​​​​​​​​​Donna Messer sat down with Brett Wilson, the Chairman of Canoe Financial, to hear his perspective on philanthophy and to discuss his new show called Risky Business.

By Donna Messer

W. Brett Wilson is the Chairman of Canoe Financial, a privately owned investment management firm with over 1.5 billion in assets.  The company is focused on providing investors with unique opportunities to profit from Canada’s increasing prominence on the global stage.  Brett is also Chairman of Prairie Merchant Corporation; a private merchant bank focused on business opportunities in the energy, agriculture, real estate, sports and entertainment industries.  In 1993 he founded FirstEnergy Capital Corp. an industry leader; participating in projects worth over 250 billion. For the past 3 years, Brett has been the lead “deal-maker” on CBC’s award winning show ‘The Dragons’ Den’.

In Brett Wilson’s view, charitable giving programs are an investment, not an expense. He sees them as investments with long term value. In his opinion, entrepreneurs should have philanthropy as part of their marketing strategy.

Our interview with Brett was supposed to be a 15 minute phone interview. It turned into almost an hour of getting to know a truly gracious and giving entrepreneur.  This article is all about the importance of social responsibility – regardless of the size of your business. When I asked Brett what Canadian students should be taught in school, he said, ”Marketing, Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy.”

Brett began the interview with the words, “If you put value on your staff, on a team that is so proud of what they’ve done in the community, you’ll understand where I’m coming from.  I can’t tell you how many times people from FirstEnergy have said, ‘We were so proud to work for FirstEnergy.’  It didn’t seem to matter how long they worked there, or why they left; while they were there, they always spoke about the social conscience of FirstEnergy. “

Brett was one of ten partners in FirstEnergy, and while most of the time he was there providing leadership; he had amazing support from his partners who were 100% behind the charitable giving program they put in place.

When FirstEnergy began, the partners set policy and practice, and one of the key things they had on their working agenda was a corporate and social commitment. What they decided to do was take 2.5% of the pre-tax profit, and allocate those dollars to charity. They all agreed that this would be their marketing budget.

They would get asked to support plenty of causes at FirstEnergy, so they had to go breadth over depth. In the 15 years he was with the company they never once turned down a client request for funds. From the beginning, they were using their charitable giving program to establish their brand, to associate their name with certain causes and to put money in a sprinkled fashion across the board. They were a team of 30 people supporting over 250 charities.

Question:  If you were speaking to companies who already donate to causes, is there something that you could say to them that says, “This is what we did; it’s a template and it works.”  Is there a way to sit down with your team and come up with an actual game plan where everyone agrees?

Answer:  When we first started, we looked at the arts organizations, political organizations and health causes. The word community was the catchall. What we needed to do was support every major arts organization in Calgary, at a level equal to where our major competitors were already positioning themselves. We highlighted the names of the competitors and tried to match at the highest level possible, always unsolicited in every single cause. There were about 10 of them. We stirred the pot.

In September of 1993, we started sending cheques out. We had no revenue. We started sending out charity cheques before we generated any profit. This was about establishing our brand against our competitors.

We looked at politics and our practice has always been ‘supporting everyone but the Communists. We would support to some degree every request that came in, provincial or federal; not always to the degree they wanted, but it didn’t matter.  We looked at our budget and made our own judgement.

We went to the health organization and realized we had 150 health organizations – we recognized that being proactive in health would be destructive to our business plan because we didn’t have the time to be hands-on in that area. So we decided to be reactive; reactive to clients and reactive to staff.

We went into communities and started helping women in shelters.  We helped causes like Churchill Daycare, where they look after single mothers who are going back to school; we sent a cheque to them. A woman phoned and was crying. She said “We’ve never heard of you, who are you, why did you send us money?” I told her that one of my staff saw a story on her in a local newspaper and so we sent them money. That sort of thing was goodwill that had nothing to do with our business community. She sent a letter that I read at Christmas to the staff and some of them were crying; I still get emotional remembering that letter. It was pretty powerful.

I call it ‘goodwill building’ in the charitable community by being proactive in the community, reactive in health, and reluctantly accepting the need to be there for politics and very proactive in the arts community.

Question:  It sounds like you and FirstEnergy really made an impact on the charitable community. Did you do anything else that might be helpful to readers still working on their charitable giving?

Answer:  We looked at the board of every charity we sent money to.  And in 1993, when FirstEnergy was unknown, we sent cheques to the board of every charity we identified. We would send the cheque to the president. The president would get the money, and copies of the letter would go to the VP of business development or fundraising. We would also copy everyone on the board. It was our belief that these were community leaders, clients, competitors and wives of a community leader. We covered all the bases we could.

Question:  What was the result of your actions?

Answer:  We built goodwill in a larger community very quickly. You can’t offend someone by copying them on a letter about a cheque to their charity. They are on the board or actively involved. The probability is that you’re going to impress them.

At the end of the year, organizations get a list of 300 – 500 people who donated.  We wanted to be memorable, the one that came across someone’s desk first.

We tried to be the first to respond. When we would do our charity cheques every week, we had a process – my assistant would have a one page written on specific organizations. We took the information she gave us seriously.  She would do the leg work, but the decision making was done by me with full accountability and support from my partners.

Question:  What happened if there was a dispute between partners?

Answer:  If I turned down a charity, I had to tell my partners why. They had the right individually to say no, if they still wanted to give. We never questioned each other. If one partner said, ‘I want to support it’ – we all did.

Question:  Do you have an example of social responsibility with a fundraiser where you’ve used collaboration and partnerships?

Answer:  You can go to the website: www.operationwesternfront.ca. You will see what is called “the finest gala ever done in Vancouver.” Three months ago we raised a million and half dollars for military families. Talk about collaboration! I met Shannon Tweed and Gene Simmons through twitter, and invited them to the event as surprise guests.  I had the Prime Minister’s wife helping to auction off items and I had the Premier of BC show up.

Here’s what we did: We served a black tie pricing dinner to people dressed in camouflage, it was $15,000 dollars for the table. We asked everyone to dress in the colors of the military. So no blue or red, just shades of tan, beige, green and khaki; those were the colors. If someone wanted to wear a cocktail dress, that was the guide for the colors. It was a blast; people went to military surplus stores for their outfits.

Bell Canada bought a table, and they made custom bow ties in camouflaged for their clients. They were one of the key sponsors. The participation was incredible.

We had people sitting mess hall style in rows and when they got up for the buffet service, they picked up a plate that had indents and they had their food placed on those indents! That was how people were fed, on these trays, just like at a military base.

It hasn’t taken Brett Wilson very long to get back into the spotlight after announcing his split with the popular television show Dragons’ Den earlier this year.

Question:  Brett you’re known for your ability to adapt quickly and stay on top of whatever venture suits your fancy. We understand that you are in the process of a launching a new adventure; can you tell us a little about it?

Answer:  It’s called Risky Business and it’s a format show based on a UK show called Beat the Bank. We’ve modified it for a Canadian audience. My role is host, coach and investor for this show.

Question:  Sounds interesting, can you give us more details?

Answer:  Every show will have a new couple coming to the table with between $10,000 and $20,000 to invest which will be the bulk of their savings.  It’s a high-risk investment for them, so there will be plenty of drama. They will be introduced to two investment opportunities, and they will be obligated to take one of them and I will take the other.

I’ll walk them through the kind of risk they are taking, along with what opportunities they might have.  I’ll negotiate the deals to improve the game, but at the end of the day we will both invest. The investment will be based on a short-term 30 day turnaround return on our investment.

Question:  How is this show different from Dragons’ Den?

Answer:  This show is completely different. The people who come on this show must commit to making an investment. Dragons don’t have to commit. The people are coming on the show to make an investment and they will make an investment. The people coming to be invested in will get funding. One investment will be done by the couple and one will be done by me.

Question:  Aside from return on investment, what is it as an investor that you’re looking for when receiving a pitch?

Answer:  I don’t believe that entrepreneurs are risk takers; they are just people who view risk differently. My role on the show is to talk about risk, to analyze it and become comfortable with it. High risk to one person is just the ordinary nature of trade to another. Part of the excitement will be to see how people come to grips with perceived higher-risk opportunities. Leaving money in the bank right now is a one per cent a year investment and that’s not very good business.

Question:  What do you see as the single biggest obstacle that inhibits aspiring entrepreneurs in this country? What are possible solutions?

Answer:  The biggest obstacle is confidence. With confidence, risk goes down. Entrepreneurship and marketing is all part of what I call the perception of risk. That’s what is exciting about a show like Risky Business. There will be people screaming at the television, “Don’t do it!” or to pick door one or door two. It could have a feel like a Price Is Right kind of thing where it is exciting, but it’s also all within a $10,000 or $20,000 range.

I don’t know about you, but I’ll be watching Risky Business when it airs in the fall. Brett Wilson is an amazing man; he’s smart, caring and willing to share his insight on philanthropy and investing with Canadians everywhere.  Brett is at https://www.facebook.com/WBrettWilsonFan. Risky Business airs on September 12th. Check out more information on his new show at http://riskybusiness.tv/index.php/home.

Brett’s Top Ten Business Tips

1. Follow your passion, no matter what the critics say.

2. Understand marketing.

3. Keep learning.

4. Have a clear set of priorities.

5. Diversify yourself.

6. Think outside the job market.

7. Innovation and entrepreneurship are important in every industry.

9. Learn from failure.

10. Balance passion with priorities

Raise Your Profile

Your LinkedIn Profile is one of the ways potential clients, employees and industry partners can find you. Get your profile to appear higher in search results on the web for your name by customizing your LinkedIn Profile URL so it’s your first name and your last name together as one word (ex. JoeSmith). Also, make sure your LinkedIn Public Profile is visible to everyone. You can make both changes under your account settings. 
 

Put Your Best Foot Forward Online

Make sure you fill out the summary and experience sections of your profile. People with at least one past position listed on their profile are 12 times more likely to be viewed for potential opportunities. Include keywords and phrases that clients might search in your profile description. Also add skills to your profile and don’t forget to upload a photo. Professionals with a photo are seven times more likely to be viewed in general. 
 

Update Your Status

Let your connections know what you’re up to and how your business is growing by updating your status regularly. Use status updates to announce new products, to post interesting articles, and even to get answers to business questions you’re pondering (like, “Does anyone know a great corporate realtor? I’m hunting for office space.”). Sync your Twitter and LinkedIn accounts so your updates get posted to both networks.
 


Create a Company Page
Create a LinkedIn Company Page so clients can “follow” your company. There are more than two million company pages on LinkedIn.  Add a “Products & Services” tab so you can inform potential clients about your offerings. Make sure you “follow” competitors, clients and companies that you admire so you get the latest information from those companies.
 


Grow and Nurture Your Network

Connect to at least 50 people that you know and trust. It’s the magic number of connections to have on LinkedIn. When you connect to at least 50 employees, clients, business partners, friends, family members, etc. that’s when you start seeing more first, second and third degree connections that can help you get in touch with people or companies that will help propel your business forward. Import your address book to find out which of your contacts are already on LinkedIn.
 

Let Customers Vouch for You
Recommendations are one of the best ways to secure new clients, because they spread virally on LinkedIn. They also enhance your professional credibility and create a great impression when potential clients read your profile. Request recommendations from happy customers and don’t be afraid to hint at some of the key things that you’d like them to mention in the recommendation. (For example, “Sarah, I’d love it if you could post a recommendation on my profile. If you could note that you’ve been using out product for X years and also discuss how we were able to customize it to fit your company’s needs, that would be fantastic.”) 
 


Find Other Passionate Small Business Owners
Search for “small business” or “entrepreneur” related LinkedIn Groups.  Groups are a great way to engage with like-minded people who can provide support and answer SMB-specific questions. Also join groups that are related to your industry, city or province. Look for groups where you can get information about potential clients too. (If you usually sell to marketers, join marketing related groups to get a better feel for the topics and discussions your potential customers are concerned about.)
 
Find Employees and Experts
Whether you want to hire a rock star salesperson or if you’re 
looking for an expert to help you solve a problem, LinkedIn’s 
Advanced People Search is an easy way to search by title (vice 
president of advertising), company name (RIM) and even postal 
code to find exactly the person you’re looking for. Any member 
can search those facets for free by clicking the “Advanced” link 
in the top right hand corner of LinkedIn after they sign in.
  
Get Info on the Go
Use LinkedIn’s Android, BlackBerry or iPhone apps to get info when you’re on the move. Are you running late to a meeting and want to get more information about someone before you get there? Use the app to look up their profile. You can also use the apps to find connections you have in common with people before you see them in person at a conference.
 
Gain Insights
Visit LinkedIn daily to get valuable insights about your connections and their activities. Follow the top trending news each day on LinkedIn Today so you’re up-to-speed on industry news. Use LinkedIn Signal to search public status updates for topics or brands you’re interested in.

Danielle Restivo is Manager, Corporate Communications (Brazil and Canada) for LinkedIn, She can be reached at Email: drestivo@linkedin.com Profile:  http://ca.linkedin.com/in/daniellerestivo   Twitter: dmrestivo

By Donna Messer

Polar Mobile is a leading mobile content solutions enabler for large media companies. Kunal Gupta is both the CEO of Polar Mobile and an entrepreneur. He leads a fast-growing team of 40 employees, with an average age of 27. The team is building a next generation mobile software platform.

Why? Because businesses want to find ways to quickly and efficiently bring to market those mobile products and services that will build their audience.

When we asked Kunal why he chose the name “Polar” – his reply was, “because what you see is only the tip of the technology iceberg!”

Kunal is a frequent speaker at industry events and is regarded as a rising young visionary in the mobile industry.

In addition, Kunal is a founder of the Impact Entrepreneurship Group, the largest youth entrepreneurship non-profit organization in Canada. He is also serves as Chair for the Board. He has been recognized for his efforts in promoting entrepreneurship to youth, particularly when he was named ‘Alumnus of the Year’ by Shad Valley and ‘Global Citizen’ by the United Nations. He holds an Honours Bachelor in Software Engineering from the University of Waterloo.

Polar Mobile began in 2007 while Kunal was still a student at Waterloo. He built a team through his classmates and within 8 months, he had his first customer and angel financing!

Since then, the company has rapidly established itself as a global leader in mobile content solutions. Media companies globally are turning to Polar’s SMART™ Platform for an end-to-end solution to enable their content on mobile.

According to Kunal, while Canada is the lead in this industry, he needed the United States to build a name for the company. He admits that over 60% of his business is in the United States, and he spends plenty of time on airplanes!

Polar’s customers include top tier magazines, newspapers, broadcasters and online portals across news, sports, entertainment and lifestyle media verticals. There are over 200 publishers in 10 countries using Polar Mobile services. Statistics show that over 8 million people are using apps from the Polar Mobile platform.

Polar’s SMART™ Platform is an end-to-end solution that enables Publishers to quickly launch mobile Apps that work across all major smartphones (iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Windows Phone). Polar’s SMART™ Platform has proven to deliver best-in-class user experiences that drive, reach and provide strong engagement, which help customers create new revenue from the mobile industry.

For 11 Trends and Opportunities in Mobile Apps check out the news releases on the Polar Mobile website.

Kunal’s message is like Nike’s – “Just Do it! You have the advantage of youth as a competitive edge.”

Are there any career opportunities at Polar Mobile? Kunal says, “Polar Mobile is always hiring. We look for talent in sales, marketing and customer management. We’re young and active and business is booming!”

By Genevieve Gualtieri

A wise man once said, ‘If you have a job without any aggravations, you don’t have a job’. – Malcolm S. Forbes. The inevitable summer job search for students occasionally starts and ends with the drop of a resume. This simple gesture typically lowers that student’s resume to the bottom of the pile. I was presented with the opportunity to clarify what it is that employers look for in an employee and how students can increase their luck in the search of finding a summer job of their choice.

I approached ten boutiques and clothing stores located in the Town of Oakville to get answers for questions regarding summer employment opportunities for high school, college and university students. The resume is an important step when applying to a job. It needs to be well thought out, clean and professional, and of course the students credentials must to standout. But the resume is not everything; it is only one piece to the puzzle. Statistics show that 9 out of 10 stores will not only post a sign on the store window, but will also post online when new employers are needed. Words such as, personality, confidence, and initiative were frequently used to describe skills for the ideal employee. As the surveys continued, I suddenly realized how much work had to be put into searching for a job. Prior to this survey, I believed that bringing my resume into a store and dropping it off with an employee or a manager was all it took.

Statistics show that 10 out of 10 stores would ‘rather hire a student who took the time to have a conversation with the employee or manager than one who quickly dropped of a resume’. –Anonymous

After creating a bond with an employer or manager, some may say that the outcome is left up to luck and chance. The majority of retail jobs have a 3-month probation period in which the new employee is watched carefully and is expected to follow instruction without a glitch. These first 3-months are crucial in proving oneself to be fit for the particular job. The idea of a 3-month probation might worry students, but ‘stay calm and confident. You would be here to learn during those 3-months so please ask all the questions possible!’ –Anonymous

‘Retail is not as easy as some students think. When applying for a retail job, you must know what you’re getting into’ – Anonymous.

A first impression is instantly made within three seconds of meeting someone. In a retail environment, statistics show that 8 out of 10 stores will hire students based on a good first impression. When talking to store managers about first impressions, there are a lot of do’s and don’ts. The first step is to introduce yourself, offer your hand and give them a firm handshake while making constant eye contact. Always sit with good posture, look presentable and professional and be confident in yourself. These steps immediately made me adjust my posture, reconsider my outfit and worry about my confidence in delivering my survey. Although these are all components of giving off a good first impression, personality seemed to be the most popular of them all. ‘An employer can train for skill, but they cannot change an individuals personality’ –Anonymous. Compatibility is a definite quality that is important not only for a retail job, but for every day life. Statistics show that 7 out of 10 employers will hire employees based on compatibility.

When I completed all the interviews and looked at the results of each survey, I noticed how much valuable advice I got by completing this task. The main thing I learnt from the managers of each store is that searching for a summer job is easy, but getting the opportunity to be hired is the hardest. Although first impressions and the delivery of resumes are important aspects of becoming employed, the most important thing is to be you!

By Justin Harrigan

I had to make the decision between a PC or a Mac computer. At first glance, I didn’t think there was much of a difference because most laptops can perform the exact same functions, and execute identical projects.

 
Before I even considered buying a new computer, I made sure I knew everything there was to know about both types of laptops before proceeding. I ignored all of the competitive commercials on TV between Mac and PC and, instead went straight to the store and talked to sales associates for both Mac and PC. Even when visiting the store, the environment within Apple was unforgettable. The people in the store were all positive and happy to assist me with my inquiries.

“The battery life on a Mac computer is longer than on a PC computer” 

When comparing the two, I had to review the characteristics of both and determine which was more beneficial for my learning and enjoyment. Making the decision was not an easy one for me.
 
When I made the decision, I chose a Mac computer for many different reasons. First it’s an “Apple” product; it’s my opinion, this means it is higher quality then other brands. I noticed that with an Apple product the speed had an enormous difference compared to my old laptop. This gives me the cutting edge when it comes to completing homework or social networking.
 
The battery life on my Mac computer is longer than on a PC. I notice that Macs are inaccessible to all viruses regardless of how you use your computer; this is a major factor when it comes to saving all my school projects without the risk of losing them.
 
My Mac really has an effect on the way I perform, and I have loved it since the day I purchased it. It does everything I need it to; from playing games to creating Powerpoint presentations. I encourage everyone to buy a Mac computer!

Justin Harrigan is a student at Abbey Park High School in Oakville. He worked as an intern with ConnectUs Communications Canada for his summer co-op in July 20111, as part of the Specialist High Skills Business Program. He served as both a graphic designer and copy editor for EntreNomics, producing content for the publication and utilizing Flip Page software to enhance the user’s reading experience.

By Greg Thomson

I’ll admit, I was skeptical at first when the iPad 2 was released and questioned whether it offered many technological advancements that were overlooked in the first generation. Prior to even picking up the device, I disregarded the fancy, innovative commercials and concluded that the iPad 2 was a larger version of an iPod Touch, which I already owned and had no use for it’s considerably larger twin.

Little did I know, the iPad 2 is a revolutionary, practical computing device made for people of all ages and interests.

 Whether you are a middle school student who plays games, such as the popular Angry Birds series or World Series Table Tennis, or a 20-something year old DJ needing a powerful mixing program to make tunes, the iPad is made for you. Hey, even a doctor can view ultra sound images on this portable device.

When my Dell Inspiron laptop crashed after only three years of use (listen up Dell), I moved all my files to the iPad without a hitch. I’m now able to complete all of my word processing and PowerPoint creations directly on the device for essays, school assignments, posters and resumes.

Like many other Canadian teens, I am passionate about hockey and cannot go ten feet without being in tune with the latest scores and statistics. There are dozens of Apps, not only for hockey, but almost anything imaginable, including an extensive collection of music and video libraries – all created for efficient and easy use. I’m also able to connect with my friends through Email, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Skype. Now I can never miss a beat and be more informed on a regular basis.

When comparing the first and second generation, I found there to be a tremendous improvement in the screen quality, camera capability and App evolvement. Unlike the newly released Blackberry Playbook, the iPad is more user friendly and provides a more enjoyable experience for the consumer.

Apple has always been a foreword thinker in the world of technology and they didn’t fail to amaze me with the release of the iPad 2. It has made everything that much easier and more efficient, whether I am completing my school work or watching the latest episode of The Office.

Join the revolution.

iBooks rivals Kindle
Apple’s new e-reader provides a more ‘enjoyable reading experience’

With a new wave of mobile technology hitting the marketplace, it can be very difficult to find an e-reader that is not only inexpensive, but feels as though you have your hands on a regular paperback. Like anything, people don’t want to convert from the way they do things, so searching for a quality e-reader that is user friendly will determine whether someone decides to read all of their books on a tablet.

While the most commonly recognized reading tablet is the Amazon Kindle, there are numerous alternatives both as downloadable online programs, as well as applications on a mobile device. After trying all of the readers, I found the eBook application on the iPad and iPhone to offer the best reading experience. The program, operated by Apple, has a very clean, easy-to-use interface with the ability to increase the size of the text, along with the functionality to store multiple books in the same library.

Although Steve Jobs was unable to be reached for comment, I discovered several informative articles online detailing the technology behind Apple’s e-reader and what separates it from the competition.

According to www.readwriteweb.com, “iBooks allows its users to change the size of the font, but also the font itself”. This is a very enticing selling point for people who have specific requirements as to what type and print size the font is. This feature, something the Kindle and other e-readers lack, is especially helpful for consumers who demand a similar font to what they read in their newspaper of choice. In my case, I change the font to Georgia size 12 to recreate my experience of reading the New York Times.

The iBooks application on the iPad also provides the option to set the screen brightness depending on the amount of glare, either from the sun or a bright light.

“You can also set the screen brightness right from within any book, which is great for reading at night. As far as we can see, however, you can’t switch to white text on a black background.”

Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t have anything bad to say about the Amazon Kindle, Apple’s primary competitor. However, it is quite evident that the future of technology is slowly gravitating towards multi-purpose handheld devices, unlike the Kindle, which only offers reading functionality. I would recommend the iBooks over the Kindle to anyone seeking a more enjoyable and comfortable reading experience.

Greg Thomson is a student at Abbey Park High School in Oakville. He worked as an intern with ConnectUs Communications Canada for his summer co-op, as part of the Specialist High Skills Business Program. He served as both the graphic designer and web editor for EntreNomics, producing content for the publication and promoting the magazine through various forms of social media.

After many years of owning one of the leading sales and installation companies in the Greater Toronto Area, Glen Pestrin has expanded his knowledge and time from this company. He is now taking initiative to assist the well-being of the environment, as a partner in Deep River Lumber.

In doing so, Deep River Lumber not only emphasizes entrepreneurship and a new look at business, but also encourages going green and bettering our planet. With this company comes history, and friendship as the two business founders are brothers and grew up right on the river where their company is located. Here is the company in a few paragraphs:

The History:
The Ottawa River has always been a major route for logging and small vessels to travel on as the  rapids are too swift for ships. Back in the 1800’s when logs were sent down the river in groups floating down, some logs were caught in rapids and chutes, while others became water logged and sent to the bottom of the river. For that is where Deep River Lumber comes in, and begins to take action.

The Company:
Deep River Lumber is helping our earth save trees, as the company combs the Ottawa River for logs that have been taken by the rapids in the past. They then use environmentally friendly methods to help recover the logs from the bottom of the River.

The Process:
Deep River Lumber uses a non-invasive imaging sonar to locate where logs are lying in the river. The next step is to have the two certified divers, both Shane and Ryan Hogen, dive down to the bottom of the River, they then feel around for logs, and determine there quality, and tie them off. Once they are tied, machinery slowly begins to elevate the log out of the water. Prior to shipping the log to mills, the type of log is determined, as that way mills are informed of what they are receiving, and can determine what can be produced.

The Business:
The company is not only contributing to the economy with business, but it is also encouraging going green, as this company uses trees that are not growing anymore, and instead of cutting them down, they are being brought up from the River and used. Deep River Lumber currently offers several different types of products, as they bring up many different types of logs, varying from White Pine to Hemlock. The company has a unique selling proposition, and encourages a greener environment, which relates well to customers today who are respectful of the environment therefore generating more business.

In order to learn more about the company, please visit http://www.deepriverlumber.ca/index.html.

By Lee Koren, PHR
 
Recruitment is a critical “key” to small businesses, why?  Success and growth depend on bringing in quality talent.  Those individuals who not only fit the culture but have the competencies required to be successful.  It’s a well know fact that people drive business performance so selecting the right talent to propel the business forward is essential.

It is also a well known fact that making the wrong hiring decision is expensive. Funny, but most companies, large or small, do not have a strategic recruitment strategy, yet all have objectives to succeed, grow and earn lots of money.  So let me repeat myself – people drive business performance so it behooves the business owner to seek out creative and innovative employees.
 
Sound hard?  Well actually it does take talent to recognize talent and small businesses are not usually up for paying a fee to a headhunter to find talent.  However, with today’s technology, social networks, websites and the internet it is getting easier for the small business owner to perform their own talent search.
 
First thing to remember is Link In  using Linkedin – it is the word’s largest professional/business social network with over 90 million members in over 200 countries; and it is an excellent place to find innovative and creative resources.

More and more companies are moving over to LinkedIn to find and hire quality resources.  They are making Linkedin a part of the recruitment strategy by using its hiring solutions to search, recruit, post jobs, check references, network with competitor talent and the list goes on.   The many Linkedin applications make it even more appetizing so if your business is not already optimizing the “apps” dive in and explore the options.  There is a charge to post jobs, however the cost is not as pricy as some of the other job boards and you can access a lot of good information about the candidate.
 
Facebook is a personal social network originally established for individuals to stay in touch with friends and family.  To use it as a recruiting tool is way to difficult and time consuming due to the complex navigation through privacy settings and friends vs. fans vs. likes vs. shares. 

However, companies are opting to use it to check out potential candidates; in fact I know of a few situations were potential candidates were not contacted because of what was on their Facebook page.  Hmm, well it is the World Wide Web (www) and there are no secrets.
 
Twitter is a website which offers a social networking and microblogging service.  It enables its members to send and read messages called “tweets”.   

Individuals can opt to follow a business on Twitter which does help promote your company to the “high potential” individual who may one day become an employee.

Google searches are another good way to check out the candidate.  A search will pull all sorts of information, i.e. articles written, blogs developed, on-line marketing, on-line magazines, ebooks and Linkedin Profile.  In addition, if you happen to know how to conduct a Boolean search you can retrieve actual resumes.
 
So there you have it!  It actually makes a lot of sense to use innovative tools when searching for innovative and creative talent to help drive business performance.  I mean really, think about it? – if you know how to navigate, network and connect using the social networks and websites available on the internet it opens up a whole new savvy talent pool.  A talent pool just waiting to be discovered to help build your business in this very competitive landscape.
 
Yes, I know, it takes time to search Linkedin and Facebook along with “tweeting” – so maybe your first hire is someone who can do all this for you?
 
After all, as an entrepreneur you know what it takes to start a business; and with the help of the Internet now you know what it takes to find the right talent.
 
Lee Koren is certified as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR).  Her passion and expertise is recruitment and selection.  Lee uses a common sense approach in sharing her vast knowledge.  She is currently employed as a Senior Recruiter with The 500 and works closely with Donna Messer at ConnectUs Canada.  Lee can be contacted by email at lkoren@sympatico.ca.

By Ben Molfetta

Virtually every business has online marketing on their radar because they know prospects are searching online to find businesses just like theirs. They also know their competitors are working on driving more business through online means.

So what is online marketing and why is it so critical to your long-term success?

Simply put, online marketing is the use of appropriate and available electronic tools to be found, build credibility, develop qualified prospects, and generate sales. Tools include search optimized web sites, Blogs, social media sites (YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc), e-mail distribution systems, landing pages, forums and analytics.

It’s critical to your long-term success because from a marketing standpoint; your online presence makes you more visible. It allows you to build relationships with prospects before they buy, provides access to new markets, and it’s at work 24/7. Going forward, all effective marketing initiatives will have an online component. It’s the “new normal”.

There are some basic tenets to consider before developing your online strategy:

The starting point is your overall marketing plan and your “end to end” business development process; generating and nurturing leads, calls to action, optimizing close rates, post-sale.

It’s not about the tools, it’s about content. Prospects will not read your e-mails or Blogs, view your videos, or spend time on your web site if you don’t offer relevant, up-to-date content.

You have two audiences; your target prospects and search engines. You must balance the content needs of both without the pendulum swinging too far one way or the other.

Decide who you are trying to attract. It’s tempting to target everyone, but you can realistically optimize for only a handful of keywords and develop relevant content for a limited number of audiences.

The real leverage comes from doing multiple things that work together. Your online activities must complement each other to have maximum impact. It’s about one plus one equalling three.

To become and remain relevant online, you must constantly be analyzing, evaluating, fine-tuning and delivering new content or information. The market doesn’t stand still and neither do your competitors.

Once you decide it’s time to significantly enhance your online presence, you must proceed in a planned and pragmatic way. You can’t do everything at once – it’s too overwhelming.

The first step is to assess how well your online marketing supports your end-to-end business development process. Is your site optimized for the right searches and does it do a good job of educating and telling your story? Are you using the right mediums (articles, videos or webinars, etc.) to move prospects through the decision making process? Are you capturing and nurturing leads through an opt-in email list or a social media following? Are you selling online and, if not, should you be? Are you maintaining regular contact after the sale?

Tablets are the latest rage in the mobile computing world. But how many active travellers have one? And do their usage patterns differ from those associated with other forms of mobile connectivity?

According to recent statistics, fewer than one in 10 (7 per cent) of active travellers currently has access to the Internet from an iPad or other tablet computer.

Those who do use a tablet, use it to find activities in which they are most likely to engage when travelling. This includes finding restaurants or shops nearby based on specific search criteria, comparison shopping for airfares and hotel rates, and searching for the latest information on flight schedules and delays.

One-third of those polled also use their tablet computer to book air travel or lodging, and look for ratings or reviews of hotels, restaurants or destinations.

Approximately one-quarter have navigated a destination using the GPS function on their tablet device, viewed a virtual visitor guide, or shared information and photos about their travel experiences.

Two in 10 have used the check-in feature or an app on their tablet computer to share information with others on where they are.

Here are some of the report’s findings.

The following is a list of activities engaged in on an iPad or tablet computer among those who access the Internet from an iPad or other tablet computer.

46 % – to find restaurants or shops nearby based on specific criteria input

42 % – to do comparison shopping for airfares and hotel rates

39 % – to search for the latest information on flight schedules and delays

37 % – to book air travel or lodging

35 % – to look for ratings or reviews of hotels, restaurants or destinations

27 % – to navigate to destinations using the GPS functionality on the device

26% – to view virtual visitor guides providing information on things to do and see

24 % – to share information and photos about their travel experiences

18 % – used a check-in feature or apps such as Facebook Places or Foursquare to share          where they are.

17 % – participate in customer loyalty programs by using “like” functions on social         networking sites

13 % – download and use mobile coupons from the device

13 % – download an audio walking tour of a destination to the device

11 % – use an augmented reality application (app) for a destination

Tablet utilization habits mirror those observed on SmartPhones with one important exception: tablet users are significantly more likely to use their device to comparison shop airfares and hotel rates.

June – Lodging News – http://www.can-lodgingnews.com