Starting a Business: Assume You Know Nothing
When you start to think you know it all, something will happen to make you believe you don’t know anything at all.
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“You know nothing, Jon Snow.” ~ Ygritte – The Game of Thrones
It is tempting to give people advice on starting a business. Do this and not that. As if everything is black and white, yes or no answers. If we had followed all of that advice 15 years ago, we would not have started our business […]
Survive To Thrive
Are you limited to survival, or can you thrive in the face of adversity?
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Sunwapta Solutions Inc. has been in business for over 15 years. Suffice it to say, we’ve been through a few economic cycles during that time ranging from the dotcom bust, 9/11, the 2008 world banking crisis, and now the current slump in oil prices.
Of course, your business might run into problems for […]
The Real Person Behind the Facades of Success
How our layers of roles and personas create a wall between us, happiness, and success.
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“I’ve always wanted to be a brooding, deep, dark artist, but I can never keep that facade going for more than 15 minutes.” ~ Bryan Callen
When I first started in business, we would meet other entrepreneurs all the time. The ones with some experience appeared to be highly confident and flawless. They talked about how […]
Don’t Annoy The Bull And Other Lessons From The Field
Before you can avoid the bulls, you need to learn to spot them. With people that can be a challenge.
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“I never rode a bull – I’m not that stupid.” ~ James Caan
Some years ago we were visiting Dorothy and her spouse, friends who lived in the country near the Alberta foothills. We were city dwellers, so we enjoyed getting out of town for a little adventure.
After sitting around chatting for an hour or so, we all decided to go for a walk before […]
3 Ways To Be Happier Than A Fly In Your Soup
The illusion of success can trap you in a business that keeps you buzzing but doesn’t fuel your passion.
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“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ~ Howard Thurman
Sunday evening I was sitting at the kitchen table, reading a good book on my Kindle, and eating my […]
3 Things You Can Do To Jump-Start 2016 Right Now
How to hit the ground running in 2016. (If you are already in holiday mode, you may want to reconsider.)
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Once December hits, a lot of us are conditioned to coast through December and then hit the ground running in January.
I worked with Jeff, a government client, who actually refused to meet us in December because “no one works here until January”. So the project got parked for eight weeks.
But December is only a little more than four weeks long so how does […]
Trying to Avoid Failure By Never Starting is a Dead-end Road
Many times we get ourselves into a mental trap where not moving forward seems safe. It isn’t.
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“There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth: not going all the way, and not starting.” ~ Buddha
We often get in our own way when pursuing success.
Lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of people starting businesses because they have lost their job or fear they will lose it in the future. Some people […]
5 Marketing Blunders Almost Everyone Makes
Chances are you are making one or more of these mistakes in your marketing. Knowing what they are can make all the difference.
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Over the last few 15 years in business, I’ve seen a lot of good and bad. I’ve attended a lot of learning events, lead workshops, consulted and spoken at numerous events. I’ve had the opportunity to observe what others say and do.
Maybe you’ve got it together all of the time, but from my view, pretty much everyone blunders at […]
Great Teams Need a Purpose
With Purpose
We don’t build great teams in business for the sake of building great teams. It would be like hiring all the best hockey players and then not playing hockey.
Great teams need a purpose or goal.
We build a great hockey team to win the Stanley Cup.
The same goes for business.
For business, the purpose is to serve clients in exchange for revenue. If we do that efficiently, we know we are winning because we generate profit and growth according to our goals.
Brand, Clients and Teams
Our brand is how […]
Does Your Workplace Encourage a Culture of Codependency?
A dysfunctional culture can doom your organization to mediocrity or outright failure. How can you tell if you should be worried?
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“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” ~Peter Drucker
We often see a sports team that seems to have a great pool of individual talent, yet it can’t seem to win consistently and fails to get very far in the playoffs. Then we have the underdog team that surprises everyone with a playoff run, sometimes even taking the top prize.
The difference between winning and losing in […]