Featured Entrepreneur: Cathy Piso of Kids Vancouver

Cathy Piso’s Kids Vancouver is a popular directory offering Vancouver families a plethora of information, including a list of birthday party magicians, fun things to do in Vancouver, upcoming swap meets and more. We had a chance to connect with Cathy and find out more about her site.

What were you doing before you started Kids Vancouver?

A mom of one at the time and a Special Needs Assistant with the Surrey School District.

What was the inspiration behind Kids Vancouver?

Kids Vancouver was created on a need to answer parents’ wants and needs for resources on the Internet. At the time, there were very little resources to be found. Jessica Hotz created Kids Vancouver in 1999. I took over for her in 2006 after she open Kokopelli Café. I added more areas, covered all of Lower Mainland and more resources that I felt were needed and have been making updates ever since! I increased the visitors averaging from 300 a day to now an average of 850 – and up to 1,293 visitors a day in the busier months.

Tell us about Kids Vancouver. What can moms find on your site?

It is an online resource for families of Vancouver. Kids Vancouver was created back in 1999 to provide more online resources to parents in the Lower Mainland.

Kids Vancouver is known for its events, such as festivals, parades and local events that are kid, parent or family friendly. Kids Vancouver also known for being the main resource for Kid Swap meets. Kids Vancouver offers information on local playgroups in your area which provides parents to ask advice from others and socialize. Playgroups are a great way to meet other parents and also it’s great for your babies to interact with each other. I also provide a pretty extensive list of birthday entertainers, supplies and venues which parents enjoy to relief the stress factor of their child’s birthday and helping it make their little ones birthday unique.

Kids Vancouver covers attractions, indoor play centres, playgrounds, children’s resources and birthday parties, you’ll be sure to find creative and exciting adventures for you and your family to enjoy.

Currently, I am also working on a new web site with a new modern look with even more resources – I am doing my best to have it completed very soon!

What do you love about what you do?

I love sharing information with other parents on where to go for items, where sales may be, what events are coming up and I also love sharing these things with my kids. I love going to kid-friendly events and watch my kids enjoy them as well. I feel your kids learn through experiences and I feel it’s important to enjoy all these neat experiences.

What do you want Vancouver moms to know about your site?

Currently, there are now a lot of resources out there, but I feel I have a vast amount of information available to my visitors. I try to provide several resources and when it comes to events – I list all over the Lower Mainland. Another popular area is the Kid Swap Meet section. I cover kid swap meets for all over the Lower Mainland. Kid Swap meets are very popular to parents these days; it’s the best place to find some great deals on some gently used items for your child!

What’s next for Kids Vancouver?

I have kept this web site more of a hobby, making very little as I love doing it. Unfortunately, there is only one of me and it now has become a full time job. I am now deciding, especially now with a seven-month-old, I have to take it to the next level to keep up with all the work! Therefore a new look, more resources and more advertising options are in the future for the web site. I would love the chance to donate to charities. I have done my best to help them spread the word through my events page or with free ad images when in regards to charity events.