LIFT Startups

Get Repost App • Nanaimo Chamber Happening Next Week! Business After Business at La-Z-Boy!

Join the Greater Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, October 15, for an inspiring evening at La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries Nanaimo!

Connect with fellow Chamber members, enjoy great conversations, and discover fresh interior design inspiration with La-Z-Boy’s talented In-Home Designers, Hayley Savage and Llana Loewen.

🎁 BONUS! One lucky attendee will WIN a $250 La-Z-Boy Gift Card!

📅 Thursday, October 15, 2026
🕔 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
📍 La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries | 4950 Uplands Drive, Nanaimo
🎟️ FREE for Chamber Members | $15 for Non-Members

Don’t miss out! Register today and secure your spot. Scan the QR code or visit the Chamber’s event calendar.

ShopLocal

Something a bit different today, a local business trifecta, VI local design, designing for a VI local business and getting swag created by a VI local shop.

Get Repost App • Merch for the People These designs might actually inspire us to lift something heavy. Almost. 💪

We always love seeing what Wild + United Athletics sends our way, and this new merch lineup was no exception.

Wild + United has built a gym around community, inclusivity and making people feel welcome. We love what this gym stands for.

For their latest collection, we printed Comfort Colors tees and crewnecks using direct-to-garment printing with water-based, certified non-toxic inks.

And can we talk about this artwork? We love all the designs they send us, but this new one by Caribou Creative™ is SO GOOD.

Great artwork. Great garments. Great people.

Merch for the people.

CustomMerch CustomTShirts CustomSweatshirts DTGPrinting ComoxValley

Get Repost App • Small Town Startup 🚀 We talk a lot about “voting with your dollars,” but that idea gets especially real in a small town.

Every time you choose the local coffee shop again, meet a friend at the locally owned restaurant, buy a gift downtown, book the local service or finally stop into the place you’ve been “meaning to try,” you’re helping shape what your town can actually sustain.

The businesses we say we want don’t survive on being wanted. They survive on being used, and not just during festivals, holiday shopping weekends or the first few months after a ribbon cutting. They need enough people who make them part of regular life to STAY part of your regular life.

That doesn’t mean you have to spend every dollar locally or feel guilty every time you order something online - that’s unsustainable and unrealistic. It just means recognizing that our everyday choices add up. If enough of us regularly choose the places we’d be genuinely sad to lose, we give those places a much better chance of staying.

It’s also not just about the businesses we can choose from today. Over time, those choices become bigger than a single transaction because they tell the next entrepreneur there’s a market here.

We all have ideas about the kind of towns we want to live in and to really create them, it usually starts with something as simple as becoming a regular in it. ♥️

Get Repost App • BC Chamber of Commerce 2026 Small Business Week is almost here!

Join us for five free, virtual sessions with practical tools to help you build a more resilient business in uncertain times. Each session runs 12 to 1 p.m. PT, so you can join from your shop, office or kitchen table.

Swipe through to see the full lineup, then register free through the link in bio.

Get Repost App • BDC Business is moving fast. Are you keeping up? 🚀

This BDC Small Business Week, join us for three webinars designed to help you uncover growth opportunities, navigate today’s market with confidence, build a stronger business, and a stronger Canada. 🇨🇦

Sign up today via the


In a rapidly changing business environment, how can you turn uncertainty into opportunity? Join our experts to discover practical strategies for growth and resilience.

Register today.

AI can boost productivity, but where should you invest for real results? Discover the strategies and solutions that can make the biggest impact.

Save your spot for our webinar.

Thinking about buying a business? Learn the key steps to a successful acquisition and the common mistakes to avoid.

Sign up for our upcoming webinar. ✅

Le monde des affaires n’attend personne. Et les occasions de croissance non plus. 🚀

Cette Semaine de la PME BDC, découvrez trois webinaires qui vous donneront des perspectives concrètes pour faire croître votre entreprise, relever les défis d’aujourd’hui et contribuer à bâtir une économie canadienne plus forte. 🇨🇦

Inscrivez-vous via le LienDansLaBio
BDCspme

Dans un contexte économique en constante évolution, comment transformer l’incertitude en occasion? Joignez-vous à nos expert·es pour découvrir des stratégies de croissance concrètes.

Inscrivez-vous dès maintenant. BDCspme

L’IA peut stimuler votre productivité, mais où investir pour obtenir des résultats concrets? Découvrez les stratégies et les solutions à privilégier.

Réservez votre place à notre webinaire. BDCspme

Vous envisagez d’acheter une entreprise? Découvrez les étapes clés d’une acquisition réussie et les erreurs à éviter.

Inscrivez-vous à notre prochain webinaire. ✅ BDCspme

Get Repost App • Vancouver Island Economic Alliance VIEA is hiring our next Chief Executive Officer.

We’re looking for a strategic, collaborative leader to guide VIEA into its next chapter and help advance regional economic development across Vancouver Island and the rural islands.

Working with VIEA’s Board, partners, communities, First Nations, businesses and governments, the CEO will strengthen regional collaboration, develop and deliver initiatives, and help turn shared economic priorities into action.

Learn more about the role and how to apply through the link in our bio → News and Media.

Applications close Friday, October 23 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

Get Repost App • Boss Babes Hub | Digital Income for Women Drop a 💯 if you agree.

Get Repost App • WestShore Chamber of Commerce Members, please join us for coffee and tea with our host Costco Canada at Four Points by Sheraton on Tuesday, October 27, 2026 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM.

This is a great event for those new to or nervous of networking, as everyone has a chance to provide information about their business and connect in a friendly and informal atmosphere. This event will be for a maximum of 30 people.

Secure your spot today! Link in bio!

Get Repost App • Vancouver Island Economic Alliance Regular pricing ends Friday, October 9.

Register now for the 2026 State of the Island Economic Summit and save $150 before Last Minute pricing takes effect October 10.

Not sure who from your organization will attend yet? No problem. Purchase your ticket now to lock in the current price, then assign the registration to the person attending later.

We know October is busy, and with elections and other moving pieces on the horizon, plans can change. Secure your registration now and sort out the details later.

📅 October 20–22, 2026
📍 Vancouver Island Conference Centre, Nanaimo

Register by October 9 at the link in bio.

Get Repost App • Lori Lynch & Suzie Read Breakfast Networking with Built for Change
Join us for a facilitated breakfast conversation and networking with Suzie Read and Lori Lynch from Built for Change.

A small group of business owners and professionals sharing ideas and solutions.

This month’s topic: Deciding What Deserves Our Attention in Times of Change

When the conditions keep changing and the options keep growing, how do you decide what matters most?

This month’s Breakfast Conversation explores how business owners and leaders make clearer decisions when priorities compete, new opportunities keep appearing and there are more possible directions than ever.

A practical, peer-led conversation about what helps us choose where to focus and what we can learn from how others approach it.

Friday, October 23, 2026
7:30am - 8:30am
Spark House Coworking, Parksville

Space limited. Registration required. https://luma.com/pgxt4ipq

Coffee and light breakfast bites will be provided.

Bring a founder friend or leader asking the same questions.
This event is sponsored by Home Instead.
Interested in co-hosting or sponsoring? Get in touch.