To create shareholder value, business managers need to put customers at the head of the stakeholder list. Employees and the community should also come before shareholders’ interests. This is not to disregard the interests of shareholders, as they are the beneficiaries of the business. Instead, we must concentrate on building the company, not the interests…

Technology drives our economy. An explosion of new technologies has given rise to endless new market opportunities. The challenge is linking technological development with the world of buyers, customers, and competitive markets. Often new technology is pushed on to marketing and sales departments to create a demand for the new product or service. Managers of…

How do you get your people to do what you want as a business manager? The answer invariably is that you can’t. You can’t get your people to do anything. If you want it done, you will have to create an environment where doing it is more important to your people than not doing it….

In the book Alice in Wonderland, Alice asks the Cheshire Cat: “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”  The Cheshire Cat: “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.”  Alice: “I don’t much care where.”  The Cheshire Cat: “Then it doesn’t much matter which way…

We all struggle to determine what is essential in our lives and business. How do we know to make the right decisions unencumbered by bias or inexperience? Making good decisions in running a business is crucial to its success. I will share an effective way to think about your business that will help ensure that…

I started many years ago in the purebred cattle business. I worked in livestock sales management, breeding champion Red Angus. Located in Saskatchewan, I ran my Red Angus herd with my father’s herd of Black Angus. Our neighbor, Davie, was always ready to help whenever needed, and he was able to build anything out of…

Napoleon Hill’s maxim – “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” The story I am about to share is true and exemplifies how a single idea in one man’s head created a world-class event. Last fall, I visited my parents, who live outside of Regina, Saskatchewan, for the first time…

Creating a business that becomes a cash cow may be difficult. However, there is a simple formula that will do the trick – Q + A X D = R. “Q” stands for Quality; “A” stands for Awareness; “D” stands for Distribution; “R” stands for Revenue – simple. Building a successful business is hard, and…

The tale you are about to read is not a fish story but an unlikely cash cow. It all starts in a picturesque border town located in Southwestern British Columbia, about 48 kilometers (30 miles) from Vancouver. Located on the ocean, the town, and its main drag feature wall-to-wall restaurants and shops. Our story begins…

I always considered the forces of good and evil manifested in Judeo-Christian religions as being a titanic struggle for human souls between God and the opposition, the Devil. Depending on which had the most significant influence on your life will determine whether you would be rewarded after death by ascending to enjoy everlasting peace and…