It takes a leap of faith, but you can do more for your business by spending time with your friends than meeting strangers. A CEO’s job completely changes as a business grows from a start-up into a big company. When I speak to start-up CEOs, they are focused on getting their idea in front of […]

Video game ads used to follow the same old script. But Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg wanted to shake things up. Here’s how he did it. No matter how excellent or essential, products and services still don’t sell themselves. Effective marketing and advertising are at the foundation of every successful business. Here’s another in my series […]

Kevin Systrom talks about life after the $1 billion Facebook deal and why he thinks photo sharing can change the world. For many young entrepreneurs, a $1 billion exit would be a crowning achievement–and potentially the beginning of a long and very cushy retirement. Not for Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom. He still comes in to […]

Editor’s Note [This entry is part of a series on “civic consumption,” a new approach to harnessing the market power of communities to drive social impact, guest curated by Will Byrne, cofounder and CEO of Groundswell. In his recent article, Will Byrne focused on the power of civic organizations and community members to effect social change […]

On average, only 6% of a brand’s Facebook fans engage with its Facebook Page content. It looks as though Facebook might not be the effective customer engagement engine so many business owners have thought it to be. On average, only 6% of a brand’s Facebook fans actually engage with the brand’s Facebook Page via likes, […]

Consider the not-for-profit sector locally. Are they an annoying group that comes door to door always seeking donations, or are they potential partners in the growth of your business? In 2007, the value added or gross domestic product (GDP) of the core non-profit sector amounted to $35.6 billion, accounting for 2.5% of the total Canadian […]

Young, athletic with boundless energy and infectious grin, Joshua Burnett doesn’t look like a typical entrepreneur building a successful business in Grey Bruce. Joshua was just 26 years old when he purchased Sportmakers Fitness & Training Centre in September of 2011 from Bob Hooper and his wife Mijka, who also own Dancemakers, a dance and […]

Here are three ways for you to squeeze the most networking opportunities out of business conferences. With thousands of attendees at a typical conference, networking time is a scarce commodity. In the past, I was lucky to get in touch with half of the potential suppliers, prospects, agencies and friends during conference networking events. With […]