small business owner | | Canadian Small Business Women

Sep 29 2016

Intellectual Property is Your Business and “A rose by any other name …”

I remember my first exposure to Shakespeare in high school and the stress it caused when I realized that somehow I had to understand what looked like English, but which to me, might as well have been written in Klingon. I have witnessed the same stress in business owners when the topic and lingo of intellectual property comes up. The way to get through it, like anything else, is to start with what does make sense and go from there. So, with that in mind, let me recount to you the gist of two conversations I recently had with business owners about intellectual property and their business.

Do I really need to bother with intellectual property?

The short answer to that question is IP is always part of your business, so why wouldn’t you? Let’s also consider, however, the context for the question.

The question was prompted after a business owner received mixed messages from her board of advisors about the relevance of intellectual property (IP) to her business, an enterprise focused on educating young entrepreneurs. The different perspectives of her advisors ranged from “forget about IP” to “worry about it later”; focus instead on your “value proposition and managing risk”.

This thinking reveals some common misconceptions about what IP is and the role it plays in a business. The first was that IP can somehow be disassociated from managing risk and is extraneous to the brand, content, and expertise, at the core of her business. In fact, in this case, content is her product, and so the value proposition of her business is all about IP. Selling her brand of content fundamentally relies on working with her copyrights and trademark rights. Whether or not she chooses to register these IP rights is another question, but even if she does not, she will still be using those rights in her transactions with publishers, distributors and customers.

Then there is the idea that you can put off addressing IP issues until you have some traction in the marketplace and some cash to spare. While addressing IP issues early on can indeed pull on meager start-up resources, suggesting you can cut IP out of the business incubation stage is like saying you can add yeast to bread to make it rise after you have baked it. In reality, you can make the most of the bread (and butter) of your business if you take the time to consider the legal nature of your creative assets from the get go. To do otherwise, is to risk not achieving the very thing you set out to do.

If I am dealing with intellectual property in my business, I don’t know it.

The business owner who raised this point works with a number of artisans and was thoughtfully reflecting on how business relationships seem to work fine without bringing intellectual property into the conversation. I get it. The more you talk about “legal stuff”, the harder it can be to get folks on board. The thing is, at the risk of being repetitive, IP is part of the equation even if not seen or acknowledged, and the math generally will not work in the long run if it is not somehow accounted for. So knowing this, would you rather address IP issues before or after they become a problem?

While the language of IP is not the most prosaic, understanding and talking about what something is, instead of around it, makes for clear, transparent and informed conversations, conducive to building solid business relationships. You can also save everyone the trouble of investing in relationships which are not a fit to begin with.

Whenever I have had this discussion with small business owners, I am reminded of my early days as a gardener, going to the nursery, buying plants and overlooking some of the details about how to care for them in different seasons. During the summer, flowers bloomed and there was new growth. In the fall and winter I would bypass a few steps to help the plants weather the colder days, and then when spring arrived, there was not much of a garden to speak of. Out of pocket and starting over, it was clear that there is no substitute for having a few targeted conversations and paying attention to the details.

And so it is with IP and your business relationships – a more thorough understanding of your creative assets is always a plus and with this knowledge, the options for cultivating business plans and relationships become more numerous, adaptable, sustainable and reflective of the real value of your business.

Ariadni Athanassiadis is the lead attorney of Kyma Professional Corporation, which provides intellectual property (IP) legal services to help your business develop and benefit from the creative efforts and assets that make it distinctive. Whether it is your brand, product, services, designs, technology or business processes, Ariadni can help design IP legal solutions which let you make the most of what you give to your business.

———————————

Ariadni Athanassiadis

Kyma Professional Corporation

T: 613-327-7245

E: ariadni@kymalaw.com

W: www.kymalaw.com

Sep 27 2015

When to Let Go

As a Small Business Owner, I suspect that you have had more than one good idea about the direction of your business. The business that you run today is probably also not exactly what you first envisioned.

The reason for this is likely because along the way you made small strategic decisions to go towards one goal or direction and let some things go along the way. Sometimes those little pivots are enough to create a business that you truly love but sometimes a bigger ‘letting go’ is needed to really create success.

For someone who has personally gone through the tough decisions of when to let go – I wanted to share my personal experiences as well as share what I have learned by seeing some of my business mentors shift gear.

With personal evaluation, I have always considered two key factors that help me determine when it’s time to let go and when to go forward. The first thing is my personal satisfaction/motivation and the other is the outer result of my work.

My ‘satisfaction’ is determined by my excitement (or lack of), my flow of ideas and interest in everything related to my business industry.

I saw this personally when I was no longer spending my time researching. As an expert in the field I was centered around, I really wanted to be on the leading edge of any new findings and strategies. Beyond that, I was also committed to using and implementing all of my research to make sure I was providing the most relevant and founded information. When I found myself avoiding podcasts on the topic and choosing different books at the library it was one of my first indications that I would not be able to make the long haul in the industry.

The outer ‘result’ that I used to assess my situation was how I felt about the work I was producing and the impact I had on others. If I could see that what I was bringing to the table was truly revolutionary, that would have been a reason to hang on. But the truth was, it wasn’t. I didn’t feel like I was bringing a fresh enough perspective or creating positive change in the world on a level that I really wanted too.

Looking into the future was also a big part of how I made the final decision to let my first business go. I looked at the careers of those who were further ahead of me and I just couldn’t see myself really thriving at that level. While I was ‘out there’ looking, it also gave me an opportunity to look at what others were doing that I could see myself being in the same arena with, which happened to be in a different industry.

By seeing these business mentors from a 10,000-foot view I was able to see how they also continued to make shifts and let go, sometimes in big ways, and other times in small programs or offerings.

Every time I would see this – (because I admired the way they did business) I could appreciate their courage in trying something new, even if it wasn’t my favorite thing they had ever done. That’s why I encourage you to take a look at your own business and feel brave when you feel a change coming on that may include letting go. It may just be the best thing you have ever done.

The overall perspective here is that sometimes it is worth it to push through the tough times and sometimes it is better to just let it go. Considering these concepts will hopefully help you find the best path for you.

Tamara is the Founder and Creative Director of Sweet Clover Studios. Where she provides resources, planners, learning opportunities and inspiration for creative small business owners. You can also see her personal gallery of products as a surface pattern designer at www.SweetCloverStudios.com

Jun 15 2015

Where’s your focus?

One of my most favourite quotes is by Dr. Wayne Dyer: “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change”. It didn’t always make sense to me, but once I did, I totally got it! When you focus on what’s working, and on your goals, you find opportunities where they once didn’t exist.

As entrepreneurs, it can be challenging to focus on what’s working when there are times when it can feel like very little is. It’s in these times that we have to look at our glass as half full. If we focus on the failures and mistakes, we can be left unmotivated and defeated.

In expressing gratitude for the business we do have, we open ourselves to opportunities to gain more. Staying committed to the end result keeps us motivated to look for ways to make the goal a reality. Focusing on achieving the goal rather than how difficult the journey has been, empowers you to plow through the obstacles.

I know that staying positive gets a lot of slack as being a bit Pollyanna. I think that choosing to be positive is the only choice that makes sense. This isn’t to say that you should celebrate the difficulties you encounter. It just means that instead of letting the disappointment swallow you whole, find the lesson in the experience and move on. Choose to be happy anyway!

I can tell you from experience that persistence pays off. The only way you’re going to persist in the achievement of your goals is if you stay focused on the goal, and not on the past or current negative experiences. Opportunities exist all around us to bring us closer to successfully attaining our goals. When we focus on the wrong things it blinds us to the very things that can bring us out of the fog.

Haven’t you ever experienced moments where it seemed that your life was flowing in complete synchronicity? These things don’t happen when we’re bogged down in negativity. They appear when we’re in a positive mindset, excited about our goal and open to any and all options to bring us closer to its achievement.

In The 5 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey suggests that we begin with the end in mind. Keeping the end in mind is what’s going to give us that staying power regardless of what’s going on around us. Keep your eye on the prize, and it will be yours before you know it!

Connect:

www.embraceyourdestiny.ca

www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestiny

www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestinythebook

www.twitter.com/sandradawes

May 09 2015

Why you should not download a legal template from the Internet

As a Canadian entrepreneur and small business owner, chances are you’ve downloaded, at least once, a legal document from the Internet. Whether for an employment contract, a partnership agreement, a finder’s fee, a non-disclosure agreement, a final invoice letter or a general agreement, you’ve probably turned to the Internet in the hope that a free template would help you cut costs. After all, the terminology looks complex enough, so we may think the document will be good to use.

Here enters Randy Ai, an employment lawyer I met through my professional networking group. A couple of weeks later, we sat down to learn more about each other and our businesses. While we chatted – him about employment law and me about how social media can help businesses establish their online presence and grow – it became clear to me that we had great synergies. Most entrepreneurs and small business owners are always looking for ways to sustain our business while keeping costs down and stay profitable. The Internet and Google is where most of us turn for responses to our questions and for free documents. One of the topics Randy Ai and I tackled was how entrepreneurs and small businesses download legal templates from the Internet, and the cases he frequently sees in his practice. The conclusion is, “don’t cheap out on legal by downloading templates from the Internet”, and here is why.

The legal document you are downloading from the Internet contains irrelevant or too much information. Chances are that the template you found on the Internet is not customized to your business and situation. In addition, most templates are American or have an American focus, so they likely won’t be valid in Canada. The document may contain a high volume of extra noise that does not apply to your business situation and just adds irrelevant information. Unless you are legally trained, you don’t know how to separate the “junk” and the part of the contract that applies. As an example, the notion of Employment at will exists in most employment contract templates you’ll find online, but as this is an American concept, it can’t be enforced in Canada. Thus, you are exposing yourself and your business to liability and in case of dispute, you will have to hire a lawyer because part of the contract is invalid.

The legal document you are downloading from the Internet is missing key clauses. When you’re using a template off the Internet, these documents are not customized for your situation, as we’ve established. That means it puts you and your business at risk of liability. In case of a dispute, this sort of template is not tailored to your needs and you might as well have no agreement. Having missing information is as bad as having too little information or inadequate clauses that don’t protect you. When you are a business owner entering into a legally binding relationship with someone else, you need a solid contract that will take into account the types of issues that may take place.

The legal document you are using is easily attacked. A template downloaded from the Internet easily falls apart, since it was not drafted specifically for you and your business. A defense lawyer could easily attack the integrity of the document and compromise its validity in court. Furthermore, as the law changes frequently, a contract is not a static document. Thus, the downloaded template you’re using may be obsolete and no longer applicable. In addition, the wording alone can make your document unenforceable and easily attackable in case of a dispute. The judge can look at your document and decide it does not make sense. By using one of these documents, you’re exposing yourself to liability.

Now that I’ve explained why using a legal document from the Internet is useless at best and, at worse, dangerous for you and your business, there a few ways you can protect yourself and what you’re working so hard for:

1 – Legal fees are typically seen as a cost instead of an investment. Spending two to three hours with a lawyer can prevent you from being sued, being dragged to court or simply having to settle and pay someone large amounts of money. If you can’t afford to hire a lawyer, you still may seek some legal advice through Legal Aid or through the Law Society of Upper Canada’s Lawyer Referral Service.

2 – If you still decide to download the template, we advise you to send it to a lawyer for review. This may cut down on costs. The industry standard is that entrepreneurs and small business owners should spend 5 to 8 percent of their initial capital on legal fees. As Randy Ai says, “If you’re not going to spend any money towards setting up your business, you are not doing your job as an entrepreneur.”

3 – Another reason to seek legal advice is that it brings credibility to your business and sends a strong signal to your ecosystem that you are serious about your success.

As an entrepreneur, I am aware that setting up a business requires lots of hard work and dedication. But there are areas where you can’t cut corners. Randy emphasized that legal advice is one of the cornerstones to setting up a successful and sustainable business. For any legal advice related to employment law, connect with Randy Ai by email (Randy@Randyai.com) or by telephone (416-716-2256).

Karima-Catherine is the co-founder of Red Dot Digital, a digital agency that strives to deliver top-notch solutions to various clients. Red Dot Digital drives real, meaningful, quantifiable business outcomes for companies. Karima-Catherine is also the co-moderator of #MMchat, a Twitter weekly forum which focuses on business, marketing and social media.

Connect with Karima-Catherine:

karima@reddotdigital.net

Website, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest

May 01 2015

Keisha Pinto: Canadian Small Business Woman of the Month of April

Keisha Pinto, Owner/Event Planner-Stylist-Coordinator of Ki-Events, a full-service event planning boutique specializing in lifestyle events. Since the launch of her business in September 2014, Keisha has been building her network and business by connecting with the most influential, established and game changing individuals in Toronto. Keisha keeps on top of the trends to plan, style and coordinate breath-taking signature looks that wow her client’s expectations every time! Keisha Plans and styles each one of her events from conception to execution without missing any of the fine details. Growing up Keisha has always been a very coordinated person, with a keen eye for details…”everything had to match”. Her passion for event planning ignited once she entered into the corporate field in 2001. She became more involved in the planning and execution of the social and networking events for her organization, which really sparked her interest even more. To educate herself in becoming a certified Event Planner, Keisha enrolled part-time at George Brown College in Toronto where she completed the Event Meeting and Management Program. During the course of the program, Keisha received extensive training, teachings and gained experience from some of Toronto’s best special events, meeting and conference planners. Keisha’s passion for event planning is evident in every event she creates.

You can find and view her work at www.kievents.ca You can also find Ki-Events on the following social media handles:

Instagram: kievents

Twitter: @_ki_events

Facebook: KeishaPinto kievents.

Pinterest: kievents

Our ! & A with Keisha

*What inspires you?
I love what I do! My passion for Event Planning inspires me..it is that simple! Every event is different and brings a different type of inspiration, my passion for loving what I do is evident in every event I create.

*As a small business owner, what achievements make you most proud?
As a small business owner, the achievements that makes me the most proud is that I am able to balance life, being a mother , supportive partner and small business owner while holding down a 9-5, this makes me the most proud, knowing that with all that life throws at you I am still standing and standing strong. As we all know life can get crazy and they are days when you want to throw in the towel…and then you are reminded of your whys and the passion that you have for loving what you do.

*What advice would you give to other aspiring small business owners?
My advice to aspiring small business owners is to know yourself and know your worth. Do not ever sell yourself short for anyone. One of the worst things an aspiring business owner can do is compromise themselves and don’t stand up for what they believe in.

*What new things can we look forward to from your business in the upcoming year?
2015 Ki-Events will be expanding the business and brand…not only by supporting other businesses and events, but we are offering new services and products, aside from planning-coordinating & styling of events. We are now offering products such paper flowers, which is trending this year, customize Sweet Tables/Candy Buffet packages. Ki-Events is also going be adding a new extension to the brand “Ki-Notes” offering writing of sponsorship request letters, vendor request, events/wedding itineraries, programs/agendas, bios, resumes and social media postings. Most importantly Ki-Events has collaborated with two other amazingly talented wedding/event planners in Toronto Cassandra Scully, owner of Creative Elegance and Antoinette Dumuje, Owner of Heavenz Decor Inc. together we are CAKEvents, an organization formed to give back to the community, youths and brides on a budget, one event at a time. Look out for us!

Apr 22 2015

Map Your Content Marketing against the Sales Funnel

A real eye-opener that I recently learned is that the marketing objectives for a product or service has a companion, parallel series of steps or objectives called The Buying Process-or at least we hope it does! If marketing is to be effective, we have to design it to speak to our customers at each stage in their buying process, or to look at it another way, to speak to them at each place in the sales funnel.

For example, the standard marketing objectives for your product or service might be:

Domain Leadership
Position the product or service in the vertical or market
Make the value proposition clear, differentiate on the basis of value
Sales Promotion
Post-purchase customer service, retention

The parallel buying process might be:

Buyer recognises they have a need or problem
Buyer searches for information about their problem
Buyer evaluates the alternatives to solve the problem
Buyer makes a purchase decision
Buyer evaluates their experience and satisfaction post-purchase

If you were to map these processes alongside a typical sales funnel, it would look like:

In traditional models, marketing would do their thing and at some point, sales would take over. In digital, marketing and sales activities come together and merge in the areas of social selling and content marketing. What tends to happen is that buyers complete almost 70% of their buying process before companies even know they exist. Customers do all of their problem recognition, and information search, and evaluation, and often make and transact purchase decisions, online. So the most critical thing you can do as a business is make sure that you are there, online, with relevant helpful content, at every stage of that buying process.

In other words, when your buyer recognises they have a problem, you want them to be exposed to your Domain Leadership marketing messages. Often, your domain leadership marketing messages, if they are well-crafted, can in fact be the trigger for the buyer to recognise their problem in the first place!

When your buyer is searching for information, you want them to find your positioning messages. When your buyer is evaluating alternatives, you want your value proposition messaging to be what they are looking at. And so on.

The only way to develop the right content marketing for your buyer – to be in the right place at the right time – is to know your target customer really, really well. By knowing your target customer’s pain points, needs, and the questions they ask when they have a problem, sales becomes a matter of letting them find out if there’s a good match.

What does this look like in practice?

The first step is to create a persona of your ideal client or buyer, and make sure to include as many questions as you can based on what you get asked at trade shows, in client meetings, on the phone, etc. The best way to really get to know your target customers is to conduct customer interviews: if you’re unsure about their needs, or about the potential value in your solution, ask them!

Then, think about what kind of content are they looking for at each stage of their buying process. What can you teach them to help them understand if they are the right match for your products or services, and if you are the right match for their needs? Different types of content work to address different phases of the buying cycle as well. Map these questions, and these content types, onto the buying and marketing process.

For example, let’s say you are a small business law firm. Your unique offering is that you really understand green tech and the pain points of the small business person in this complex area building a green tech business with all of it’s unique regulatory policies and practices.

Your ideal client is a factory owner who is converting what was formerly a tool and dye manufacturing plant into a green tech business, manufacturing wind farm parts. This client lives and works in a small town outside Sarnia, and they don’t really understand the programs and support available for green tech: they just know that to save jobs in their community and protect their own livelihood, they need to capitalize on their physical facilities and equipment to manufacture something new. They are looking for plain-language legal and business development support, someone who will be a partner in building the business and who can help with some of the complexities of policy and government investment in this area. Let’s map this persona and her questions against the chart we created:

Try mapping your ideal customer’s questions and needs against this standard marketing and sales process, along with the content type suggestions. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to come up with relevant, targeted content so that you can make sure your ideal customer is finding out about you during that 70% of their buying process when you’re not yet aware of them!

For more resources and information on Content Strategy and to download a detailed description of what content strategy entails, go to analyticalengine.ca/resources or download a Content Strategy Info graphic at http://bit.ly/1qY9tYp.

Christine McGlade is a Business Analyst, Content Strategist, and Usability Consultant. With over 25 years experience in the media business, Christine helps small business, social enterprise, and Not for Profits how to leverage the power of the Internet to grow their business. Learn more about Christine at analyticalengine.ca

Apr 15 2015

What’s your gratitude policy?

Customer loyalty is something that we all strive for. Whether you’re a small business owner or a CEO of a multi-billion dollar empire, we are nothing if we can’t retain our current base of customers or clients. So how do we do this? Is it about points programs, birthday or holiday freebies and membership discounts, or is there more to it?

We’ve all heard the complaints about some of the loyalty programs out there. The notion that there are self-serving and benefit the company more than the customer isn’t anything new. You know the ones I’m talking about – where you feel like you have to spend thousands of dollars to earn something worth a few hundred (if you’re lucky!).

So how do we show our gratitude to loyal customers in a way that makes them feel good about their continued patronage of your business? The best thing to do of course is ask them! Surveys are a great way to find out exactly what your customers want when it comes to loyalty programs. We could think we have put together the best program in the world, but if it doesn’t leave our clients feeling appreciated, then we’ve missed the mark!

While surveys are a great tool, you have to provide incentive for people to complete them. Again, just like the loyalty programs, the prize for completing the survey has to be something that your customers actually want! Look at what your most popular product or service is and see what kind of reward you can create that will allow you to get enough responses to your survey that you are confident it actually represents your client base.

Just like any relationship, the relationship we have with our customers and clients has to be cultivated on a regular basis. It doesn’t have to stop with loyalty programs. We can actually start picking up the phone and reaching out to our customers. This isn’t a sales conversation; this is really an informal survey. It’s a conversation that asks how things are going for them in relation to the product or service you provide. Ask if there’s any way that you could improve their satisfaction with the business they do with you. Actually tell them that you are grateful for their continued business!

I’ve heard it said that any relationship without reciprocity will die and I believe that applies to all relationships, personal and professional. Customer loyalty cannot be taken for granted. The competition out there is fierce and there are limits to how low we can take our prices and how fast we can deliver our services. If we want to retain our loyal customer base, we have to ensure that they know that we value their business. They need to know that we’re not taking the fact that they spend their time and money with us for granted.

I’ve heard it said that gratitude is the greatest multiplier of good. When a customer not only gets quality products and services, but also feels appreciated and respected by the company they do business with, it can only benefit you and your business. When potential customers here how much you care about and respect the people you do business with, they’ll be lining up to work with you!

Sandra Dawes is a certified life coach specializing in helping women who feel unfulfilled with their 9-5 follow their dreams and pursue their passions. She holds an Honours BA, an MBA as well as a certificate in Dispute Resolution.She has completed her first book,Embrace Your Destiny: 12 Steps to Living the Life You Deserve! Connect: www.embraceyourdestiny.ca www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestiny www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestinythebook www.twitter.com/sandradawes

Feb 09 2015

A Roadmap for your Journey

Every day we are surrounded by the need to make decisions. The sheer multitude can be overwhelming, from the trivial “what should I make for dinner tonight?” to the triumphant, “should I invest in a storefront location for my home-based business?” When you’re an entrepreneur, these decisions are often made alone or in consultation with family or friends who while helpful, are not as invested (literally and figuratively) in the business as you are. Decision – making can be daunting.

Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield identified the ability to make a decision and stick to it as one of life’s five most critical skills. I couldn’t agree more and struggle daily to help instill this skill set in my children. Decision-making must be fostered from a very early age and parents should recognize that allowing a child to stomp her feet at age 4 and refuse to wear a coat in winter will help her to understand the consequence of that decision – that she’ll get pretty darn cold! Determining whether to attend College or University is more daunting than a coat crisis but the process remains essentially the same – it’s only the magnitude of the decision that varies.

My suggested Decision Making Model runs almost counter-intuitive to many other business theories that require a solid foundation upon which you should build your framework. That is, that in decision-making, you should be working from a top down approach. What is your ultimate goal or vision? If decision-making is about “identifying and choosing alternatives among several possibilities” (1) shouldn’t you know where you want to go first? It helps narrow down the field of choice. Once you have a clear goal, (your Destination) start determining all the necessary steps (your ROUTE) that you need to take in order to get there. Visualize this process as you would a road map. We know that we need to get to Indiana for a hockey tournament. Indiana is the goal. What steps need to be taken to get us there? Using a map we might plot several routes. We should ask ourselves questions to help more clearly define the route chosen based on criteria that is important to us: which route is fastest, do we want to see any sights along the way, will we travel during the day or at night? Knowing clearly and precisely what the final destination is allows us to make the smaller decisions required to get us there.

It’s the same with business decisions. Using our store-front analogy, if you run a cake business from home and your dream is a clearly visualized bakery window on a pretty main street in your home town, start working backwards from that to determine what you need to do in order to make it happen. There are a multitude of business models for decision-making but really, it’s this simple: “G.G.W.C.I.” – it’s not pretty as an acronym but the process is “Goal, Gather, Weigh, Choose, Implement.” Your goal is a storefront location. Gather means to collect information related to that goal – in other words, do your research. Is such a location available and if so what is the cost and should you lease or buy? These questions will lead you to undertake a full financial analysis. Do you generate enough income to cover the monthly expenses, how much take home income do you need to finance your preferred lifestyle and you’ll need staff, can you afford to hire someone? Once you’ve gathered all your facts, weigh your options (a good old fashioned “pro and con” list never goes out of style) then choose. Make your decision, implement and watch it flourish.

As an entrepreneur, being successful also means asking for help from experts. I’m not going to plan that trip to Indiana without consulting Google maps – why try to accomplish something alone when information already exists and is readily accessible? Successful entrepreneurs don’t just learn by doing, they learn from the success and failure of others. When you’ve got a decision to make ask for help, support and guidance from your financial advisor, your bank, even your local Small Business Centre. Certainly, one of the smartest decisions you can make when going solo, is to surround yourself with a “team” of experts that can provide this kind of assistance along the way.

Making a decision also takes time. If your GOAL was clearly defined in the first place, it will already have a timeline associated with it. Colonel Hadfield, in his book “An Astronauts Guide to Life on Earth” also shares insight on the importance of being able to make a decision quickly. Sometimes, like when you are strapped into a rocket, you don’t have the luxury of time to make a mission critical decision. That’s the other reason it is so important to start practicing decision-making as a skill set from an early age. That and about a million simulator experiences will ensure you can make a decision in seconds flat if required to. For those of us just making the decision whether to drive to Indiana and not something as dramatic as flying into space, it could just mean knowing how to react to icy road conditions in an emergency. Regardless of what your decision is, the making of that decision is a journey. Having a clearly defined map will help get you there but only if you know where you want to go first!

Your G.G.W.C.I. “Road Map” – Sheralyn Roman

GOAL- Your Destination
GATHER – Do your research, pull out maps, determine who or what can help you get to your destination and how you want to get there, by car, plane, train? Having a firm timeline helps you not only to reach your destination but to do so effectively and efficiently.
WEIGH your options: Which route is fastest and meets all my stated criteria and plan alternate routes in case of road-blocks.
CHOOSE & IMPLEMENT– pack up the car and go! (Always plan for emergencies too by taking along your tool-kit. Literally and figuratively!)

(1) Wikipedia

and

Chris Hadfield’s “An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth.

As Owner and Principal partner of “Writing Right For You” Sheralyn is a Communications Strategist – working together with entrepreneurs to maximize profit through effective use of the written word. Looking for web content that works, blog articles that engage or communications strategies that help you get noticed? Contact Sheralyn today. Sheralyn is also the mother of two children now entering the “terrible and terrific teens” and spends her free time volunteering for several non-profit organizations.

Sheralyn Roman B.A., B.Ed.

Writing Right For You

Communications Strategies that help you GET TO THE POINT!

416-420-9415 Cell/Business

writingrightforyou@gmail.com

LinkedIn / Facebook / www.writingrightforyou.weebly.com

Jan 23 2015

Free Yourself!

The new calendar year typically brings with it plans for a new annual business strategy. It may be a detailed written document, or some simple “must do’s” in your head. Either way, they are meant to improve how you run your business, improve your customer relations, be more organised, and overall grow your business.

One challenge most small business owners face is that there never seem to be enough hours in the day or the work week to get everything done! Sound familiar?

Getting yourself better ‘organised’ to free up some valuable hours could mean freeing yourself from mundane tasks or complex and time-consuming work. Or both. All you need is another set of hands and a competent mind: Outsourcing is a good option. Help is available to you in the form of specialists like graphic designers, bookkeepers, virtual assistants, writers and more, depending on your area of need.

These specialists are an invaluable resource to help you free yourself from time-consuming tasks you need to accomplish, and do specific work that just isn’t your forte.

Since many small businesses and start-ups work on a tight budget, the temptation to do everything ourselves looms large. One way to do a self-check on whether or not outsourcing is “worth it” is a simple cost-benefit analysis.

Consider what one hour of your time is worth, i.e. either what you charge your clients for one hour of your standard service packages or the value of one hour’s work you put into your product based business. Then estimate how many hours it might, or in the past already has, taken you to perform a certain job, for example data entry, researching and posting your regular social media content, creating a PowerPoint slideshow for your next presentation, updating your website, or creating and sending a monthly e-newsletter.

The time it takes you to perform these tasks is very likely longer than if the specialist did them, and that is where your savings will lie.

So for 2015, make it a plan to free yourself from some of your business tasks you’d rather not be doing anyway, and instead focus on networking and meeting new prospects, turning them into new clients, and growing your business and profits. Here’s to a successful year!

Martina Rowley is the founder and operator of Beach Business Hub – THE co-working space east of the Don Valley. She combined her passion and experience in the environmental sector with her community engagement side to create a local work environment where space and resources are shared. She fosters and facilitates collaboration, networking, and learning for and with small business owners and new start-ups. Contact her at:http://www.beachbusinesshub.ca, on Facebook and on Twitter

Jan 13 2015

‘Journaling’ to Entrepreneurial Success

One of the ways I approach finding effective strategies for building my business has come from very targeted research. This research involves looking to those who are farther along the entrepreneurial journey than me, then identifying what they define as contributing to their success.

One standout trend across industries was the use of journaling, in many different capacities. ‘Journaling’ is a term used (in this article) to define an individual who is taking time in their day as a part of a regular routine to physically write/record personal information, ideas, experiences and reflections.

You may have heard recent studies of science backing up the benefits of putting ‘pen to paper’ (ie: Mueller and Oppenheimer’s research found individuals had increased ‘conceptual understanding’ and consequent success in applying it to their work). Or you may have a personal practice of journaling for creative expression but not thought of it as a business tool. Even if you haven’t had any experience with journaling at all, I wanted to bring to you some of the methods (and benefits) that research has shown can contribute to success in business, so you can create a system that will work for you.

Problem solving

Using journaling is actually a way to see solutions that may otherwise not have been seen, as ‘Fast Company’ (online) reveals. This process can include: asking questions, brainstorming solutions or writing from different perspectives. All of which can provide an alternative way to process complex information, beyond typing.

Evaluation

Once you have written on a regular basis, it gives you an opportunity to review what has been written and find patterns and changes in momentum across a defined period of time. Using this type of reflection after the journaling has occurred was key in Julia Galef’s (President of the Center for Applied Rationality) work with her clients. She uses this strategy (along with her signature system) to help others change long-standing (often not helpful) opinions about themselves to create new patterns of behavior after this type of process.

Focus

One downfall to using technology (widely known) is the abundance of distraction. Quick processing and easily found information make it easy to change activities with a click of a button. Using pen and paper gives you the opportunity to literally only have ‘one thing open’, no need to resist clicking on a new tab. Once your journaling is done, it is encouraged that you then simply ‘put it away’ and not disrupt the rest of your work that is not related.

Productivity

A recent Harvard Business School study actually found that using ‘journaling’ (by reflecting at the end of the day) could increase productivity by up to 25%. This is based on the participants in the study being able to ‘visualize’ what is important and therefore make more progress towards a particular goal.

I can appreciate that all of these strategies (and subsequent benefits) can be integrated into your workday; no matter what business you are building. We live in a very abundant time in our lives, because technology is advancing and becoming very accessible to all. The great thing is, so is paper. By using journaling strategies in conjunction with digital tools you have an opportunity to create a system that can produce the results you want in your growing business.

Tamara is the owner and designer at ‘Your Pretty Pages’ where she provides templates, planners, guides and resources for creative entrepreneurs to get and stay organized. To support your successful planning, Tamara has just released the ‘Entrepreneur’s Journal’ which you can find here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/YourPrettyPages

Jan 11 2015

Why Blogging Is Important To Every Business Owner?

You may have heard that you need to have a blog on your professional business website as a marketing tool. But once you have created the blog, you may not have any blogging ideas that would match your company mission. This is one of the common struggles of having a business blog.

However, there are three major reasons why blogging is crucial, especially if you are a small business owner, trying to gain credibility in the massive market place. You need to create a trustworthy brand, and that can be challenging if you are hiding behind a website. In addition, a blog opens a gateway between yourself and your customers, and lastly, there are technical benefits of business blogging.

CREATING AN OPEN DOOR

When you think about blogging, you may be thinking about individual blogs, where people write about their favourite foods, their feelings and their thoughts. Of course, you should not use this kind inspiration for your business blog. But you should use the structure for your website.

A company can create a gateway of communication with customers by having a blog. The blog should answer common questions in a way that does not come across as a sales pitch. For example, if you are selling insurance, you want to write articles about why insurance is important. You can share case studies, address common myths, and answer questions from potential customers.

If the idea of a blog doesn’t work with your business, you could sell it as a column instead. This may work better if you are using yourself as a brand or business image.

ESTABLISHING RELATIONSHIPS

A blog isn’t about you. It really is about your customers. It is about what you can offer them. And this should be a two-way street. Often, people will disable the comments section on the blog, so people cannot respond to the article. And this is a big mistake.

People want answers when they find your article, and they will often look for a comments section to ask that question. This is your chance to impress your potential customer and reel them in. Don’t disable comments and miss this great opportunity. Use your blog to establish strong relationships with people who are genuinely interested in your products or services.

MORE EXPOSURE

Lastly, having a blog on your business’ domain helps you in technical ways as well. Every time you publish an article, you are increasing the amount of individual pages you have on the Internet about your business. Other pages include your “about” page, your “contact” page and your “home” page.

Now, in the grand scheme of things, you may not think that a single page will do much for your exposure, but you are not competing with every other page on the Internet. You are only dealing with those pages that are offering the exactly same thing as you. So, with a healthy keyword density and valuable articles, you are well on your way to a successful business blog.

Malene Jorgensen is an entrepreneur, author and speaker. Jorgensen is passionate about online content, blogging, online business development and e-commerce. She owns an international media publishing company and a design studio. Jorgensen has written several books that are sold in over 50 countries. She is also obsessed with coffee and Twitter. You can reach Malene Jorgensen at Website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram

Dec 16 2014

How to unplug from social media for the holidays

The holidays are just around the corner and hopefully you’re planning some well deserved time off. Yet if you’re a small business owner it can be difficult to take the time you need to rest and rejuvenate for the New Year. Emails, phone calls and the ping of social media notifications can be hard to ignore. You also worry that your online presence might suffer from your absence. But it’s important to know how and when to unplug, without losing your spot on the social media hierarchy.

Schedule content ahead of time

If you’re not already using a social media dashboard such as Hootsuite or Buffer, now is the time to look into one. Dashboards make scheduling content easy and can act as an inbox for all those notifications. Schedule a tweet or post a day. That’s enough to stay alive online, but not so much that the responses become unmanageable.

Set a time limit

Set aside ten minutes a day to check the accounts; then shut it down and walk away. By setting a time limit you can reassure yourself that all is well, without taking up too much of your personal time. Check to make sure there are no emergencies but then shut off the notifications. If you use Hootsuite you can actually create “quiet time” where your notifications go silent. Better yet, turn off the phone.

Only answer urgent inquiries

Be smart about what you respond to. Is that question urgent? Is that issue an emergency? It’s easy to want to answer everything right away, but many of the queries you receive can wait a few days until you’re back at work. Only answer those questions that are truly urgent.

Allow yourself to let go

Too often we get caught up in the details. While one negative tweet might seem catastrophic at the time, in the overall big picture it’s not worth much worry. The same goes for checking the Facebook page and sending out that tweet. If you go silent for a few days, nothing terrible will happen. Your business will not fail and your customers will not desert you. In fact they’re probably not online either.

My past experience as a social media manager for a large charity taught me the importance of work-life balance when it comes to managing your online communications. While being online and listening is important, having the courage to turn it off and take time for yourself and your family is just as, if not more, important.

So this holiday, turn off the phone and enjoy the season. I promise your followers will still be there in January.

Happy Holidays.

Evelyn Senyi is the owner and chief marketer for Recurve Marketing, a Toronto-based digital marketing agency that offers creative, effective and affordable marketing strategies for Canadian small businesses and non-profit organizations. Follow Recurve on Twitter @recurve_ca and on Facebook www.facebook.com/recurvemarketing.ca.

Nov 15 2014

CSR for Small Business?

It may seem odd to think of Corporate Social Responsibility as a small business owner, but I think that there’s no better time that now to start thinking about more than just your financial bottom line. If you give thought to how your business is impacting the world environmentally and socially when you’re small, you will have systems in place that will grow as the business grows.

Whether it’s choosing a cause that your business supports because there’s an alignment in each organizations core values or ensuring that you operate your business in an environmentally friendly way that reduces your carbon footprint, you don’t have to have a big operating budget to make a meaningful contribution. It can be easy to think that practicing social responsibility is something only large companies need to worry about because they have the resources to do “big things”, but small business has a role to play as well. While big business can do things on a national or global scale, small business owners can contribute on a local scale, supporting the communities that support them.

Success in business is all about relationships. It’s about building trust with not only your customers, but the community within which you operate your business. I’ve heard it said that a relationship without reciprocity will die and I believe that to be true for us as entrepreneurs and small business owners. We can’t become so consumed by the desire to turn a profit that we forget to give back to the community that supports us by buying our products or services.

When our local communities are thriving, as citizens and business owners we can’t help but benefit. It is in our best interest to build into our businesses a strategy for how we will give back. What can you do to make your community better? Maybe you can do a fundraiser for a local cause, or do a review of your operational practices to see where you can make “green” changes. You don’t have to figure it all out at once, but it’s something that you want to consider.

You don’t have to be a corporation to practice corporate social responsibility. I believe it may actually be easier to practice CSR as a small business owner because we have massive manufacturing plants to reconfigure and retool. We make small, but meaningful changes that will be sustainable as we grow and expand our businesses. What are you going to do to give back to the community that’s supporting you and your business?

Sandra Dawes is a certified life coach specializing in helping women who feel unfulfilled with their 9-5 follow their dreams and pursue their passions. She holds an Honours BA, an MBA as well as a certificate in Dispute Resolution.She has completed her first book,Embrace Your Destiny: 12 Steps to Living the Life You Deserve!
Connect:
www.embraceyourdestiny.ca
www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestiny
www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestinythebook
www.twitter.com/sandradawes

Nov 04 2014

Six Introduction Mistakes to Avoid

Introducing yourself and others to key contacts is essential for building business relationships and networking effectively. However there are pitfalls that many professionals can avoid when making introductions.

Here’s a look at 6 introduction mistakes to avoid. This information comes straight from our program How To Be A Polite Professional

Looking away: Looking away when you are being introduced to someone gives off the impression that you are disinterested and don’t care about who you are meeting. Always maintain eye contact when being introduced.
Making overly personal comments: When introducing someone to a group you should give a piece of information about them. Avoid alluding to divorce, job loss, illness or any sensitive topic. Instead stick to their job title, where they work or what field they’re in. You can even indicate how you met them.
Interrupting: Don’t break in to a conversation or simply force yourself into one. Wait until you are introduced to the group or brought in to the conversation.
Deferring to one person: Avoid speaking only to one person and ignoring the others in the group. This behaviour is especially prevalent in groups of 3, and makes the person being ignored feel awkward. Make sure you engage with everyone in your group and at least make eye contact and acknowledge people you are not immediately speaking to.
Overly enthusiastic introductions: It’s always nice to highlight something positive about the person you are introducing but keep it within reason. Don’t introduce colleagues or clients with superfluous introductions as these tend to embarrass people. Avoid using phrases such as “the smartest person at our firm” “the greatest” “ the most accomplished” “ the most amazing” etc. These come off as unprofessional and a little immature.
Making someone wait to be introduced: Introduce any newcomers to the group immediately, making people wait causes them to feel left out, embarrassed and awkward.

Praveeni Perera is the CEO and co-founder of Professional Edge Consulting a corporate training company based in Ottawa offering training and coaching services to clients around the world. She can be reached via Website, Twitter, Facebook or her Blog.

Nov 01 2014

Susan Shannon: Canadian Small Business Woman of the Month of October 2014

Susan has over twenty five years experience working in municipal and provincial governments in senior level positions, including as Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). In 2007, she decided to start her own independent consulting business and she continues to operate it from her home in beautiful Muskoka. As a result of her experiences as a CAO not being able to find the services she needed, she saw the need for her new website – muniSERV.ca – a one-stop location that helps municipalities and professionals connect.

FREE for municipalities to use, muniSERV lets municipalities search for the consultants and other professional services they need from our searchable database. The database categorizes the service offerings of our professional members so municipalities can quickly and easily find the professional services they need, saving them time and money while offering a wider range of consulting and servicing options – and ultimately more competitive quotes.

muniSERV is also Canada’s newest online solution for consultants and other professionals to connect directly to their municipal clients, find work and expand their businesses. There is a free Basic membership for consultants/professionals or enhanced paid memberships depending on their needs.

Our Q & A with Susan Shannon

What Inspires You?

What inspires me is my passion for local government. I still have contracts and work with the CAOs, City Managers and Directors of Human Resources from Ontario’s large urban municipalities, so I am still very much in tune and understand first-hand the issues and the budgetary constraints municipalities face. I showcase muniSERV at municipal conferences and it always inspires me when I see municipal representatives getting excited about this free tool. That’s also what keeps me always searching for other solutions that will help both our municipal and professional members.

As a small business owner, what achievements make you most proud?

I am most proud of the fact I have already witnessed, that the service I’m providing is helping both municipalities and consultants/professionals. I am extremely proud that we have been able to attract municipal and professional members from across Canada in our first year! This proves to me that there is a need for this tool. And, I am delighted when I hear that a consultant’s website has seen improved SEO optimization by becoming a muniSERV professional member, or when they let tell me a municipality has found them from the site. That tells me the site is working the way it should for both our professional and municipal members.

What advice would you give to other aspiring small business owners?

My advice to other aspiring small business owners is, if you have a passion and an idea, do your research and then go for it! As much as I have enjoyed working in municipal and provincial governments, there is nothing that is more satisfying than working for yourself and watching your business grow right before your eyes. Be prepared though, that there will be long hours (but you will enjoy them more), and there will be both encouraging and discouraging days from time to time.

But in true entrepreneurial spirit, I think those discouraging days only serve to make you want to dig in harder to try different approaches in order to succeed.
What new things can we look forward to from your business in the upcoming year?

We have an exciting second year coming up. I am currently working on a number of collaborations that will enhance the muniSERV site and the services provided, for both our municipal and professional members. We will also be working on adding more municipal members from across Canada and we are always looking for more consultants and professionals to set up profiles in muniSERV. When they do, it helps municipalities find the services they need and it helps our professional members get an opportunity to showcase their services directly to their target market – municipalities.

So if you offer or would like to offer, consulting and/or professional services to municipal clients or if you know of someone who does, feel free to set up a profile or spread the word about muniSERV.ca – A Real Business Solution for Both of Us!

What does this look like in practice?

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