PORCH 

It's hard out there and exponentially harder for an immigrant entrepreneur. 

The existing ecosystem is only focused on business needs. But we all know you can't build a billion-dollar business (or any business) if you can't live happily in a new country. 

PORCH is an exclusive club of international entrepreneurs who have been there, done that, and are still doing it. They have come together to support one another on the personal side of the journey (from living to finance to relationships) to learn and grow and to share their superpowers.

This comes to life through events and community. 

PORCH Events include topical sessions with high-profile speakers and experts and highly engaged IRL events focused on relationships, learning and fun.
PORCH Community: 24/7 real-time discussion and support through the active PORCH platform, on-demand resources and content for asynchronous learning, and powerful perks.

PORCH was built to level the playing field and give you a greater chance at success.

Founder / COO

Unfiltered w/ PORCH

They say entrepreneurship is hard. Well, try doing it in a country where you weren’t born, in a language that isn’t your first, with a social network you’ve had to build from scratch. 

That’s the story of the immigrant entrepreneur. However, the biggest problem is the story is rarely told from the POV of the immigrant. So, let’s change that. 

Welcome to Unfiltered w/ PORCH, where we explore what it means to be an immigrant entrepreneur from the POV of the immigrant.  Real stories. Real journeys. Immigrant entrepreneurship, told by those who have lived it.

Co-Creator

HunterMorris

I wear many hats, but they all point in the same direction: helping brands communicate clearly, creatively, and consistently. I lead full-scale marketing initiatives with a strong focus on storytelling, design, and strategy.

My primary role with companies is with Newsletter Creation: I manage end-to-end creation of monthly newsletters for multiple companies, from CRM setup, content planning and writing to design, distribution, and analytics.

Other projects have included ongoing graphic design (logos, social content & graphics, etc), many website design projects (from full website builds to revamps), and full community builds.

Founder

WeitzmanGTM

Intuitive AI

Sales And Market Development

Look Media

Sales and Business Development

Oil Thigh Designs (OTD)

Managed team of 5 responsible for in-store processes such as payment collection, inventory, POS functionality, and managing International Shipping program. Oversaw e-commerce and retail store sales channel growth.

E-Commerce Director

Digital Operations Coordinator

Smith School of Business at Queen's University

Working as a Teaching Assistant for COMM 161: Introduction to Mathematical Analysis for Management (Calculus) and COMM 162: Managerial Statistics

Teaching Assistant

Cam's Kids Foundation

Cam’s Kids Event Head

Tree2Table Originals

Founded an e-commerce business making handmade charcuterie boards, managing production, sales, and website/social media marketing

Founder / COO @PORCH – helping 1M immigrant entrepreneurs succeed in Canada

Combining my passion for entrepreneurship and desire to make a change with my first startup, PORCH. 

1.  My job is to make the journey as an immigrant entrepreneur easier.
2. I am a firm believer that community, when done right, is so powerful.
3. The diversity of Canada is truly beautiful and the possibilities are endless. Everyone just needs access to the right people and resources to succeed.

One specific event didn't inspire me to be an entrepreneur. For me, it was something that I was passionate about since I was very young. Whether it was watching Dragon's Den with my dad or spending the long car ride hours on the way to hockey games coming up with full businesses, being an entrepreneur was what I have always wanted to do.

Fast forward through years of entrepreneurship classes in high school, participating in youth business and entrepreneurship competitions, and starting a few small businesses of my own, I entered my fourth and final year of the Smith School of Business at Queen's University, and I decided it was time to put my education, experience, and passion to the test and go after my dream of starting a true business.

After working with some great companies (Intuitive AI, Look Media, Knoow) and also starting my own custom charcuterie board business during the pandemic (which was such an incredible experience), I learned about the endless effort it took to run a startup/company.

So, in October of 2022, I founded PORCH, an exclusive club of international entrepreneurs that have been there, done that, and are still doing it. They have come together to support one another on the personal side of the journey (from living to finance to relationships) to learn and grow, and to share their superpowers.

It was a full circle from those long nights on the couch watching Dragons Den and Shark Tank. I have the honour and privilege to be able to pursue this entrepreneurial journey with my co-founder, friend, and Dad.

We need more of this. Let's make the world a better place.

Countries I have been to:
Canada, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Monaco, Mexico, Jamaica, Haiti, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Morocco, Austria, Hungary, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Australia, Dominican Republic, U.S.A, Vatican City

Hunter Weitzman

RSA Conference

Where the world talks security. 
RSA Conference conducts information security events around the globe that connect you to industry leaders and highly relevant information.

Online Community Manager

eddo learning

Co-Founder, Community Advisor

Community Club

Member

Contrarian Thinking

Contrarian Thinking helps people achieve financial freedom by teaching them new ways to think about money and wealth creation through business ownership.

Community Manager

PORCH

An exclusive community for immigrant entrepreneurs and and their teams to build relationships, learn, and help each other succeed. https://www.porchcommunity.ca/

Community Strategist

Atomic

- Co-developed product vision and strategy from inception to launch.
- Along with product and engineering partners, conducted product discovery interviews with dozens of stakeholders and mapped and refined the team’s understanding of the opportunity space. 
- Served as customer 0 as Head of Community for RevOps Co-op.

Product Advisor for Atomic

- As first in the role, grew Slack community of industry professionals from 1700 to over 8000 in 24 months, with consistent 30-day engagement levels of 20-22%.
 - Launched and scaled several community programs including regular events, talent marketplace, mentorship program, education, and partnerships.
- Responsible for all strategy, engagement, operations, and programming of the community across all channels and from end to end.
 - Directed and managed community support teams such as content, marketing, operations, community leaders, and partners.
 - Integrated regular community feedback efforts to continuously improve current programming and to inform and enrich the department roadmap.

Head of Community for RevOps Co-op (A division of Atomic)

Method Media Systems

Developed business operations, branding, and marketing strategy for new local business owner.

Projects 2021

Expand list below:

- Texas Interscholastic Mountain Bike League 
  Chief of Volunteers, Advisory Board Member 
  Oct 2011 - March 2021
See volunteer experience

- Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop, Austin, TX
  Community Outreach and Marketing/Promotions Manager
  Sept 2008 – Jan 2011
I led the efforts in building the in-person and online communities for Lance Armstrong’s bike shop. We developed and executed campaigns, sales, events, partnerships, and sponsorships to welcome in, engage, and build meaningful relationships with people in the cycling community.

- University of Texas Performing Arts Center (UTPAC)
  Stage Manager
  Jan 2008 - Sept 2009
 I oversaw stage areas in (6) performing arts venues on the UT campus during events ranging from lectures, theatre, and student productions to movie sets, touring bands, and Broadway productions.

- W3 Event Specialists
  Operations and Community Manager
  Sept 2002 – July 2007
I managed all operational and human resource aspects for a community of over 250 contractors for an event staffing company that supplied production staff, registered security guards, and stagehands to local and national events, festivals, and the film industry. 

 - Insomniac Events
   Texas Promotions Manager
   Jan 2000 - Sept 2002
I sourced, developed, and managed field promotion teams across Texas and Louisiana as part of a nationwide guerilla marketing campaign for annual music festivals held in California and Arizona.


Community Management | Strategy and Growth | Brand Awareness | Engagement & Outreach | Program Management | Staff Recruiting & Training | Cross-Team Collaboration | Event Management and Production | Festival Staff Management | Volunteer Coordination | Operations Development and Management | Content Creation | Social Media Management | Customer Success and Advocacy | Process & Workflow Optimization | Metrics & Tracking | Cross-Functional Teams | Collaboration Tool Optimization | Customer Experience

Additional Community Experience

See below list:

- Walton Worldwide, Austin, TX (Remote) 
  Program Manager, National Programs and Custom Projects
  Sept 2019 – Mar 2020
I designed and developed strategic branding programs and analysis resulting in unique marketing campaigns, increased brand awareness, product engagement, and development of client accounts.

- Jones Sign Co, Austin, TX (Remote)
  Project Manager, National Dept
  April 2016 – Dec 2018
I defined and implemented local and national program / project management, branding strategies, and negotiations for a diverse client base.

- Precision Signs, Austin, TX 
  Sr. Marketing Project Manager
  Feb 2011 – April 2016
I was responsible for the complete implementation and oversight of account / project management for 10 local and national clients, implementation of project management software, staff training, and the development of company operations.

Project Management | Customer Relations | Change Management | Strategic Planning | Resource Management | Data Analytics | Benchmarking | Quality Assurance | Procurement | Contract Negotiations | Scheduling & Logistics | Smartsheet | Google Suite | Basecamp | Microsoft Office | NetSuite | QuickBooks | Jobscope | CRM | ERP | MRP

Program Project Management Experience

Austin Table Studio

Collaborated with a local business owner to build and execute an online marketing strategy, update branding, increase quality in customer communications, and build an online audience of followers via social media engagement and cross-promotion. 
Super bonus: I also apprenticed as a woodworker to build 73 tables for the East Austin Hotel opening, built a photography set and served as product photographer.

Projects 2018-2019

Community Leader | Architect | Strategist

I am a Full-Stack Community Architect with a proven track record in launching and delivering successful community programs.
I'm excited by building roles in startup environments focusing on professional communities of practice, entrepreneurs, freelancers, education, the future of work, and SaaS product-related communities.

With a background in project management and in-person events, I possess diverse expertise and have worked across various industries. I lead with the customer/member experience and leverage data-driven insights to generate business value through the power of Community.

My holistic approach to bringing people together and keeping them engaged is my superpower. Let’s build something great!

Community Building | People Management | Strategy and Metrics | Engagement & Outreach | Program Management | Team Building | Cross-Team Collaboration | Volunteer Coordination | Content Management | Social Media Management | Customer Success | Process & Workflow Optimization | Community Operations | Product Discovery and Ideation

taplio

The Battle

Hunter Weitzman

Erin O'Neill

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