Canadian Small Business Women

Connection, Synergy, Community

4 reasons we need community over competition in entrepreneurship

It’s no secret that choosing to be an entrepreneur is both rewarding and stressful. As entrepreneurs we are faced with what can feel like a never-ending roller coaster in the difficult times. And it’s during those times that you need the support of like-minded individuals to lean on. “Community over competition” embodies that concept. The idea that we can all win makes the roller coaster much less daunting.

Here are five reasons you need to put community over competition when it comes to your business.

There is power in numbers

Unless you are Chuck Norris or my toddler, it can be hard to walk into a difficult or unknown situation on your own. As an entrepreneur, we are often faced with tough decisions or even times where we just can’t make a final decision. Surrounding yourself with like-minded entrepreneurs gives you the opportunity to bounce ideas off someone else or even just go to someone for sound advice.

Beyond getting through a tough situation, though, building a network of peers and collaborating with other entrepreneurs is a great opportunity to lift each other up. Even simple things like engaging with their content on social media can go a long way.

There is enough business to go around

While you may have direct competitors who offer the same services as you, chances are there are things that are different such as how you provide services, the nature of your customer relationships, your ideal customer profile, etc. And in terms of products, the same thing can be said. If something isn’t quite right for you, don’t be afraid to refer people to a competitor who would be able to offer them something perfect. It could even be that you have too much work at the moment and can’t service them because you are at capacity. Whatever the reason, creating a referral network will only benefit everyone involved. Customers will get to work with someone who is a better fit for their needs, businesses won’t be trying to change who they are to fit needs that are out of their product/service offerings, and businesses can even be more selective within the sales process so you don’t always feel like you have to say yes all the time even if it’s not right.

It’s just a better way of doing business

One of the main goals when I launched SongBird was to create an agency that put relationships over the focus on profits. We all need to make money to grow our businesses, but why would you want to do it at the expense of clients, suppliers, employees, etc.? It’s not a sustainable model to strive to blow through everyone without a care in the world. Not only that, it would be a pretty lonely existence as an entrepreneur.

Beyond business practices in action, an unhealthy competitive mindset can wreak havoc on your own mental health. It is very easy to fall into the jealousy trap rather than focus on your own growth at your own pace in your own way. You have to remember that most people only talk about the good stuff, not the stuff that is going wrong. So even if you are keeping tabs on your competitors you likely don’t have the big picture!

It’s great for personal growth

Focusing on community doesn’t mean we can’t give (and receive) criticism. One of the most amazing things about having a supportive community is the ability to learn from each other. If you want others to value your time and your expertise, you need to value theirs as well. If you have the opportunity to be on the receiving end of constructive criticism or suggestions for your business… LISTEN and ACT on the advice. If you have the opportunity to give advice, genuinely give it.

Community over competition is more than just a hashtag – and it should be valued beyond friends and wellness communities. As an entrepreneur, there are just so many reasons why this mindset is good for your business. But always remember two things:

  1. You can be supportive and competitive at the same time. No one said that you shouldn’t strive for excellence and growth with your business.
  2. Like respect, the feeling of community needs to be earned by all parties involved.

Candace Huntly is Founding Partner at SongBird Marketing Communications, an award-winning agency working to take organizational and individual brands to the next level. With a passion for all things related to creativity and strategy, she specializes in business intelligence, marketing & branding, content strategy & development, media & influencer relations, and social media. Basically, if you need to put your brand, product, or cause in the public eye, she will find a way to do it, while making the approach unique to you.

Connect with Candace

Sign up for our free 20-minute consultation and we’ll help you figure things out.

A version of this article was originally posted to the SongBird Marketing Communications blog.

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Doing Good in Your Neighbourhood: Why You should Implement CSR For Your Business

As COVID-19 picked up pace globally, there was widespread chatter about ongoing discussions about ‘pivoting’, facing the new normal and preparing for the uncertainties. While many were able to shift gears to working from home and hoarding essentials for impending lockdowns, the outlook was dismal for the most vulnerable who had already been struggling to put food on their tables.

My client, the Ignite IGL Foundation recognised that there was a need for essential items among the communities hardest hit in the area where its parent company and branches were located. The team partnered with the local Red Cross to roll out its COVID-19 corporate social responsibility (CSR) outreach in 11 communities bringing unexpected joy to 450 families. Their focus was on the elderly, those living with disabilities, and low-income earners, and the team personally delivered grocery packages with essential staples in a gesture to show they care.

With masks on, observing the social-distancing protocols, the team seamlessly replicated a task they had been executing for several days, moving house to house to ensure non-perishable food items got to those who were shut in. The beneficiaries were able to provide for their families with the packages they received, and it meant the world to them. In the end, there was an immense outpouring of gratitude and an air of jubilation.

Have you ever wondered why some businesses give back? Sure make for great publicity but a key aspect of ‘doing good in your neighbourhood’ as a business is to create a sustainable relationship with the community within which you operate.

With a shortage of resources and countless causes that need funding, CSR stops a gap and helps create sustainable development. So what exactly is CSR? Corporate social responsibility is a company’s commitment to manage the social, environmental and economic effects of its operations responsibly and in line with public expectations.  

CSR is also called corporate citizenship and it’s one of my favourite aspects of public relations. I get to be a part of life-changing, community, and nation building projects that positively impact a range of people and organisations.

Businesses that practice CSR make a commitment to improving communities, the environment, the people they hire, and the economy in which they operate. 

There are four main CSR activities: 

  • Philanthropic efforts: this is where an organisation gives back to a good cause by supporting charitable initiatives in the communities in which the business operates. This includes donating money or equipment to civic organisations, engaging in community initiatives and facilitating employees volunteering time and giving back.
  • Environmental Conservation: focusing on reinvesting profits into health, safety, and environmental programs. Think about initiatives like waste reduction and limiting your carbon footprint. 
  • Business diversity and labour policies: this focused on recognising the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and improving the wellbeing of your staff.
  • Community-Based Supporting volunteer efforts: Getting your staff out of the office and away from their desks for a good cause can allow for better bonding as they work towards a deeper purpose.

 

If you’re thinking whether CSR would be beneficial to your business and the community in which you operate, here are some reasons you should consider it:

Better Community Relationships

It goes without saying that when a customer likes a brand or business, they are more likely to be loyal and to promote it to others. Implementing CSR allows for better relationships with the people in and around your community and allows you to expand your reach beyond your immediate borders. When you have a good community relationship, you inevitably create brand ambassadors who speak well about your business, products and services. 

Increased Job Satisfaction & More Engaged Staff

Employee engagement goes through the roof when they feel fulfilled at work. And people are drawn to companies that show they genuinely care for their community and country. 

Positive PR/Publicity

Media outlets are always on the lookout for a great feel-good story and when you have CSR as part of your strategic goals, this is a great way to get publicity. Unlike advertising where you’re pushing dollars behind a campaign to self-promote, a CSR campaign means journalists use their voice and authority to weave a story about the good you’re doing. 

More Business Opportunities

A bonus from publicising your efforts is that you get to catch the attention of partners and potential customers who are looking to do business with socially responsible organisations. 

The onus is on the business owner or the management team to look at ways in which they can improve their relationships with the communities in which they operate. CSR is a great way to ensure that you’re working in harmony with your surroundings. It shows that you care about your customers and the community, and the benefits will extend far beyond solidarity with your business.

Kimesha is the CEO of Oasis Integrated Communications, a PR firm with operations in Canada and Jamaica, and a focus on helping businesses to find their paradise. She’s a seasoned PR professional with a passion for crafting meaningful stories that connect with people. An eternal optimist who thrives on perfecting solutions that marry creative brand experience with consumer engagement, she believes in tapping into the core values of a company and tailoring strategies that share their narrative and find affinity. Her experience spans public relations, corporate communications, marketing, social media and advertising across a range of industries. She has executed projects in Toronto, New York, and Jamaica where she has deftly managed some of the foremost brands across North America and the Caribbean.

Connect with Kimesha:

Instagram – @oasisintegrated

Twitter: @TheOasisPR

Facebook: Oasis Integrated Communications

LinkedIn: @Kimesha Walters

​

4 types of customer relationships and how they affect your brand

Your business – regardless of what industry you are in – is based on relationships. Relationships with suppliers, relationships with your team. Relationships are all important, but the relationship with your customers will ultimately decide the success of your business. Everything you do should centre around building strong relationships with your customers. The type of relationships you build will determine the long-term success of your brand (and how much fun you have building it!)

Here are a few different types of relationship you can build with your customers and the effect they will have on your efforts to build your brand.

Transactional Customer Relationships

A transactional relationship focuses solely on the exchange of money for goods/services. Every interaction a brand has with the customer begins and ends with that transaction. A brand who focuses on the transaction is likely not looking for loyalty, nor do they care about building trust and credibility. Focusing on one transaction means that you are also not looking at the long-term prospects of building your business nor are you looking to win hearts and minds with your brand story. Transactional relationships often attract customers based on price alone who are looking to fill a short-term need without building a long-term relationship with a brand. As a brand you are also less likely to focus on personalization and are only looking at short-term gains.

Emotional Customer Relationships

Emotional customer relationships look to tap into the way customers are feeling at any given time. From Nostalgia to sad, happy, hopeful, and everything in between, the goal is to focus on building campaigns and content that creates a conscious or subconscious connection to your brand and what you are selling. It goes deeper than wants and needs and humanizes the brand. Emotional relationships also often end in impulse-buyer behaviour. Brands who look to build relationships based on emotions are often focused on creating individual campaigns to create waves of interest. Think “going viral” for a campaign. It is also common for brands in this relationship category to look to cause marketing from an emotional connection standpoint.

Community-based Customer Relationships

Community-based relationships are generally multi-faceted. While you are obviously looking to move customers through to purchase, the focus lies more on engaging with customers and potential customers to create a positive and lasting impression at all stages of the customer relationship. Building a community of supporters leads to high referral rates and participation in loyalty programs. The community acts as a group of brand advocates who are both loyal to the brand and generally willing to tell your brand story in their own ways. Brands who choose to focus on this type of relationship are usually focused on building trust and long-term relationships that take time to nurture and establish. The brand is more humanized, focusing on both the customers and the people behind the brand rather than just the business. Because there is a focus on community-building, your brand will not only attract people to the brand, but also bring customers together who all share the same interests, values, and ethics. There is a level of genuine care for customers and what makes them tic.

I should note that with this type of relationship, if you aren’t careful you can get caught in the superficial spiral of thinking the community growth is the most important metric. Size is a vanity metric, what you really want to focus on is engagement, reach, sentiment, etc.

Value-add Customer Relationships

Similar to community relationships, in this type of customer relationship there is a focus on creating brand loyalty and customer retention, trust, and credibility. Personalization and customer experience play a huge role in building this type of relationship because you are always looking to fill a need for your customer and brands will find that customers in this case will always seek the best value rather than just brand loyalty. A brand who focuses on value add will be able to build loyalty over time by providing value and an honest way of doing business, working to truly understand customer needs and to educate customers on the solutions. While engagement is important, it is a bit different than trying to rally a community around the brand itself. It is more about creating 2-way dialogue to ensure you are providing value. Keep in mind that value does not always mean lowest price!

What kind of customer relationships do you currently have? What kind of customer relationships do you wish you had? While the nature of customer relationships is often defined by things like the business model and the brand personality, it is ultimately up to you how you want to connect with your customers.

Candace Huntly is Founding Partner at SongBird Marketing Communications, an award-winning agency working to take organizational and individual brands to the next level. With a passion for all things related to creativity and strategy, she specializes in business intelligence, marketing & branding, content strategy & development, media & influencer relations, and social media. Basically, if you need to put your brand, product, or cause in the public eye, she will find a way to do it, while making the approach unique to you.

Connect with Candace

Sign up for our free 20-minute consultation and we’ll help you figure things out.

A version of this article was originally posted to the SongBird Marketing Communications blog.

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Trademarks

It’s too early for me to worry about trademarks, right? 

If you are operating a business in Canada, or you are planning to in the near future, you should be thinking about trademarks. It’s very unfortunate that business owners are advised about business name registrations, HST numbers and the like, but not advised of the perils of not properly searching the availability of a proposed name and taking the steps to own it as a trademark.

Today’s blog was co-written by Cynthia Mason, a Lawyer and Trademark Agent with Mason PC in Ottawa, and the Founder of Markably, an on-line DIY way to register your own trademarks.

 

1) I am just starting out with my business. It’s too early for me to worry about trademarks, right?  

It’s never too early to be thinking about owning and protecting your trademarks. Your first thought about trademarks should really be when you select your business name. You want to ensure that you are selecting a name that is capable of functioning as a trademark, and by that we mean something that is not descriptive of your products and services and is not confusing with anyone else’s trademark. Once you are confident the name is available for your exclusive use, you should claim ownership of it with a trademark registration.

 

2) What is a trademark anyway?

A trademark can be anything that you use to set your products or services apart from everyone else’s. There are three main types of trademarks that most businesses, big or small, consistently use. They are (a) names, (b) logos and (c) taglines.

 

3) Why do I even need to worry about protecting my trademarks? That’s an issue for bigger businesses than mine. 

Trademarks are what the public uses to find your products and services in the marketplace. So regardless of the size of your business, you need to ensure that the public isn’t confused between your trademark and someone else. Trademark law is a great equalizer between businesses with different depths of resources. So long as you are the first business to use a trademark and you have registered it as your trademark, which is not expensive to do, you have the power to stop all others from causing confusion.

 

4) The mechanics: How do I go about registering a Trademark? 

To start the registration process, you file an application with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) and that application must contain the trademark, the applicant’s name and address, and a classified description of the goods and/or services that will be sold in connection with the trademark. Once filed, CIPO will examine the application for compliance with trademark laws and regulations, and if satisfied the application complies, they’ll approve it and advertise it for any public objections. If none are raised, the application is allowed and registered for a 10-year term, which can be renewed indefinitely.

The trademark registration process is somewhat lengthy in Canada, due to a delay in examination, and it will take about 2.5 to 3 years from filing the application to obtaining the final registration.

 

5) If I have more than one trademark, should I register them all at the same time?

Each trademark must be the subject of its own registration, and you should register all your trademarks. But if your budget is tight, your first priority should be to register the name that appears on your products or in advertising your services, as this is the main trademark that the public uses to distinguish your products and services from everyone else’s. You next priorities for registration should be your logo and any taglines or secondary product or service names.

 

6) If I register it, where is it good for?

Trademark registrations are country specific. So, if you only register your trademarks in Canada, you only own them in Canada. That registration does not grant you rights in any other countries. You should register your trademarks in every country where you are actively marketing your products and services.

 

7) What does it cost and how long does it take?

This isn’t easy to answer in a few words because it requires an explanation of the government fee structure and the different levels of legal assistance you can obtain.

 

8) What are the alternatives to registering a trademark?

Here are 3 examples of how real-life small businesses approached trademarks:

      1.Not registering.

Using an unregistered trademark limits your ability to stop others from using the same or a confusingly similar trademark. In every instance where you try to stop a confusing use, you’ll have to prove through convincing evidence that you own the trademark and that they are going to cause confusion and damage.

      2.Registering later when the business has more money.

Many businesses wait until they are comfortably making money before they take steps to register their trademarks. There are risks to this approach. First, until you have a registration, you are using an unregistered trademark and your ability to stop others from using a confusing trademark is limited. Second, it takes between 2.5 to 3 years to go through the registration process, and while your application is pending with CIPO, you have only an unregistered trademark and your ability to stop others from using something confusing is limited.

      3.DIY registering.

Trademark owners can DIY a trademark application and doing this is better than doing nothing to claim ownership of your trademark! However, registering trademarks requires knowledge of trademark registrability laws as well as how to classify goods and services. If you don’t get these things right in your application, you will receive objections and your application could potentially be refused all together. Speaking with a Trademark Agent in advance is well-worth your investment.

 

9) More questions? Speak to an expert!

There are many elements of intellectual property law: trademarks, copyright, and patents. Each of them is a unique area of law. 

It is best to consult with an experienced lawyer or Trademark Agent to look at your asset picture. If you have any questions, reach out to Cynthia Mason directly at cynthia@masonpc.com.

​

Amee Sandhu has been a business lawyer in Ontario for 20 years.  She created Lex Integra Professional Corporation in 2019 and focuses exclusively on business law and corporate ethics.  

In her current practice Amee advises clients on commercial, corporate, integrity, anti-corruption, ethics and compliance, and supply chain risks. 

Lex Integra:

Understand your risks. Perform with Integrity.

The purpose and contents of this blog is to provide information only, and it does not constitute legal advice.  Reading this blog does not create a solicitor-client relationship between the reader and Amee Sandhu or Lex Integra. It is recommended to engage (hire) a lawyer if you require or are interested in legal advice.

Connect with Amee

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Public Relations Trends to Rock 2021!

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted economies and industries globally, leaving virtually none untouched. Through it all public relations professionals have stood guard like a loyal soldier. We’ve been a tower of strength, and we’ve fought to keep our clients top of mind through the unpredictable curves and turns. 

PR pros have come to the rescue with crisis management strategies, communicating lockdowns, creating new campaigns to amplify messages about health and safety, mental health care, educational shifts to virtual classes, and ongoing changes that continue to keep us on our toes. We have managed conversations about businesses transitioning to e-commerce and the uptick in online shopping and curbside pickups. So too have PR pros led efforts in corporate social responsibility, pinpointing areas where businesses and nonprofits can give back to their communities and help the less fortunate to keep food on their tables and take care of the essentials.

We’ve been there through the tough moments and the unifying ones, urging leaders on, supporting our clients through a maze of hurdles, and getting them publicity across a host of media outlets. As the 2021 progresses, there are several PR trends that are popping up on the radar that organisations should take into consideration if they are to make meaningful conversations and stay ahead of the game. Here are some of the key ones to keep an eye on:

 

Innovative Content

We’re online a whole lot these days. From virtual classes, to Zoom meetings and webinars, we are having more screen time than ever before. To capture your audience’s attention, you will have to dig deeper to create innovative content and to incorporate brand storytelling to connect to the heart of their ideal clients. Think of the pictures, videos and the words you use. It’s important now more than ever to show up in a memorable way. Innovative content is relevant and necessary for owned media channels like websites, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. When you produce thoughtful content, it makes you stand out. Which social media channels do your audience use? Do they love videos? Are they crazy about Tiktok? How about LinkedIn for B2B connections? Or the latest craze, Clubhouse? Wherever they are, using thoughtful, creative content is the way to get and maintain their attention. Let’s not forget innovative content to get the attention of traditional media houses. When you land publicity via blogs, newspapers, or online outlets it operates much like SEO for your brand. You extend the life of your stories, you get social proof and third party endorsements that overtime can yield great benefits for your brand or business. 

 

#RepresentationMatters – Focus on Diversity & Inclusion 

Through all the changes since the pandemic, one of the main conversations that continues to evolve is the importance of diversity & inclusion. A McKinsey’s Report, Diversity Matters which predates the outbreak of the global pandemic, stated that companies should pay much greater attention to inclusion, even when they are relatively diverse. Since the global protests and increasing conversations around Black Lives Matter, more businesses globally are giving a nod to the inclusion of Black, Indigenous, People of Colour (BIPOC) audiences. Business leaders have had to acknowledge that the archaic and stereotypical messages and approach to multiculturalism are now out the window. There has been a paradigm shift since the protests and ensuing conversations, and now, the pressure is mounting for them to be mission-consistent, and to stand the accountability litmus test. Major iconic brands like Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben’s have been renamed because of their connections to racial stereotypes, organisations have revisited how they embrace diversity & inclusion, and many are actively taking steps to integrate multiculturalism in the workplace and to find out how to better engage multicultural audiences through messages and campaigns. In October, CBC news announced that Canada plans to bring in more than 1.2 million new immigrants over the next three years to fill gaps in its labour market and boost the economy, both hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. That in itself is a reminder that the shifts will continue in this space and they should not be ignored. As businesses battle the debilitating effects of COVID-19, tapping into this diversity & inclusion conversation will go a long way, and PR pros will play a huge role in ensuring that it is done right.

 

Personalised & Hybrid Events

Live events have been halted across the globe but that hasn’t stopped brands, businesses and individuals globally from reaching their audiences in the virtual space. If you’re a big music fan, a highlight of 2020 was the impact of Versuz TV, an American webcast series created by producers Timbaland and Swizz Beatz. The producers reeled in over 5.6 million followers since they launched in April last year, hosting epic music battles with some of the top musical acts and thrilling fans globally through live clashes that brought nostalgia, sheer joy, and a sense of camaraderie. Businesses, too, have taken the reins to engage audiences via online channels, whether by hosting webinars, live chats, or events to complement their integration of e-commerce. That said, there should be no mistaking the fact that people still crave human connection, the opportunity to connect in an authentic space, and to share in experiences that leave them fulfilled and yearning for more. Hybrid and personalised events can fill this gap. By creating engaging and immersive experiences that will leave a lasting impression on current and prospective clients, you set the stage for a solid long-term relationship.

 

Integrating the ‘PESO’ Model

Media houses have downsized significantly since the pandemic, advertising and marketing budgets have been slashed, funds have been redirected to the most critical aspects of businesses, and to add to that, there continues to be significant changes in the social media algorithms that make it a never-ending maze to get your messages to your target audience. So the question is, how do you navigate this while making sure that you’re communicating effectively? The solution is to create integrated campaigns that incorporate Paid, Earned, Shared, and Owned (PESO) media. Each channel has its unique advantages, and compliments the others in creating a seamless campaign that reaches all the major touchpoints for your audience.

As COVID-19 continues to stir ongoing shifts, it inevitably affects organisations across several industries. Communication strategies will have to be adjusted to amplify the messages about the changes, and PR professionals stand ready to take on this challenge as they did at the start of the pandemic. By creating innovative content, honouring diversity and inclusion, incorporating personalised, hybrid events and integrating the PESO model, you’ll be on your way to rocking the year!

​

Kimesha is the CEO of Oasis Integrated Communications, a PR firm with operations in Canada and Jamaica, and a focus on helping businesses to find their paradise. She’s a seasoned PR professional with a passion for crafting meaningful stories that connect with people. An eternal optimist who thrives on perfecting solutions that marry creative brand experience with consumer engagement, she believes in tapping into the core values of a company and tailoring strategies that share their narrative and find affinity. Her experience spans public relations, corporate communications, marketing, social media and advertising across a range of industries. She has executed projects in Toronto, New York, and Jamaica where she has deftly managed some of the foremost brands across North America and the Caribbean.

Connect with Kimesha:

Instagram – @oasisintegrated

Twitter: @TheOasisPR

Facebook: Oasis Integrated Communications

LinkedIn: @Kimesha Walters

​

How to build your marketing strategy without feeling overwhelmed

It’s no secret that I strongly suggest that solo entrepreneurs and businesses with small marketing teams should start small and grow their strategy as you gain traction. This can be beneficial for a number of different reasons:

  1. It gives you a bit more time to test your product and tweak your strategy before hitting “the masses” with your glorious brand story.
  2. There are only so many hours in the day to get things done. If you are stretched thin and overworked, you will likely be even less productive and your entire strategy will suffer leaving you exhausted, six months into your launch, and nowhere close to hitting your short term or long-term goals.
  3. You don’t know what you don’t know. While you should do market research before launching your brand and/or marketing strategy so you get to know your market, sometimes, you just can’t predict how well certain strategies will work (or not!). Plus, with new skills and platforms, you will need to take into account the learning curve and time it takes to really build processes that you are comfortable with.

All reasons lead to a “slow and steady wins the race” type of attitude. Often, that is not what people want to hear. The prospect of going viral and having explosive growth seems attractive, but it also comes with challenges. And if you speak with most entrepreneurs who are “overnight successes” most will tell you that it didn’t happen overnight. Success is generally a product of hard work, experience, and learning from your mistakes so you do things differently the next time.

So, what happens if you decide you want to grow your marketing strategy – take it to the next level. Here are a few things you can do to help you adjust to the extra workload.

Make sure you are taking calculated risks

Any new tactic you add to your overall marketing strategy should be carefully planned out and researched. While there will be a certain level of trial and error to get it just right, you should always start with a baseline of knowledge so you aren’t going in blind. For example, if you are adding a new social platform to your digital marketing strategy, is your target audience on that platform and how do they use it? If you are planning a brand experience, what kinds of things have your audience experienced before from competitors?

Plan out your resources

Your resources budget is an important factor, and you know I’m not just talking about financial budgets. You have to consider all resources such as financial budget, time, skills, people, etc. Where time is concerned, consider the time it will take to execute the strategy – because that will take away from other things you are working on. Skills and people are often wrapped up together. Do you have anyone on your team (if you work with a team!) who has the skills to do the extra work and how many people will it take to carry out your plans?

Create a timeline

While it is important to know how much time you need to dedicate to your new additional tasks, you should also plan out what the entire strategy looks like with an overall timeline. This will force you to set goals and identify what success will look like so you have something to work towards. Once you know the end goal, figure out what happens leading up to that. What is the launch timeline? What do you want to accomplish in 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 5 years, etc. Building milestones into your timeline will allow you to stay on track (and celebrate every. Single. Win along the way). You should also identify whether you have a make-or-break point where you can decide if the new strategy isn’t working for you. If you do have a timeline in mind for that, give the strategy enough time to breathe.

Make sure you have the right skills

When building a marketing strategy, we often start out with things we are most familiar with, which is why you hear so many people talking about stepping out of your comfort zone (myself included!). If you plan on adding something you aren’t fluent in, can you take a course? A workshop? Read articles (how to guides)? Watch YouTube videos? Give yourself time to learn the skills you will need to execute the strategy properly and remember that if you are learning a new skill, it will take longer to get to your end goal.

Hire an expert

Sometimes, you either just don’t have the time to do something or you don’t have the time to learn how to do it – no shame in that. In these cases, consider hiring an expert. A great agency will be willing to work with you to the level you are at, whether that is building a strategy for you to execute after some training, full implementation, or somewhere in between.

​​Candace Huntly is Founding Partner at SongBird Marketing Communications, an award-winning agency working to take organizational and individual brands to the next level. With a passion for all things related to creativity and strategy, she specializes in business intelligence, marketing & branding, content strategy & development, media & influencer relations, and social media. Basically, if you need to put your brand, product, or cause in the public eye, she will find a way to do it, while making the approach unique to you.

Connect with Candace

Sign up for our free 20-minute consultation and we’ll help you figure things out.

A version of this article was originally posted to the SongBird Marketing Communications blog.

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Wait. A Secondary Will? How is that different from a Primary Will?

A Secondary Will, also known as a multiple will strategy, can be a financial planning tool to help you reduce the amount of tax your estate will have to pay after your death.  It applies to some people, but not to all.

Some homeowners and business-people use it to ensure that more of their assets make it into the hands of their loved ones.  If you only have a regular will (which we will call a Primary Will in this blog), like many of us do, then you run the risk that the government will take a larger amount of your estate via an Estate Administration Tax.  

Today’s blog was co-written by Laroux Peoples, a Wills & Estates lawyer in Toronto at www.peopleslaw.ca, who is experienced in Secondary Wills. 

 1) Why do you need a Primary Will at all?  

Before we get to Secondary Wills, here is a refresher on Primary Wills:

  • A Primary Will sets out what happens to your assets, and if you have children, can set out when they get your assets.
  • Makes it clear who has legal guardianship for any children under 18 years old.
  • A Primary Will identifies the Executor (also called the Estate Trustee). This person will manage your estate after you are gone, is responsible for doing your last income taxes, distributes your assets to your beneficiaries, pays any debts, etc).

2) What is probate?  Does it apply to all wills?

Here are some key points about probate:

  • Probate is the process where: (a) if there is a Primary Will, the Court makes it official that it is the last legally known valid will; this is generally needed before financial institutions will release funds to your Estate Trustee; (b) If there is no will at all, it is the process to appoint an Estate Trustee.
  • Not every estate will go through probate. Unfortunately, it is never fully known whether your Primary Will requires probate, until you die.
  • Probate is driven by the type of real estate you have, if applicable, and/or the amounts and locations of your assets at different financial institutions. Both of these, on death, determine whether probate is required. For example, if your assets are at CIBC and CIBC requires a probate certificate to release your bank accounts to the Estate Trustee, then probate is required on all the assets that fall into your estate.
  • Other key points to learn about include the fees, length of time, and who would need to complete the probate application for you. That is beyond the scope of this blog.
  • During the probate process, part of the application process involves paying an estate “tax”. This tax varies from province to province. In Ontario, the Estate Administration Tax (“EAT”) is 1.5%, and it is assessed on estate assets valued in excess of $50,000.

3) So, what is a Secondary Will?  Is it just for the wealthy?

  • It is an estate planning strategy used mostly in Ontario and British Columbia to reduce the amount of EAT payable on an estate (the estate taxes are higher in those two provinces). For Canadians outside these two provinces, it can apply to those who own property in either Ontario or BC.
  • It is not just for the wealthy.
  • Here are two examples from Ontario of when a Secondary Will may be utilized:
  • someone (i) owns their own incorporated business or (ii) is a shareholder of a privately-held family business that is incorporated.
  • in Ontario, someone’s property is a Land Titles Conversion Qualified property AND it qualifies for the First Dealings Exemption. However, this option is only open to very few property owners. Whether your property qualifies for this requires research by a Wills and Estates lawyer. See example 3 below.
  • There are other reasons for a Secondary Will but they are beyond the scope of this blog post.

4) If I have a Primary Will, do I also need a Secondary will?

At first glance, this may seem like overkill.   But if you have assets that might attract significant EAT if they are in your Primary Will, putting them in a Secondary Will could reduce the EAT your estate would be required to pay.  For example, you could put the shares of a private corporation, your personal effects (like jewelry) and your house (in certain cases) all in the Secondary Will.

Usually your Wills and Estates lawyer will need to prepare a new Primary Will and then also prepare a stand-alone Secondary Will.

 5) How come my lawyer, accountant or my financial planner never mentioned this?

Not all lawyers, accountants or financial planners are familiar with this strategy, especially if they don’t have experience dealing with estates.

6) Let’s look at three examples:

 Married or Common-law Couple who own a business and a house:

  • Danielle and her partner Tracy own a family home and have some savings (TFSAs and RRSPs). They are also co-owners of an incorporated business, the shares of which were recently valued at $1.5 million dollars.
  • If they each had a Primary Will only, then the shares of their corporation would become part of their probated estates.
  • The EAT payable just on the shares alone would be $21, 750.
  • This tax would be on top of (1) any capital gains taxes owing, (2) personal taxes owing; and estate taxes payment on the other assets in their estates (for example, their house, any other properties, jewelry, etc).
  • If Danielle and Tracy each had a Secondary Will, their combined estates would have saved that $21,750.

 

Example 2: Older Torontonian with older house purchase

  • Anita is in her 80s. She purchased her Toronto home in the 1960s. Her home was recently valued at $1.6 million; it’s her biggest asset. She also has some minor savings.
  • Her Wills and Estates lawyer discovers that Anita’s property is a Land Title Conversion Qualified property that also qualifies for the First Dealings Exemption (see above). As a result, it won’t require probate when she dies (meaning no estate tax will be due on the house), if she has a Secondary Will in place.
  • On the other hand, If Anita only has a Primary Will and no Secondary Will, and dies still owning that property, the EAT payable for the home will be $24,000.
  • Anita’s Wills & Estates lawyer would likely recommend: if Anita plans to remain in that home, to have a Secondary Will so that her estate can save $24, 000 in estate taxes.

 

Example 3: Family with raw land

  • Hina and Hema are sisters and they own 10 acres of raw land in Ontario together, in addition to their own downtown city condos where they each live. They did not create a corporation to hold the land, and they own it personally.  Their land was assessed at $6 million dollars.
  • If they each have a Primary Will, upon their death their estates each would have to pay $45, 500 (1.5% on $3 million each) on their land. This would be in addition to any other estate tax owing on their other assets.
  • Their Wills & Estates lawyer would likely tell the sisters:

(a) because they don’t own the land through a corporation, this reason for getting a Secondary Will does not apply to them; and

(b) If the raw land is registered in the (newer) Land Titles system instead of the (older) Land Registry system, the land is a probateable asset, and a Secondary Will will not change this; but

(c) if the raw land is registered in the (older) Land Registry system AND/OR it is Land Titles Conversion Qualified, AND it is also First Dealings Exemption qualified, then Secondary Wills may be a good strategy for them to save on estate tax.

 

7) Next steps: How do I know if should get a Secondary Will? Speak to an expert!

There are many elements of estate planning: wills, powers of attorney for both finances and care, life insurance, beneficiary designations on financial and insurance products; joint-ownership of land, in some cases, a Secondary Will, or even multiple wills (for example, for those who may have assets in more than one country), as well as trust planning. 

It is best to do a consultation with an experienced Wills & Estates lawyer to look at your asset picture. If you have any questions, reach out to Laroux Peoples directly at laroux@peopleslaw.ca.

​

Amee Sandhu has been a business lawyer in Ontario for 20 years.  She created Lex Integra Professional Corporation in 2019 and focuses exclusively on business law and corporate ethics.  

In her current practice Amee advises clients on commercial, corporate, integrity, anti-corruption, ethics and compliance, and supply chain risks. 

Lex Integra:

Understand your risks. Perform with Integrity.

The purpose and contents of this blog is to provide information only, and it does not constitute legal advice.  Reading this blog does not create a solicitor-client relationship between the reader and Amee Sandhu or Lex Integra. It is recommended to engage (hire) a lawyer if you require or are interested in legal advice.

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How To Use Pinterest To Drive Traffic To Your Blogs

There are actually some businesses out there that have great success online with their marketing on Pinterest, without ever blogging AT ALL. Some entrepreneurs and companies find Pinterest helps with promoting their business, even if they don’t have a blog.

Nike, Baskin Robbins, even Wayfair all don’t have a blog to their website, yet, they get millions of followers, create meaningful impact in people’s lives, and make profit.

If an everyday person like your or I were to go this route, our online presence would probably take long to reach the status of importance. Just think about it: these corporations have HUGE amounts of money and very sophisticated smart people working for them (not to say you are not smart!) that know all the best Pinterest tips to get their message out to the masses. What some of us don’t have are massive amounts of corporate money, but what we do have that just as good or even better is Pinterest.

Currently in 2020, there are roughly 600 million blogs circulating the internet waves and there are over 320 million active Pinterest users searching for content. These numbers are huge and only go to show the main question of this blog post: which one is best for our business – blogging or Pinterest? If interested in knowing, read on to find out more.

It has been shown businesses that have a blog get 67 percent more traffic to their site than a business that does not have a blog.

The term “weblog” was made by Jorn Barger in 1997 but the word got shortened down to “blog” by Peter Merholz in 1999 (a little bit of web history here for you!).

In quick form, a blog is an online journal that’s made accessible to the public. You as the writer or creator can document your thoughts to an online space and have other people from around the world connect with your blog, comment, share, and refer their family and friends to the URL you found informative.

You can have personal blogs or business website blog. You can have a blog that talks about your products, links to your social media account, or simply displays photo collages.

What’s the difference?

Some people use the word “blog” interchangeably with website. A blog is something that is updated frequently with new published written content at a scheduled time. This blog is also very interactive where visitors can read and comment on your posts.

A website is connected to the world wide web as a specific location with a URL. Websites are not as frequently updated, say on a weekly basis, like a blog post would be published.

Websites are generally updated every so often when an important change occurs to a businesses missions, prices, service agreements, links, or their bio.

Either way, we all have come across blogs, knowingly or not. One of the biggest things with blogging is knowing how to use SEO (search engine optimization) effectively.

In order to rank high in Google’s eyes, your blog post should be ranging around 2000-3000 words. it should be relatable, informative, and educational.

Consistent blogging efforts create credibility in Google’s ranking and over time (with amazing SEO practices), have your blog or website ranking high on the first or second page.

The more content you create, the more people will link to your site or post, refer your name, or sign up to your email list. In general, businesses with a blog do exceptionally well.

Numerous stories are swirling around of people who have built an amazing business from having a blog with their business.

Take for instance, take The Blonde Abroad who took a hiatus from her corporate management job, travelled the world, blogged about it, and make it into an amazing career.

What was it about her that skyrocketed for her? Quite possibly, it was her blog.

Her blog became the escape for many who couldn’t travel to the places she could, yet, with her amazing imagery and her relatable approach to her blogging style.

She has carved out her own space to attract the right viewership, gain their trust, and convert women to solo travel and experience life on their own terms.

A blog allows people to find you before they buy from you.

If someone visits your site and checks out your products, nine times out of ten, they will not convert into customers right away.

They need to trust that you’re an expert in what you do. These prospective clients/customers/ need to learn about you more before they give you their hard-earned money.

It’s usually not until they see your recurring blog post later on in their discovery that they may be convinced you’re the real deal.

See my friends, that’s when then they would most likely buy from you.

And that’s why having a blog is so important.

Blog posts also give you more “street credibility” in the online space and blogs allow you to showcase your knowledge on topics in your niche.

The beauty about blog posts are that you can customize them in so many ways!

You can add:

  • videos

  • graphics

  • quotes

  • images

  • guest posts

  • FAQs

The list truly could go on! In short, a blog is where a community of like-minded individuals can engage, learn, comment & grow together.

Having a blog is highly beneficial to all business owners so you can expand your reach and gain the trust of your audience.

Pinterest

Pinterest is called the “anti-social media outlet”, which I absolutely love. I’ll dive into this more in a bit.

Pinterest was co-founded by three amazing geniuses Ben Silbermann, Evan Sharp and Paul Sciarra.

Their sole intention is to get people OFF the site and discover the vast amount of content that is out there.

The reason why Pinterest has taken off over the years is because it speaks directly to people where they are in their life.

People want to be engaged, inspired, and motivated to live a better life. They want information that will help them achieve what they are looking for, instead of wading through piles of unwanted information. Pinterest delivers exactly what a reader wants at a greater reach.

Pinterest is called a visual discovery engine with over 100 Billion Pins floating around waiting for you to grab hold of and is reach a whole new audience.

Think about it like this.

You finish writing a blog post, then you create a few Pinterest graphics.

You take one of your graphic images and Pin it to your board.

Someone in your audience sees your newly created Pin graphic, sees that it speaks to their pain point, goes ahead and saves it to their Pinterest board.

To quicken up the analogy, your one Pin can easily now easily be turned into ten repins, simply because once a graphic image is saved to your board, it gets shown to all your audience members who are needing the solution to their problem solved!

That’s ten new leads in the matter of a short time span.

And if you’re a new blogger, influencer or business owner reading this post and you’re not sure how to start on your Pinterest journey, I highly encourage you to sign up for my The Power of Pinterest 5-Day Email Course.

This course is entirely FREE and gives you a solid understanding of what you can change right away to your Pinterest strategy to start seeing an improvement in your audience reach.

My free course has helped so many people really hone their Pinterest strategy for their business, and I want the same for you too.

Pinterest can help your business and blog is so many ways, I want you to experience the freedom that comes from a proper marketing strategy that will target the right people your way.

So what does this all mean?

Well, I know it took a bit to get to this point but I wanted to give you a thorough look into things before I really get down to the details of having a blog for your Pinterest success.

So, here’s the thing.

If you find that you really enjoy writing & you can connect your audience better through this medium, then I encourage you to write more blog posts!

Google will reward you with getting your rankings higher up the ladder.

If you are not a fan of writing blog posts (I some of you are out there, and guess what, I’m one of them!), then don’t fret my friend. There are so many ways you can re-purpose your content to Pinterest.

For example, if you are an Instagram user, I encourage you to re-purpose your posts, your Instagram stories, and your IGTVs to Pinterest! These all do amazingly well and can still work as effectively in reaching your target audience.

The only thing you should note is once you re-purpose your content, you do need to optimize your it to fit/suite the best practices on the new platform such as changing out the titles & adding in keyword-rich descriptions with a few broad & niched-down hashtags.

As we know, Pinterest is a visual search engine which means there will be generally less competition in ranking as compared to Google. This gives all brands and business a fair shot at reaching their target audience which I think is awesome.

If you are thinking of starting a blog for your business, I don’t want you thinking of it as another ‘thing’ you have to perfect.

The one thing that made me start my blog was literally taking ‘imperfect action’ and not worrying too much of anything.

I want you to think of your blog posts as a way for your audience to connect and convert with you, and your Pinterest as the place where your audience can aspire to be like you.

In conclusion, to obtain great results in traffic, saves and link clicks from Pinterest to your site, having a blog or a landing page that contains written information your audience wants, is key to what your business success.

Just write what you know and focus on providing the solutions your audience can implement right away as a quick win.

The research definitely lets us know that if your business has a blog, you will do better on Pinterest and build the LIKE, KNOW, and TRUST factor with your audience more than if you are without a blog.

Also I leave you with this.

You’re not expected to write a full APA-style research paper here as you’re not going to be graded. I just want you to write in your own style because the main reason why people started following you was because of your uniqueness.

Just own it & you’ll be just fine.

Christina

Christina Willis – West of 100 Interiors
 
Website: West of 100 Interiors | Pinterest Management & Strategy https://www.westof100interiors.com
Pinterest: West of 100 Interiors | https://www.pinterest.ca/westof100interiors/boards
Instagram: @cultivationlounge | https://www.instagram.com/cultivationlounge
Facebook: West of 100 Interiors | https://www.facebook.com/West-of-100-Interiors

Cultivating Creative Advantage

It’s time to reimagine the concept of competitive advantage.

A July 2020 blog post on Investopedia defined competitive advantage in classic terms:
“factors that allow a company to produce goods or services better or more cheaply than its rivals [and therefore] to generate more sales or superior margins compared to its market rivals.”

And, yes, owners should take a look at their business through this lens during the strategy development process. Tried-and-true strategic practices due offer decision-makers helpful frameworks to consider business objectives and challenges.

However, the world (and the markets that operate within it) has changed since competitive advantage was first conceptualized. The world has different requirements than it did in the 1950’s when business strategy became a profession (and then an industry known as Management Consulting.) And there is no doubt the world will continue to change.

“All this uncertainty poses a tremendous challenge for strategy making.
That’s because traditional approaches to strategy—though often seen as the answer to change and uncertainty—actually assume a relatively stable and predictable world.”

(Harvard Business Review, 2011)

“[today] the business environment is becoming more dynamic and unpredictable.
This is a result of several enduring forces stressing and stretching business systems — from accelerated technological evolution to a greater interconnectedness of the global economy to broader issues such as rising inequality, species depletion, and climate change.”         
                                                                                    (Harvard Business Review, 2020)

 

If the tools we’re currently using were built for a less dynamic, more stable world than the one we’re living it (and will continue to) shouldn’t the frameworks we use to build viable, value-creating businesses change, too?

Here’s the crux of my criticism: The concept of competitive advantage is limiting and, therefore, so too are the business strategies built to achieve it.

  1. Competitive advantage limits a company’s ability to terms relative to its competition (cheaper than, better than)

 

What if, instead, a company measured its ability in terms relative to customer value? (And yes, there is a difference.)

When businesses frame their goals and achievements in terms relative to their competition, they are choosing to play a game.

Games (chess or basketball or monopoly) have specific rules every player must work within.

Games have a monometric means of measuring success (checkmate or points or assets.)

Every player gets better at the same skills (strategizing, shooting, buying.)

The same proverbial ground is covered over and over offering incremental learning at most.

This is a slight simplification of how businesses compete, but the take-away is the same:

Competitors strive to produce incrementally better variations of a solution that hold only incrementally better (at most) value for customers.

The opportunity for meaningful value-creation is limited.

 

  1. Competitive advantage limits the measure of success in monetary terms (make for less, sell for more)

 

Monetary input and output fuels a business – it’s part of the system.

But money does not equate to instantaneous (or guaranteed!) results.

There are other inputs a business needs to achieve future and on-going success.

Those other inputs should be considered and measured in pursuit of success.

A company could measure its ability in terms relative to creativity that are known to contribute to successful business outcomes.

How many more ideas did employees generate last year?

What risks did we take? What did we learn?

What out-of-the-box customer “wins” (success stories) did we have?

What do we think the future will look like?

What impossible feats do we want to achieve in that future?

Future-tense financial outcomes are not only the result of present-tense financial modelling.
(If they were, all a business would need to ensure success is a sound financial model – and many, many businesses with sound financial models have ultimately failed.)

They say “what gets measured gets done.” For a business to define its ability and success only in dollar signs is to severely limit its view on the value contained within it.

Just like the future value of one professional basketball player compared to another cannot be determined by who jumps higher, the future value of one business compared to another cannot be determined by which fetches the higher product price. It might help, but it’s not nearly enough.

There is far too much uncharted territory and untapped human potential to keep building businesses the same way we have for the better part of a century.

We can do better.

And in order to do better, we need to think better.

We need to integrate the tried-and-true strategy principles with modern sensibilities. We need to take one tightly-gripped hand off the competitive advantage throttle and grab hold of a new, complimentary joystick I call creative advantage.

Creative advantage is the unique approach or angle a business takes to value-creation. It is the particular way a business applies itself to the world (market) it operates within (serves.)

I think of creative advantage as the “edge” of a business strategy and tried-and-true principles of competitive advantage as the “power” behind that edge.

If a business strategy is a basketball player, creative advantage is their ability to see scoring opportunities in real-time and competitive advantage is their ability to execute them.

If a business strategy is an axe, creative advantage is the blade and competitive advantage is the human wielding the handle.

It is humans who dream up the axe. It is humans who wield it.

It is the modern sensibilities of humans that make both the dreaming and the wielding possible.

  • When I profiled Shopify, I described the human tendency to crave certainty and hold on to established beliefs and the status quo for too long. Tobias Lutke, Shopify’s founder and CEO, gained creative advantage when he challenged the long-held industry truth that a Canadian start-up must move to the US in order to reach unicorn status. An industry truth Shopify has decidedly disproven.
  • When I profiled Paramount Fine Foods, I dug into the topic of taking perspective – a human trait and a lever of creative advantage that CEO Mohamad Fahik applied when he decided that the right thing to do for people – kindness, reciprocity, compassion – is also the right thing to do for business.
  • When I profiled The Flying Monkeys Brewery, I wrote about how play can be applied in business to dream up brave new ideas. The status quo business environment greatly undervalues (and probably misunderstands) the usefulness of play in the problem-solving process. Yet the systematic integration of play – especially in today’s environment – can be a sure-fire way for a business to gain enormous creative advantage.
  • When I profiled HR consulting firm Cannabis at Work, I described how “stupid” ideas can actually be brilliant ideas in the right context. But the human truth of fear (of loss, shame, exclusion, failure, etc.) often leads decision makers to repeatedly recycle the same old low-value ideas. (The irony being that these safe ideas turn out to be the most stupid because they add nothing to the growth and evolution of a business.) By ignoring stigma, and instead focusing on the facts and investing in her intuition, Founder and CEO Alison McMahon developed a one-of-a-kind service business with inherent creative advantage.
  • When I profiled Barriston Law, its journey to becoming the first B Corp certified law firm in Ontario and largest in Canada offered real-life context of what it means to have “beauty” in business (i.e., exemplifying the highest standards of social and environmental accountability while still being a successful for-profit business).

Co-Managing Partner and Chief Innovation Officer, Joanne McPhail, described her and her partners’ “vision of quality” to be a law firm with meaning and the often “ugly” (uncomfortable, challenging) process required to realize it. Barriston Law remained committed to that vision for over a decade, steadily investing in their creative advantage every time they invested time and money into socially and environmentally responsible business initiatives.

These modern sensibilities of challenging the status quo, taking perspective, play, intuition, courage, and commitment are examples of the tools we use to craft creative advantage.

They are examples of how humans dream up the axe.

They are examples of how humans wield it.

Which is why my process of developing creative advantage is called ‘Human-Centered Strategy’.

Working with small and medium Canadian businesses, I systematically integrate human truths and human traits with traditional principles to develop stand-out business strategies. What makes these strategies stand out is their creative advantage.

Competitive advantage directs companies to out-perform competitors on a shared scale.

Creative advantage invites companies to out-perform customer expectations on any scale.

 

Competitive advantage directs companies to imagine for the future through a financial lens.

Creative advantage invites companies to imagine the future through a holistic human lens.

 

Competitive advantage directs companies to look for incremental improvements.

Creative advantage invites companies to discover new territory and new possibilities.

 

“Increasingly, managers are finding…instead of being really good at doing some particular thing, companies must be really good at learning how to do new things.”

                                                                                                (Harvard Business Review, 2011)

 

Competitive advantage directs companies to carefully balance financial inputs and outputs.

Creative advantage invites companies to courageously break through old boundaries.

 

“With the mainstream of business education and managerial practice focused on managing performance…transient high performance is commonplace; it is sustained performance by resilient companies that stands apart.”

                                                                                                (Harvard Business Review, 2020)

 

Competitive advantage is about what trshould be done.

Creative advantage is about what could be true.

 

Stephanie Ruth Grimbly is a ‘human-centered strategist’ and creative problem-solver. She combines traditional business practices with emerging innovation disciplines to reveal insights about customer preferences and develop stand-out strategies for Canadian businesses. 

 

Emotional Entrepreneur – Results. Meaning. Celebrate.

Now that we have talked about all the inner work (visualizations, focus, emotions, etc.) and the outer work (inspired action), it’s time to talk about results.

 

Results

Simple rule: if it’s not what you want then, it’s not done yet.

I know we can get anxious when we don’t see the results that we seek. However, it is in our power to stay focused mentally on what we want until we receive it as we want it or better.

Sometimes, we tend to take score a little too soon. The “are we there yet?” habit repeats in our head, making us become very aware of where we are and continue to vibrate it hence, attract it. That causes us to stay in the same place because we are focused there. I know we mean well but if nothing inside us changes, nothing outside of us will change either.

Our job is to do our best to stay focused in our vision of what we want, while making peace with where we are and what we have, and then savour every idea, every action, and every accomplishment trusting we are on the right path.

But most of all, love yourself through it all. You are doing your best with what you have in the moment. You know it and you can trust it.

I made a video that I am sharing with you through the link below called “Loving yourself is the perfect recipe for success”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Pxc3_RbxnQ&t=25s

 

Meaning

Results, or the lack of, have no meaning. They don’t mean we are not worthy or deserving. They don’t mean we are not doing things right. They don’t mean we should be working harder/better. They are just a reflection of our vibration hence, our thoughts and emotions. That is it.

In any case, we are the ones, the only ones, assigning any meaning to them.

Not long ago I read a phrase on a post in social media that said: There is no such thing as failure, only feedback. I loved it! It is so powerful to recognize that whatever is happening is just feedback from the universe telling us what we are attracting or creating so that we can adjust it in our vibration and attract it as we want it or better.

When I read that phrase I remember thinking that we would be much more willing to make “mistakes” if we learned to ignore other people’s opinions. And now that we know that the feedback from the universe can come in the form of people’s opinions, or in the results we get, or in the way we feel, then we can feel empowered by it because we know that since we attracted it, we can change it.

 

Celebrate!

As you move forward in your business, learn to celebrate every step you take, every idea, every action, and of course, every accomplishment.

We may have a habit of being goal oriented and only celebrate those occasions where goals are met although sometimes, not even in those cases a celebration or a recognition happens.

Let’s love ourselves to the point of celebrating every step, celebrating progress, celebrating ideas, celebrating achievements, celebrating starts and celebrating endings. For example celebrate that you did your meditation, and that you did your visualizations, and that you made sure to feel good before doing anything planned for the day, celebrate that you wrote your blog, celebrate that you had a new client and, so on.

When we seek those opportunities to celebrate and appreciate ourselves, our brain starts to work differently because now it is looking for opportunities for celebration instead of looking for opportunities for complaints or reprimands. It makes a big difference!

What do I mean by celebrating? Take a 5 min break and do a happy dance. Go to the mirror and tell yourself few times that you are proud of yourself. You can be as creative as you want. The point is not to create a distraction, the point is to love yourself and appreciate yourself throughout the journey all the way to the happy end goal.

 

Take care of your vibration

If we love ourselves unconditionally, we are able to feel good regardless of what is or not happening in our lives in the present moment.

It is a very important skill to feel good before getting the desired results. Why? Because we attract our desires by the way we feel. This is how we define what we receive in a way of manifestation including those goals and desires that we have.

Our job is the emotional result. We figure out how it feels to already have what we want, we enjoy it, we hold it stable then, it all starts flowing in.

I will dare to say that making sure you feel good triumphs any action you can take. So, make sure you do feel good and happy before taking any action and you will experience the leverage of being in alignment with the universe.

As we have spoken in previous blogs, we do not create by action alone, we create it all in our minds and as the universe plans it all out for us, it inspires us to take action. That inspired action is a completely different than massive action trying to make everything happen on our own.

I invite you to read my blog in the link below. It is called “Let’s have fun since we were born worthy!”:

https://intuitivelivingpath.com/blog/f/let%E2%80%99s-have-fun-since-we-were-born-worthy

 

Last advice

You have in your hands the opportunity to create something that is very you, your business. Even though what you do in your business, the service or product you provide is super important, this is also your chance to create your own environment.

Think about other businesses you have seen, whether you worked in the corporate world or not, you saw many ways to manage and handle a business. I am sure you made decisions of things you liked and things you would do different.

Well, this is your chance to apply all of that and truly create a dream business that includes a happy and healthy environment for you, your employees/contractors, your clients, your providers, and for anyone that crosses path with you and your business. What do you want to express to them?

In the link below I am sharing with you a blog that I wrote about a couple of entrepreneurs that inspired me greatly because they intentionally created a completely different business than what they experienced ever before. Here is the link:

https://intuitivelivingpath.com/blog/f/dreams-are-meant-to-come-true

 

Final note

It has been my pleasure to share these blogs with you and the Canadian Small Business Women Association community. I love what I do and in doing it, I also get gifts.

I am very grateful for the time you have spent with me and truly hope that these blogs have helped you in some way to live better and create your dream business.

I am going to leave you with another inspirational phrase I read and loved:

Hold on to your dreams, they know the way.

 

Live intuitively,

Genoveva Vazquez

CPA, CGA, Self-love and Wealth Coach, Founder Intuitive Living Path

Genoveva Vazquez, founder of Intuitive Living Path is a former accountant transformed into a Self-Love and Wealth coach. Genoveva is very passionate about helping people fall in love with themselves and with their lives all over again. Since she went through that moment of “wanting to throw in the towel” she has lived her life knowing that there’s more to life that what is showing up for many of us. We do love ourselves, we do have power, we do create our lives, we just need to start it all from the inside out.

Email: info@intuitivelivingpath.com

Website: https://intuitivelivingpath.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GenovevaVazquez.Coach/

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intuitive-living-path

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw9v_P9dCUJ_E0H0129Aslw

Find YOUR Way

How is it December? I mean, did someone figure out how to collapse the space-time continuum? Hmmm…interesting thought. What would you do if you could? 

What if you could pick any point in your life, in your business, career, in your love life? 

What if you could go to a specific moment in time and shift ONE thing, without any of the messy ripple effects that science tells us would inevitably occur? 

What would it be? 

I’m a girl of the 80s so I have PLENTY of moments to choose from. 

I’m also a recovered marketer, which adds to the selection of vignettes that could be re-written. 

And, I have also spent about a decade ‘reinventing’ myself (part of the recovery process) often feeling as though I just couldn’t stop shaking the snowglobe…more rewrites. 

It’s an interesting exercise, one I use with my clients who are wrestling with finding their ‘brand’…of course, as a recovered marketer I don’t call it that; I use words that feel more human, like creation, contribution and so on. 

The process can be fun (and yes, it has been challenging for, especially for those who work with others in challenging places) but here’s the Endgame behind it and why it’s worth it. 

  • • 

We can’t stop time. 

We can’t go back in time. 

We can’t rewrite the past and…that’s the WHOLE point. 

It is the SUM of our experiences – the good, the bad and the ugly – that make up our unique, individual ‘creation’ or contribution, inside our business.

It is all the micro moments that we sometimes WISH we could rewrite that become the real point of intersection that can unite us with our customers. 

Whether the customers you work with are ‘B2B’ or ‘B2C’, there are elements from your journey that intersect with theirs. 

I work with a diverse array of business people – from coaches, naturopaths and plumber, to downstream business services – like graphic designers, accountants, virtual assistants – and beyond. 

And this has played out each time. 

It’s not necessarily the WHOLE of your journey but there is always, at least one moment, from within all the micro moments that galvanizes itself and gets woven into the core of your contribution, what we create in and through our business. 

I know what you’re thinking, this is business, not personal. 

Our customers choose us based on what we can do for them, based on our competency…nothing else. 

Hmmm…interesting thought and I think intuitively we know this isn’t the whole story. 

I also think it’s going to be something that gets put to the test over the next decade, as consumers (that’s us) really start to look at who they are doing business with. 

It’s not new, we’ve been seeing the shift for 20 years (maybe longer) and we’ve been feeling the tug ‘o war for decades…as businesses grew bigger and created arms length relationships, we adapted…we didn’t like it but we adapted…and we’re recalibrating each time something in the macro world shifts. 

  • • 

Let’s start with the seismic shift that Napster set off in the music industry, in 1999. 

One industry found itself turned upside down and inside out and for a couple of years after, there was a lot of uncertainty, frustration and polarized positions. The music industry just wasn’t prepared to have their world rocked, the way Napster rocked it.

Then, things began to settle and even as they settled, the impact created a ripple throughout multiple aspects of business (movies, DVDs and more)

New entrants came into the market, like Apple with iTunes. A tent was erected and the circus contained. 

If you look at KEY inflection points from 1999-2002, the metrics that I think are most important SHIFTED…specifically, Share of Revenue to Artists started to climb. 

Trendlines for those who are and have been directly connected to the creation of music increased. 

Last month, I shared some insights from a book written just after the 2009 U.S. housing crisis. I shared a few of the most important, relevant and significant parallels between what ‘we’ did and how our values shifted then, in the wake of that crisis and how many of those same shifts showed up in 2020. 

  • • 

So let’s tie this together. 

It’s the SUM of our experiences that point us to our contribution (and the community of customers we are best suited to work with) AND we cannot go back in time. 

We have tremendous power at our fingertips to look back through our recent (and ancient) past for wisdom and reassurance. 

Whether you look to 2009, 2000, the late 1800s and the Industrial Revolution or the 15th century and the Italian Renaissance; no matter what 2020 looked like we have every reason to believe that we are on the cusp of a creative period of time. 

That, those who are directly related to the CREATION of things, bringing their own key experiences into those creations (contributions, etc.) – the way musicians do – well, I’ll let you consider the likely outcomes.

In the Science of Getting Rich, written in 1903 by Wallace D. Wattles, there is a great line of text, he says: 

“You are to become creators, not competitors. You must get rid of the thought of competition. You are to create, not compete for what has already been created.” 

So what are the experiences that are indelibly connected to the work you do (or the work you want to do, would love to do and maybe even, feel that you are here to do)? 

How can those experiences enable you to CREATE something new, something different, something that has not yet been created? 

I’ll give you a hint based on what I found after a lengthy Eat Pray Love journey… 

There is nothing new under the sun…except you (and me) and…who we are is what we have to offer. 

  • • 

What I saw repeated over and over again, in the midst of all the micro moments of 2020 was that we are finding our way forward. 

We are finding our way, the way we did during the Renaissance, the Revolution, the 2000 music recalibration and 2009 shift, as a business community, as a community of local businesses and as a global community… 

…and, we are finding it, our way – our own individual, gloriously original way, in the midst of all those macro moments. 

And that’s the whole point. 

Listen to more in one of my first podcasts – Three Keys • Are You an Original? 

Explore more of how I support the smallest SMBs in the MICRO moments at www.becomingcoherent.com 

 

Tricia Murray is strategic guide, speaker, author, and podcast host whose core community is built around change-makers, agents of change and game-changers. She connects the smallest of SMBs to more, and her ‘people’ go on to create more, experience more and create the experience of more inside their business & beyond it.

Her hybrid approach incorporates DIY, group and 1:1 guided pathways each designed to strategically simplify that which has been made incredibly complicated, especially for solo and micro business owners. Her process is backed by universal and timeless wisdom from both science and spiritual traditions, and enables individuals to tune in, sync up and amplify the change they want to create and experience – inside the business & beyond.

Explore more @ www.becomingcoherent.com

Create the experience of more in an upcoming event • https://bit.ly/bci-events-triciamurray

Connect to more inside my Mighty Coherent Community

Link: https://bit.ly/bci-community-LI

Choosing a Freelance Blogger For Your Business

You have a business.

You have a blog.

BUT…

 

You don’t post on your blog because you just don’t know what content to create or how to add that into your ever-expanding to-do list for your business. As an entrepreneur, you have a lot on your plate and you just don’t see how you can fit writing a blog post into your schedule.  

I mean, let’s face it, blogging or writing, in general, isn’t your strong suit and you just want to avoid it at all costs so that is what you do.  You decide that you don’t need a blog that badly and just do the things that you love to do in your business.

BENEFITS OF BLOGGING FOR YOUR BUSINESS

 

However, there are so many benefits to blogging for your business.  

1| Blogging helps to establish you as an expert.  

2| Blogging helps your SEO by consistently adding new and fresh content to your website.

3| Blogging helps to create a connection to your ideal client.

4| Blogging helps you to provide value to your existing client and to future clients.

 

That is just a small sample of the benefits of blogging for your business.  You know the benefits but yet you hate blogging.  The solution is to hire a freelance blogger but as you look at doing so, there seems to be an endless supply of freelancers out there and you are now more confused than ever.  I want to talk about some of the most important things to know about the freelance blogging industry.

HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE READY TO HIRE A FREELANCE BLOGGER?

Well, you either don’t have a blog or you just don’t have time to keep your blog updated on a consistent basis.  The average time that it takes to write a blog is just under 4 hours.  Imagine that.  4 hours per blog post.  Let’s say that you want to write 2 blog posts per week.  8 hours of your time per week is just spent on creating 2 blog posts for your content.  That is 1 FULL workday to get 2 pieces of content.  

That time doesn’t even include creating the graphics that you need for that blog post.  It doesn’t include the promotion of that blog post.  Those 8 hours are just spent writing those 2 blog posts and that is it.  Think of what else you could do with those 8 hours per week in your business.  Oh, the possibilities.

Time is the biggest currency as an entrepreneur.  We are always trying to find ways to be more efficient and save ourselves time.  Freelance bloggers do that for you when it comes to your content.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE YOU HIRE A FREELANCE BLOGGER

With there being such an endless supply of freelancers out there, how do you know that you are hiring the right one for you.  Here are a few questions to ask yourself before you even begin the process of finding the freelance blogger for your business.

1| How many times a week are you going to want them to post new content to your blog?  This question is super important to know ahead of time.  You want to be clear with them when you interview them.  Having a plan in place is important.

2| What is my budget?  This is an important question to know before you go into meeting with a freelance blogger.  Knowing what your budget is when it comes to freelancing allows you to set boundaries and know what you want ahead of time.

3| Why am I hiring a freelance blogger?  Knowing the reasons behind why you are hiring help is always a great thing to ask yourself.  These reasons will be different for everyone.

4| What are my expectations for a freelance blogger?  Make a list of what your expectations are for the freelance blogger you are going to hire.  Bring this list to the interview with them so that you can discuss everything that you have on the list.

5| What are important qualities for a freelance blogger to have?  Get clear on these qualities.  Knowing these ahead of time will help ensure that you pick the right freelance blogger for you and your business. 

 

QUESTIONS TO ASK DURING THE FREELANCE BLOGGING INTERVIEW

Now that you answered the 5 questions above, you are feeling confident and ready to pick a freelance blogger that is going to help you take your business blog to the next level.  Before setting up interviews, you want to make sure that you have a list of questions to ask them ahead of time.  This will ensure that you aren’t forgetting important questions during the interview process.

1| Why did you start freelance blogging?  I think this is a great question to start with.  It gets them talking about themselves and why blogging is important to them.  You will also be able to hear and see the passion that they have when it comes to freelancing.

2| Do you have a specific niche that you work with?  Yes most freelancers are willing to work with any clients but sometimes there are specific niches that they work with.  I prefer to work with women entrepreneurs in the self-care and self-love industries.  

3| How long have you been freelance blogging for?  Get to know what their experience is with freelance blogging but more than that, ask them how long they have been blogging for.  Most freelance bloggers have been blogging longer for themselves than what they have been doing as a freelancer.

4| What impact do you see creating with my brand?  This will show you if the freelancer has taken the time to learn about you and your business.  You want someone who is going to showcase your brand, your personality and your business.  

5| What do you need from me in terms of support?  Knowing what their expectations are from you will help to create boundaries in this business relationship.  

6| How many hours a week can you dedicate to blogging for my business?  Knowing how much time they have for your business will help you know if what you are needing and what they can give to you are a match.  

7| Are there other services that you offer?  This is a great question to ask.  For example, I offer freelance blogging services but I also offer graphic design, scheduling the blog posts and helping to create social media posts based on your blogging content.  

8| How do you research for content that you don’t know fully?  This is a great way to get a sneak peek into how they conduct their business and how they work.

9| How many drafts do you offer per blog post?  You want to know how many times they will rewrite your blog post if you are not happy.  I stick with 1 revision per blog post.  This helps to keep us on time when it comes to getting blog posts to you.

10| What is the turnaround time for the first draft?  You will want to discuss what your content plan is going to be.  Your freelance blogger may even be able to help you with creating that content plan.  I know that I will help if you need it.

These are just a few of the questions to ask when you are interviewing a freelance blogger to help with your business blogging.  If you are looking for more questions to ask, here is a workbook that is filled with questions to ask during your interviews.  

 

MORE QUESTIONS ANSWERED ABOUT FREELANCE BLOGGERS

Here are some questions that I am asked often about freelance blogging.  I hope these questions will help you decide who, when and how to hire a freelance blogger.

1|  What should I expect to pay a freelance blogger?  The range of pricing for freelance blogging is HUGE.  You can pay anywhere from $25-$250.  This is why knowing your budget beforehand is important.  You also have to remember that you get what you pay for.  This means you can get a blog post for $25 but don’t expect it to be the highest quality out there.  Personally I charge $1100 for 5 blog posts.  This equals to $220 per blog post.  You have to remember that you are paying for their time and expertise.  So that $220 per blog post that I charge is covering up to 4 hours of writing time plus creating graphics for that post.  

2| Should you hire a freelance blogger that is an SEO expert?  This is where the big difference in freelance blogging and freelance writing comes in.  I wouldn’t say that they need to be an SEO expert to be a freelance blogger but they need to know the important SEO features for on-page SEO.  That is the SEO that will be in your blog post itself.  You want to ensure that they know how to do that before you hire them.  

3| Where can you find freelance bloggers?  There are so many different websites that you can go to to hire a freelance blogger.  Just to name a few you have Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiverr.  I would recommend that you ask in local FB groups to see if there is anyone local that does freelance blogging.  This is a great way to support a local small business.  

4| Should my freelance blogger work on their own or under my supervision?  I think at the beginning of any working relationship, you will want them to work under your supervision but I think as time goes on and if they are a great fit for your company, they can begin to work without you supervising them.  This will come down to how comfortable you are with them.

5| Who owns the work when it comes to the finished blog posts?  A freelance blogger works for you.  That means that their name will not be attached to the work and it is yours to use.  Freelance blogging for your website is different from a guest blog post.  You will want to make sure that you discuss if they can use your blog post as part of their portfolio.  

Hiring a professional blogger can feel daunting but they are there to help you grow your business.  I hope this blog post helped you to figure out if you are ready to hire a freelance blogger.  They can truly help take your blog to the next level.  The most important thing to remember is to know expectations for both sides.  This will help to create a working partnership where everyone is happy and everyone is benefiting.  

 

Samantha Laycock is a blogging coach for women and a freelance blogger for female entrepreneurs in the self-care industry.  She is a HUGE self-care and self-love advocate, sexual assault survivor, mother of 3, a wife of 14 years, and a believer in the power of sharing your story.  You can find her on Instagram and Facebook as @samanthalaycockblogging and on Pinterest as @samanthalaycockblogger

How to stay on track with your 2021 marketing

We are almost two weeks into the new year… How are those New Year’s Resolutions going? Or did you jump on the trend of not setting New Year’s Resolutions – instead opting to choose a word to drive your actions this year. Regardless of your approach, you need to make sure you stay on track with your 2021 Marketing strategy. If you took the time to build a 2021 marketing strategy, wouldn’t you want to do everything you can to stay on track for the year?

Here are four things you can do to help you stay on track with your 2021 marketing strategy.

Set clear annual goals

When December 2021 rolls around, how will you know if you have been successful with your marketing efforts? How will you figure out what held you back if you aren’t working towards something specific? As we get further into 2021, make sure you set SMART goals for both your business and your marketing strategy. If you are not familiar with SMART goals, it stands for:

  • Specific: Get as detailed as you can about what you want to accomplish
  • Measurable: How will you quantify success?
  • Attainable: It is good to have big goals, but make sure you can actually achieve them
  • Relevant: Set goals that make sense for your business
  • Timely: Give yourself a timeframe for completion

Set milestones

Creating an implementation timeline is equally as important as figuring out what strategies and tactics you are going to do throughout the year. You would have set an overall timeframe for success. However, I find that looking at that overall timeframe and those overall big number goals can be a little daunting. I like to break it down into mini milestones throughout the year to help keep myself accountable. Whether you set quarterly, monthly, or weekly mini milestones for yourself, it allows you to celebrate even the small wins throughout the year and adjust your strategy if something doesn’t seem to be working as well you would like.

Track everything

If your goals are measurable, you can track your success. If you’re not tracking, then how are you supposed to know if what you are doing is working? Tracking your success throughout the year can help you stay motivated. You just need to select your metrics based on your goals and then decide how often you are going to create reports. Your reporting should also coincide with your milestones so you can look at your strategy objectively.

Hire an expert

When it doubt… Hire someone to help you out! The right expert won’t try to get you to buy a bunch of things you don’t need. Find someone who understands your target audience, your industry, your brand – and someone who really takes the time to understand your challenges. Sometimes a little strategic coaching nudge is all you need and other times you might need someone to do the work for you. Regardless, find the right person.

 

​​Candace Huntly is Founding Partner at SongBird Marketing Communications, an award-winning agency working to take organizational and individual brands to the next level. With a passion for all things related to creativity and strategy, she specializes in business intelligence, marketing & branding, content strategy & development, media & influencer relations, and social media. Basically, if you need to put your brand, product, or cause in the public eye, she will find a way to do it, while making the approach unique to you.

Connect with Candace

Sign up for our free 20-minute consultation and we’ll help you figure things out.

A version of this article was originally posted to the SongBird Marketing Communications blog.

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Do family businesses need shareholders’ agreements?

The short answer is yes.

The majority of Canadian businesses are family businesses.  One recent study done in conjunction with the Institute of Corporate Directors and University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management, states that 54% of first-generation businesses have shareholders’ agreements, while 82% of second-generation businesses do as well.  You can search for this study by its title: Private Family Enterprise Governance Survey: Why Family Business Success Matters for Canada.

One risk to small and medium family business owners is that they often do not realize that they should have a shareholders’ agreement in place. 

 

1) Why do you need a shareholders’ agreement at all?  

A shareholders’ agreement does many things, such as:

  • Protects the rights of minority and majority shareholders
  • Sets up governance
  • Clarifies management responsibilities: For example, is this a special shareholders’ agreement where the shareholders take on the fiduciary duties that normally are the legal duties of the directors of the company (through a unanimous shareholder agreement)?
  • Sets out how shareholders can or must part ways: For example, can they sell their shares? Can they sell to anyone? Can they buy shares from other shareholders? What prices will the shares be valued at, and how is that price determined?  Can they ever be forced to sell?
  • Provides for what happens if a shareholder dies

 

2) Why do family businesses in particular need one?

As noted above, he majority of Canadian businesses are family businesses. The first generation are the founders, the second generation may be the children of the founders, and by the third generation, if the business survives, outsiders may join.  A shareholders’ agreement is considered an important component of corporate governance and business management for a growing business.

For smaller family-run businesses, imagine if there was a family dispute that had the potential to spill over into the family business, such as a divorce of two spouses who run it together.  How would the business survive?

 

3) Consider the following scenarios: Would you be prepared?

Spouses:

  • If you and your spouse get divorced, do you want to keep running the business together? Or should there be a process to determine which one can buy the other one out?

 

Parents and Children:

  • What happens in the transition from the first generation to the next? Will the adult children run the family business along with their parents? Will the adult children’s say be equal to the parents? Or will the parents, in their role as founders, be “more equal” than the adult children when it comes time to vote or manage the business?
  • What are the family’s plans for the business? What if the adult children all have shares, but only one of the children will be running the company? Can that shareholder buy out her siblings? If so, at what price? Who determines the price? Could she force her siblings to sell to her? Or could they buy her out instead?

 

Siblings:

  • What if you and your sister have a business together, and she gets a divorce. Would you be ok with her former spouse getting half of your sister’s shares as part of their divorce settlement, and then running the business with them?  Would this be good for the business? Would it be good for family relations?
  • On a related note, often shareholders’ agreements among non-family businesses require that if a shareholder is getting a divorce, she sells her shares back to the company or to other shareholders rather than risk that they will have to run the business with the ex-spouse.

 

The best time to have these discussions is when everyone is on friendly terms. This blog post is a brief look at this topic; there are also many other aspects to consider when drafting a shareholders’ agreement, such as issues relating to tax, family, and wills and estates law.

 

Amee Sandhu has been a business lawyer in Ontario for 20 years.  She created Lex Integra Professional Corporation in 2019 and focuses exclusively on business law and corporate ethics.  

In her current practice Amee advises clients on commercial, corporate, integrity, anti-corruption, ethics and compliance, and supply chain risks. 

Lex Integra:

Understand your risks. Perform with Integrity.

The purpose and contents of this blog is to provide information only, and it does not constitute legal advice.  Reading this blog does not create a solicitor-client relationship between the reader and Amee Sandhu or Lex Integra. It is recommended to engage (hire) a lawyer if you require or are interested in legal advice.

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“Nothing Weird, I Promise.”

“Nothing weird, I promise.”

That was the invitation we got from a dear friend that was also a pastor at a small local church. Our chance meeting and subsequent friendship had led to a few curious conversations surrounding faith on our double-date nights together.

The invitation to step outside of our Catholic faith upbringing and into the doors of the quaint, progressive Christian Church – even if just as a visitor to one day – felt like we were committing some sort of…sin.

The tugging of our unsettled hearts and the mere fact that we were wrestling with trying to belong to something that we no longer felt aligned with was enough to push us out of our comfort zone.

We anxiously stepped through the doors on Sunday evening.

There were people mingling and checking in with each other over a cup of coffee before the service started.  The ambivert in me (and my husband, for that matter) couldn’t find a seat fast enough! Don’t forget – we were raised in the Roman Catholic Church – there was no talking before mass! There was also no organ droning on or gold flanking the altar.

What had we gotten ourselves into?!

When the service started, we were finally able to relax a little. With my guard down, my heart seemed to open.

I remember very clearly hearing the pastor say, “…because, this is how Jesus rolled.”

What?! This is how Jesus rolled?! I leaned in…”tell me more…”

I remember going for a walk that evening with my husband. We both reconciled that it was a great experience (even for the ambiverts that we are). It was church unlike anything we had ever experienced. Almost sheepishly, we both admitted that it was the most engaged we had ever felt at church. There was a strong sense of community and curiosity that was alive and welcomed. All of this was very unlike our childhood experience.

Great. What were we to do now?! Our Catholic guilt was kicking in…hard. Would we go again?! Should we?! What if our parents found out?! We were like teenagers all over again stepping outside of the parameters that had been set for us.

The easy thing to do would be to text our friend and thank him for inviting us. Close the loop and settle back into our decision to be okay with ‘doing nothing’ about this crisis of faith we had fallen into.

I’m not sure how but, the following Sunday, we found ourselves back at Church. There seemed to be something pulling us back despite all of the resistance we felt.

It’s two years later. We’re now active members of our church community. We are exploring our faith through a different lens. I feel like I finally have a voice within the church.

 

The thing I don’t want you to know:

Two years later and, honestly, we still haven’t come clean with our families. Not because we want to be dishonest but, rather, we don’t want to hurt them. Growing up in very devout Catholic families leaves little room to wander. I guess no matter what, you’re always still someone’s child.

The Guidance of My Inner Mentor:

✤ I knew that if we continued to take the ‘easy’ route of pleasing our families’ expectations of our faith, we were going to lose our faith all together.

✤ You need to find the community in this world that opens your heart and makes you come alive – whether that be a community of faith, friends, work or even friends that become family. To live small in fear of ruffling feathers will leave you looking back on a life poorly lived.

 

 

Before becoming a business coach, Jenn established and led a thriving marketing agency – a time filled with challenges, yet great fulfillment. By personally experiencing the highs and lows of business ownership while balancing a family, she gained invaluable insight into overcoming difficulties and achieving goals.

After 13 years, she realized she was ready to expand as an individual and business owner and wanted to assist other female entrepreneurs to do the same. Leaving an established business and embarking on a new path took every ounce of bravery she had, and became one of her greatest accomplishments.

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