small business owner

16 Sep 2020

How To Profit From Your Business Safety Needs

By |2020-09-16T23:34:10-06:00September 16th, 2020|Categories: Business Strategy, Manifast, Sales, Working on the Business|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Growing Profit and Increasing Business Safety Needs
Entrepreneurs are risk-takers by nature. Often that means putting aside safety but, it doesn’t have to. Thinking a little more like an investor can mitigate risk and build some security into your business.

In my last article, I talked about Maslow’s hierarchy and its impacts on consumers (or overall market), your customers, and the people inside your business.

A business also has a hierarchy of needs distinct from the people in it.

For example, human physiological needs correspond to the parts […]

19 Aug 2020

How to Rescue Your Business with a Little Maslow’s Cat

By |2020-08-20T23:46:02-06:00August 19th, 2020|Categories: Business Strategy, Leadership, Mindset and Motivation|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Maslow's Cat Sitting on Post - Top of Hierarchy

Maslow’s hierarchy is often expressed as a pyramid and frequently used to explain the basics of human nature based on five levels of needs.

According to established historical lore, ancient Egyptians revered cats. Perhaps pyramids were built to house ancient kings, but that would not have stopped a cat from sitting on the top of one and looking down to watch everyone else.

Cats see things a little differently.

Maslow’s cat can help us better understand those needs […]

23 Jul 2020

How to Fight the Right Fight – Pick a Rising Trend

By |2020-07-23T00:08:39-06:00July 23rd, 2020|Categories: Business Strategy, Leadership, Mindset and Motivation|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Shipwreck on a rising tide.

“A rising tide raises all ships.” ~ John F. Kennedy

The tide is a metaphor for the overall economy. The theory is that if the overall economy is rising, everyone benefits. Conversely, if the tide is falling, everyone suffers.

Yet, is any of this consistently accurate? Does the tide affect every business the same?

Looking Closer at the Trends

To see the overall economy, you have to zoom way out. When you are at this level, you can’t easily see any details.

To find meaning – cause and effect – you […]

2 Jul 2019

19 Years – Our Big Mistakes Are Your Powerful Lessons

By |2020-05-28T18:45:40-06:00July 2nd, 2019|Categories: Business Strategy, Current Events, Doug's Blog, Dream Teams, Leadership, Mindset and Motivation|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Man Asking Questions, Mistakes and Business Lessons

A little over 19 years ago, my two business partners and I set off on the entrepreneurial journey that became Sunwapta Solutions. Over the years, we’ve had some successes, made some (costly) mistakes, and sometimes learned a few things.

People typically don’t learn much from easy success, aside from a false sense of security and overconfidence. Nor do they believe they will make the same mistakes you did – until they do.

I can’t prevent you from making any mistakes. Nor […]

18 Sep 2017

How to Avoid Setting Your New Salesperson Up For Failure

By |2017-09-19T12:25:35-06:00September 18th, 2017|Categories: Marketing, Oilfield Pulse, Sales, Working on the Business|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The Elephant in the Room - Setting Up New Salesperson for Failure

As you grow your business and hire a new salesperson, you are likely leaving money on the table. Are you making one or more of these mistakes and setting your team up for failure?

Over the last few weeks, I’ve met several people who were hired to work […]

11 Jul 2017

5 Powerful Moments on the Path to Get More Clients

By |2017-07-12T16:20:31-06:00July 11th, 2017|Categories: Doug's Blog, Go-Giver Coach, HubSpot Agency Partner, Marketing, Sales|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Phoenix Rising From Fire - Path to Get More Clients

Most small businesses start with someone who has an innovative idea, or at least the desire to build a business around what they do. In most cases, these entrepreneurs fall into sales out of necessity. You either figure out how to get more clients, or you fail.

Our story started this way. Early successes led us to underestimate the power of mastering marketing and sales, both the skills and the […]

26 May 2017

Sharing a Cultural Experience – Amina’s Business Start-Up

By |2017-05-26T18:49:46-06:00May 26th, 2017|Categories: Doug's Blog, Non-Profits and Community|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

People Outside of the Global Bridges Cultural and Wellness Center

Arsheen Dhalla has been busy doing remarkable work in Zanzibar through the Daraja Foundation. Daraja means bridge in Swahili. During one of her infrequent visits to Calgary, I had the pleasure to sit down with her and listen to her story. There are many stories to tell. For the second video in the series, we decided to focus on Amina’s business story.

The first time Arsheen traveled to Zanzibar in this capacity, her […]

25 May 2017

Do You Know What Makes You Successful At Sales?

By |2020-07-02T16:19:19-06:00May 25th, 2017|Categories: Doug's Blog, Marketing, Sales, Working on the Business|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

2 Business People Meeting - Successful at Sales

Most small and mid-sized businesses cannot clearly define the process they use for successful sales. This lack of clarity severely limits the growth potential of an SMB. Here’s why.

I didn’t say YOU can’t sell. If you’ve been in business or sales for a few years and are still around, you’ve probably figured something out that works for you.

In fact, I haven’t met very many business owners who don’t think they can sell or at least have someone on […]

15 May 2017

Get Serious About Defining Your Ideal Clients

By |2017-10-18T16:52:05-06:00May 15th, 2017|Categories: Branding, Business Strategy, Doug's Blog, Marketing|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Define Ideal Clients - Strategic Marketing - Business Collage on Cube

One of the keys to strategic marketing is to make the best use of your limited resources for the greatest results. One of the most powerful drivers of marketing results is to define your ideal clients precisely.

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The best way to show how this works is to take you along on my latest journey to do just that for the online marketing services portion of our business.

A good strategy is just as much about what you will not […]