I'm not a writer, per se. Sure, I do a lot of writing (and communicating in general), but my real passions are business and helping people. Writing is one of the tools in my toolbox to help me achieve the ambitions that flow from those passions. One of the things I've learned from writing, however, has stood me in good stead in all of my ventures. I call it the...
Last week I spoke about holidays, and the importance of taking the time to enjoy them as your 9-5 brothers and sisters do. This week, both Canada and the United States celebrate the birth of our respective countries. And to quote a popular television series, "what better way to celebrate the birth of your country than by blowing up a small part of it." This of course means fireworks, which...
It's just about that time of year again, when the vast majority of 9-5ers in North America get the day off (with pay) to relax, spend time with their families, enjoy some fun activities (like barbecuing or fireworks) and otherwise do anything but work. Every country has holidays just like those we in North America will be enjoying this week. These days are something every average working Joe looks forward...
In the old days, things were a lot simpler. Coming to terms on an agreement was as simple as a handshake and giving your word, and in most cases, people stuck to it. Regrettably, those days are long past. Trust is hard to come by, and a handshake is insufficient to protect you and your business from a less than honorable potential business associate trying to take advantage of you....
It won’t surprise anybody to hear that the recent recession caused average wages in the United States, Canada, and around the world to take a beating. Workers everywhere have been suffering through a period of what economists optimistically call “wage adjustment,” with wages stationary or even decreasing almost across the board. With unemployment still elevated in the developed world, there’s plenty of opportunity – and incentive – for corporations to...
You want to talk about modern advertising, and lots of buzzwords will come up. "Social." "Integrated." "Consumer-focused." You name it. And hey, why not? They're all good ideas. But let's talk about good old fashioned guts. Now, there's a lot of different kinds of advertising. If you're making a sales pitch, you've got one set of goals, but building brand awareness is something else entirely. With brand awareness advertising, you're...
Going green is one of the biggest trends in the world right now. A popular topic at summits among world leaders tend to include a lot of debate on cutting carbon emissions and other green initiatives. The film industry touts their efforts to keep productions are green as possible (The 2008 film The Incredible Hulk became the first big budget blockbuster film to earn the Environmental Media Association's Green Seal)....
If you've been in business for any length of time, you've experienced the feeling of an exciting new lead. Maybe you found a lead on new business, or maybe you were the new lead and had been tipped off to a fresh new product or service you thought might be interesting. In either case, however, the lead is a dead-end if it never gets followed up. No matter how excited a person...
This should really go without saying, but first impressions are tremendously important. In life and business, the first impression you make can go a long way towards establishing how your future dealings, be they personal or professional, with a person (or company) will go. A good first impression can lead to a long-standing, beneficial relationship. A bad first impression can lead to no relationship at all. Obviously, the former is...
Stop for a minute and think about a hamburger, made just the way you like it. Maybe it's covered in mayo and ketchup; maybe it's got no sauces but a bunch of tomatoes. Maybe it's a veggie burger, or maybe you don't like burgers at all and you just order macaroni and cheese. But at the end of the ordering process, you're happiest if you get exactly what you want,...