The valor, creativity and excitement an entrepreneur feels for their concept often causes oversight of vital operational details that Organize and Simplify a business. Predictably, the business becomes tangled in chaotic lunacy, the operations “system” resembling some disastrous experiment involving gremlins and information management. But just when all seems lost, an I.T. champion swoops down on a computer cable, rescuing the business from certain commercial and financial disaster. The champion is Yvan Savard, owner of Echo Communications, and Information Technology is his business.

Literary embellishment aside, 33 year-old Yvan created Echo Communications to Organize and Simplify his clients’ lives by providing optimum business value – making their systems reliable & secure. His services encompass “anything related to information systems and technology,” says Yvan, “We specialize in security and networking, and doing this with integrity & efficiency is what sets Echo apart.”

Yvan is one of those fortunate people blessed with vivid clarity in the career aspect of life. Before opening Echo Communications four years ago, Yvan spent 10 years gaining industry experience as an employee for other I.T. companies, arming him with 14 years – almost half his life – worth of applied knowledge in his field. “In ’95, I took an I.T. course at CDI College,” says Yvan. “And I learned a lot on the job,” he chuckles, undoubtedly recalling a vertical learning curve.
After two years of doing business, Yvan approached TACC with a desire to expand. “That’s when you could say I had a full-fledged business,” he says. “They helped me organize my business plan and put everything in order while I was getting going. They even taught me about network marketing.”

“I have one big client who’s kept me busy since I started, but I want to start branching out a bit and gain more clients,” says Yvan. He met with his TACC Business Support Officer and explained his aspiration for growth. “She was really helpful! She gave me a list of all the Bands on the island and guided me on how to approach them, she gave me tips on following up with clients - like sending thank you cards – and I’ve signed up for one of their workshops. TACC does a lot more than fund you to get started,” they help people Organize and Simplify.

Yvan’s methods of Organization and Simplification might not fund your business, but they will save you money, time, and increase efficiency. “A lot of people spend lots of money on hardware or software, but only use 10% of the functions,” he says. “I help them use their existing tools to full capacity. Right off the bat I conduct an Information Audit to determine what they have, their operational risks (like backing up information), and how they can improve their existing system. Documenting that keeps me focused and organized.”

“Everything I advise my clients to do, I do for my own business,” says Yvan, offering some tips. “I use schedules and tables, Microsoft Outlook for contact lists, and Simply Accounting,” a useful and widely available accounting program. “I write everything down in a book so I don’t forget,” he says.
A practitioner of this myself, we laugh with kindred familiarity as I tell Yvan about an article I wrote titled The Secrets of Simplicity, in which one of the revealed secrets was: If you write things down you don’t have to remember. This guy has heart, and he continued to pump entrepreneurial information out of it.

“Spend as little as possible to get started,” he advises new entrepreneurs. “There are a lot of Aboriginal resources and programs, so become aware of what’s there and use it. Find the person or people who can help you, and accept all the help they offer.” Without realizing it, Yvan just described himself and what his services provide through Echo Communications.
“We charge less than the big companies because we don’t have the overhead,” he says. “And we have been in the industry a long time. We have the experience and industry contacts that smaller companies don’t, and we function through honesty, understanding and integrity with customers.” Steering Echo Communications into a bright future, Yvan says, “I want to focus on the Aboriginal community, working with the Bands,”

In the I.T industry – in any business - the future is now, and Echo Communications is equipped with exciting solutions to meet it head on. Does your company deal nationally or internationally? Are you getting squeezed by phone bills? Voiceover IP allows you to make free phone calls over the internet, and can be used with your existing network. Wireless access and networks allow you freedom to roam, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Company Name: Echo Communications
Years In Business: 2 
Industry: Information Technology
Number of Employees: 1

Awards:
Cisco Systems Registered Partner, Cisco Certified Network Associate
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer

Advice for Young Entrepreneurs:
Write a detailed business plan, setting long and short-term goals. Without a clear path for the future you will not make progress.
"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find outhow far one can go." (T.S. Eliot)

What Young Entrepreneurs Need:
Don't let your age keep you from investing. Just be smart about how and why you do it.

Is Age a Barrier?
No, with many of the programs available to help you get started there are more benefits as a youth. It could be a barrier if, because of age, you lacked experience and connections with people in the community you want to work with.

Influential People in Your Life:
People I have worked with in the past 10 years in the IT Industry. Friends and Family.

Major Obstacles You Faced in Starting Your Business:
Specializing in certain areas and not trying to go after every possible opportunity. Not being overly reliant on a single customer for the success of the business.

Yvan Savard
Echo Communications
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250.883.4094
www.echocom.biz