Top products from r/VictoriaBC

Small business owner here -

There's a strong self-employment and small business culture here, and people are very geared toward supporting businesses that are part of their community. I spend a great deal of my time in community engagement - not because I feel I have to to grow my businesses, but because I genuinely enjoy it. There's a ton of these community engagement opportunities around for my type of business, but your results may vary depending on your field.

I seriously doubt that the guy who said "you can't build a business for $50,000" has ever built a business of his own. Be careful that you never listen to advice from people who are less successful than you (including me, if that's the case!) I own 2 successful, profitable businesses - both cost less that $1000 to start up, and neither ever required me to go into debt. If you do decide to be a "shoestring entrepreneur," you will still need the $50,000 to support your living expenses for at least the 6 months of full time or greater work it takes to get a business to the point where you are "ramen profitable."

I will often tell people that the first business and/or skill an entrepreneur should have is web site design and development. I don't mean being able to sign up for a free website on blogspot or tumblr, this will not cut it in my opinion. The most important web skills to learn are coding HTML/CSS, being able to manage your own server/domains, and knowing as much as possible about search engine optimization and keywords.

Since I try to walk what I talk, the first business in Victoria I started up was Fernwood Web Design, then I took over a pre-existing waste service business called Pedal to Petal. Either business could support me on its own, but I need the variety that these 2 businesses offer me. I operate a few other micro-businesses and passive revenue websites, but these 2 make up the bulk of how I support myself.

The best book I've read on starting your own shoestring businesses is Making a Living Without a Job by Barbara Winters, which I know is available at the central Victoria library ;) It's a book that fits well with my slightly ADD personality, so you may get more or less out of it than I did.

As far as business fields go, I think it's better to work in a field you're interested in with less perceived demand than a more in demand field that you know or care little about. I'm in the agriculture/composting field because that's what I like, even though it has a lower earning potential compared to other fields.. lawyers, for example.

If you want to discuss more, you can email me. You should be able to find my contact through one my sites I've linked to.

Pojar and Mackinnon is probably the best. Not purely edible but a great field guide with ethnobotanical tidbits.

Best I could find so far.

14 dollars, free shipping, comes with a 2gb micro card.

http://www.amazon.ca/Transcend-2gb-Microsd-Adapter-Mini/dp/B000OLVMOS/ref=sr_1_10?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1418430233&sr=1-10&keywords=Mini+micro+sd+adapter

The Haunting of Vancouver Island might interest you, he talks about some First Nations folklore and various creatures like Mesachie Man. Even for the skeptics, the book covers quite a bit of interesting history.

Y is a great read with vivid descriptions of Victoria, set in a more current era than some of the other suggestions.

While it's about Haida Gwaii and the logging industry in BC, The Gold Spruce is a fascinating read.

Home to Woefield by Susan Juby takes place on Vancouver Island, and while it's not exactly about Vancouver Island per se, it's a fun read.

Also not specific to just edible plants, http://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/1551055325/ref=pd_aw_sim_b_2?pi=SL500_SY115 is one of my fav identification guides & has lots of details on what's edible.

This book is a good read for this https://www.amazon.ca/Haunting-Vancouver-Island-Supernatural-Encounters/dp/1771512431

Nancy Turner also has some good ones that are about traditional foods: http://www.amazon.com/Plants-Coastal-Peoples-Museum-Handbooks/dp/0772656274 I think you can get copies at the museum if you're looking to find it locally

For the short term, get yourself an on-tap water filter for your kitchen sink. This way you can at least clean out water for drinking and food preparation purposes.

Sounds like you need this book.

There's a great book called "The Gift of Fear" that explains in depth how our instincts work and the various ways our subconscious tries to warn us about things (not just impending violence, but general stuff that makes us feel uneasy or weird and our logical brain can't parse why). It's quite fascinating.

Amazon Canada tends to be priced quite high. Try US Amazon...it's in US dollars, but often it works out to be cheaper for Canada. Here's a link from there to a Chromebook (as someone mentioned in another reply): http://www.amazon.com/Acer-Chromebook-CB5-571-C1DZ-15-6-Inch-Full/dp/B00TU7U4PU

I just bought one of these for my mom, who uses her computer in a similar way.

Have you read The Curve of Time?

If I had 6 weeks off, I would go to some of the places mentioned. Not all of them are on the island though.

http://www.amazon.ca/Northwest-Foraging-Classic-Edible-Pacific/dp/1594853665

Pacific Northwest raptors, Duncan, BC

Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/1772130087/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1482351420&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=Pacific+Northwest&dpPl=1&dpID=61%2BsKupHUsL&ref=plSrch

A quick google turns up many local bc references.

Sure... you basically have to measure your window first, and then head down to Home Hardware or Castle or Canada Tire to find one that fits.

Here's an example: https://www.amazon.ca/3M-2120W-6-Indoor-Window-Insulator/dp/B000AXXCUC/ref=asc_df_B000AXXCUC/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=292938317187&hvpos=1o5&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4973679086134387350&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001599&hvtargid=pla-368263637696&psc=1

The cables are cheap! Doesn't need to be a full on lock. The u-lock should connect your back wheel, frame, and the thing you're locking to. The cable is just to connect your front tire if it has a quick release. Something as simple as this should work (and not break the bank!).

A visualization, just in case.

Here is the mobile version of your link

A puzzle a day
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B07W7YM2KH/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=A177VW8Y87PDJZ&psc=1

Driving around looking for parking represents ~1/3rd of all vehicle miles travelled.

More: https://fee.org/articles/parking-regulations-cause-traffic-congestion-but-the-market-can-help/If you really want to go down the rabbit hole: https://www.amazon.ca/High-Cost-Free-Parking-Updated/dp/193236496X


Edit: more on the 1/3rd VMT that says it may be much lower http://docs.trb.org/prp/17-04407.pdf