Blog

“The important thing is to not stop questioning.”—Albert Einstein Since the celebrations for the graduating classes of 2020 are constrained due to Covid-19, I wanted to contribute and give recognition to the graduates. First, congratulations to our daughter Anastasia, who graduated from the University of Regina with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. How the … Continue reading Congratulating the Class of 2020

“Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.”–Archimedes We have a long weekend coming up. These are rare and wonderful times to rest and regenerate our entrepreneurial spirit. Long weekends are also traditionally full of manual labour as we open up the cabin for the … Continue reading The Power of New Technology – The Garden Rake Story

“Looking good is the best revenge.” —Tony Curtis or Ivanka Trump (who can trust the internet these days??) As we all use Zoom, Skype, WebEx, FaceTime (registered trademarks acknowledged) more regularly in our business communication, I wanted to share some best…and worst…practices. Due to the lockdown, we all need a haircut. Many of us are … Continue reading How To Zoom…and look good doing it.

“Profits are the reward for good strategy, good decisions, and good actions.” —Phil Symchych (Please write me let me know what you think of this new shorter format.) If you’re playing defense, you’re not going to win. Tough times, especially these times, will reward those who play offense, who play to win. Today, I want … Continue reading Ten Power Tips to Increase Business Performance and Profits in any Economy

“If your business is not on the internet, then your business will be out of business.” —Bill Gates Today, I want to focus on how we can use technology and the internet to grow your business and build your business wealth. Here are four ways to enhance your online presence and business offerings: Relevance – … Continue reading Shifting Your Business Online

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” —Rudyard Kipling On our regular weekly global mastermind group call earlier this week, we discussed what we’re all doing to keep things normal, positive, and productive. As we are all consultants and business owners, our focus was on keeping ourselves productive so we can … Continue reading How To Keep Things “Normal”

“Cheer up, men, it could always be worse.” —Words my Dad’s sergeant told his troop before going into battle. In these interesting and challenging times, it is too easy to focus on what we don’t have, what we have lost. This can lead to the cycle of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. If … Continue reading Tips for Taking Care of Yourself

“Never waste a good crisis.”–attributed to Anne Harbison, Machiavelli, and others It is very weird driving anywhere during this crisis and seeing many businesses closed. This reminds me of growing up in a small town when Sunday was for church, family visiting, and great dinners (the Sunday dinners is a tradition we’ve continued). Otherwise, everything … Continue reading The Six Cs of Business Crisis Management

“If I had eight hours to cut down a tree, I’d spend six hour sharpening my axe.” —Abraham Lincoln It’s time to sharpen your axe. Most of us have some extra time, or will shortly, once staff and operations are either stabilized to new levels or put on hold due to shutdowns. Often, I am … Continue reading Sharpening Your Strategy

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.”—Winston Churchill These are special times that are challenging for all of us. In this issue, I’ve worked hard and created 51 ideas in this newsletter for you to use to help you protect your business, pursue opportunities, and build your business … Continue reading Protecting Your Business In A Crisis