33rd Annual 3 Day Novel Competition

Participating in the 33rd Annual 3 Day Novel Competition

I wasn't one of the winners of the 33rd International 3 Day Novel Competition but I certainly did succeed. An experience like that reminds me that we often equate succeeding with winning; neglecting the effort, the improvement and the sheer will to achieve.

I got my certificate the other day, months after staying up and typing for 3 days on end, formalizing the plot, arranging interesting points about the character, throwing in some humour to what was not a funny life situation and the experience of creating was almost forgotten. This certificate reminded me that I had done something on that last September long weekend, something I had not achieved before, something my children were proud of me for attempting, something which had no bearing on my professional life (unusual for me) but a something that did have value.

You will not be reading my novel, completed in just 3 short days but you will have a chance to read the winner's Jennifer K. Chung whom I congratulate whole-heartily, not just for completing the task of writing her novel in 3 short days, but for doing it with such quality and skill as to become this year's winner. She is the envy of thousands of us who also tried and achieved but for ourselves, not so much the world.

I am looking forward to reading Terroryaki in the next year and I suggest, you consider it too. Here's the link to get you interested  Winner- 3day novel contest 2011.

Canada’s Only Social Enterprise Dragon’s Competition

Canada’s Only Social Enterprise Dragon’s Competition

 Vancity Community Foundation and JDQ Systems’ 3Spheres of Reciprocity Initiative have teamed up for the 3^rd year in a row to bring to Vancouver another exciting social enterprise dragon’s competition. Engaging, stimulating, and ‘quite a show’, the competition presents the best the field of social enterprise has to offer with each business vying for cash and two other chances for a full-scale business review and assistance. In the world of social finance, this competition puts the success of social enterprises on display for supporters to view the amazing abilities of social enterprises to meet their mission, help society and make money.On Sunday January 30^th, So Fine Canada will host the originators of the Social Enterprise Dragon’s Competition, Liz Green of Vancity Community Foundation and Jon Morris of JDQ Systems. As partners and founders of the event, both guests bring a wealth of knowledge and insider information to help social enterprises get into the competition. Additionally, one of 2010’s winners, Mission Possible’s, Executive Director, Brian Postlewait will be on the show to discuss their experience and to offer some compelling advice to get more social enterprises into the competition.

Banks new entry to helping small business

Banks new entry to helping small business

The TD Bank (Canada) is producing webinars so that small business owners can have the benefit of the bank's expertise and improve their business. The webinars are free and are good introductions, as well as, good reviews for everyone who is busy doing the work, not just communicating about doing the work.

The importance of social media has been explained ad nauseum. There is no need for people to keep trying to convince business owners of this but there is a need for a fast and efficient way to stay on top of the social media 'pile' because pile up, it does. Every business owner should be so lucky as to be able to employ one dedicated staff person for the company's social media but as it is, communications are often the after thought of business planning and gets lumped into the marketing budget with the requirement for hard and immediate sales and profits. Not always evident and often needing monitoring for impact just on its own, social media is often the bane of a small business owner's operations and not the 'pot of gold' that it's touted to be. To understand all of this, small business owners need some fast answers, hence the newly created webinars by banks, investment firms, marketing companies and communications groups. My recommendation: use them all.

Like any subject of learning, the more exposure, the better. So here is a 15 minute, free helpful resource.

http://www.tdcanadatrust.com/smallbusiness/webinars.jsp. If you don't find it helpful, let me know as I intend to provide as many links as possible to help small businesses and non-profits through using this blog.

So Fine Canada Resources for Launch

Resources from Today's Show

Here are the resources for So Fine Canada Sunday January 23, 2011

Today's show Guests:

AL ETMANSKI
Information given:
1. Plan http://www.plan.ca/
2. Plan Institute http://www.planinstitute.ca/
3. RDSP http://www.rdsp.com/
4. Ashoka Canada http://www.ashoka.org/
5. BC Advisory Council on Social Entrepreneurship
http://www.aletmanski.com/al-etmanski/2011/01/bc-government-establishes-advisory-council-on-social-entrepreneurship.html
KARIM HARJI
Information given:
1. http://www.socialfinance.ca/
2. http://socialventureexchange.org/

BRENDA KUECKS
Information given:
1. http://www.ecotrust.ca/;
2. Hesquiaht Project YouTube video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkzsGRvicnE&feature=player_embedded
Rt. Hon. PAUL MARTIN
Information given:
1. http://www.capefund.ca/

Guest Line-up for Sunday January 23rd

Log on to So Fine Canada, download the media player on the right-hand side and listen in. You can also call in at 612-293-4262.

 Interviews will be with the Right Honourable Paul Martin, former Prime Minister of Canada and outstanding Finance Minister (1993-2002) on funding opportunities for aboriginal people and social finance; Karim Harji, co-founder of socialfinance.ca on its creation and future business plans; Brenda Reid-Kuecks, Executive Director of Ecotrust on building the conservation economy through aboriginal leadership and community development and Al Etmanski, founder of PLAN and Ashoka fellow on social finance helping to generate a caring community for people with disabilities.

Al Etmanski on launch of So Fine Canada

Ashoka Fellow 'Al Etmanski': Guest for launch of So Fine Canada
Meeting Al Etmanski at the Social Innovators Event was a given: he and the organization he founded PLAN,  were sponsors. So was one of the other groups who sponsored the event, the Ashoka Foundation to which Al has been named a 'fellow'. Not only is this a highly-earned honour in the world of social enterprise but at the event, I learned that Al was the first Canadian, ever, to be named an Ashoka fellow.

So I am very honoured to have Al as one of the first guests on So Fine Canada. He is an amazing person, great thinker and creative individual and along with co-founder, Vickie Cammack, created one of the most innovative social finance strategies in the world (I'm biased because I use it), the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP).

Tune in this Sunday at 10 am Pacific, 1 pm EST to learn more about Al, PLAN, the RDSP and Ashoka. It will be 15 minutes well spent; the other 45 will be just as intriguing.

New Advisory Council on Social Enterprise for BC

New Advisory Council on Social Enterprise for BC

Social finance in Canada is developing at a great rate and BC has definitely carved out its space in creating exciting innovations. Leaders in the field like Al Etmanski and Stacey Corriveau have been providing British Columbians and Canadians with exciting, thoughful alternatives to standard business and standard non-profit practises for years. David LePage at enp has encouraged a number of non-profits into the sphere of social finance. And Joel Solomon and Carol Newell have been providing the financial backing (and the advice!) to get great ideas moving toward fruition. This is just a short, short list of all those people working towards creating the new. It makes for an exciting time and now, with the BC government establishing an Advisory Council on Social Enterprise, even more can be done.

I've been in a room with several hundred people working on social finance. The energy is amazing and the feelings so positive that it's hard to return to one's regular work. I wish every SME and new start-up had such an amazing community to draw upon. Maybe someday soon.

Small and Medium Businesses: Huge importance to Canada

SFU's Segal Centre

 Small and Medium Businesses: Huge importance to Canada

Heading to the Segal Centre later this week to discuss SME's and their importance to the Canadian government. According to statistics, SME's represent more than 98% of businesses in this country and employ more than half of the work force. While the employment numbers sound a little askew as individual corporations do employ, by far, more than a single SME but taken together, it's the little guy driving the economy in this country and we just don't get enough credit. Or enough help.

Doing internet searches, reading up on small business development or even taking courses at the government sponsored small business help centers across the country still don't get enough entrepreneurs through the staggeringly difficult first 5 years. From personal experience, I still find access to financial capital to be the main obstacle. Moving a business from the subsistence 'scratching out a living' scale to a thriving business headed towards growth  is no small feat; the fact that small business owners are expected to do it on the backs of their children and spouses is frankly, what keeps most entrepreneurs out of business.

Timebanks

Timebanks.org: Community Development at its best

For those of us who participate willingly in the development of our neighbourhoods and communities, new ideas that reflect this work are always of interest. Time Banks and the creation of 'Time Dollars' encourages community members to interact and help one another, with tracking built in, so that people will get back what they put into their community. While this might not seem to reflect the altruism associated with community development, it certainly shows what people do for each other and what they need in return. When someone 'works' for their community, they receive 'time dollars' plus recognition for their efforts. When they need help from their community, this person 'cashes in' their time dollars and receives assistance. A combination of bartering, co-op and innovative volunteerism, this system is being applied in 22 countries around the world. And it's been in existence for more than 3 decades with lots of material to provide the ways and means of starting it in one's own community.

In developing concepts of social enterprise, community is a factor that most social entrepreneurs depend on. Social media flourishes because of community. New ideas flourish because of community. New products flourish for the same reason. Now we have a framework in which to connect effort, interests and time.Figuring out how to apply it to social finance will be a personal interest of mine over 2011. If it's peaked your interest too, I suggest you read up at timebanks.org. It will warm your heart and expand your mind and maybe give you something else to talk about at your local residents meetings.

  Buy Bell: Get dinged. Cellular hate in Canada

Cell phones are a major tool for the small business owner. Without them, our mobility, financial deal-making and networking abilities go flat. No cell phone = no money so every sme in Canada has to research, pay for and maintain their cell phone just to stay alive AND the big corporations know it.

What's the marketing reference to 'A captive audience' ? Something like, 'You can charge anything you like, because people will have to pay it.' Isn't it interesting how this is exactly what's happening although there is suppose to be a great deal of competition out there and competition supposedly holds prices down?

A National Post article pointed out that "Potential new entrants, including MTS Allstream Inc. and Quebecor Inc., say the existing three players are operating an oligopoly that is keeping prices high and non-voice usage low."

Not only that but they use deceptive and misleading marketing schemes so that a purchaser cannot fully understand what they are choosing or paying for. A recent change to my own plan left me suddenly 'seeing' that I was doubling my cell bill just from listening to my voicemail. But I pay for message center so how could that be? Because what I pay for is for someone to leave a message and then I have to pay again, if I want to hear it. Something like, you pay to get into the funhouse and then a big bruiser of a guy steps out and says that you'll have to pay to get back out. Do you think I understood this when I purchased the additional message center package at an extra $12 per month?

Having voicemail is essential to any business. Talking on the phone is pretty customary too. Exercising my ability to not pay for these things by waiting until 9 pm to check messages is just a non-starter.The cost to my business of not doing business until late at night is ludicrous. A Cell phone hate  poll showed 2,774 out of 3,548 people or 78% of respondents are negative about their cell phones. I wonder that it isn't higher.

I CELL PHONE
2,774 people agree. see why