I recently joined Brandon Chapman on The Eh List to talk about community, leadership, and the evolution of Vancouver Tech Journal. It was a fun conversation—part origin story, part reflection, part Vancouver tech therapy session.
Here are five takeaways that I think matter most for founders, operators, and anyone trying to build something meaningful in BC’s tech ecosystem.
1) Curiosity is my superpower—and the source of everything I’ve built
I’ve always believed that everyone knows something you don’t. That mindset comes from growing up in Winchester, where everyone knew who I was and I had to learn early to talk to anyone, anywhere.
That curiosity still guides me today. Whether I’m talking to a CEO or a student, if you’re in the room, you’re there for a reason—you belong. And if you approach people with genuine interest, the doors open.
2) Vancouver has incredible pockets of strength—but we need more connective tissue
One thing I said on the show is that Vancouver basically has 500 different tech communities. That’s great in some ways, but the downside is that we often speak with 500 different voices.
That makes it harder for policymakers, investors, and even newcomers to understand who we are and what we stand for. It’s one reason BC often gets left out of national innovation conversations.
Better coordination and unified storytelling would help all of us.
3) Execution beats ideas—always
VTJ wasn’t a grand vision. It was an email I wrote because something didn’t exist, so I built it.
Over the years I’ve learned that people dramatically underestimate the power of simply doing the work, putting it into the world, and iterating in public.
You get a lot of credit for showing up consistently.
4) Leadership is caring about people and getting out of their way
A small but important part of my leadership style is remembering details about people. When people feel seen, they’re more open, more collaborative, and more willing to take feedback that helps them grow.
My job has always been to hire good people, give them the conditions to do their best work, and then step aside. Some of the most impactful folks who’ve worked with VTJ grew because we encouraged them to take on roles they weren’t “100% ready” for yet.
That’s where growth happens.
5) VTJ grew because we did the work others weren’t doing
Looking back, a few decisions made a big difference:
Creating real value when no one else was centralizing Vancouver’s tech news
Building lead magnets that brought hundreds of new readers into the fold
Investing in paid growth once VTJ joined Overstory
And hosting in-person events that rebuilt community after COVID
These things compounded. They turned VTJ from a side project into one of the region’s most active tech communities.
If you want more, listen to the full episode
You can hear the full conversation here. We go deeper into leadership, storytelling, public accountability, the messy parts of building media, and why I give my phone number to everyone.