Connecting Greater Vancouver communities with a click
Visit Erika Hodul’s home office and it’s easy to see how she has struck a balance between her work and family life: On one side of the basement room is her desk, covered with books, papers and a computer. But turn around and it’s a different story with a hula hoop, mini trampoline and a tricycle scattered on the floor.
With three sons ages one, three and 13, family has become a big focus, Hodul said. That’s why she recently took the bold leap toward becoming her own boss.
“After so many years working for other companies, I decided to work for myself for a while,” she said, taking a break at her desk.
It gives her more time to spend with her family, she said, as she makes her own schedule and doesn’t have to spend time commuting back and forth everyday.
As part of the entrepreneurial endeavour, the 37-year-old Port Moody resident has drawn on more than a decade of software engineering experience to create a website where locals can find information on services and business in the Tri-Cities area, everything from pubs to plumbers to preschools.
“The main reason (for the site) is just to help people find the information about businesses and services in their area,” she said.
But this isn’t just some kind of online phone book.
Rather, Hodul hopes users of www.yoursayyourway.com will be excited when they discover that there’s plenty of space for posting reviews — up to 1,000 words about what you loved or hated about a particular business. There’s even a five-star rating system.
The idea is similar to popular websites such as Amazon.com, where consumers can find reams of criticism on products to help them weigh the pros and cons before tacking another item on to their credit card bill.
Hodul said she hasn’t found a similar web portal for people who live in the area, and regular search engines just don’t cut it.
“Even if you Google something you just get search results and it doesn’t necessarily show you people’s experience with the business,” she said.
The concept for the site was born from her own experience.
Hodul and her family came to Canada from Slovakia in the late ’90s. With no support network of family and friends, getting tips on where to go for the best goods and services was tough, she said.
“It kind of culminated when we needed a plumber one day,” she said, noting that the local phone book had more than 20 pages of plumbers, a glut of choices with nothing more than basic information to go by.
But with Hodul’s new website, the hope is to provide a bit more insight for people who find themselves in a similar spot.
“We are hoping to promote local businesses as well as provide information for people,” she said.
Since the site was only launched in June, there aren’t many reviews up yet. But Hodul hopes that will change once word gets out that it exists.
The site is based around a search engine that Hodul created. Users can type in the location or type of business they’re looking for, hit a button and get a list of links. Clicking on the links leads to a page with the basic information about the business, a map of its location and space for reviews. To post comments, users must sign up and then log on with a password.
Despite the potential for scathing criticism, Hodul said most business owners are impressed when she tells them about the site.
“So far, they are happy with the idea and they believe in the quality of their services and they are not afraid to be out there and to be judged by their clients,” she said.
But although starting your own business is a lot of work, Hodul is quick to point out the perks of working from home — particularly the lunchtime mountain bike rides.
“The biggest thing I like about it is you have your own schedule,” she said.
