Whether you’re a business owner or an employee, understanding the role of HR within an organization can be beneficial for everyone. From managing employee relations to ensuring compliance with labor laws and regulations, HR plays a vital role in the success of a business. But where exactly does HR happen within a company? And when…
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Warning: I think in analogies, metaphors and I love food. When you dive into strategic planning, it can be easy to get lost in the sea of details. The sheer volume of variables to consider can often distract you from the most important piece – your strategy. A solid strategy connects all relevant dots…or not…
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With rumours of an impending recession hitting the headlines, many economists are sharing a slightly more positive outlook for Canada. While they’re predicting a period of minimal growth for most of the country, Alberta is expected to weather the storm better than most provinces. At a recent BDC event, I learned that Alberta businesses are…
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With the new year settling in and the longest month of the year finally wrapping up now is the perfect time to get your HR housekeeping in order. Here are a few HR Housekeeping suggestions to start with as you plan for the year ahead: Emergency Contacts Do you have up to date emergency…
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As Canada faces a looming recession, many companies are looking to build their resilience as they prepare to weather the storm. Companies face tough decisions as they look to cut costs during a time of slower growth, higher inflation, and more expensive resources. But scaling back operations doesn’t mean putting your marketing on hold. In…
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Growing a business of any kind follows a similar series of events and priorities. These include hirings, launches, partnerships, and a whole lot of other decisions and investments. Growing a business is also time-consuming. Heck, prioritizing where you’ll be spending your dollars can feel like a full-time job in itself. We get it. As entrepreneurs,…
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Building community around your brand takes a concentrated effort, but lessons can be learned even from the building of communities we live and work in every day. “I have only one purpose, to serve the community. Everything else will follow through.” – Ralph T. Scurfield. The late Ralph T. Scurfield was truly ahead of his…
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As I wrote in our previous blog, a solid marketing strategy is the only way to properly focus your resources on achieving your business goals. Once you’ve developed a marketing strategy, there’s no need to feel like the canary in a coal mine when it comes time to implement. Marketing is a big investment into…
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Some things are better spread thin. Marmite comes to mind. Even those who love it (I stand bravely as one of those people) know a little goes a long way. But focus is not one of those things. Focus is more like ice if we’re picking abstract comparisons. You can build some incredible things with…
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Once upon a time (or “back in the day” if you prefer), outsourcing had a bad reputation. People associated it with negative identifiers like cheap, rushed, and disconnected. If those are the kinds of qualities you still think about when you think about outsourcing today, it’s time for an update. Outsourcing should be part of…
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Ten years ago, on September 15, 2011, Forward Level Marketing was born. To put it lightly, it’s been a crazy decade with some amazing highs. We’re proud to say that we made it to where we are today driven by the same purpose we started with: to move our people and our community forward. For…
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What can we learn about business adaptation from dead malls? The connection is even more clear than you might think. “I want to live in a mall where the temperature is always the same and people are nice.” – Kevin Meaney, Comedian I am obsessed with dead malls. What are dead malls, you ask? They’re…
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Customer retention, or customer loyalty, is one of the most important aspects of sustainable success. But it’s often overlooked. How to win customers and influence the ones you have “Customer satisfaction is worthless. Customer loyalty is priceless.” – Jeffrey Gitomer Having more customers is better than having less. More customers mean more sales. And more…
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I spent more than two decades in the entertainment industry, where I reported on new movies. The competition for audience dollars was fierce. Studios that spent $100M+ to make a film often invested an equal amount in marketing, advertising and promotional events. Sometimes the studios’ excessive spending was the stuff of legend. One of the…
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If you weren’t already aware of the benefits of diversifying your business revenue, the last year has made it abundantly clear. Depending on limited sources of revenue including individual products or services, major clients, or markets, leaves you vulnerable. If something impacts your main revenue driver and you don’t have revenue streams that can offset…
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