The spirit of giving, when we look closely, is all about gratitude. We give gifts to show our gratitude for our loved ones and because we want to see them happy, largely because of the joy they bring to our lives. We are grateful for our children, our partner, our parents and our friends, and when the holidays come, that … Read More
Challenge: Be a Changemaker
I was at the mall recently with my son, Lucas, taking a play break in the safari-themed toddler play area, when he did something that immediately got me thinking about the importance of thinking for yourself — especially as an entrepreneur. We frequent this play area quite often, as it is conveniently located in the centre of the mall and … Read More
We Can Become Our Idols
Who are your business idols? We all have those people we look up to — not celebrities, necessarily, but the movers and shakers within our industry whom we greatly admire based on their talent, merit, intelligence and success. One of my business idols is Manjit Minhas, “beer baroness,” investor on Dragon’s Den and also named to many noteworthy lists including … Read More
Is Your Everyday Life Hiding Valuable Business Lessons?
Coming up with authentic, quality content for your blog or online marketing can certainly feel like a struggle sometimes. You may start to wonder if you have anything new to say or anything valuable to offer. Meanwhile, amazing life lessons and business insights are likely hiding in what seems like mundane, everyday life. You just need to know how to … Read More
If Your Business Isn’t Making You Squeal, Here’s What You Need to Know
This summer on my Instagram feed I posted a video of my son that is 1) really adorable but also 2) (more relevant here) inspiring to me as an entrepreneur. The video shows my son at the splash park, enjoying a fountain of water that sprays out of the ground at regular intervals. His squeals and the joy that emanates … Read More
Why You Need a Target Audience
No, You Can’t Just Market to Everyone Listen, I know it’s tempting. I’ve seen it time and again — small businesses who are confident in their products or services know that they could improve anyone’s life with their offering. So, rather than choose a target market and market specifically to that segment, they water down their marketing by trying to … Read More
A Marketing Strategy is a Must-Have for Success
Ignore the benefits of a solid marketing strategy at your peril! Marketing cannot be about guesswork: there are real dollars and cents involved and it is perfectly logical to want to be able to evaluate the results from your efforts. However, if your marketing strategy resembles something akin to throwing proverbial cooked spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks, … Read More
How to Avoid the Silent Killers of Entrepreneurship
Sometimes as entrepreneurs we can get stuck in our current ways because it is what we know, it is what works and is comfortable. However, at what point do our current methods start to hold us back from growing? I have been caught in this trap a few times to varying degrees, and though the signs are sometimes different, it … Read More
What I Learned in 2015
A technical glitch, an unexpected influx of work, or running out of steam in your passion for your business, or even personally — these are all potential snafus that can throw your business off track or just keep it from growing smoothly and steadily. They’re also things that happened to me in 2015. Luckily, I learned some important lessons that … Read More
Classic Christmas Lessons — What I’ve Learned From Scrooge About Client Relations
Ebenezer Scrooge has been held up as an example to us all since Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in 1843. This wretched (but rich) miser of a man learns an important lesson about charity, love and kindness thanks to the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come, and we could learn a thing or two from their … Read More