Dwania Peele

Sep 25 2018

Press Release: Immigrant Women’s Small Business Expo Ottawa 2018

In light of current undertones towards immigrants and refugees in Canada, the expo promotes peace, hope and success for all business women

Ottawa…Now in its fifth year, the one-day, experiential Immigrant Women’s Small Business Expo (IWSM Expo) celebrates the aspirations and achievements of immigrant women, taking place in Ottawa on Sunday, September 30th, at the Ottawa City Hall. Under the theme “The Minimum Wage & The Impact on Immigrant Businesses,” IWSBE offers women an opportunity to get informed, empowered and enlightened, while providing access to business building services, networking opportunities and entrepreneur workshops.

Expos are a crucial factor in helping new businesses acquire the leads, networks, information and polish they need to succeed in the business world.

This is according to Dwania Peele, founder of Canadian Small Business Women (CSBW) and the IWSB expo who notes that women owned small and mid-sized businesses generate around $117 billion to the Canadian economy annually.

“We’ve always championed the fact that women matter, and we’ve sought to celebrate all the roles they fill in their family, career and community,” said Peele. “Immigrants, specifically, struggle in Canada’s labour market despite their many skills, and we are more than excited to be in Toronto with this rallying cry of support for immigrant women entrepreneurs across Ontario.”

Another advantage of a business-focused event is that it presents practically unlimited opportunities for information-sharing, says Peele. “We have found there is significant demand for practical advice and insights that help would-be immigrant entrepreneurs and small businesses to run their businesses effectively. Expos bring together stakeholders from across a niche spectrum and present an ideal platform for workshops, demonstrations and seminars that help participants grow their businesses.”

ISWB expo offers a rich experience with informative seminars and a panel discussion presented by notable speakers. Our Minimum Wage Panel includes industry professionals such as Karla Briones, of Karla Briones and Invest Ottawa, Gabriela Laverty, of Los Cantores Tortilla Chips, MPP Goldie Ghamari and Roda Muse School Board Trustee. The seminars and workshops will be far ranging and engaging, featuring topics that impact women’s daily lives addressing such issues as health & wellness, marketing and social media tips, career advancement, business/entrepreneurship, the welfare of our children and much more. While IWSB expo targets immigrant women, there are elements for all women business owners.

IWSB expo offers a one-stop business platform to gather information, exchange ideas and network for anyone considering starting their own business, and for those already in business and looking to expand.

Admission runs for $5 / person including access to seminars, panel discussions and the handmade market.

What: Immigrant Women’s Small Business Expo

Where: Ottawa City Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue West, Ottawa, ON, K1P 1J1

When: Sunday, September 30, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Cost: FREE

Website: http://ottawa.immigrantsmallbizexpo.ca

Sep 15 2018

5 things to consider before pairing up with an Accountability Partner

I think we can all agree that accountability is a HUGE tool in our success tool bag, and, as we go into the last quarter of the year, it’s one I want you to take out and use NOW.

None of us are strangers to the idea of peer pressure. As children, we tended to think of it as something to avoid. I’m going to ask you to put that concept aside and imagine for a moment:

What could would it mean for you and your business to feel a little positive pressure from someone in the same boots as you? A woman who gets it and pushes you from a place of love, respect and a genuine desire to see you succeed?

That’s the power of an Accountability Partner.

However, I don’t want you not to pick just anyone. This should be an extremely selective process. Treat it as if you were choosing a daycare provider for your child. This is your business baby after all.

Here are some things I encourage my clients to consider:

Your prospective partner must be motivated.This goes above and beyond what they are telling you in your discussions with them about a partnership. Are they someone you know to be intentional and focused in their day-to-day lives? When you check their social media accounts, are they consistently representing themselves as a business owner? These are just a few of the ways you as an outsider can tell if they are seriously working their business.
Where are they in their business?I like to surround myself with people who are, for the most part, a few steps ahead of me. That way I am fortunate to have people who have already been through the stage I am currently at. If they aren’t a few steps ahead in their business, then they should at least possess a skill set that is complimentary to yours. Where do you struggle? Are they strong it that area?
Are they invested in you and the Accountability Partner process?This is probably the most important question to answer because, if the answer is no, then you’re wasting your time. You partner needs to be willing to make time for you in their schedule. If they are giving you all kinds of reasons why they can’t schedule your sessions on this date or that, move on. They should be a good listener and have a genuine interest in getting to know you in a meaningful way. If they aren’t willing to put in the work to get to know you, how are they going to know when to push you and when you hold back?
They need to have a concrete understanding of how your business runs and generates revenue.The truth is that there is no ‘one size fits all’ business model. Some are very intricate. Some industries are much different than others. Your partner needs to understand, and preferably have some experience in, your business model to be able to successfully help you during your time together.
You must be able to trust your partner.Like Fight Club, what happens in your sessions needs to stay in your sessions. If you can’t trust your partner, you won’t be able to open up and the process will inevitably fall flat.

BONUS: You need to care about not letting them down. If you’re not worried about this, then they either aren’t the right fit for you or you’re not ready for the process. Either way, this partnership won’t end well.

Curious if there are personality types to avoid? There absolutely are. Check out this post.

Samantha King is a busy mompreneur and homeschooler with two young children and a couple of businesses at home. When Samantha’s daughter was diagnosed with autism, she had to learn how to keep her priorities aligned within her family, while operating her business at the same time. She is excited to share her knowledge to empower entrepreneurs by giving them the tools they need to do something they love while building sustainable, profitable businesses.

Contact Samantha:

Tel: 416-885-6841

Email: samantha@fempirebuilders.com

Facebook: @FempireBuilders

Twitter: @FempireBuilders

Instagram: @Fempire_Builders

Sep 14 2018

Hiring And HR At The Start Of The Blockchain Era

In my last blog post, I described seven emerging careers that are linked to blockchain technology. Besides the fact that they’re all related to the same technology, these career options have another thing in common: it’s not easy to get a degree or diploma in anything blockchain-related. This means that people and/or organizations who want to hire staff to work in these areas probably can’t use their usual approach. Degrees and diplomas don’t work as a proxy for knowledge in this context.

Measuring Job Candidates’ Knowledge and Experience

In my experience, most hiring managers and business owners focus on evaluating potential employees’ knowledge and experience because these characteristics are measurable. Often, knowledge is assumed when a job applicant has the right degree or diploma. In these early days of the blockchain era, those degrees and diplomas don’t exist. Similarly, most employers require a certain amount of relevant work experience. Again, in this brand-new context, nobody has 5 to 10 years of work experience. This puts hiring managers and business owners in a tough position. The usually ‘measurable’ stuff is not so easy to measure.

Besides Knowledge and Experience, What Determines Job Performance?

It gets worse. In the world of Industrial and Organizational (I/O) Psychology we’ve always understood that job performance is determined by two things:

1) Employees’ knowledge and experience, or in other words, what they know. Often this is technical competence or so-called hard skills.

2) How an employee applies their skills and experience. This includes qualities like initiative, creativity, judgement, conscientiousness, etc. For a more thorough discussion of soft skills and their importance – especially when hiring, please read this previous blog article. In many cases, the soft skills play the bigger part. When you’ve got one or more people with similar experience and knowledge (often measured by a certain designation, credential, degree, or diploma), the person who is better able to apply what they know is more successful. They have better soft skills.

I’ve always found it interesting (and troubling) that most employers and hiring managers spend much more time evaluating skills and knowledge and inadequate time and effort evaluating candidates’ soft skills. Practically speaking, I understand why this happens. It’s much easier to assess knowledge and experience. Measuring things like behavioural flexibility, sound judgement, teamwork and cooperation, etc. is often easier said than done.

In this brave new world of blockchain-related careers, many organizations will make expensive mistakes when hiring staff. For the time being, it’s almost impossible to count on degrees or diplomas as a proxy for knowledge. Hardly any candidates have multiple years of experience. Plus, the soft skills which are traditionally harder to measure may be even more elusive in this context. In addition to the usual soft skills, qualities like potential, the willingness and ability to engage in ongoing self-directed learning, and creativity/innovation are probably especially important. Lucky for my clients (and future clients), my training and experience have allowed me to develop a specialization in measuring these types of human behaviours in the workplace.

Alternative Employment Arrangements

Although it’s still the early days of the blockchain era, I’ve seen evidence of organizations exploring different types of employment arrangements (click here to read more). This is due, in part, to the fact that there are many more jobs than there are qualified people to fill them. This means that there’s stiff competition for employees and candidates can be very picky about the role they choose. Some of the compensation models that have been presented include various degrees of equity, cryptocurrency token distribution arrangements, plus competitive salaries. These scenarios are making the employer-employee relationships much fuzzier than usual.

Planning to hire people who can function effectively in the blockchain era? Let’s talk! I invite you to contact me by email, phone, or via direct message on Twitter,Facebook, or LinkedIn.

I/O Advisory Services – Building Resilient Careers and Organizations.

Sep 12 2018

Immigrant Women’s Small Business Expo – Toronto 2018

In light of current undertones towards immigrants and refugees in Canada, the expo promotes peace, hope and success for all business women

Toronto…Now in its sixth year, the one-day, experiential Immigrant Women’s Small Business Expo (IWSM Expo) celebrates the aspirations and achievements of immigrant women, taking place in Toronto on Sunday, September 16th, at the Ontario Science Centre. Under the theme “The Minimum Wage & The Impact on Immigrant Businesses,” IWSBE offers women an opportunity to get informed, empowered and enlightened, while providing access to business building services, networking opportunities and entrepreneur workshops.

Expos are a crucial factor in helping new businesses acquire the leads, networks, information and polish they need to succeed in the business world.

ISWB expo offers a rich experience with informative seminars and panel discussions presented by notable speakers. The STEM Panel includes influential women from all backgrounds and is sponsored by hERVOLUTION. Our Minimum Wage Panel includes industry professionals such as Radha Tailor, Candidate for School Board Trustee Wards 3/4, Shalini Dharna CPA and moderated by Emily Mills of How She Hustles. Throughout the day attendees can view educational exhibits and corporate displays from Canada Business Ontario and the Government of Canada. The seminars and workshops will be far ranging and engaging, featuring topics that impact women’s daily lives addressing such issues as health & wellness, marketing and social media tips, career advancement, business/entrepreneurship, the welfare of our children and much more. While IWSB expo targets immigrant women, there are elements for all women business owners.

Admission runs for $5 / person including access to seminars, panel discussions and the handmade market.

What: Immigrant Women’s Small Business Expo

Where: Ontario Science Centre, 770 Don Mils Road, North York, ON M3C 1T3

When: Sunday, September 16, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Cost: Admission: $5 (Under 16 years of age free)

Website: http://toronto.immigrantsmallbizexpo.ca

Sep 10 2018

Have You Met LIAM?

I’d like to introduce you to LIAM.

Wait, what?

September is Life Insurance Awareness Month and instead of saying that mouthful, finance folks have wittingly come up with the name LIAM. Who says we’re boring, huh?

So why exactly is life insurance important enough to have a whole month dedicated to its awareness?

WHAT IS LIFE INSURANCE?

A Life Insurance policy is a contract between you (the insured) and an insurance company, for a certain amount of coverage that will be paid to your loved ones (beneficiaries) when you pass away.

You pay either monthly or annually to maintain this contract.

In Canada, when someone passes away, his/her beneficiaries receive life insurance proceeds tax-free and directly (since it bypasses the whole probate process).

WHY WOULD YOU NEED LIFE INSURANCE?

Pay off debts
Think of your current debts, if any: lines of credits, credit cards, student loans, car loans, business loans.
When someone passes away, unfortunately the debts don’t die too. Creditors can harass your next of kin until your debts are paid off (especially for self-employed people and small business owners like ourselves). Bank accounts and other assets can be frozen during probate, so where will the money come from?

Pay off the mortgage
Did you know if one spouse passes away the other will have to requalify for the mortgage on his/her own? If you own a home, think of your outstanding mortgage balance.
Leaving enough money to pay off the mortgage ensures your family stays in a familiar home instead of being forced to sell while grieving.

Take care of your children’s education
If you have young children, do you know how much it will cost for them to attend post-secondary school?
It’s estimated that a child born today will pay $100,000 for a 4-year degree by the time he/she is 18 years old.
If you pass away unexpectedly before your children are ready to attend college or university, who’ll foot their education bill? There’s no guarantee that government loans will exist or even if your family will qualify. Also, wouldn’t you like your children to have a head start in life and not pay loans?

Replace your income
Your family’s lifestyle is determined by the amount of income in your household. If you pass away unexpectedly, what will happen to your family’s standard of living?
If you are the sole breadwinner, this is especially important. If you are a stay-at-home parent, it’s equally important as well, since your ability to take care of things at home allows your significant other to work outside of the home.

Plan your estate
Did you know that your assets can be taxed like income when you pass away?
Think of your savings, investments and even cottages and rental properties. These are assessed at fair market value and your family can end up with a huge tax bill. Life insurance is a great way to pay off these taxes and ensure your family keeps the assets.

Protect your business
If you have a business that relies on key people running it, what happens if those people aren’t around anymore?
Having “key-person” life insurance, paid for by your company, ensures your business will continue operating.

Leave a legacy
What do you want to be remembered for?
Perhaps you’d like to build an orphanage in a third-world country, or leave money behind to cancer research. You may simply just want to make sure your great-great-great grandchildren remember you.
Life insurance proceeds allow you to make an impact long after you’re gone.

Building wealth
What would you do if I told you there was a way to pay for your life insurance coverage and save money in a tax-sheltered environment at the same time?
And that you can use these savings in retirement as another source of income?
Certain types of life insurance plans are structured this way and can be a great win-win option for you and your family: you get to use your money and your beneficiaries still get something when you’re gone.

There are many ways life insurance can be used, and I’ve found that it’s never a one-solution-fits-all plan. The amount of coverage that’s right for you, as well as the type of coverage depends on your current situation.

Your finances, family dynamics, business requirements and life goals usually change over time so your life insurance plan should reflect all of these stages. I would encourage you to make sure you have yearly reviews with your advisor.

—————

Kim Lowrie is an insurance agent and mutual fund representative with World Financial Group.

She and her husband have made it their lifelong mission to help families, individuals and business owners succeed financially.

To find a solution that best fits your needs and goals, connect with Kim:

647.231.9052

klowrie02unjc@wfgmail.ca

Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter

Sep 05 2018

A Mindset of Gratitude

At this time of year there’s a lot of attention paid to how grateful we are for the memories we’ve made and shared through the last few months. Truth be told, we can have that same feeling for our own business, if we’re in the gratitude mindset zone.

When you finally achieve success in your business it feels AMAZING! Finally, all your hard work and dedication to your goal has started to pay off and you’re achieving those goals you spent the time to map out. You have arrived. It can often feel as if this success is owed you – weren’t you the one who put in all the hours to get here?

You know it’s normal, healthy, and expected to feel a sense of pride when you reach certain levels in your business, and you do have a lot to be proud of, after all! But a problem arises when, instead of feeling grateful for your success, you begin to expect it instead.

Many business owners find that without gratitude in their lives, their businesses fail to deliver – in many ways. Being self-absorbed to the point of believing success is owed to you is a slow poison to your business mindset, and in turn, your business itself.

Success in business – or in any area of our lives – is something that must be planned, focused on, worked towards, and above all, earned. Most of all, it must be appreciated, not taken for granted as something that is owed to us.

One of the best ways to create an attitude of gratitude is to share what has helped create your success with other business-owners – maybe those who haven’t yet reached your level of success. You can do this in many ways – business consulting at no charge, business mentoring – and your local Small Business Administration will be able to help you in finding up-and-coming business owners that truly need a helping hand up.

Your business knowledge, wisdom, experience and advice are worth sharing to help others achieve their own goals and dreams in business. In this way, you help “pay it forward”, while acting on your feelings of gratitude and thankfulness for getting where you are today.

Another way to express gratitude is to actively reach out to your own business mentors and thank them for sharing their knowledge and experience with you. Your mentors have helped you get to where you are now and letting them know that they are appreciated goes a long way towards creating that gratitude mindset that you need in business.

The success of your business may not rise or fall depending on your level of gratitude but having a mindset that is full of gratitude will help your business and will also help in all areas of your life!

Barbara Jemmott is the founder and business strategist at Your Entrepreneurial Spirit. Her 4-point YES to Customer Acquisition Program (C.A.P.) allows her to work her passion which is helping entrepreneurial women grow their audiences and income, online. She got here through her 20+ years of experience helping businesses understand and implement systems, strategies and procedures to increase productivity as well implement change and streamline operations. With experience and responsibilities to design, develop and deliver training for small to large technology training initiatives for Fortune 100 companies, she brings “Big Business” expertise to the small business space. Learn more about Your Entrepreneurial Spirit and the YES to Customer Acquisition Program at www.yourentrepreneurialspirit.com

Aug 15 2018

3 actions to take today to make the last quarter your best quarter yet

At the beginning of the year, we spend time dreaming, planning and goal setting for the coming year. If you’ve worked with me, you know that involves mapping out each of those goals and what it’s going to take for you to achieve them. You also know that we follow that up with assigning deadlines spread throughout the year in daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly increments.

It may sound like a lot of work at the outset, but it’s instrumental to the overall health of your business. It ensures that you always have a complete roadmap to refer back to and keep you on track as you go along your way balancing these goals with the demands in all the other areas of your life.

But even with all the planning and road mapping in the world, we all know that life can still creep up. New opportunities can present themselves that, while beneficial at the time, take you a smidge off course from your goals for this year. Detours may need to be called as an unexpected roadblock jumps into your path. These things happen!

And, knowing that these things happen, I encourage all of my clients to book a check-in with themselves and their business at the end of each quarter. By getting these sessions into your calendar in January, you are making a commitment to your business to check-in on your progress and make sure that the goals you’ve set happen.

So what do you do in this session? As we go into the last quarter of the year, here are the three steps I want you to take:

Check-in and assess where you are

The big question to answer here is: Where are you in relation to your plans for the year? How far have you come, or strayed, from the goals you set out to achieve in January?

Sales are the lifeline of our business: Are you at least 75% of the way towards your revenue targets? If you aren’t, do you have some solid sales initiatives in place to get you there? Are there any natural busy sales season for your industry that you are planning on capitalizing on this quarter? Without sales, you don’t have a business. You have a hobby, which is why this is a MUST area to check-in on during your session.
Spending time planning and taking on goals that will level up your business is critical to its growth and ongoing success: Where do you stand on these goals? Was this the year you were going to create an online course? How is that coming along? Maybe you wanted to implement systems to help you streamline the administrative side of your business. By this point in time, you should be executing the system you’ve designed, and thinking about what kinks need to be worked out in order to finalize.

Evaluate your efforts so far

This step is all about answering the questions: What have you been spending your time doing? What’s worked? What has fallen flat? What do you need to do more of or stop doing?

You can network every day of the week: Are you networking in places and at events where your ideal client are? If you are, then you should have a healthy sales pipeline that is full of prospective customers, right?
Before people will buy from you, you have to effectively market your business so they know about you: Are you marketing yourself where your ideal clients are? Is your sales copy speaking their language? Have you chosen graphics that are visually attractive to them?
The fortune is in the follow-up: How are you following up with your prospective customers? After you meet them, what is your next move? How are you moving the conversation along to the ‘Ask for the Sale’ point?

Plan for the rest of the year

Once you know where you’ve been, it’s time to make some hard choices. What do you have to do to get you to your goals for the year? Some of the answers may push you outside of your comfort zone, and maybe that’s why you’ve been reluctant to ask these questions. But the hard truth: is that by not asking, it’s likely you’ve been holding both you and your business back.

Take the answers to these questions and start outlining what your next steps need to be. Break those tasks down, map out the steps to complete them, and assign deadlines in daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly increments.

And, most importantly, do these two things: Put a system in place that works for you to consistently TRACK YOUR EFFORTS, and book time in your calendar to FREQUENTLY CHECK-IN on your progress.REMEMBER: You can’t change what you don’t know about or lose sight of. That’s why we track.

Contact Samantha:

Tel: 416-885-6841

Email: samantha@fempirebuilders.com

Facebook: @FempireBuilders

Twitter: @FempireBuilders

Instagram: @Fempire_Builders

Aug 14 2018

Blockchain And CryptoCurrency Careers

In recent months, Bitcoin, other cryptocurrencies, and the blockchain have become very popular topics of conversation. Usually, these discussions revolve around the value of Bitcoin and other digital currencies. As a Career Coach and HR Consultant, I’m more focused on the career opportunities and the HR implications that are related to the blockchain – the technology behind Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. In a future post, I’ll address some of the HR issues. In this article, I’ll describe employment opportunities that relate to blockchain technology that are aligned with seven fields of employment.

What is the blockchain?

Just to be sure that we’re all on the same page, let me share a simple definition of the blockchain. If you’re interested in more information about Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, here are a couple of links where you can drill down deeper than I can in this article: a 3-minute, non-technical explainer video, and general news and information about cryptocurrencies.

A recent Globe and Mail article offers this definition:

“Blockchain technology is a way of storing and sharing information across a network of users in an open virtual space. Blockchain technology allows for users to look at all transactions simultaneously and in real time. Additionally, since transactions are not stored in any single location, the information is almost impossible to hack.”

Since there’s been so much talk about potential job losses due to the growing use of automation and other forms of technology, it’s a pleasure to talk about the upside — some of the emerging job opportunities linked to blockchain technology and/or cryptocurrencies that we can anticipate.

Seven Employment Opportunities Related to Blockchain Technology and CryptoCurrencies

1) Programmers / Software Developers / Engineers

Since the blockchain and cryptocurrencies are technical, it makes sense to start with the most obvious employment opportunities – the technical ones. There’s a great need for developers and programmers who understand blockchain technology. Part of the problem is that the supply of these subject matter experts (SMEs) is less than their availability. Professors are not teaching it because it’s a field that’s changing constantly. These rapid changes mean that the professors’ lecture notes can become obsolete too quickly. From a practical perspective, it’s not smart to teach courses where you’re constantly updating your lecture materials. Many university professors and college instructors prefer to teach content that’s more “evergreen” and can be reused for a while. Plus, the people who have a solid grip on this content are probably too busy using their knowledge in industries that are more lucrative than college and university campuses.

2) Financial Services (including Accounting/Audit)

Since cryptocurrencies are linked to financial transactions it’s no surprise that there are job and career opportunities that are linked to blockchain technology. Some of these opportunities are in Fintech, which involves computer programs and other technology used to support or enable banking and financial services.

By design, blockchain transactions are linked to every single transaction record that came before them, so no blockchain record can be changed after it has been entered. This is where the term ‘chain’ comes from. More importantly, this implies irreversibility. The concept of irreversibility is extremely important in the field of accounting. For example,

“Within the context of an audit, all relevant transactions would be irrefutable if they were on a blockchain—multi-party involvement would guarantee that they would not have been changed in any way. That will not leave much left for accountants to audit … blockchain will enable more connected and more reliable transactions, requiring less manual intervention.” (Read more about blockchain and the implications for accounting here.)

The Fintech and traditional financial services sector have been exploring the use of cryptocurrencies and the blockchain as a way to improve and modernize existing business models and transfer assets securely and in a traceable manner (read this article to see how Citibank, UBS, and other global banks are using blockchain technology).

3) Food and Agriculture

There are ways that the food and agricultural industries may improve due to these technologies. The blockchain has features that enable a supply chain to deal with food-safety problems much more efficiently. For example, “Wal-Mart, which sells 20% of all food in the U.S., has [just] completed two blockchain pilot projects. Before using the technology, Wal-Mart conducted a traceback test on mangoes in one of its stores. It took six days, 18 hours, and 26 minutes to trace the fruit back to its original farm. … By using blockchain, Wal-Mart can provide all the information the consumer wants in 2.2 seconds.” (click here for more details). When problems can be identified quickly, resources can be deployed to solve the problems in a timely manner. Another benefit is that these technologies have the potential to Uberize the industry by eliminating middlemen and lowering the fees associated with transactions.

Blockchain technology can also be useful for consumers. By scanning a QR code with a smartphone, information including an animal’s date of birth, their use of antibiotics, vaccinations, and where the livestock was harvested can easily be displayed for the consumer.

4) Shipping and Logistics

Often, people who argue against the use of cryptocurrencies like bitcoin talk about the ease with which identities can be masked online and encourage criminal behaviour. My understanding is that this is less true of bitcoin but potentially more likely with other cryptocurrencies. Interestingly, the use of blockchain technology has the potential to eliminate systemic inefficiencies and fraud. The fact that all the transactions contained in the blockchain, a linked system of information that’s secure and transparent, throughout the entire lifecycle of a transaction makes it an extremely practical solution for the shipping and freight industry. Once a shipment is documented on a blockchain, nobody can dispute the validity of the transaction or manipulate the records. Practically speaking, this means that once transactions are noted, ‘smart’ contracts can release any payments that are in escrow which will reduce the time and expense associated with intermediary processing.

For example, in 2015, the FBI estimated that cargo theft is responsible for annual losses of about $30 billion (USD). Cargo includes any commercial shipment that is transported from point A to point B via trucks, planes, trains, ships, etc. These losses/thefts mean that fraudulent middle-men/middle entities are driving up the costs associated with shipping by at least 20%. Just as with insider threats, these cargo-related thefts are under-reported so that the companies involved can avoid reputational damage, embarrassment, higher insurance rates, bad press, etc.

UPS is heavily invested in blockchain technology which should enable a more efficient and cheaper system of managing logistics. Other startups and incumbent parties are also working toward implementing this technology. Organizations and individuals involved in insurance, audits, payments, and customs brokerage may also find advantages associated with blockchain technology.

5) Voting Management

The integrity of voting systems and voting management is another area that can benefit from the tamper-proof quality of blockchain technology. In addition to elections, voting by directors and shareholders is important companies’ decision-making processes, mergers and acquisitions, and other verdicts. Voting by proxy is practical and convenient but it can be vulnerable to manipulation.

6) Currency Exchange

Anyone who has immigrated from certain countries or who has conducted business across international borders has probably experienced the inconvenience and costs associated withcurrency exchange and moving money across borders.

Easier cross-border payments and financial transactions is a real advantage of cryptocurrency technology. The current processes and systems used for moving money across international borders are often burdensome and multi-layered. Using a blockchain can make it a simpler and cheaper process, with built-in accountability, verification, and assurance.

7) Various (non-technical) professional services

It’s anticipated that there will be a need for tax and accounting specialists, consultants who have expertise in strategy and technology, and business analysts in companies and organizations who are using blockchain technology (to read a little more about this click here and here). Some of this may be a shift from similar roles in more traditional lines of business but some of these opportunities may result from new opportunities.

For anyone who’s determined to keep up with new opportunities to offset changes in the workplace that may lead totechnology/automation driven job loss, I hope this article is a good starting point. If you’re interested in the HR-related implications of these emerging technologies and hiring staff to fill some of these roles, please read thisarticle.

If you’re an employee who wants to pivot into one of these emerging areas to stay relevant, or, if you’re an employer/hiring manager who wants to choose future staff wisely I invite you to connect with me privately. I offer a free 15 to 20-minute initial consultation by phone. Or, if you prefer, you can contact me by email, or via direct message on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

More than career coaching, it’s career psychology®.

I/O Advisory Services – Building Resilient Careers and Organizations.

Aug 13 2018

Where To Put Your Money? (Part 2)

In my last post, I explained the basics of how Mutual Funds work.

Here’s the thing with investing – sometimes the markets will go up and sometimes the markets will go down, which is why it’s important to have the right strategy in place for you! This brings me to another investment option: Segregated Funds.

Seg who?! Glad you asked.

WHAT IS A SEGREGATED FUND?

A Segregated Fund is basically a Mutual Fund investment, “wrapped” within a life insurance contract. These investments can only be purchased through a life insurance company.

BENEFITS OF SEGREGATED FUNDS

Guarantees
A Segregated Fund policy includes both a maturity guarantee and a death benefit guarantee (usually 75% or 100%).
The maturity guarantee ensures that a certain percentage of your principal investment will be paid to you at the end of a specific time period (usually 15 years).
The death benefit guarantee applies when you pass away. This money will be given to your beneficiaries.
At the time of maturity or death, the amount paid out is the higher of the market value or the guaranteed amount. This means that you can minimize losses and maximize returns in your investment.
For example, let’s say you invested $20,000 in a Segregated Fund 15 years ago and it matures today. You chose the 75% maturity guarantee option.

If the market drops and your investment is now worth $14,000, you will receive $15,000 (75% of the initial $20,000).

If the market did well and your investment is now worth $30,000, you will receive $30,000.

Growth Potential
Some companies offer “reset” options, which means that you can take advantage of a market gain and lock-in the higher amount as your new principal amount.
Using the same example above, your principal would have been $20,000 in year 1.

In year 2, if your investment grew to $22,000 and you used your reset option, the new principal would be $22,000.

This means that your maturity guarantee would now be $16,500 (75% of $22,000).

Now, imagine if you used the resets multiple times throughout your investment period – you can potentially have much greater guarantees.

Potential Creditor Protection
As self-employed individuals and small business owners, this feature is especially useful in the event we are faced with bankruptcy or a lawsuit.
Provided a family member is named as a beneficiary, personal holdings within a Segregated Fund can be protected from creditors.

Efficient Estate Transfer
Since a Segregated Fund is an insurance contract, it behaves like an insurance policy when you pass away. Investments held within this fund are paid directly to your beneficiaries.
This can reduce the stress on your loved ones by eliminating lengthy and expensive probate and legal fees and processes.

Privacy
When you pass away, once your will is probated, it becomes a publicly available record in your province of residence.
Segregated Funds proceeds, like life insurance, are paid quickly and privately to your beneficiaries.

WHAT ABOUT THE FEES?

Like with Mutual Funds, there are fees associated with investing in a Segregated Fund. These fees are usually a bit higher in a Segregated Fund.

When you consider the guarantees and other benefits offered by a Segregated Fund however, it makes sense the fees are higher. Remember, the insurance company is taking on the risk of these guarantees and they have to pay out as per the contract, even if we are in a recession environment!

There is no cut and dry answer on what investment would work best for you. In some cases, you may have investments in both Segregated and Mutual Funds, depending on your family, business and retirement objectives.

It’s best to sit with your advisor regularly to make sure your investment plans are on track.

—————

Kim Lowrie is an insurance agent and mutual fund representative with World Financial Group.

She and her husband have made it their lifelong mission to help families, individuals and business owners succeed financially.

To find a solution that best fits your needs and goals, connect with Kim:

647.231.9052

klowrie02unjc@wfgmail.ca

Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter

Aug 11 2018

As A Business Owner, Your Personal Profile Matters

As a business owner, your personal profile matters more than you might think. When it comes down to

it, as a small business owner, you are your brand. Like it or not, what you say even when you’re not speaking on behalf of your company will reflect on your business reputation.

You likely already have a presence online that you are building (hello,it’s 2018, this should be a no brainer!) or maybe you want to expand your current network through events and other face-to-face meetings. Regardless, here are a two things to take into account as you build your profile.

Always be aware of potential connections

You never know who knows who or the quality of their relationship if they are a mutual acquaintance. So, if you are thinking of badmouthing someone, one of three things could happen:

The person you are speaking to actually likes this acquaintance and you have just offended them.

2. The person you are speaking to really doesn’t like this acquaintance either and you have just bonded over something really negative.

3. The person you are speaking to feels very uncomfortable and thinks,͞ “if you can so easily talk about them, are you badmouthing me as well to others?”

͟In all three cases, you have just opened your mouth (or let your fingers fly over the keyboard) without knowing what the response will be, and in all three cases you get a negative out come. Even though you bonded in #2, do you really want to get a reputation like that?

Your values should align with how you want others to see your business.

Put out what you want to get back

The way you interact with others says a lot about your personality. We have all heard about employers or clients who like to see how someone treats serving staff before making a final decision on whether to work together.

Consider also that having a politically charged, intelligent discussion is very different than ranting about our disgust of a specific political leader. It could make you seem like one of those conspiracy theorists who is a little unstable. Or how about that time when you unleashed your anger via a 10-tweet rant directed at a company because they treated you poorly?

If you focus on negativity, you’ll find that people will stop wanting to work with you because of it. When it comes to social media, customers have direct access to your online activity–and they will check you out before buying from you. This doesn’t mean you can’t be authentic when building your personal profile, but when it comes to inappropriate messaging that could be seen as offensive or hurtful, think about whether it will give the right impression.

We all wish that our personal and professional lives could be kept separate. While it can be possible to do so, with the professional world increasingly moving digital, it makes it quite difficult. The solution is to be more self-aware and think twice about what you say before you say it.

Candace Huntly is Founder and 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

Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn/email/Website

Aug 05 2018

Winning communicate skills for entrepreneurs

There are more than a few necessary skillsets you need for the success of your business, and the one you cannot underestimate is the art of communication. How we do this is varied, ever changing and necessary for attracting and keeping your current customers. It is so important it may be best to think of communication as your actual income strategy because it’s impact controls how much money you can and will make.

If we recognize how crucial good communication skills to the value of your business, it’s going to make prioritizing your skills development as important as any other area in your business. A key place to start this development is with a focus on the “art of the follow up.” With work in this area you can hone your communication skills to develop the most effective ways to talk to your customers. What would it mean to focus on this area? It would mean showing the people who you communicate with that they matter to you. So, how do you do that?

Most of these items you already know but here are a few thoughts:

Deal with and return any communications in a timely manner – do you have a plan for managing instant messaging, phone calls and email inquiries successfully? What does that structure look like?
Consider having a written response plan covering the eventualities that can affect your connections. Guarantee to respond within 2 hours (or less) using the same method your customer reached out to you and let them know about this guarantee in your customer info outlets.
As your business grows, you may find (because of your great communication skills) that responding to your customer enquiries is something you can outsource to a competent VA. You may find that setting up a “self-serve” appointment booking system would free up the back and forth activities that happen when trying to line up schedules and services. There are many cost-effective systems that can streamline this task and take some of the pressure off.
Use your email signature to best effect with helpful links to areas of interest for your clients.
Create a meaningful FAQ section that helps customers to get the information they need and free you up to provide personalized, high quality service and connection that represents the quality of your business.
Check if (Facebook) messenger bots can help support your business. Many people use instant messaging to get quick responses these days, which is great if not disruptive to say the least. How will you manage this type of activity and can these messenger bots help you connect, support and communicate in ways that work for you and your customer.

Using these types of processes bring several business-building results, such as: letting the people you communicate with that they matter to them, and you are acknowledging them in their moment of need, even more than just being polite about returning their call.

You will build your business reputation as you become reliably responsive to your customers. Setting expectations around your response times and methods will also help streamline your operations and provide space to provide the services you’ve worked so hard to create while providing space for business growth. All this brings opportunity knocking at your door as it grows your bottom line. This reputation growth also leads to great things like joint ventures and partnerships as it brings you closer to your financial goals. Everyone wins when we finetune communication skills and serve our customers where they live. Something we can measure and improve by putting communication with our customers first.

Jul 16 2018

I work from home, but I am not a stay-at-home mom

With the summer well underway, many of us are juggling business and children or family expectations. Whether it’s trying to work while the kids are home during the week they don’t have camp or family who want to spend time with you while they are vacation during the week you have the most deadlines, you’re might be starting to feel some frustration or guilt each time you have to say no or set boundaries in order to continue the activities that you need to do to grow your business. Likely these boundary setting efforts come with some push back. I mean you’re home aren’t you?

When the frustration, guilt or push back occur, I have to remind myself that while I have worked from home for the better part of two years, I am not a stay-at-home mom.

Not only do I work from home, but last July, we decided that I would also homeschool my daughter, now seven years old, and have my have my now almost three year old son home as well. So I would be building my business while having my children home with me, and take on the responsibility of educating my daughter too boot. Many thought me crazy, but we’ve worked those parts out.

I love what I do. I also love homeschooling my children. I do not love cooking, cleaning or grocery shopping, which is why I avoid it all costs.

And that was the part of our lives that was still struggling to work itself out. Since I was home all day, my husband expected that, in all of the other stuff I was doing, I should also be taking care of the house.

Now, please don’t think that I am taking this opportunity to complain about my spouse. I have lucked out in the husband department. He is my rock. But he also works around the clock (and he likes to keep that schedule), which leaves me functioning as a single parent a lot of the time.

I also don’t think he even realized he had that expectation at the time.

This is not a comparison of work-from-home mamas and stay-at-home mamas.

Not only am I against these kinds of comparisons, but I am part of the camp that believes that being a stay at home is a full time job. There’s a reason why in 2011 Forbes pinpointed the annual salary of a stay-at-home mom at over six figure. You Mamas are the chef and the teacher, the cheerleader and the warden, and the cleaning company and CEO. All at the same time. You wear all the hats, and I respect you the heck out of you for it.

My truth was a little bit different to that, yet, I think, my husband wasn’t seeing that. He truly hadn’t even thought about it, and it was causing friction in our day-to-day lives.

Since we couldn’t seem to talk about it and actually get anywhere on it, I do what I always do when work and home seem to collide. I asked my mastermind group, who are all busy boss-moms like me, for their insight. Yes, I dedicated an entire hot seat to this, and it was worth it.

They too were working from home, and, some of them, had already been through this phase of the journey. By listening to their stories, I found the words to explain to my husband that the same amount of work was getting done around the house that would be getting done if the kids were at school/daycare and I working a 9-5 office job. If the dishes didn’t get done that night, they weren’t going to magically get done in the day.

Not only did he begin to understand my point of view, but I found that I had also given myself the permission to start saying:

I work from home. I homeschool my kiddos. But I am not a stay-at-home mom.

And I have been living this truth ever since. Now, I share it with you. It was a truth I needed to hear, and I know that there are other women in business out there who need to hear it too. We’re all in this together after all, aren’t we?

Contact Samantha:

Tel: 416-885-6841

Email: samantha@fempirebuilders.com

Facebook: @FempireBuilders

Twitter: @FempireBuilders

Instagram: @Fempire_Builders

Jul 15 2018

Press Release: Peel Region Small Business Seminar 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

C.S.B.W. HOSTS EXCITING SMALL BUSINESS SEMINAR

THEME: Leadership – The Art of Effectively Leading a Team and Running a Successful Business

Canadian Small Business Women, is proud to host our 12^th Small Business Seminar. This time around, we will be in coming back to home to Mississauga. The Leadership Edition will offer hands-on business building workshops delivered by industry experts with 30+ vendors showcasing their business!

The event is being held on August 22^nd, 2018 at the Mississauga Grand Banquet & Event Centre, 35 Brunel Road, Mississauga Ontario from 9am – 5pm. Admission Tickets are $40.00CDN and entitles you to full entrance of workshops, exhibitor hall and a hot buffet lunch.

Who should attend?

All entrepreneurs (men and women)
Start-ups
People seeking advice on how to grow their businesses

Why should you attend?

Receive business building tips from our experts
Attend workshops to help propel your business
Network with industry leaders
30+ Vendors, showcasing local businesses.
Featured workshops by local experts!

The featured Keynote Speaker is Yvonne Ruke-Akpoveta of OliveBlue Inc and the workshops will feature Adele Spraggon, Peninsula Employment Services Inc, and BDC. Guests will receive full access to all workshops, swag bags (for the first 100), access to door prizes, unforgettable networking opportunities and a hot buffet lunch. Only 150 advance tickets will be sold for this event.

Canadian Small Business Women understands the challenges women entrepreneurs encounter when starting and growing a business. Gaps in access to financing and services for women entrepreneurs have been identified, and Canadian Small Business Women wants to help. We are committed to helping women find the necessary resources to take their businesses from the planning stage to a reality.

“If you cannot reach 100%, start with 10% and build on it until your original dream is realized.” – Dwania Peele, Owner & Executive Director of Canadian Small Business Women.

Established in 2013, Canadian Small Business Women, is a network that aims to provide aspiring small businesswomen a place to find all the resources required to start a business. We provide women with on-line support and advice from industry experts at our seminars and workshops. Our vision is to provide women with the tools and confidence to successfully start and grow their business.

To learn more visit www.canadiansmallwomen.ca , info@canadiansmallbusinesswomen.ca or call us at 1-888-526-9366

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Jul 14 2018

Secrets On The Job – My Experience With Discretion

A secret’s worth depends on the people from whom it must be kept. – Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The Shadow of the Wind

Over the years, I’ve developed a few friendly relationships with family lawyers. Eventually, I’ve said to the ones I know well, “I don’t know who holds more secrets, is it you or is it me?” More often than not, I’m met with a curious furrowed eyebrow or a soft, knowing, chuckle. It’s easy to grasp why lawyers keep a client’s personal information to themselves. They deal with a variety of intimate matters such as divorce, separation, child custody, wills and estates, trademarks, copyrights, etc. Their success relies heavily on being discreet. What is less obvious is that I too have access to sensitive information when working with my clients. This means that I also share the task of keeping things quiet in my line of work.

For me, Discretion is a Little Word that Carries a Big Obligation

Morally, I am someone who understands the importance of keeping what has been shared with me with in the strictest of confidence. As a specialist in I/O Psychology and a member of the Society for I/O Psychologists (SIOP) since 1999 (and also a member of the Canadian Psychological Association [CPA]), I am ethically bound to maintain clients’ privacy and confidentiality.

Sometimes, when people hear the official title of my job, I/O Psychologist, they don’t really appreciate many of the nuances of what I do. So, I started using labels like ‘Career Coach’ and ‘HR Consultant’ mainly because they are more relatable and they also describe how I use my training in psychology.

However, what is even less known about my profession is that I am qualified to work in complicated and often deeply personal situations that most people would not want to have discussed openly in their community, family, or in front of their colleagues/peers. These are serious matters that I have taken on when other ‘normal’ Career Coaches and/or HR Consultants are reluctant or lack the training and/or experience to take on.

For instance, during consultations, I’ve had clients reveal complications related to their divorce, separation, workplace bullying/harassment, discrimination, burnout, and mental health issues (especially depression and anxiety). On any given day, a client may tell me that they are accessing my services to improve their career and livelihood before separating from an abusive spouse. Likewise, people seek my advice on how to leave a toxic or unpleasant work environment without putting a dent in their resume or jeopardizing an important job reference.

In all my interactions with clients, I am honest, hardworking, and trustworthy. From the beginning, it is clear that I never divulge our private discussions or (their) plans to anyone without their permission. Staying discreet is both an ethical and a professional must, and it’s how I represent myself in everything I do. Just as a lawyer or medical doctor would have to remain tight-lipped about their client or patient confidentiality, I will not compromise a client’s reputation or their ability to get themselves out of a bad situation.

Yellow Rose Bouquet by FTD (also symbolic of friendship and Zonta)

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” – William Shakespear, Romeo, and Juliet.

Not all career coaches are created equal. I have to comply with the CPA Code of Ethics for Psychologists. This is not true for the vast majority of career (or business) coaches. As a client seeking coaching or HR services, it’s important to know who you are trusting with your high stakes situation. I won’t argue that others who are not governed by a professional association are unethical, but I will say that I/O Psychologists like myself have a lot more to lose when we don’t honor these Codes of Ethics and Guidelines.

There is a wide range of skill and approaches in the coaching industry. It’s fair to say that some designations are significantly less rigorous than a reasonable person would expect. My expertise is based on 10 years of formal education and many more years of experience dealing with difficult and often complex information.

Covert Assignments

When I have revealed the ways in which my work involves ‘covert assignments’ I’m usually met with a surprised response of “Wow … I didn’t realize the scope of what you do or the level of discretion that you must use.” In those moments, it is nice to have my profession properly understood and to receive some recognition for my hidden efforts. Another unknown fact is that because I value my clients’ need for discretion, I readily accept that sometimes it isn’t in my client’s best interest to publicly acknowledge the support that I have provided them. This means for every 5 or 10 public reviews or recommendations that I get, there may be 30 or 40 cases that will never be known. These are the hidden implications of maintaining discretion even after the job is done … and it’s always worth it.

Do you have a sensitive career or HR situation to discuss? I invite you to contact me by email, phone, or via direct message on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

More than career coaching, it’s career psychology®.

I/O Advisory Services – Building Resilient Careers and Organizations.

Jul 11 2018

Develop your brand now to avoid disappointment later

It’s not uncommon for businesses to push through their initial launch only to realize that they haven’t really done any foundational brand work. In the long-run, this can actually have a negative effect on your overall business growth. After all, if you don’t figure out exactly who you are, how are your customers supposed to know? But, what does branding even mean? And how much work do you need to do to develop it? Some business owners feel like they just need to develop a product or a logo and it will all magically fall into place. It’s not quite that simple.

Not only does creating a strong brand help you stand out among your competitors, but it also allows your audience to connect with you on a more personal level. A stronger connection to your audience generally means better revenues and long-term loyalty.

Skipping over the brand development phase, you run the risk of no one knowing who you are and an inconsistent marketing and communications strategy that will confuse your target audience. And remember… branding is not just logo development. Your logo is just a visual representation of the brand you have developed.

Brand Factors

When it comes to brand development, certain factors like industry, audience, and geography will affect your approach, however, below are brand factors that you will always need to address for your own brand development:

Audience Segmentation: Figure out who they are, what they want, what they need, and how they want to get it.
Value proposition: Decide what value you bring to your target audience and how is it different than your competitors.
Brand messaging: These are the main points that you can use to talk about your brand. It will form the base for all marketing and communications content you put out there.
Brand identity/personality: Your messaging shows what you are about, and your brand identity showcases your values, ethics, and the characteristics that really make you you.
Brand story: Take your messaging and brand identity one step further by crafting your organizational story. Focus on the people and the things that are most important to you.

After you have gone through all of these things, you are well-equipped to create your logo and build your website and web content based on what would appeal to your audience and showcase your brand story.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Now that you have this great brand developed, you need to think about how you can establish a long-term presence with it based on three things:

Consistency: Maintaining consistency when it comes to colours, messaging, tone, and all of your brand’s defining factors is important so your audience knows what to expect from you. It also helps with brand recall (your audience will remember and recognize you based on your marketing efforts).
Adaptability: While you need consistency, you also have to be adaptable when it comes to evolving your brand over time. Your audience and their needs will likely evolve over time and it’s important that you don’t get left behind because you haven’t kept up.
Storytelling: Weaving storytelling through everything you do will allow you to better connect over a long period of time with your audience. You took the time to develop your brand storytelling based on what your audience might want, so use it!

Brand development, while often overlooked, is an important part of the process when you are starting a business or when you are going through organizational change. It will set you up for future business success.

Connect with Candace

Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn/email/Website

What is the blockchain?

Seven Employment Opportunities Related to Blockchain Technology and CryptoCurrencies

1) Programmers / Software Developers / Engineers

2) Financial Services (including Accounting/Audit)

3) Food and Agriculture

4) Shipping and Logistics

5) Voting Management

6) Currency Exchange

7) Various (non-technical) professional services

For me, Discretion is a Little Word that Carries a Big Obligation

Covert Assignments

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