For reasons outside our control, we’ve all been inconvenienced and challenged. This doesn’t mean we’re defeated. Here are 19 ways to get April started
There are 19 business days in April. Let’s make the best of them during the COVID-19 crisis. Take the time in your social-distancing work spaces to come up with 19 things you and your team can do to make a difference for your business, your staff and your community. Here are some ideas: Day 1…
Cuts in staff are often followed by a reduction in service, followed by a loss of more customers. It's a losing cycle
In 1988, I approached successful land developer Louis Matte to see if he would be interested in investing in a medical supply business. He told me he wanted to start a religious book store, but we could combine them and he would invest if there was an opportunity to add a business that was recession…
Increased productivity leads to a stronger competitive position, higher profits and better quality
Paying attention to productivity leads to better profits in one-third of the Canadian small and medium-sized companies that measure their overall productivity index. Seems like a slam-dunk, doesn’t it? But a 2016 survey of more than 1,500 Canadian entrepreneurs by the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) showed that less than half of Canada’s small and…
Are you a manager who feels trapped, underappreciated, struggling with no sense of ownership or purpose? You’re not alone but there are solutions
How often have you seen management who look like they would prefer to be anywhere else but at their desk? Lately I’ve been working with a couple of managers of different organizations who are exactly in this position. They lack energy, having worked to exhaustion for the company. They’re starting to be short with their…
If an entrepreneur wants to manage their business and increase their profits, they need to focus on three types of customers
A few years ago I was talking to a clergyman who was struggling with declining church attendance. We had a discussion about the reasons for that and I was telling him that there was not much difference between a church and a business. To overcome his skepticism of my argument, I put it to him…
Creating a fun culture in a business environment starts with the leader. When employees enjoy their work, they’ll be more productive and satisfied
We were down by 14 points at halftime and the team seemed defeated. Our star player was frustrated. Her shots weren’t going in and neither were her teammates’ shots. As a coach, I was unfazed. Having been irritated with the refereeing in the first couple of games, I had decided that my fuming wasn’t going…
And how to overcome these obstacles on the way to building a successful venture
Businesses come and go – we see them opening up, struggling for a few years and closing their doors. We might even hear that they offered something we were searching for – after they’ve closed. But why do they fail? According to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) in the U.S., over the lifetime…
If we’re focused on thriving and growing during periods of difficulty and change, our brains look for these opportunities
While the overall economic numbers seem to indicate that the Canadian economy is firing on all cylinders, there are still areas geographically and by industry where businesses are struggling. Having lived through a number of difficult times in my 30-plus years owning and running businesses, I’ve learned there are a number of ways to improve…
It’s time you set some goals, tracked your progress and celebrated your successes
Tim Gilbert told me it would be tough but I never realized how tough tree planting was until I stood in the bush in the middle of nowhere, bugs swarming around my head, as I was exposed to the raw elements of a northern spring. With my bag of trees strapped across my hips, shovel…
When we determine achievable goals and develop workable plans to reach those goals, our teams get clarity. And that brings productivity
The city had been socked in with a heavy layer of fog for weeks when I decided to drive up to an area I hadn’t been to before. As I climbed through the layers of cloud, I wondered where I was going and why people would live up such a steep hill. But as I…