This video (click here) was a great reminder that small businesses are unique and each fill a small void in the marketplace that when earnestly worked can produce something amazing. It is refreshing to see each of the business owners in the video hold so much enthusiasm for what they are doing even though their businesses are not big. Their businesses are personal and in their own way are adding value to the market.
Continue reading “Small business doesn’t have to be big [VIDEO]”
I feel stirred having read this article in the National Post yesterday (Scotiabank’s outgoing CEO Rick Waugh: Customers may not like us but they feel comfortable and safe) for several reasons. The headline certainly grabbed my attention because being proud of customers not liking you but feeling comfortable and safe seems to suggest that our banking system is lacking something that every other business I know desperately needs…an attitude that customers DO like them as well as feeling comfortable with their service. If you read the article you might note that the outgoing CEO has been with Scotia for more than (yes more than) 40 years. The incoming CEO has been with Scotia for 30 years. Hopefully I don’t need to point out the obvious but when you have people that have been in one environment for that long it would be reasonable to conclude that their ability to offer new perspective is significantly hindered by their lack of exposure to other environments and ideas. Continue reading “Imagine if banks really understood their value”
Seems like a strange question but if you could borrow more – would you? Watching the news regarding the debt ceiling events unfolding in the US has me thinking about this question as it relates to individuals and businesses. Many households hold an informal vote between spouses regarding the borrowing of money. Many business partners will hold a vote regarding the additional of more debt to their balance sheet. Just like the US government is trying to pass a much needed vote to raise their debt levels, it is important to remember that borrowing money means you are betting on the future or that you are spending your future today. Continue reading “Would you borrow more if you could?”
