Les Jeudis D’Apollo: The Place to be in Montreal

If you are a young mover ‘n shaker in Montreal there is one hot ticket event you should know about. Les Jeudi D’Apollo is a monthly event thrown by Eric Sicotte and l’Agence Apollo and it’s a networking event unlike any other in Montreal. The evening features local up and coming Montreal artists and entrepreneurs and gives them the opportunity to present their latest projects to a room full of other young affluent Montrealers. This Thursday’s event marks the 1 year anniversary of Les Jeudis D’Apollo.

Black Eyed Friday

Only in America could there be a holiday weekend where the premise is to eat as much as you can only to be followed by a day where people buy as much as they can… and they call it Thanksgiving. That’s right, Thanksgiving Day weekend, a day of mass consumption preceded by a day of mass consumerism. Thanksgiving is America’s second favorite holiday after Christmas and it’s plain to see why…

Small Business Saturdays

Listening to the radio this week tuned me into a new “shopping holiday” being promoted this year. Conceived by American Express, Small Business Saturdays will be having its second go around on November 26th across the states. This is a fantastic idea! I’m no huge fan of American Express, one of the down-and-dirtiest credit companies in terms of fees, customer support and terms of service, but I think they’re doing the right thing here…

Rupert Murdoch: The Tabloid & the Damage Done

News of the Screws, Screws of the World, you can call Rupert Murdoch’s former weekly tabloid newspaper whatever you like. News of the World was the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world up until it printed its final paper last week, amid a high profile phone hacking and corruption scandal. While the world seems shocked at the depths of the allegations, I for one am not surprised. The 168 year old News of the World was bought by Mr. Murdoch and News International in 1969. At the time it was a regular weekly newspaper that covered actual news…

Three of the Top Tech Startups in Montreal

The local tech community in Montreal is booming, this week we will look at Wajam, Artfox and MConcierge. Wajam is a social search tool that allows users to search their social graph for pertinent and relevant information…

Fine Jazzy Creations with a Touch of the Blues

Jazzy Blues Creations…..no this is not a band. Although artistically, its creations could very well compare to the random fun and deep characteristic feeling of Jazz and the cool smoothness of the Blues. Founded by local Montreal artisan, Stephanie Lavoie Trottier, who has worked with many different mediums such as painting, collage, and recently, candle and soap making. Stephanie’s fun business-like, nature loving, hippie personality shines…

No Business Like Political Business

I’m sorry, I don’t have a business post for you today. I have to be honest, after Monday’s nail-bitingly tense election I’m lucky I’ve been able to function the past few days. Nail-bitingly tense of course, for those who voted. What a showing for the NDP! What a blow to the Liberals! And the bloc! I didn’t expect to see that in my lifetime. It was only nail-bitingly tense, of course, for…

Branding Baby

You’ve heard of the two guys who got sponsored for their university education. You’ve heard of the woman who tattooed a brand name on her forehead. You’ve even heard of the Egyptian family who named their daughter Facebook as a token of how important that medium was to them. But have you heard about the Spokesbaby? Tim Scarne and his wife are about three weeks away from welcoming…

In Defence of Big Bad Corporations. Sort of.

Last week I cancelled my Bell internet service. Believe it or not, doing so was some of the most fun I’d had in weeks. The retention rep who got my call really wanted me to stick with Bell. This man was well informed and passionate our conversation lasted a full half hour and ran the gamut from the morality of UBB (which he believed in and I did not) to basic economic principles. The most interesting thing he said to me was that this move by the big telecom companies was a completely natural, understandable and even admirable action of self-defense, and that if…

Is the New York Times Out of its Mind?

First things first: I believe in paying a fair price for things of value to me. Most good-hearted or even just habitual capitalists do. What I consider a fair price for value and what others consider a fair price for value may differ (for the purpose of simplicity let’s agree to the assumption that “I” includes people who had the Internet in high school and various other early adopters. “Others” includes people..

Money Money Money

Love it or hate it, you’ve got to have it. This is really a business column, but if any of the awesome small businesses or other worthy causes I’ll be directing you to are going to benefit from the attention at all you’ve got to have some scratch. This is easier…

Put your Money where your Mouth Is

You’ve signed the petitions. You’ve called your MP. You’ve filed a complaint with the Canadian Competition Bureau. You’ve voiced your displeasure to the CRTC itself. Good job…

A Roomful of People Cooler than Me

Yep, that’s where I spent a good part of my Sunday afternoon this past weekend; surrounded by artists, designers, bakers and musicians at this year’s 10th anniversary special “extra” craft fair. I actually found out about this weekend’s fair by accident having Sunday morning tea and cupcakes with some friends, they mentioned they’d be going along to Puces Pop directly afterward. I was surprised not to have known about it in advance did anyone else feel a little left out in the cold, or is it just…

NEW: The Lemonade Stand

My name is Megan Dougherty, and I’m for sale.

It’s true; I can be bought and frequently am.

“What?” you sputter (I can hear you from here), “on Forget the Box, a girl who can be bought part and parcel? Nay, I say! Nay.” But I can be. I think you can be too.

Don’t misunderstand me when I say ‘bought’ I don’t mean that I offer ownership of my person to the highest bidder, I mean that I am and have access to resources that businesses, governments, churches and even other people consider valuable.