The lessons you can learn from competition are significant
My Olympic fascination started in 1976 when the summer games took place in Montreal. As a 12-year-old, I was glued to our black and white 12-inch TV for the duration of the Olympics between chores on our family’s hobby farm. I imagined myself on the track pole vaulting 20 feet in the air, swimming on…
Reaching out to wayward customers will reinvigorate your sales and allow you to do a lot of market research
Grant was on the ground yelling as I came around the corner at high speed on my mountain bike at dusk. He had flown off his bike instead of hitting a moose standing on the trail. I skidded to avoid him. I could still see two moose, a cow and her year-old calf, on the…
For your communication to have any emotional charge, face to face is the best choice
As we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic Zoom burnout, one universal truth is becoming even clearer: Face-to-face is still the most preferred, productive and powerful communication medium. In fact, the more business professionals communicate electronically, the more pressing becomes the need for more personal interaction. Here's why ... In face-to-face meetings, our brains process the…
... and more corporate welfare
Canadian politicians like Chrystia Freeland see tax competition as a “race to the bottom.” But for the rest of us, a global tax cartel will mean an inevitable march toward higher tax bills and more pork for companies with access to politicians. Freeland agreed to the American-led proposal for a global minimum business tax of…
Implement a plan, hold your sales team accountable, and keep updating and changing your sales campaigns
Debra was flustered. She had taken over a business with the intent of growing it but had come to the realization that increasing sales might be easier said than done. She recognized that because of the added overhead expenses of her operations, sales would have to grow 50 per cent from current revenue to ensure…
We need to view challenges and solutions in ways that validate our emotions and influence the way we feel about our jobs, and ourselves
Preparing for a speech to the leadership of an organization facing major restructuring pre-pandemic, I asked the meeting planner for background on the audience. "We've presented all the facts," she replied. "But it would be much easier if everyone weren't so emotional!" In the business world, it seems, people are supposed to think logically and act…
The results will lead to an outstanding future for your business
Help is a word that’s foreign to many entrepreneurs, so when a caller says they need help, I listen intently. I received such a call in November 2019 from an entrepreneur who had bought into a company and realized that the management team was struggling. “Dave, I need an outside perspective on how to move…
When someone asks what you do, they might really be asking: Who are you?
Norm was a faller. For three years, Norm fell big trees in the wilds of British Columbia. He was so good at his job that he could drop a tree exactly where he wanted and taught others to do the same. Norm could have let his job define who he was and lived the hard-working,…
Essentially, we lose the amazing power of human-to-human connection
Regardless of how the future plays out in your organization, one thing is certain: virtual meetings are here to stay. It’s easy to see why. They are cost-effective, as there is no need to pay employees to travel and incur related expenses and, when successful, they enable talented peers to work together regardless of location…
Find someone you can trust to communicate what you’re going through
On a recent Sunday afternoon, I went over the handlebars of my bike, bent my front wheel and landed on my head. My son Caleb wasn’t surprised – in fact, I’ve noticed he worries about me when we go riding. And I admit I’ve had my share of accidents on my mountain bike. The thing…
A Strava-like mentality can take your business to a whole new level
My cycling buddies have been using the phone app Strava for years to track their rides. While this isn’t novel, the appeal of Strava is that, like Facebook, you can see what your friends are doing and comment on their activity. Unlike Facebook, there’s honesty in postings because your whole activity is measured, not just…
As tourists start their migration toward Canada, there’s hesitancy about the industry's readiness to manage the tsunami of people
Canadians are ready for the borders to reopen and will flock to sun destinations next winter like never before. The number of people who have said that they’re ready to “get out of Dodge” and “fly the coop” is an indication that there’s a pent-up demand for travel and excursions that has been bolstered by…
And lead to a reshaping of communities
Stay-at-home orders related to COVID-19 have changed working habits. The mandatory work-at-home advice for office jobs has created a debate about work after the health crisis. Will we continue to work at home or will we return to the office? Some have stated that people who work from home must have lower pay. The research team…
The big one: Are you willing to make sacrifices?
People reach out to me weekly for advice on whether they should diversify their business and sell an additional product or service. There also seems to be a flurry of entrepreneurial types who see opportunity as a result of the current changes in the economy. They believe they have the next great business idea that…
Lockdowns, inventory disruptions, staffing issues and cash-flow challenges have sapped many entrepreneurs of their passion
The economic climate has changed the way business owners think about their businesses. While my firm worked with companies before the pandemic, helping them to prepare their businesses for transition, there seems to be a flurry of interest from owners ready to exit their businesses. There are several reasons why people are thinking of selling…