. I want to continue to support and keep them happy with our services.
Creativity. Sometimes bringing a new person into your team can be a great way to come up with new ideas and get the attention of the public. As I said, I constantly lose sleep over my invention ideas or ideas for businesses I visit throughout the day.
What would you like to say to your employees/volunteers?
I currently have a friend, Ian Bolton, helping me with the launch while he finishes his last year of university at TRU. So, thanks for your support Ian. I knew it would be tough to launch a new business, but it has been great to have your help get the word out and learn together. Also, I’m also super thankful that my husband is so supportive! He is the reason I get to follow my dreams. He also puts up with all my crazy ideas and will bring me back down to earth when I need it. Thanks Luc!
What makes you feel successful? Tell us about it.
This early in the game, I feel successful when someone tells me they never heard of a business I mentioned on social media. I love spreading the word about all the things we have to offer here in Kamloops, and in today’s day in age, social media is the best for that!
If you were trapped in an elevator with several wealthy investors from any field, which field would you want them to be experts in? What would say to them/talk about?
Business! I am so fascinated by business, economics, organizational behaviour. I would love to know how they got started in their field, along with their failure and success stories! Also, it would be great if one of them was an elevator mechanic.
If I could change one thing about the city you live in, it would be:
It would be great if there weren't two train tracks around Kamloops Lake, that would allow for more real estate around water, or even out by Tranquille Farm. I love to take the dog out that way for walks around the beach, the view is just stunning.
What do you think makes your city great?
I love how quickly you can get around the city! Hop on the highway and you can make your way around town in minutes. The summers are hard to beat and we have some pretty amazing biking trails! We are also so fortunate to have Canada’s second largest ski hill only 45 minutes away, yet we usually have pretty mild winters in the valley. It’s the best!
My nomination for the In Focus spotlight is:
Danielle Fauteux. She is an architectural and design genius!
Some general comments I would like to share are:
Just to remind people that shopping local is really important to help strengthen our community and it can make us more resistant to economic crashes. Small steps like doing your groceries at a local store or visiting a local clothing store can go a long way. The taxes that we pay on items we buy online don’t stay in our city, and when you buy locally they do and help fund things like our essential services.
We encourage you to leave your comments and words of support below and submit your own nomination by clicking HERE. You are also welcome to submit a form of your own by clicking HERE. Thank you, Kamloops.
