Milton Local Business Spotlight #2: Interview with Photographer Aron Goss

Finally – a new edition of my local business spotlights.  Recently I interviewed Aron Goss, professional photographer, owner of Calculated Style and Milton resident.  His photography is known for really bringing out his subjects’ personalities (see examples of it here).  Here’s what Aron had to say about his work and how he got started.

Darryl Flowers: What sparked your interest in photography?

Aron Goss: I have enjoyed photography for as long as I can remember.  Growing up shooting film was a normal occurrence in my household.  Moving to digital was a natural progression but I still shoot plenty of film for personal projects.

DF: How long have you been a professional photographer?

AG: Six years…yikes, time flies.

DF: What have you learned about people through your profession?

AG: Bridezillas are rare.  Chivalry is not dead.  People at their most stressed and busy can be so incredibly thoughtful.  The most self conscience individuals usual look the best in my images.

DF: What has been your proudest accomplishment to date?

AG: My daughter.

DF: How has living in Milton affected your career or your photography?

AG: The majority of my clients tend to reside in Toronto.  Milton has grown as a community for already married couples to move and raise a family.  Milton tends to be my home first, where I can feel comfortable raising my family and a buisness place second.

DF: What are your favourite spots in Milton and the to shoot?

AG: We are so lucky to be surrounded by a handful of conservation areas.  They always give a great look and feel to any couple that is looking for nature setting for their images.

Thank you to Aron for taking the time to answer my questions.  Check out his website and stunning portfolio at Calculated Style.

Have a business in Milton or the GTA?  Want to be featured here? Email me at flowers@remaxcentre.ca with some details.  I’m proud of the community I live in, and I’m happy to help support my friends and local business owners.

Darryl Flowers is a top real estate broker with Re/Max Real Estate Centre Inc. in Milton, ON.  If you have questions about buying or selling in Milton, Halton Hills or anywhere in the GTA, call Darryl at 647-407-5061 or visit www.darrylflowers.com

Milton’s First Ribfest

About a month ago I attended Milton’s first “Ribfest”.  It was one of the hottest days of the summer and the sun was mercilessly beating down on the queues of people waiting for a taste of North America’s finest, tastiest ribs.  And was it worth the wait in the scalding sun?  Of course!  We’re talking about ribs, here.

The ribs aside, it was great to see lots of familiar faces out to support an event in our own backyard!  I’m already looking forward to next year’s.

Darryl Flowers is a top real estate broker with Re/Max Real Estate Centre Inc. in Milton, ON.  If you have questions about buying or selling anywhere in the west GTA, call Darryl at 647-407-5061 or visit www.darrylflowers.com

First-ever Milton, Ontario Tweet-Up

On Friday, August 24th, I had the pleasure of co-hosting Milton’s first-ever tweet-up at Ned Devine’s in Milton, Ontario alongside Robin Read Griffin and the folks at Discover Milton (and aided as well by Katrina McKay who is my marketing guru). 

Darryl Flowers poses for the camera with two beautiful new friends at Milton's first ever tweet-up at Ned Devine's on Friday, August 24th.

For the uninitiated, a tweet-up is a get-together of people that use Twitter; in this case, it was a geographically-specific group from across the West GTA, with most participants coming from Milton, Brampton, Oakville and Burlington.

We had a great crowd of about 25 participants who shared drinks, laughs, stories and business cards.  The event was a huge success, and a great opportunity to meet neighbours and potential business partners.

The Milton tweet-up gets into full swing. Note Niraj of Discover Milton in the pink and the lovely Robin Reed Griffin seated in the foreground.

The next Milton Tweet-Up (tag – #MiltonTweetUp2 on Twitter) is scheduled for September 24th, location TBD, and promises to be even bigger and better.  I can’t wait to meet even more folks from across the GTA.  For more details, please feel free to contact me via email  (darrylflowers@remaxcentre.ca) or Twitter.  I will also be posting all confirmed details on my website.  While you’re there, why not check out the GTA Twitter Directory and connect with some of your neighbours?

For all of my photos (taken by Katrina McKay – blog / Twitter), check out my Flickr Photostream.  And if you have any links to blog posts or more photos from the event, please leave a comment here and I’ll incorporate them.

Darryl Flowers is a top real estate broker with Re/Max Real Estate Centre Inc. in Milton, ON.  If you have questions about buying or selling anywhere in the west GTA, call Darryl at 647-407-5061 or visit www.darrylflowers.com

Milton Business Spotlight: Cupcakes for All! (An interview with Susy Pardo of flourgirls)

Welcome to the first in a series of interviews featuring local small business owners in Milton, Ontario and area.  For my inaugural post of this kind, I’m proud to share with you the interview I conducted with Susy Pardo, owner of what is fast becoming a tasty Milton institution and a local success story –flourgirls – purveyors of better-than-homemade old-fashioned and yet super chic cupcakes. 

Recently I had the pleasure of picking up quite a large batch of the best little cakes I’ve ever had in my life for a friend’s big birthday bash – held, in  Toronto at a very stylish location.  And let me tell you — the big downtown bakeries ain’t got nothing on flourgirls.  The cupcakes were a big hit!

And here’s the interview…

Darryl Flowers:  Who are the “flourgirls” and how did you get started?

Susy Pardo:  flourgirls consists of myself and my staff which all happen to be “girls”.  Iwould have to say that flourgirls was initially born back about 10 years ago while i was living in NYC. I had the opportunity to do a program at the French Culinary Institute and I would have to say that that between that and living in NY which is so rich with all kinds of food and desserts that my love affair for all things sweet really began. After I finished my program I knew I somehow wanted to incorporate food into my future. It was during a conversation with my hubby (Manny) one night that the light bulb went off. He said “Why don’t you focus on dessert as it’s something you absolutely love” – and he was right, if I could skip dinner and head straight for the dessert menu, I probably would.

DF:  When did you open up your retail location and how has it changed your business?

SP:  The retail location opened up in December of 2007 and it has changed our business immensely. Having a retail store has allowed new and existing clients to come in whenever they have an urge for our cupcakes. It has also allowed people to come in to chat about upcoming events and see our many ideas on display and meet us in person.
 
DF:  I heard that you’re going to be moving in the near future.  Where are you moving to, and what prompted the move?

SP:  We will be moving to 220 Main St. (between Milton Greenhouse and Halton Hills Jewellery) in early June and I’m very excited! I had been hearing for awhile now from many customers that our location was hard to find as we’re a bit hidden on Mill Street so during a drive home one night I saw the “For Sale Sign” and the rest is history.
 
DF:   How has being based out of Milton, Ontario influenced the way that you run your business?

SP:  Milton is a great town to be in, it’s growing but despite that growth Milton is maintaining its quaint downtown area. Our customers both from Milton and outside of Milton have been a great support and I love that I own a business in the community in which I also live. It also allows me to balance flourgirls and family time, too. I used to work in Toronto and the amount of time I spent commuting was starting to get me down so being able to now be 10 minutes away from my business is wonderful.
 
DF:  Who are your customers and where do they normally hail from?

SP:  Our customers range from 1 – 100 years of age. Who doesn’t love cupcakes? We have customers from all over, Hamilton, Brampton, Toronto, Georgetown etc. Customers who love our cupcakes have been wonderful about spreading the word to family and friends which for me is the best form of advertising.

Susy Pardo at the flourgirls shop in Milton, Ontario 

 
DF:  Some of the articles about flourgirls in the press mention that you do a lot of business in downtown Toronto.  How have you maintained a competitive advantage over some of the high profile bakeries in the big smoke?  Do you have any advice for other Milton-based businesses that are looking to do the same?

SP: I think because so much of our business is so highly order based, it allows us to really tailor things for many different events. Also, thanks to offering a delivery service, this is a convenience that many people in Toronto love and it allows them to enjoy our cupcakes without necessarily taking a drive out here. The best advise I can give is to not think of yourself as just a Milton business, if you have a great product, look at how to make it accessible to anyone. We have shipped our cookies as far as Vancouver, Boston and New York.

DF:  Cupcakes have become very fashionable.  Why do you think this is the case?  And why cupcakes and not cakes?

SP:  I think people love the nostalgia of cupcakes and the ease with which you can eat them – you don’t need a plate or a fork – just peel back that wrapper and enjoy. The cupcake is a mini cake without the fuss but the cupcake no longer has to be boring. Now you have all sort of variations on the traditional cupcake. 

DF:  What’s next for flourgirls?

SP: Our move is the biggest thing on our radar at the moment – we want to make our new space as fun and inviting as our current space and continue to grow our business.
 
DF: What’s YOUR favourite cupcake flavour?

SP: I don’t think I could pick just one, I am a cupcakeholic after all. My top favs are: Marisol, Going Bananas, Chocoholic and Red Velvet.

Cupcakes and treats available at flourgirls 

 
DF:  Our readers must know…  How do they get their hands on flourgirls’ cupcakes?  Can they stop by your shop or are your products only available by special order?

SP: We stock our cupcakes daily however to avoid disappointment as there are days we sell out quickly – it’s a great idea to call a day before to reserve.  We typically carry at least 8 varieties through the week and can carry as many as 11 on days that are busier (i.e. Saturday).

A big thank you to Susy Pardo for sharing her stories about flourgirls!  Be sure to visit their website at www.flourgirls.com or better yet, stop by their shop for a visit!

Have a business in Milton or the GTA?  Want to be featured here?  Email me at flowers@remaxcentre.ca with some details.  I’m proud of the community I live in, and I’m happy to help support my friends and local business owners.

 

Darryl Flowers is a top real estate broker with Re/Max Real Estate Centre Inc. in Milton, ON.  If you have questions about buying or selling in Milton, Halton Hills or anywhere in the GTA, call Darryl at 647-407-5061 or visit www.darrylflowers.com

 

Tips on Selling Your Home: Tip #3 – Figure Out Why You’re Selling (and then keep the reason to yourself!)

Figure Out Why You’re Selling

The reason you should look closely at why you want to sell is that your motivations play an important role in the process.  They affect everything from setting a price to deciding how much time and money you’ll invest to getting your home ready for selling.

For example, what’s more important to you: the money you walk away with or the length of time your property is on the market?  If your goal is a quick sale, that can dictate one kind of approach.  If you want to maximize your profit, the sales process will almost certainly take longer.

Once You Know, Keep it to Yourself

Your reasons will affect how you negotiate the sale of your home, but they shouldn’t be given as ammunition to the person who wants to buy it.  For example, a prospective buyer who knows you must move quickly has you at their mercy in the negotiation process.  When asked, simply say that your housing needs have changed.  Your reasons are nobody’s business but your own (although it’s okay to tell your Realtor – and you should do this to help him or her choose the right marketing strategy for your home).

Darryl Flowers is a top real estate broker with Re/Max Real Estate Centre Inc. in Milton, ON.  If you have questions about buying or selling in Milton, Halton Hills or anywhere in the GTA, call Darryl at 647-407-5061 or visit www.darrylflowers.com

Tips on Selling Your Home: Tip #2 – Go Home Shopping Yourself

When you’re selling your home, the best way to get to know your competition, identify features that are popular and learn what turns buyers off is to check out other open houses.  Plan on spending a few weekends touring other homes on the market to learn what other sellers are asking.  Be sure to make note of the floor plan, condition, appearance, size of lot, location and other features.

If you visit enough homes and pay close attention to the details (and what other “buyers” are saying) you’ll develop a good understanding of how different features affect pricing.  And then you can apply what you’ve learned to the task of setting your price.  But don’t forget to include in the equation what homes are actually selling for, not just simply what people are asking.  And remember, if you’re serious about getting your home sold quickly, don’t be more expensive than your neighbour.

Darryl Flowers is a top real estate broker with Re/Max Real Estate Centre Inc. in Milton, ON.  If you have questions about buying or selling in Milton, Halton Hills or anywhere in the GTA, call Darryl at 647-407-5061.

Tips on Selling Your Home – Tip #1: Do Your Homework Before Setting a Price

Settling on an offering price shouldn’t be done lightly.  Once you’ve set your price, you’ve told buyers the absolute maximum they have  to pay for your home. The trick for the seller is to get a selling price as close to the offering price as possible.  If you start out by pricing too high, you  might not be taken seriously by propsective buyers and their agents.  A price too low can result in selling for much less than you had hoped for.

Setting your home’s sale price can be a fairly easy process.  If you live in a subdivision comprised of homes with similar or identical floor plans, built in the same time period, then all you have to do is look at recent sales in the neighbourhood to give you a good ballpark figure.

But many people live in older neighbourhoods that have changed quite a bit over the years.  Every home in your neighbourhood may be different in minor or substantial ways – the house next door may have added another bedroom, for example, of the one across the street might have been uilt recently to fill a vacant lot.  As a neighbourhood evolves over the years, you may find that there aren’t any homes that are truly comparable to your own.

If you decide to sell your home on your own, the most common way to set a value is to took at homes that have sold in your neighbourhood within the past six to twelves months, as well as those now on the market.  That’s certainly how prespective buyers will assess the worth of your home.

You can usually learn what homes have sold for in your neighbourhood by making a quick trip to City Hall; home sale information is in the public records in most communities (but not all).

If this sounds like a lot of work, you may decide to hir a Realtor.  Your Realtor will do all the market research and provide you with comps showing where your home should be priced to best meet your goals – a fast sell, maximum profit, etc.

Darryl Flowers is a real estate broker with Re/Max Real Estate Centre Inc. in Milton, ON.  If you have questions about buying or selling in Milton, Georgetown, Acton or anywhere in the GTA, call Darryl at 647-407-5061.