A different kind of “Games”.

I recently watched a documentary on the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and the construction that has taken place in and around Vancouver. 

As opposed as I am to spending billions of dollars on pomp and ceremony at the cost of cutting funding to seniors residences and other social programs, (and yes, this has indeed happened) I was pleased to see some of the positive results that have taken place in Vancouver.

First and foremost is the sustainability of much of the construction that has taken place. Housing at Whistler Blackhome will be disassembled after the games and reassembled in other parts of the province, to provide affordable housing. All the buildings that were constructed in fact have long term plans for supporting the community in function.

In other construction and renovation projects, planners incorporated the best possible environmental practices, considering heating and landscape and in several cases creating roofs that have green growth such as grass and plants, providing both insulation and benefiting the atmosphere. 

There has been great thought put into the incorporation of indigenous history in the architecture and aboriginal people have been called upon for their contributions of talent for enhancing the environment. Sculptures, carvings and paintings decorate almost every structure in some way.

What is different about this Olympic Games?

Organizers and developers incorporated the “New Rules of Business”. Read more here

They have added to instead of taken away from the community at large. In the end, they have also added value to all the attendees, athletes and those who are left behind to use the facilities. Organizers wanted to make a difference.

I think that even before the games have begun – that they have succeeded in that goal.

They have set a fantastic example in terms of the new business model. The questions is – will we see and learn from the great example that has been set before us?

Are you looking to make changes in your business in the coming year.  Contact Mandie Crawford for ideas and coaching that will not only change your business and your live - but also make a great contribution to the world you live in.  More information here

The gift of time - for me!

One of the greatest gifts that I have received lately was that of recognizing
the value of time.

Oh yeah sure, I get a lot done.  In fact I am one of those chronic ‘schedule too much’ people who makes a list three pages long and then when I look at it become overwhelmed with all that I have to do and the sets out feverishly to get it all done – only to start again tomorrow.

When I said I had received the gift of recognizing the value of time – it was in a much different context.

People often marvel at how much I get done. The truth was – I never stopped except to eat, sleep and well - you know….. ( I do have four children!)

Time is one of those things that once it is used up – never comes back – and so I always set out to use it efficiently. What I did not realize was that I
– yes me – I need time with myself. I needed the time to reflect, the time to care for myself and time to listen to my inner voice.

So the time management queen did some revamping of her calendar. I booked three days off a week using a big green pen – and put NOTHING into those three days a week!

The interesting thing about this was – the more time I took for myself – the more I got done in the time I was supposed to work!

And every time I looked at those three days off in the calendar I took a deep
breath and smiled. Wow! Three whole days off – to do anything I wanted to.

Then I set out to book things that recurred regularly into my calendar. Things like my blog – my video blog, my newsletter and business tips. I scheduled all my admin work and my long term planning into my calendar also. When it was all done, I took a look at my calendar and it seemed like there was a lot of empty space in it!

“Hmmm”, I thought. “That seems weird”. What am I missing?
 
I looked at it several times and realized there was nothing missing.
Everything was there. And on top of it I had even scheduled in time to exercise (hadn’t done that in over 6 years) and time to just think! Then I realized what had happened over the years. Although I had all the best techniques for getting things done – I had fallen of the wagon and was not practicing them!

I spent too much time thinking (or worrying) about what I had to do in the future - that I did not have a clear head to think about what I was supposed to do in the moment! The white noise and static of worry had taken up so much energy that it took me longer to get all my other tasks done!

So as we move into the new year – consider your time. As you see that clock ticking down the seconds to the new decade – think about all the time we have. How would you best like to spend it?

Every second holds in it an opportunity for us to make the world a better place - but we cannot achieve this by DOING. We achieve this by BEING.

Being the best we can be and showing others how much we care. We cannot do this until we first take care of ourselves - and that takes time. So as this year ends – give yourself the gift of time. Take time to appreciate
your accomplishments. And more importantly – have that heartfelt conversation
with yourself and reconnect with who you are. When you do that – you truly
give the world what it needs the most. YOU.

End the year with a contented sigh and breathe in the freshness of a new start!

Have you purchased a copy of Mandie's book -

When every second counts - Time Management for the solo-preneur.  Only a few copies (and a t a special price!) left so order yours now!

He created a living out of two little numbers!

He built a business out of zero's and one's?  (Hint, hint - the binary system added to a bunch of electronics.)  And he loved every minute of it!

Do what you love and you will never work a day in your life. We hear it everywhere! But every day I hear people mock that saying, or if not mock it, they simply find a dozen excuses about why is absolutely impossible.

It's almost like they enjoy denying themselves happiness.  They insist on believing life has to be hard. Nothing is further from the truth.  We make life hard by not listening to our inner spirit, honouring our talents and finding our purpose in life.

I have been lucky all my life to believe that I can do anything - and support myself and my family doing so.  Somewhere, somehow, I really believed it to my core - and my life is much a reflection of this belief. 

Some would laugh at the things I have done to make money; owned and operated a sheep and cash crop farm, did custom sewing and home decor sewing, sold sewing machines and knitting machines, sang in a band and as a soloist in churches, worked as a lifeguard, worked as a police officer, opened a professional organizing business, was a ski instructor, wrote two books and mad money on them, spoke as a keynote, wrote for a  newspaper, coached business owners and created a business unlike any other that ever existed like it and made money at it when everyone else said 'you can't run a business like that - who would buy your products?".

These are only a few of the things that I have done to pay the bills. And I can honestly say, that I have never been bored a day in my life.  I have always done what I loved to do until it became a job - and then I made the changes I needed to make to either enjoy the job again or move on to something else.

Are you doing what you love to do?  If not, why not? Can we create money out of thin air doing what we love?  The answer is of course yes.   

To do so,  it takes a bit of creativity and recognition of what your talents are, what your purpose on earth here is.  When you understand and combine the two, using them in unison, you can do anything you want.

Think of the jobs that exist out there that someone at one time said "you can't do that".  Sky-diving instructor.  Copywriter.  Home stager or ReDesigner.  Reiki Master.  Elder care representative.  All of these businesses did not exist 30 years ago.  In each case, someone decided that they could do what they love and make money doing it.  And they set out to create the life that they loved, creating a valuable business as a result - that others went out and duplicated!

Think about it.  Can we invent our own business, and do what we love?  Ask Bill Gates.  Some would say he was lucky.  I say he was smart.  He found his talent and added passion to it - and voila - he created something out of thin air -  using only zero's and one's, some wire and other electronic components - and look where it took him!

We can create the business that we love.  And we can enjoy doing it.  And when we no longer find joy in what we are doing it is time to move on and do something else that we love.  More than ever, I love what I do.  And more and more I am eliminating even the little things that I do not like doing.

I wonder what I will be doing ten years from now!  (Anyone care to guess?)  One thing is certain, I will be loving it!

Want to do what you love?  Are you searching for your passion and talents and wanting to build a life around it?  Mandie Crawford is  success coach and can help you find your path to happiness and success!  More information here.

Things my dog taught me…

Everyday I  see events happening that make me think about the metaphors that teach us life lessons a little more easily than if we experience them ourselves.

Take for instance my dog – who often teaches me new tricks.  Like how to dig up my peonies if they are not thriving where I planted them two years ago.  Or how to leave food in a bowl all day long but snack on everything from underwear to my favorite socks.  I think the lesson there was either to keep my underwear on at all times and guard them with my life or make sure the laundry is picked up before I go to bed or leave a room.  (I can get distracted you know)

Today was no different.   While walking him at a local dog park, we began the daily ritual of - I throw, he fetches.  I have to take two balls when we go because he will not give up one ball unless he knows I am going to throw it again.  So when I throw the ball, and he chases, I load up “the chucker” and am hardly done that task when I look and there he is - at my feet.  He looks at me, panting with the ball still firmly clenched between his upper and lower jaw and will not drop the ball until he sees me wind up for the next “chuck”.

My dog is ‘ball obsessed’.   Now for those of you who have a dog – they can be ball obsessed in another fashion -  but not my dog.  Ever since he was neutered he prefers the orange glow in the dark balls over the ones he originally had.  If I get the leash to go to the park – he goes insane and barks at me until I get the balls out  - and then the games begin.  Throw, run, chase, pant, pant, drop ball and run again.

After about 20 minutes of nonstop racing for the ball, I hide the balls and we walk a little.  But he never forgets about the ball.  He looks in my pockets, and has been seen jumping five feet to try and grab it from my hood.  Like I said, he is ball obsessed.

The thing is though, that he is so obsessed by the ball, that he won’t  stop chasing to save his life.  In other words,  he would run until he dropped dead of exhaustion before he would stop and rest.

So today after the walking portion, I threw the ball a few more times and then set out his portable bowl of water.  He ran to the bowl, obviously very thirsty.  He had the ball in his mouth, and put his head down to the bowl but would not let the ball go to take a drink!  Up his head would go – and he would look at me and then bend down again and try again to drink without letting go of the ball.  In fact he seemed a little confused.  Clearly, he did not want to let go of the ball - but he needed a drink.  It was the funniest thing to watch – and made me think. 

How often in life or business are we obsessed with something?  So obsessed in fact that we will not let go and because of this, we cannot do the things we really must do.  For instance, as a creative photographer, we may love to take pictures so much that we won’t put the camera down long enough to invoice a client. 

Or, maybe we love to network so much that we forget that we have to close a deal once in a while.  Perhaps we may love to spend so much time creating a product that we don’t take the time to sell it.

We become obsessed in our own way with the game and the ball. 

Unfortunately, the obsession keeps us from doing the things we need to do to survive.  As a dog owner, I know to take away the ball so that my dog will not die of thirst and exhaustion.  But who is there to remind you about what you ‘need’ to do when you become obsessed with something?

This is where an accountability partner comes in.  I have one.  (or two)  An accountability partner is someone who will cheer you on and offer up an ‘atta boy’ when you do well but will make sure to call you on behaviors that can hurt you - or remind you to do the things you need to do when you become ‘ball obsessed’.

No one succeeds alone.  Not even a dog.  We all need someone to run and play with and someone who will remind us of the things we overlook or ignore.

My dog got his water today – but only after I took the ball away.  He did not have the good sense to drop it and drink.  I got my exercise today, but only because my dog whined until I took him for a run. 

I guess you could say we are accountability partners!

Need to find an accountability partner?  Why not start by attending a Roaring Women Meeting to connect with other like-minded women in business.  Read more here. 

And if you are looking for business coaching please be sure to contact us about our coaching – or read more about what coaching is about here.

Finally, if you would like success coaching from Mandie - please read more here.

No One Climbs Everest Alone - And Lives To Tell About It

That's right.  Oh I am sure there are a few stories of some body who did not need any body - and who set out to scale the toughest mountain ever to climb - alone.  But if you can give me an example of anyone who did so without the help of anyone at all - I will award them the 'super-hero' award - along with all the others who were awarded posthumously for dying to do something alone.

That's right - "dying" - because they were too proud, too independent, too controlling to ask for or accept any help from those who offered or who could help.

Chances are though if you are like me, it is not that we cannot afford to ask for help or delegate - it is just we do not do it.  Plain and simple.  We have never tried it, measured how much money it might save us, or looked at the time we could be spending focusing on what we do best.  In addition, we fail to build that all important support team around us who can support us and assist us by doing things that we are not so good at or that take too much of our attention away from our 'core genius'.

Two weeks ago, I decided as the time management guru - that I would begin to follow some of my own advice. (Imaging that!) I also put my hands on a new technique called the two minute time management solution.  And I made the decision to delegate some of the tasks that were causing me grief.

I booked everything into my calendar including meals, meditations and exercise time, and in addition I tried something new.  I booked everything into four days instead of five.  I booked Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays off.  For me that was a first!  Most who know me would be shocked.  And finally I took a few related tasks that were not getting done but were causing me great stress - and delegated them.

As a result, something very interesting happened.  I began to get everything done on my list and more. More importantly - I got more writing done than I had in the past four weeks together.  ( I love to write)   And when Friday came, I had no guilt about taking a free day off.  I did not worry about phone calls.  I did not worry or even look at emails.  I puttered around the house, doing some much needed cleaning, some baking, had a nap and even listened to a great audio book.

In the end - I actually accomplished more last week than I have for months.  When I focused on what I do well - and delegated other activities to the team - I actually became happier and more productive. And I had a much deserved rest so that I was able to start the week refreshed and full of new ideas and strategies.

When I tried to build the business alone - it was like setting out to scale Mount Everest - without getting the right advice, assistance and support that I needed.  No wonder I was 'dying' and that business was suffering.  My ego had overtaken my common senses and I had insisted that I do it alone.  (Control freak!)

Next time you decide to do it all yourself, remember how many people actually have to support the climber to get to the top of Mount Everest.  There are often 12 people supporting one person to get to the top.  No ones does it alone.  They may die trying - but that seems like a pretty big price to pay just because we were afraid to ask or insisted we could not afford to have someone else do it for us.

If you are looking for administrative support, coaching or marketing support for your business - be sure to check out the trusted services available here: http://www.roaringwomen.com/business_services.php

Knock, knock. Hellooooo! Is anybody home?

We all live very busy lives - and most of us agree - it is often too busy!  And so it is very common to call someone at home or work and get an answering machine.

...." Press 1 .... Press 2...to access the company directory, Press 3...to leave a number you can be reached at ..enter it now.." 

In fact in this high tech world - we even have our emails send direct messages letting others know we received their email - and we will answer it within the next 48 hours.

But how often have we received a message in person and given out a recorded answer?  How often are we focused on what has happened - or  are worrying about what is going to happen - or even thinking about what is happening somewhere else instead of just being in the "present moment"

I know I lived my life mentally planning for 10 minutes, 15 minutes and maybe even 2 days later while still 'functioning' at a local level.  The result?

Missed conversations - "did I really say that?"  Mis-communications - "did you really say that?"  Missed opportunities - "I didn't see that!"  

I was not living in the 'present'.  You could say that I was 'not all there'! (no one was home)

But the most unfortunate thing that happens when we live somewhere outside the moment is that we cannot offer the world our gifts and talents.  They stay buried beneath the worries and thoughts of yesterday and tomorrow.

Each one of us plays a significant part in the expansion and growth of the world and in other people's lives.  We are all connected in thought and in energy - and when one of us is not 'present' in the moment - the chain of energy and information is muffled or in some cases broken.

Secondly - when we are not present - we are not connected to 'spirit' or a greater spirit which guides us.  We are not 'inspired'. (being in spirit) Inspiration can bring us great ideas, lead us down paths we may not have traveled and prompt us to interact with others for special purposes.

So when we are not living in the present moment - we miss those great opportunities to bless others and be blessed by others.  I learned a difficult lesson from one of my children whom I always thought I had been  'there' for.  She said to me "Mom you were there in body, but you were always busy doing other stuff - and it was hard to get your attention".  The other stuff I was doing was 'thinking' - about past or future - but I was not in the moment.

How do we 'stay present?'

Staying present takes a little practice - but it really isn't that hard to do.  Every morning I now take 20 minutes to meditate - and remain in the present - before I create my day.  For many 'meditation' seems like a 'woo-woo' thing to do - or it may seem quite daunting.  I know I was afraid of it - because I did not understand it.

If you don't meditate - take five minutes several times a day - and reground yourself.  Breathe deeply.  Listen to your breath going in and out of your chest.  Smell your surroundings.  Touch the table or chair you are sitting on and focus on how it feels.  Scan your body - and feel the energy that flows through each toe, each finger, your arms and legs - and listen careful and you will hear you heart beat.  Doing this will bring you back to the here and now.

Now take a look at the miracle that we call life.  When you are grounded and living in the present - chances are that when anyone calls your name - they are likely to get YOU and not your 'internal answering machine'!

No yesterdays are ever wasted for those who give themselves to today.  ~Brendan Francis

Gratitude - the only choice

Just recently I began keeping a gratitude journal.  Until them I never realized how important a role gratitude played in our well being.

It's funny, when we focus on what we do have - and not what is missing - our entire outlook changes.

For example, I began to focus on how great a mood my husband was in and how kind he had been lately.  It had been a long time since I had seen him smile so much.  And the more I noticed it - the happier he seemed to be - and more often!  Hmmm, I thought - maybe this is the key?

So when I sat down to do my bills, I began to get excited that I could pay each one.  And believe it or not I even hurried one day to the post office so I could get the payment in the mail before it went out that day.   Within hours, I received two unexpected jobs come in - that equaled the payment I had just made and more!

So yesterday I looked back.  After completing about 3 weeks of daily recording all the great things that were happening in my life, I realized how lucky and blessed I really was. 

Gratitude is the greatest form of love.  When we focus on what we have - and we are thankful, we are sending out the highest form of energy that exists.  For me it is becoming very exciting.  I have started looking at all the little (and big) things that I have taken for granted for many years.

What we think upon grows.  And even though I have a vision for the future - I can now move forward instead of with impatience -  with gratitude!  It's a much more peaceful place to be!

Have you ever looked in the mirror and said.....

Have you ever just looked into the mirror and spoken to yourself?  Oh yeah - we all do it at one time or another.  It doesn't mean we are "nuts", (ok, maybe just a little) it just shows though, that we are constantly communicating with ourselves. (Some more often than others!)

Some of us may sing or dance - but often we use the mirror to find the little imperfections.

We go looking for a stray little black chin hair, or we examine our hair loss, freckles, double chin and any other flaw that needs to be fixed.  And we talk to ourselves. 

"You see - you are fat - just look!".  "Who were you to think you could become a famous dancer?"  "Wow, I wish the wrinkles would disappear".  "Now that was a dumb move".  Which one of us has not said at least one of these things to ourselves?

Last week I attended Jack Canfield's 7 day Train the Trainer event in San Diego.  One of the exercises we were tasked with was to look in the mirror every evening and tell ourselves what we appreciated about ourselves.

Sounds easy huh?

The technique may be as old as the hills - but how many of us really do it?  How many of us can look in the mirror and without cracking a smile can tell ourselves that we appreciate ourselves and name the things we appreciate? 

In my world - I was so busy trying to 'one up' myself and always do something bigger and better that I failed to recognize the achievements and the talents I had.  I even refused comments and praise for helping someone on their business journey.   I was never good enough for me.

It took me six days of the feared mirror exercise to realize that I had achieved great things - and then to say them out loud.  In my mind up until that point nothing had been quite good enough.  

My little voice constantly berated my achievements and sabotaged my self image. There were never enough people at the event, or she already had that answer inside her - I really did not help her much -  were constant thoughts.

What would it take for me to feel like I had achieved something great? 

Would making a lot of money make me feel like I was a success?  Was it fame that might make me feel like I was enough?

Then I realized - it was neither of those.  My success - my enough-ness was all about accepting my gifts and my shortcomings - and focusing on how I managed and used the gifts I was given.

If a surgeon performs heart surgery on a movie star - and becomes famous as a result - is that man any more of a success than a the lady next door who helped the senior citizen carry their groceries in?

Living our purpose and making a difference in one person's life is all it takes to become successful.  And the bigger success yet - is acknowledging the greatness inside you - and then using all of it to make a difference in our own lives and in the lives of others.

I know now that even the smallest of my talents, offered to the world in love and service - will start a revolution that may change the world!  Now that's success!

The most successful words of all will always be "I am - good enough!"

Welcome to the future!

When I was a child I was shocked to hear my teachers explain that we only used 10% of our brains for cognitive thought. Where would we store any more information if we filled it up? Then, several years ago I learned that information that used to take years to change is now becoming obsolete in less than 3 months - and that is a conservative estimate. Many experts are now saying information of technical nature is redundant in less than 6 weeks!

Today we are on information overload – and yet we crave more of it. It is almost impossible to know ‘all that is out there’ about any particular subject. In the movie “What the Bleep do we know”, quantum physicists and philosophers agreed that the information really is not ‘out there’ but in fact we already have it. It is available to us at all times – without consciously trying to find it. Let me explain.

I have often compared our bodies to cell phones. We use cell phones everyday without full understanding of how we send out packages of information. No wires, no tangible proof that information has been sent sometimes to someone half way around the world. And yet the information arrives there. However, if one cell phone is turned off - the information cannot not be transmitted.

There is much talk in the scientific and holistic circles that would indicate that our minds and bodies work exactly the same way. We give off information and energy, as does everything and everyone around us. If we are open and turned on- we receive information all day, everyday. The trick is now to allow our brains time to process the information- and give it back to us in a form we can understand and use. This ability is available to everyone – and it is incredibly powerful.

I believe that we have left the information age - and have entered the intuitive age. We have only just begun to understand the power of our mind, heart and spirit, and the merging of the three. We have long known that we only use a fraction of our brains. But we also know that there is so much information ‘out there’ that it is virtually impossible to ‘learn’ it all. So we must begin to understand how to employ the intuitive sense that we have had all along and learned over time to ignore. (How ever do you think ‘quantum physics’ or the micro chip was developed)

Our intuition involves assimilating information - some of it as old as time, without reading writing or ‘thinking hard’. Our brains are such powerful tools that if only we learn to master – will provide us with all the information that we need to achieve whatever it is that we want to achieve. How is it that some people predict things that will happen, or understand situations that others cannot? It is the power of the intuitive – the mind at work. If you add the power of intuition and the assimilation of knowledge not seen-to the mastery of our thoughts- there truly is nothing we cannot achieve.


The intuitive age will present us with new techniques for developing our new ‘listening’ skills. Our brains take in information every day through all of our senses and forms packets and files of information that we can have access to. Just like the hidden files in your computer – our brains have similar files that contain valuable data that we can use on our decision making if we only learn to tune into it. So how do we do this?

Consider the entrepreneur that wakes up in the middle of the night with an idea - scratches it down on a piece of paper and develops the idea into a successful business. This is an example of individual allowing their brain to ‘rest’, organize information and assess it until it forms into a packet of information that becomes an idea. What if we could learn to let our brains do this during the day?

It is becoming a very common practice within entrepreneurial circles to rely on our intuitive senses to bring new business, products and services into being. Books are springing up all over with discoveries of new ways to receive information. No crystal balls, no weird incantations or special prayers – simply a call out to the universe for information that we need and the belief that we will receive what is necessary for our success. There is power in listening in solitude and hearing more than words. There is magic in quiet thought. There is much to learn by listening to the sound of nothing.

So take time this month, every day to stop thinking. Let your brain work for you and give it the space it needs to do so. Commit to yourself to accept information it gives you- believe it and act upon it. It is only by trusting that it can work for you that you will experience the benefit of information you have not actively searched out and ‘learned’ the conventional way. And so - enter the intuitive age. (See you there!)

I am so tired of make believe business owners

Maybe it's middle age - but I seem to be doing a lot of ranting lately.

But the amount of 'junk' I hear daily from business owners has me wanting to stir the pot a little - maybe just be honest about how I feel about it.

I mean really - can't anyone be honest any more?

"$200.00 to attend the weekend event? Oohhh I can't afford that". "$45.00 for a meal and a speaker - ohhhh - that's too much".

These are the words coming from the lips of micro business owners - who will always be micro business owners and never make more than just enough to pay the bills. And that is ok if that is where they want to stay.

But these same business owners are the first to whine about not having enough business. These are the business owners who continue to advertise using poor copy - and subsequently spend hundreds on an ad that no one reads or responds to. Or they have a website built from a template that they never update and complain that they are not getting any traffic on their websites.

Yet if you ask them what they want to achieve you will hear them say - next year I want a six figure income.

Not using outdated strategies and penny pinching they won't. In fact they will stay exactly where they are. And that's ok if that's what they want.

But pleeeaaase don't tell me how hard it is to get business when you are not willing to spend money on your business.

And come on! How do you expect to keep up with everyone else when you refuse to invest in yourself and learn new business strategies?

And get real! Do you really want to keep going to the same place month after month, meeting the same people over an over again - talking about the same issues - and making the same money (and mistakes) as you did 15 years ago?

If you really, really want to grow your business invest in yourself. Stop whining. Think from the end.

Yes $200 can be a lot of money. But what if you learned one thing, just one thing that would raise your yearly income by 10 to 20 %? Wouldn't that more than cover the $200?

You know it would be much easier if you were just honest with yourself and the rest of us. Why not just say - "you know I really don't want any more business - I just like to come out to dinner and socialize once a month". Or maybe admit, "I really just enjoy getting paid once in a while for my work - but I really don't want this to be a big business - it's too much trouble and just interferes with other things I would rather do."

Great. I can respect that. But please stop pretending to yourself and the rest of us that you are trying to build your business. If you are unwilling - yes UNWILLING to invest $200 in learning something new then you are not serious about your business.

There I said it. Now let's get some serious work done. Those of you playing at business can go back to your game of make believe.

By the way - we have a great business event in Hamilton October 16th and 17th. Why not join us. But be advised - this is serious stuff. You might even learn something new.

Nickle and diming ourselves to death - Shrinking thinking!

When I was a little girl, I remember my Dad using the expression "nickle and diming ourselves to death". The Beatles were becoming popular, Twiggy was in vogue, my allowance was ten cents a week and I still had a pixie cut! Over the years I heard that expression may times when my mother and father were shopping, or talking about finances. My understanding was that pinching pennies could put one in the poor house. Today we understand much more about the universal laws that govern personal finances. I am careful not to fall into scarcity thinking, but also not to carelessly live outside my means as well. It can be a fine balance. However over the last 12 months, I have watched as business owners became fearful of their financial situation and began to 'cut back' in places where they thought it would help their businesses. Unfortunately, this hurt them more than they may know. I was at a business dinner last week when I heard someone say, "Hey, why don't we just all meet here for a dinner, order off the menu and save ourselves $15.00. I just shook my head in disbelief. Why? Many psychological reasons and universal principles come to mind - but logically there is a dollar and cents (sense!) reason. Had these ladies gotten together for a meeting and all paid their own dinner - it may have cost them $25.00. Unfortunately, according to CRA, only half of that amount can be written off as a business expense. However if they attend a meeting that is catered, the full amount of the ticket is tax deductible. In other words their business can write $40 off (or whatever the ticket cost) against $40 worth of income. If they had paid for their own meals, they could have only written off $12.50 off of $40 of income - AND they would have had to suck up the other $12.50 as personal expense. So in other words, someone who 'cheaped' out and paid for a meal instead of attending a meeting spent $12.50 of personal money instead of being able to write it all off on the business! Not only that, but the ever searching attitude of 'look, look, look, oh let's find it cheaper somewhere else' energetically sets a person or business in a negative process. It is scarcity mentality. It is not expanding and creative thinking - it is negative, penny pinching, shrinking thinking! It will bring us nothing but more need and want and will lead a person into poverty. Now I know what my dad meant when he talked 'nickle and diming ourselves to death." BTW, Join us for a great event where business and creativity meet: Rebuilding the Dream - in Hamilton Ontario. Read more here!

HYPE without substance - how I hate it!

OK, time for a bit of a rant and a lesson for all of us... As many of you know - my hubby has been managing a campground this summer, while I play catch up with Roaring Women. I have been blessed with gorgeous mountains and fresh air. But I got a bit cranked earlier in the week. We have always prided ourselves in being 'green' - or as green as we can. We are careful of our water, electricity and gas use. And we have been told over and over again by the media and government that the planet benefits and that we also benefit financially. But I am wondering is all this a bunch of hype? I digress... back on point Mandie.... So because we have been away from home - we have not used any water except for the odd toilet flush when we return home to get the mail. We thought - wow - because we are using the shower in the RV which uses very little water, we are really adding to the green planet conservation efforts - and saving money. (we also have used less than $25 in propane for the entire summer - cooking water heat included) Well, we may be helping the planet - but the money saving thing is all a bunch of hype. After reviewing the bill last month and this month- I noted we saved $2.03 in July and $2.30 in August. Yes we saved less than $5.00 in two months for using little or no water at home. So I called the utilities department at the city. The clerk was amazed at how little water we use normally and looked at the graph that showed we used 1/10th of what we normally used in July last year. Add yes the savings was $2.03. (Over $40.00 of the bill is service charges) I thought back to all the times I take a short shower to save water and cash. Then I thought of all the times I berated the teens over the years about their water usage. Then I did a few calculations. It seems that if I run the shower for 1 minute it costs less than 1 penny in water usage. So for an extra 10 minutes in the shower every day for a month, (oh how luxurious) my bill would go up a measley $3.00. So what is my beef? Advertisers and marketers know that when you talk money, people sit up and listen. But I really am tired of being roped into a pile of hype about a benefit that does not even exist. If you promise me big savings on a water bill because I conserve - I want to see big savings. But if I do not save much - appeal to my sense of responsibility - don't try to sell me a bill of goods that do not exist. Do I want to help the planet - yes I do. I want my grandchildren to be able to shower. And I want under privileged countries to have better access to water. And so I will continue to conserve water. But come on Calgary, if you want to play on the savings because I conserve - you had better change your billing structure so that your promises can be realized! Let's put some honesty back into marketing - PLEASE!

A lesson from nature..

I have always thought the desert to be a beautiful place. Recently my husband returned from a trip to Tucson Arizona, bringing some beautiful pictures with him. Several of his pictures featured Saguaro Cactus, the cactus that bears the state flower of Arizona. This cactus grows about an inch a year from what seems to be infertile soil. That means it takes 50 years to grow is just over 4 feet! They take up to 75 years to develop a side arm. This is so much slower growing than bamboo in the rain forest where in one year, bamboo can grow up to 70 feet!

This made me begin to think about business growth. What does something need in order to grow?

Certainly in the plant world there needs to be energy - the warmth of the sun. There also needs to be nutrients in the soil as well as moisture – rain or humidity. Take these things away or limit them and growth may still happen, but much more slowly. What about our businesses? What does a business need to grow? It’s not a plant, animal or human. However, a business, in its own way is a living thing. It too needs certain things to survive. Cash flow is essential in a business. It’s like oxygen. But just because a business has cash flow that does not necessarily mean it will grow. It may exist but will not necessarily grow. A business needs to have a knowledgeable and skilled leader with relevant and timely strategies and information to make it grow. Unfortunately many business owners operate solely on their gut feeling. They hope they are making the right decisions and when the business runs into trouble – or hard times hit, they become confused and begin having knee-jerk reactions – making decisions too quickly and without enough knowledge. No one is born with a ‘how to build a business’ manual. Many successful business owners have spent years educating themselves before they even open a business. Essentially what they are doing when educating themselves is ensuring that there are enough nutrients (information) to feed the business. Many of us want our businesses to grow – and grow quickly. When it does not – we lose interest (energy) – often the energy that is required to keep the business growing. Many of us lose interest because we do the same things day in and day out without taking the time to feed our minds with the information we need to help our businesses grow. So in addition to losing interest we also do not have the knowledge it takes to get over the bumps. It is kind of like Saguaro Cactus growing in the desert. Our businesses may have lots of sunshine but not near enough nutrients or moisture to help it to grow. Are you growing your business in a desert? Have you taken some time to feed it with good information? Are you willing to grow only an inch a year or would you like it to grow a little more quickly? (I know I would!) It is imperative that we take time to learn about new trends, strategies and meet with other business owners to see how they are handing their businesses successfully. Yes, education does not come for free. We have to pay for it – one way or another. We can speed up the growth process by learning from others or we can learn slowly by making mistakes and finding things out for ourselves! Which will you choose? If you are looking ti increase your business knowledge and improve upon your skills - I have a great event coming up this fall to feed your thirsty mind - check out the preliminary information here!

Business Lessons From My Motorcycle

People say I tell lots of stories. I do this because, for me – a lesson is better remembered (and sometimes learned) if there is a story or anecdote attached to it. This brings me to a couple of motorcycle stories that upon reflection taught me some valuable lessons about my business. Let me begin by saying that I have been terrified of dropping my motorcycle. At a whopping 857 pounds, I know that it is impossible for one person to pick up alone. I knew though that at one point the inevitability of losing control of such a large bike is a given. For those of you who have not seen my bike, it is a big one – but more than big it is just plain too tall for me. I can ride and control it well, however I can only touch the ground with the balls of my feet – which makes maneuvering it in and out of small spaces like garages and parking spots a bit of a dance on my tip-toes! I have been so afraid of dropping the bike that I rarely ride it alone. Usually my husband drives and I ride behind. (it is set up for his height not mine) About a month ago we were on an extended ride. At the end of a long and exhausting day we came off the highway and stopped for the red light on the top of a hill on an exit ramp. Tired legs and uneven pavement contributed to a ‘lean to the right’ where the weight of the motorcycle outweighed the strength of the driver and a smooth and comically slow movement resulted in the driver literally laying the bike down on its side. As the driver laid the bike gently down – I tried to get off the back seat which resulted in me hopping on one foot and trying to get my leg over the back rest. After several hops up and down I realized I was also attached to the bike via my helmet cord that was attached to the receptacle on the other side of the bike. (It looks much like a curly telephone cord) I continued to hop backwards trying to release myself only to realize that now the back aerial was caught between my legs. All I could think of was what it must look like! What a spectacle! In the end after hopping several more times on one foot, I fell on my bum in the middle of the lane we occupied. In the meantime – the light had turned green and red again. After a deep breath I got up off my bum, brushed off my pride and between the two of us we managed to lift the bike up, get back on and head home. We were lucky. There was no damage to the bike (it rolled on a roll bar) so there was no damage to anything except our confidence and pride. For me this event was a defining moment – and I know I will never forget it. It took about a week to sort out how I felt about all of it. I realized that I had learned several great lessons from the event – so I thought I would pass them on to you. Lesson #1. Anyone can make a mistake. I had been terrified of dropping the bike – so I rarely rode it alone. In the end, I realized that dropping the bike was not really such a big deal. So what. The most important part was that together we picked ourselves and the bike up and got back on it to ride it home. (some day I might even laugh about this event) Lesson #2. Stop and rest when you are tired. This applies to everything in life – including business. When we go too long and too hard – mistakes happen. If we are lucky, we can recover from our mistakes. However, mistakes made affect our confidence and pride – and until we get back up and ride it can also affect our performance and confidence. The second fall or shall I say ‘bike dropping event’, I managed to accomplish all on my own! Determined to master the weight and awkwardness of the bike, I decided to ride it to work one day. I was the only one home and so I took my time getting my chaps on, arranging all my things in the compartments and making sure I was prepared to ride safely. I began to back the bike out of the garage and my foot slipped on the cement. I looked at the shoes I had on and thought “I had better get my boots on – they have better grip”. So I decided to do this after I had backed the bike out of the garage. Then my foot slipped again. My gut told me to get my boots on now, but I ignored the intuitive prompting. I backed the bike out onto the cement pad and then down the grade to the gravel laneway. I stopped the bike a little too quickly and the bike began to lean to the right. I knew then as it leaned that I was past the point of being able to right it and so I slowly lowered it to the ground. “Ok” I thought. “No big deal”. But now what? As pointless as it seemed I decided to try my best to lift it back up. (there is a technique to lifting heavy bikes) As you can guess – it was pointless. The bike outweighed me by over 700 pounds. With no one home, there was only one l thing I could do. Call a friend or ask a passing motorist ( a stranger ) for help. I managed to flag down a young man who chuckled as he helped me lift the bike. “Wow” he said. “That is heavy”. I thanked him, gathered what spunk I had left and started the bike and set off to work. Determined to regain my confidence, I reflected on what I could have done differently, and thought about how much I had learned from my bike. I added these to the list of “Everything I learned about business I learned from my honking huge motorcycle”. Lesson # 3. Listen to your gut. I knew I should have changed into my boots after the first slip on the concrete. I might never have lost my balance with a pair of heavy soled boots. Lesson # 4. Ask for help. Sometimes you will need to ask someone you do not know. There is no shame in asking for help. No one can do it all alone. And there is always someone who is happy to help. Lesson #5. Nothing is ever too heavy. You just need to learn how to work with it. There are hundreds of people who ride bikes that are heavy – and hard to handle when still. And sometimes that means asking for help. Lesson #6. Keep moving. In both cases, had the bike been moving, and not in the process of being stopped, it would have never fallen over. But fear in both cases made us stop too quickly – and the bike having some momentum had to go somewhere – so it went sideways. How often in business, when we are fearful do we just STOP? When we are afraid – it is not time to stop. In fact momentum will carry us forward as long as we continue to steer straight. If we need to stop, it should never be a knee jerk reaction made out of fear – but a slow and steady stop – so that we remain in control. We are in uncertain times. Some days the load seems too heavy and even unmanageable. Don’t be fearful. Just remember the following:

1. Anyone can make a mistake. There is no shame in that. Only those who stand still will never fall.
2. Stop and rest when you are tired or over worked.
3. Listen to your gut. When you feel trouble coming on, listen to your gut feelings and act on them.
4. Ask for help when you need it. (I mean really, how hard is it to ask for help)
5. Nothing is ever too hard or too heavy – you just need to learn the right technique. (yes, you may have to ask for help)
6. Keep moving. Momentum will carry you forward. If you become afraid and try to stop too quickly you will fall. If you do get right back up and keep moving forward.

copyright 2009 Mandie Crawford

Do Blogs work? Update on DELL

I have always wondered - do BLOGs really work. I mean how many of us have time to read everyone elses opinions or rants? Secondly, how many companies really pay any attention to one person's blogplaint? Well here is an update. After posting the blog last Monday about the problems with the DELL return policy or shall I call it their inability to admit that there may be a problem with a product - I received several calls from a DELL manager. It had taken me two separate calls to get my complaint escalated to the 'next manager' level. But to their credit, the next-level-up manager called me several times before he could actually reach me. (yes it was a busy week) After a brief conversation with the 'next-level-up' manager, I explained my concern that after over 130 complaints on their site alone, they had not looked further into the complaints about the cord and adapter failing one, two and three times within three years. He explained to me that for the number of computers like mine that they have sold - 130 complaints was not enough to generate a complaint. (Maybe that explains why I am having trouble building a business as profitable as DELL. I try to take seriously a complaint I get more than once) My counter of course was that many people give up before they even write a complaint. Complaining is negative, takes time, drags you down and is often argumentative. Not quite the recipe for a good start or end to a day. At the end of the conversation I received two promises.

1. DELL was sending a new power cord and adapter despite the fact that computer was no longer under warranty.
2. DELL would send a package for the return of my cord that no longer worked and investigate the problem. They would give it a case number and report back to me their findings.

I am glad that DELL is looking into the problem. I wish it had not taken the effort it did. I know we have to choose our battles - and really it seemed that this was a small thing to get upset over. But I had sung the praises of DELL for too long to let this one go. So Monday will tell all. And I will keep everyone updated.

Customer service - polite - but to no avail. I will never buy a DELL again

Ok, so I admit it. I was seduced by the advertising. Despite warnings not to buy a Dell computer, I decided to purchase one 3 years ago. Now let me begin by saying, I love technology, and feel almost as attached to my laptop as I do to my puppy. Unfortunately computers do not have the longevity of a dog. ( I think one computer year is equal to 7 dog years) I have owned several Toshiba laptops and have been very happy with them - but alas the time came when I had to replace them. And so three years ago I replaced them with a DELL Inspiron 9400. Within 9 months the adapter cord failed. As a great customer service company would do - DELL replaced the cord. It took 2 days. Nine months after the adapter cord was replaced the hard drive blew up. At first I thought it was my fault - I know better now. (turns out the adapter cord is not reliable and the current varies causing surges - ergo blowing up the hard drive) I again replaced the adapter cord thinking perhaps that the inconsistent power supply was the problem. I also added a fan driven cooling mat under my laptop because I was told that the DELL model I have over heats. (this would explain the spontaneous shutdown every now and then). Predictably, nine more months later my power cord adapter again failed. So I replaced it temporarily with an "IGO" power adapter - the only adapter cord that will fit a DELL. I went to the Dell site - and voila - found a forum that identified my adapter as possibly faulty. In fact there were 117 complaints from customers that indicated that they had replaced their adapter cord up to 3 times within 2 years. HMMM... one would think this may be a problem! You can read the customer reviews here. Be sure to look under the power cord picture for the "read customer reviews" link. Be aware that DELL does not think that there is a problem, even though this forum on their site is truly very negative. After reading the issues others faced with the power adapter with their DELL Inspiron 9400, I called DELL. Five dropped calls later I spoke with technical support - who advised me that there was no problem with the power cord and that over 120 prior customers were not telling the truth. So I asked the representative.... "are you telling me that 120 customers are not telling the truth and posting these comments for no reason". His answer was that yes, that is probably true and that DELL has not identified any problems with the power adapter cord. So, 120 vocal (I am sure many did not complain, or gave up) customers who have replaced their cords more than once in 2 years are wrong. There is no problem according to DELL. I let DELL know that I have 3000 members on my newsletter list who would be interested in knowing that although the customers have told them there is an issue, that they have their fingers in their ears and are singing "la, la, la, I can't hear you", and they did not seem to care. Apparently there are enough other suckers out there, who like me will be seduced by their marketing. For me - it will happen only once. My advice - don't buy a DELL. It's only my opinion however. And I am sure as time goes by there will be thousands more who agree. Read the customer reviews about the power cord here - click "read reviews" under the photo. Total cost to date: Many missed hours of work, my sanity (which was in question anyhow), computer cost + 2 power cords ($310.00) and 1 hard drive. ($300 in labour and materials).

Why will some small businesses not survive the recession?

Ok – so I admit it. There appears to be a recession. Yes, the media has mentioned it a few times. Yes, it seems to be a little too quiet around the office. And yes, I have seen the going out of business signs being posted on what seems like every corner. Most of them are smaller businesses. So, why will some small businesses not survive the recession? I recently did some research on how to survive a recessions and was surprised to learn several interesting facts. Some businesses come out of a recession in better shape than when they went in! That’s right. They are ahead of their competition. Many are lean mean money making machines when the recession finally ends – and are better positioned to become very profitable. However, none of this happened over night. The truth is – that during the recession, they were as concerned as everyone else about the bottom line – but instead of pushing the panic button – they became very strategic. Here are a few things that they did. Businesses that survived the recession: * Measured everything, their marketing efforts, their employee performance, their time management, their cash flow and their mark up and pricing matrix. * Continued to market their business (above all else) * Invested in systems – positioning themselves for effective customer and product management for future growth * Were patient. They recognized that “Robbing Peter to pay Paul” was a strategy that they may have to use – short term. Unfortunately micro businesses and small businesses are not all paying attention. They are panicking. Some are paying off loans that have interest rates of 3%. Ridiculous! Why not use that interest rate AND take advantage of lower pricing. An interest rate like this and lower prices can cut the final cost of a purchase by 50%. Others are discontinuing their marketing efforts entirely. There is no faster way to kill a business. Finally, others are burying their heads in the sand, hiding in the office and biting their fingernails. What a waste of time and energy! Why not take this time to visit clients, strategize on guerrilla marketing efforts and begin measuring your efforts. It has been reported that there are several companies that sell bargain goods who have increased their sales in the last quarter. Fast food is on the rise – yet middle of the road restaurants are suffering. Macaroni and cheese sales are up. You get the drift. However, upscale companies like ‘Coach’ that sells upscale accessories for women (purses etc) have recognized that they too need to do something – and have looked at bringing in cheaper goods to tide them over. They have reduced staff and closed stores that were not making a profit. Small business owners however, continue to astound me. They cancel advertising costing less than $20 a month – but continue to buy coffee at the local coffee shop. (Which has the ability to make them money, the advertising or the coffee?) Many are paying off their loans and paring services back so far that recovery may be impossible. For many, the recession is a perfect excuse to close a business they are really not interested in running anyway! So what does this mean in the end? It means if you consider the strategies mentioned earlier that the larger businesses use – chances are you will emerge from the recession with a stronger company. It also means that the people who are not dedicated to their businesses or whose customer service is poor, or whose prices are too high will have to close their doors. Finally though, the real trick to surviving the recessions is to recognize - nothing happens over night. Marketing efforts must be consistent and target your market correctly. When considering what you need to do to survive the recession – measure everything. Get rid of bulky, overpriced items and services whether you buy or sell them. Marketing is a 24 hour 7 day a week task. Finding better marketing strategies is a great idea. But getting rid of marketing all together is not a wise decision. If you don't know what to do - invest in good advice. There is no better time than now. You have the time - and need the help. Another option is to meet with your peers in a formal or informal setting. Get to know what is working for them. Share your expertise! Buck up people. Now is not the time to panic. Now is the time to get strategic with all you do, and be patient.

He knows the founding principles behind a great business

This past week we several adventures while on a trip to Winnipeg. (Note to self: Not all adventures are fun at the time - but always funny later!) We left on Sunday morning with the Coaching Coach and headed to Winnipeg to deliver a Small Business Seminar for Grand and Toy. After driving several hours we approached a small town in Saskatchewan (Assiniboia) that had a camping symbol by the highway. We decided to stop for the night. We followed the signs to the campground only to find it locked up - not yet open for the season. I sighed as I envisioned another night at the side of the road in 'no man's land' with the charming sound of trucks rumbling by all night long. This part of our adventure still has me shaking my head in wonder!. I can hardly believe what happened next! We pulled into the arena lot to decide what we were going to do - travel on, or find somewhere we could park for the night. It was then that I heard a car honking at us. Out jumped a middle aged man who ran up to us and began talking very quickly. His accent made it very difficult to understand him, but he continued to repeat himself until the weary travelers caught on to wht he was saying. It seemed he had followed us all through town trying to catch us. He knew that the campground was closed - and offered us his parking lot with hydro to park in. Wow, what a nice guy - I could not believe our luck! We followed him to the 'Starlite Motel' and plugged in under a flashing sign and several hundred Christmas lights pointing the way to his motel. I chuckled as I thought of him seeing us drive by and jumping into his car to follow us! And then I congratulated him. This man knows how to survive a recession. If the business did not come to him - he was going to go out and get it. (As a side note - the owner of the Starlite Motel spent 15 minutes telling us about all his renovation plans.) Yes I still went to sleep to the tune of trucks hitting the rumble strip at the stop sign about 600 meters away - but I saw the lesson in all of this. This business owner was so excited about his business he could hardly wait to tell others about it. He did not care if it was not perfect at the moment - all he could see is what it looked like when he was done. And he was not going to wait until it was peerfect to start bringing customers in. Why then would he chase an RV half way across town to invite them to plug in and park in his motel parking lot? You see - he had just purchased the land behind his motel and was starting to clear it to become an RV park. He was thinking ahead. Vision. Determination. Enthusiasm. These are the foundation blocks of a great business. Wahid Alnadi is the owner of the Starlite Motel - and soon to be the proud owner of an RV park behind the hotel. He also let us know, in broken English, that his website was #1 on Google. I will be marking this one down in 'future places to visit'. ( http://www.starlitemotel.ca )

Plagiarism in a blog? NO Way?

There is a whole new trend that has been going on for several years with social networking. Businesses are participating, writing blogs, using twitter, linkedin and facebook. In fact there are so many people who are doing this that it now becomes imperative to update and write daily in order to have anyone follow you. And it is race to see who becomes most popular!

This of course takes time. Time that many of us do not have. I get a blog up maybe once a week unless something has got my goat so to speak.

And something has definitely caught my attention.

I subscribe to Google alerts - a good idea if you have a business. It will notify you by email if it indexes something or it finds something on the web. This is often how I find out if there are articles about myself or Roaring Women posted online. In fact it was how I knew that a recent article was published in The Edmonton Journal, Vancouver Sun. The Province, The Montreal Gazette, The Hamilton Spectator and the Ottawa Citizen.

Today however I received a Google alert that definitely caught my attention.

It seems that a business owner in California, in her zeal to get 'out there' on the web has posted a blog. She has hired several students to populate it for her as she does not have the time. (which makes one wonder how authentic the blog or the business is.) The Google alert I received linked to her recent blog. As I read the article- I realized it was MY ARTICLE. Word for word. However the byline was attributed to the business owner.

I began to search the site and found 6 other articles from my site. These are copy written articles, written by myself. All of them were word for word. It was a clear example of theft of intellectual property.

As a business owner I know how important it is to be authentic. In fact my business not only represents my beliefs but also represents who I am - it is an extension of me. And maybe this is why when people get to know me, there is a trust built - and they become advocates on my behalf.

I do not take shortcuts. If you read something I have written - I wrote it. It is my opinion, or information I have researched or developed on my own. For this reason I do not blog as often. Although I write all the time - I get few opportunities to write an ongoing blog with any meaning.

The most incredible part of this incident is the name of the blog. (of the person who ripped off my material) Her blog is called "Becoming an Entrepreneur" and the page the article was on 'authentic branding'. It linked to a website for women entrepreneurs and the articles were also posted on this site as well. This clearly was not authentic branding. In fact it was a shortcut to her success. Her intent was to get as much out there as quickly and as often as possible to increase her own web and blog traffic. But at what cost?

To her credit when I called the owner of the blog, she admitted she had not checked the work of the students. She removed the articles right away. However this does not absolve her of responsibility.

What if I had not found the articles? How many other articles are not her own? How can she call this her blog if it is not even her writing?

Are we living in a time where there si so much information out there that the likelihood of getting caught is so small that we just do it because it is easy?

I really am at a loss for words. I had recently sent a sample of my work out to someone - knowing she would not copy and paste. And she has a group of friends who want to use the materials as well and agreed to do so for a fee. But they wanted to print the materials themselves. Now I am hesitant to send them the printable product.

The result of this incident? I trust people less. And then I examine my own actions. Have I ever stolen intellectual content? No. Have I ever used software that I did not pay for? Hmmmm.....

Heading off to the electronic store now. I need to replace a program....

I have one word left to say: Karma.