REVIEWED BY DOROTHEA HELMS Most Canadians recognize Arlene Dickinson as the female force on CBC Television’s popular show “Dragon’s Den,” holding her own as she competes for deals with her powerful male co-stars. This marketing expert is also owner and CEO of Venture Communications (recognized repeatedly as one of the 50 best-managed companies in Canada), and she has been ranked as one of Canada’s Top 100 Women Entrepreneurs by … [Read more...]
Book review: PERSUASION A New Approach to Changing Minds by Arlene Dickinson
February 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Avoiding a slippery situation for your small business
December 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment
You’re a smart small business owner. You pay attention to your customers needs. You pay attention to your bottom line. How closely do you pay attention to the weather? In the January through March are prime season for icy conditions and that means you are taking on extra risk as a business or property owner. Slippery walkways result in a great deal of insurance claims each year, but if you aren’t properly covering your own tail when it comes … [Read more...]
Get comfortable with being uncomfortable
October 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment
By: Todd Skinner Well, it’s about that time, just around mid 1st Quarter - about 60-days into the New Year- the time when New Years resolutions have ceased to exist in the memory bank. Good intentions at work and at home are quickly forgotten. You can tell by the increasing lunch line ups at fast food establishments; and the absence of the industrious hum of treadmills in gyms everywhere. This is the time of year when folks are shifting back … [Read more...]
Use your talents to become a better leader
October 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment
By: Todd Skinner With the 41st federal general election campaigns in full swing and all the talk about who is fit to lead Canada, I thought that it would be well-timed to look at one of my favourite subjects – Leadership. There’s a common misconception about leadership, and it’s this: that only individuals who have C-level titles, work out of a corner offices, and have 20 years experience are qualified to be leaders. The truth is, … [Read more...]
Entrepreneurs, stop collecting more hats
October 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment
By: Todd Skinner Quick, how many hats are you currently wearing or juggling at your company? How many different roles/jobs are you responsible for in a given week… from owner/CEO, to bookkeeper, sales manager, shipping clerk, marketing specialist, IT troubleshooter, operations worker, HR manager and on and on? An exhausting and stressful way to run a business; filling your life with complexities that will greatly restrict your personal and … [Read more...]
4 summer sizzlers to win new customers
October 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment
By: Todd Skinner Summer is a great time to take a “Strategic Time-Out”. A time to slow-down, reflect, and re-adjust your strategies. Here are 4 powerful, yet simple low cost strategies to help create new business. These are not new, just underutilized! Discuss these tactics with your team and adopt or adapt the following ideas to work for you. 1 Formalize and optimize your referral systems. Identify your best-performing … [Read more...]
The Toxic Workplace: Avoiding the Culture of Fear
October 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment
By: John Skelton The economic loss created by fear in the workplace is immeasurable. Employees who labour within a command-and-control management hierarchy are frequently motivated by threat and coercion. Not only does fear destroy any sense of team spirit and pride, but it also shuts down important communication channels, inhibiting the flow of creative, constructive, and corrective ideas upstream. Just how might the front-line employee … [Read more...]
Confront and slay your monsters now
October 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment
By: Todd Skinner Coaching is really about being able to ask the right questions. One in particular that typically gets people squirming is “What is the one BIG THING you have been avoiding or putting off?” That one BIG DECISION or ACTION you are unwilling to make? Just acknowledge one … the big, hairy, ugly, scary MONSTER (thing, issue, problem, confrontation, decision or mess) in your professional or personal life you are denying, … [Read more...]
Are you a prisoner to your business?
October 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment
By: Todd Skinner “Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.” ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt. As a business owner, do you ever feel like a prisoner with in your own business? Are you a prisoner to your employees, customers and clients? Do you sometimes feel like you work an over demanding and unrewarding job instead of being the owner of a self efficient thriving business? If so, you are not alone. As your … [Read more...]
Pursuing sustainability in retail
October 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment
By: John Skelton Realizing sustainable business practices continues to be a key objective amongst progressive retail business enterprises. What is it that drives leading companies to implement green practices? What results might a firm expect to achieve by following a sustainable path? Precisely what are industry leaders doing to achieve superior results? In June 2010, Industry Canada, in cooperation with Supply Chain & Logistics Canada … [Read more...]