COVID-19 has changed my consumption habits – I don’t listen to as many podcasts anymore, but the ones I do, I enjoy immensely. My three recommendations include: Patrick O’Shaughnessy – Invest Like The Best (Finance and Investing) Kara Swisher & Scott Galloway – Pivot (Tech and Business) Andrew Miller – The Foreign Desk (Monocle 24) (Foreign...
Productivity Apps in 2020
After a series of trials and missteps over the Christmas holidays, I’ve finally found a spot for Notion in my arsenal of productivity apps. Here’s my preferred productivity stack: 📋Notion – Reference 🗳Evernote – Collecting & Archiving ✍️Ulysses – Writing 🧳G Suite – Collaborating What is Notion good for? Notion is best suited for curated content that...
2010-2020: A Decade in Review
It seemed like all of Twitter was posting about their past decade, in emoji format. Naturally, I piled in. Notable events: 🏨 Made lifetime Marriott elite💰 Began angel investing🦄 Founded & sold first tech company— Ian L. Paterson (@ianlpaterson) January 1, 2020 Tabulating the miles Travel is fun to quantify, mostly because the stats are tracked in various frequent flyer programs. On the...
Guide to the Tech Startup Community in Victoria, BC
I moved to Victoria, BC in 2009 and it took me quite a while to really ‘plug in’ to the community. I’ve listed out the key resources, events and locations that I wish I had had back then. The Town Square (Slack) First things first: the Slack community. This is one of the key communities where a lot of the tech workers in town hang out. Sign-up is available by filling out a form. YYJTech Slack...
YYJ Tech Compensation Survey 2019
The most active and vibrant online watercooler for the Victoria tech scene is the #YYJTech Slack community.
Employee compensation is a hot button issue there. So much so that the community self-organized and created a salary survey that saw 200+ respondents anonymously submit their salary data, along with details about their role and company.
I analyzed the data, and here are the findings.
Why Investors Invest – Tax Credits
One of the peculiarities about early-stage investing in BC is the 30% EBC (“Eligible Business Credit”) tax credit for investors.
Qualifying investments can see 30% of their principal investment returned as a tax credit within the year.
This means that an investor who invests $100k gets $30k back via a tax credit. It’s great!
The Secret to Distributing Challenge Coins as Swag
We’re seeing challenge coins pop up in the cybersecurity industry as a swag/keepsake item.
Today, coins are given out to show affiliation with certain groups and having been through special events.
6 Insane Spy Books I Read in 2018
I travel.
A lot.
Which means lots of plane trips, and usually the sort of planes too small (or too cheap) for WiFi.
While I pack light, one of my non-negotiable travel items is a fully-charged Kindle Paperwhite. It’s enabled me to learn about the military-industrial complex that I now work in.
Here are the top 6 books covering espionage, cyber warfare, and corporate skullduggery.
Monthly Investor Updates FAQ
Every month, I send an email out to our shareholders letting them know the key performance indicators. This monthly was a habit drilling into me by a former board member turned advisor.
Over the years, I’ve picked up a few tricks to get the most out of these communications.
SR&ED Loans Overview
Guide to SR&ED Loans for Canadian Tech Companies (Updated Oct 2019 with new lenders) The Scientific Research and Experimental Development Tax Incentive (SR&ED) is a staple in Canadian startup financing. It can provide an annual cash infusion for qualifying tech companies. But the lag from filing a claim to getting cash can be long: 12–18 months isn’t uncommon. As a result, a cottage...