Castle Building Centres Group Ltd. is a Canadian member-owned, Lumber, Building Materials and Hardware buying group representing over 300 member locations across Canada.
Contractor Advantage Magazine is the exclusive publication of Castle Building Centres Group Ltd. featuring quality Castle vendor brands available at Castle Building Centres locations. Visit castle.ca to find a Castle location in your area.
Editorial Director Castle Castle Building Centres Group Ltd. Jennifer Mercieca
Publisher - Espress Labs Inc. Dan Alexander
Managing Editor Teresa Christine
Art Director AŃ—cha Niazy
Contributors Lawrence Cummer Danila Di Croce Teresa Christine
Advertising Inquiries Jennifer Mercieca Director of Communications Castle Building Centres Group Ltd. 905-564-3307 jmercieca@castle.ca
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 Volume 24 Issue 1
Material Contact Maryam Bashir Marketing Coordinator Castle Building Centres Group Ltd. 905-564-3307 mbashir@castle.ca Published and designed exclusively for Castle Building Centres Group Ltd. by Espress Labs Inc.
About Contractor Advantage
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Meet the
Contributors
LAWRENCE CUMMER
DANILA DI CROCE
Lawrence (“Law�) Cummer has more than 20 years of experience writing for trade periodicals, businesses and communications agencies. He writes on topics ranging from contracting and construction, to general business, to information technology, personal finance and occupational safety, and has been a frequent contributor to Contractor Advantage since 2009.
Danila Di Croce is a Toronto-based writer with over 10 years of experience in the fields of media and education, including a Masters in Media Production from Ryerson University. Throughout her experience, Danila has worked in the areas of public relations, marketing, radio and television broadcast, and has contributed to various national publications on a wide range of topics including entrepreneurship, building construction, workplace health and safety and hospitality.
RUSSELL TRAHAN
MITZI PERDUE
Russell Trahan is the Owner and President of PR/PR Public Relations and Author of Sell Yourself Without Saying a Word. For 20 years PR/PR has enjoyed a track record of getting 100% of their clients placed in front of their target market. For more information, please visit www.prpr.net.
Mitzi Perdue is a celebrated speaker, businesswoman, and author of How to Make Your Family Business Last. A cum laude graduate from Harvard University and holder of an MPA from George Washington University, Mitzi draws from her direct experiences in two long-lasting family enterprises to assist businesses in preparing for lifelong success. She is a past president of the 35,000-member American AgriWomen, a former syndicated columnist for Scripps Howard, and the founder of CERES Farms. For more information on Mitzi Perdue, please visit www.MitziPerdue.com.
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contents
05 News & Notes Blue skies…a gateway to success!
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08 What’s in Store for Lumber in 2019? After the dramatic ups and downs of the last year, have lumber prices corrected themselves — and will they stay stable in the year ahead.
15 Building Better Business
Seven Steps for Solving Business Problems: Learning How to Eat an Elephant
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18 New Year, New Home: Reno Trends for 2019
Castle Building Centres from across Canada give a peek into what they expect to see on the horizon in home renovations.
27 What’s Trending Quit Fishing for Publicity, Reel in the Media
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30 The Winter Season: A Time to Check in on Health and Wellbeing
37 Design Talk Decluttering Design On the Cover Photo courtesy of Van Dolder’s Custom Exteriors CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019
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NEWS & NOTES
BLUE SKIES…A GATEWAY TO SUCCESS! Written by Ken Jenkins President, Castle Building Centres Group Ltd.
Where do you expect your business to be in five or ten years? While it’s important to have a tactical plan, it’s equally important to think big, have dreams and a vision for the future. Blue-skying may be perceived by some as a business cliché. Yet, failure to think big robs you of the opportunity to visualize your future potential. Let me define my definition of blue-skying and how it’s been invaluable in helping us create our future. For many, blue-skying suggests dreaming about the unattainable. But, how do you know it’s unattainable? It’s important when creating your vision that you don’t limit yourself by what you believe is feasible today.
Everything changes: business climates, partners, technology and even yourself. Stretch your thinking. Aim high, and you just might surprise yourself! By stretching your thinking, you stretch your goals. You begin to focus on a longer-term strategic plan that becomes your template for the future success of your business. Of course, like your annual plan, this takes time. Too often entrepreneurs get caught up in the day-to-day and fail to spend the necessary time to see if they are still honouring their vision. Don’t make this mistake.
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AS AN ENTREPRENEUR, YOU NEED TO SPEND YOUR TIME DEVELOPING YOUR VISION AND THE STRATEGY TO ACHIEVE IT
Of course, it doesn’t require your attention all day. One study suggests that top business leaders spend 25 minutes a day setting goals and strategizing. Surely you can find 15 minutes each day away from the front-facing work of the business and contemplate your priorities. Some of that time will be spent setting daily, weekly and monthly goals, but apply a portion of it to focus on the larger picture. YOU SAY YOU DON’T HAVE TIME?
Time management is crucial. The key to time management is delegation. Giving important work to employees means developing a culture of empowerment. This requires building trust and learning, and—as I put it—the art of not being there. We discussed time management in a blog earlier this year entitled Time is Not the Enemy: You Are. If you are struggling to make time for planning your vision, you may want to have a look. THE LASTING VALUE OF A VISION “INSIGHTS” BLOG WITH CASTLE
President Ken Jenkins
Castle President Ken Jenkins has over twenty years in the Lumber, Building Materials and Hardware industry. His tenure has given him a unique perspective and he believes North American contractors, suppliers and independent dealers are the best in the industry. His goal is to use his passion for the industry to share his insights with budding entrepreneurs in trade and manufacturing to become more entrepreneurial in spirit, more independent and more successful. Insights will help to attract bright new minds to this industry and guest writers will occasionally contribute to this blog, bringing their own unique perspective. You don’t want to miss an issue of Insights! Subscribe to Insights online
http://insights.castle.ca
In 2008, we took a big-picture look at Castle, our business model, and the role our vendors play in our success. The relationship was a typical one at the time, somewhat “adversarial,” with buyers demanding the best prices, rates and services. For decades, our industry had utilized the “whips and chains” tactics of supplier interaction to address competitive demands. We had a vision. At the time it might have seemed impractical or infeasible. We believed it wasn’t, and developed a strategic plan to execute a new business model. Remember, success is in the preparation. Abraham Lincoln had a great quote: “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four hours sharpening the axe.” We flipped the old model on its head. Our new metric for success was creating a progressive and professional relationship with our vendors. Castle and its vendors would become partners while becoming advocates for each other. Imagine the benefits when a customer becomes an advocate for you and your business! To turn our goal into reality, we had to make some tactical and strategic changes. There would be no intimidation tactics used as leverage for pricing or deal. Respect was paramount to all our interactions with vendors. Our buyers would focus on building greater knowledge about our suppliers, their products and the various market conditions across the country. And while we are firm on our approach, professionalism and integrity would not be compromised. This was not a daily, weekly or even annual goal. It could only be achieved by taking a big-picture approach and using it as a guiding principle for all business objectives. It worked! Today we are committed to our relationship with our vendors. They are key to our success, and our business has
News & Notes
more than doubled in size. While not all of our success can be attributed to this single initiative, shaping our future started with stretching our thinking. When we started this initiative some thought our departure from the traditional path of aggressive and confrontational negotiating tactics was a mistake. It wasn’t. We took our blue-skying to heart and let it guide us into the future. WHAT GETS YOU EXCITED ABOUT THE FUTURE?
Think about it. There are times when you are with clients or customers and you see the opportunity. You get excited about
the possibilities. You get re-energized. That’s exactly the time you need to create new paths to success. Don’t dismiss it, embrace it! Today, start committing 15 minutes each day and ask yourself: where do I want to be in five years? What will my career or business look like? Pull out your current business plan or your personal life goals. Review them. Then begin to stretch your thinking. Don’t worry about the challenges and obstacles; think only about the opportunities. When you are truly committed to where you want to be, you will overcome any and all challenges. —
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WHAT’S IN STORE FOR LUMBER IN 2019? After the dramatic ups and downs of the last year, have lumber prices corrected themselves — and will they stay stable in the year ahead. Written by Lawrence Cummer
After a year of supply shortages, production curtailments, logistics and environmental concerns wreaking havoc on lumber prices, 2019 appears to be set for greater stability. “Twenty-eighteen was the most volatile year in the history of lumber in North America,” says Kelvin Johnston, Senior Buyer of Commodity Lumber and Panels for Castle Building Centres Group Ltd., entering the winter of 2018.
“We saw the highest prices ever set in mid-summer… followed by a lack of demand, because people were saying, ‘I’m not paying that price.’ This led to the biggest collapse in lumber prices between August and November.”
Not to mention, 2018 was a busy year for contractors, who were typically booked up to five (or more) months in advance, which contributed to the skyrocketing demand for lumber that became in short supply. Unfortunately, as prices soared to meet this surging demand, Johnston notes that many found themselves forced to put those jobs on hold or worse to walk away from them.
Photo courtesy of Tolko
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Feature Story: What’s in Store for Lumber in 2019?
Photo courtesy of CanWel
SUPPLY AND LOGISTIC WOES
The record run-up in pricing was a function of several unexpected logistical challenges. While every year faces cyclical demands, coming into the winter of 2017-2018, earlier forest fires and low truck supply started a steady price climb. Although mills were back up and running in the winters, the pipeline still faced numerous trials. As 2017 wound down, the combination of growth in Canadian and U.S. markets and these supply constraints across the board created “an interesting cocktail,” says Michael Sivucha, Vice-President, Commodities at Taiga Building Products. Sivucha and his commodity team forecast a strong front half of 2018 and a slightly lower second half, he says they didn’t expect it to reach the levels it did. “We predicted June
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would be peak lumber pricing, but we didn’t expect such tremendous numbers.” Sivucha added that supply interruption on rail cars contributed further to “an environment where people could not get wood fast enough.” Suvucha notes that railways have invested heavily in infrastructure to avoid the problems of 2018; however, he still expects a lot of pressure to be put on truck supply this year. Some industry watchers point to indirect impact of climate — besides the forest fires of 2017, a heavy hurricane season in the U.S. in 2018 diverted flatbed trucks for cleanup and rebuilding. The result, they say, was less wood in the pipeline and less ways to transport it.
Feature Story: What’s in Store for Lumber in 2019?
“When [a commodity] takes off with that market frenzy, you overshoot the runway,” Sivucha says. “Then the crash ended up being more drastic than expected. Just like we overshot the runway on the way up, we overshot it on the way down too.” The current state of trucking and implementation of e-log books has added difficulties finding trucks and delays in shipment times, says Dale Heppner, Commodity Lumber Buyer at AFA Forest Products. He predicts it will get slightly worse. “Twenty-eighteen was interesting no doubt,” Heppner says. “I believe we had several lumber commodity products that had record highs and lows. The degree of the last nose dive caught many off-guard.” “Lots of blood in the water. If I were to comment on the upcoming year, I’d suggest that the challenges will be similar, if not worse.” PRICE CORRECTION
Johnston notes that since the heights of June and July, lumber prices have corrected down 40-50%. Now with production curtailing in November, some buying has returned. “It looks like we have found the bottom – but at prices we have not seen in years”. For contractors, of course, that means they can quote better prices and once again bid on some of those jobs they may
have been shut out of in 2017. “They can go back to the consumer and say, ‘I can now do this for you in the spring, I got a price guarantee from my supplier, my lumber yard, and it’s much cheaper than it was back in July.” REDUCE SUPPLY CHAIN CHALLENGES
With the challenges of finding wood fibre being real and “underestimated by most” and logistics challenges continuing, Heppner says he expects 2019 might be as volatile as last year. He says that AFA caters its buying to a formula that works for it and its core customer of smaller rural lumber yards: buy less, more often. Such an incremental approach, he says, lowers risk, helps create consistent margins and keeps lumber supply fresh. Johnston has a different view for 2019 and thinks the year is poised to be more stable and not reach the record highs the industry saw in 2018. He believes several forces will continue to be at work, including real estate prices, interest rates, economic growth, in addition to supply and logistics. And while the B.C. interior, which is one of the largest softwood producers in North America, will be reducing their annual allowable cut by 20% the demand appears to be softer. He suggests that contractors get their orders into their suppliers or lumber yard early and ask for a price guarantee. Such a commitment across the supply chain, starting with the
Photo courtesy of Tolko CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019
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Feature Story: What’s in Store for Lumber in 2019?
consumer, will let the supplier more safely buy the needed decade and does not see it ending soon. The supply is limlumber on speculation and help avoid surprises like 2018 had. ited by nature. “There’s only so many trees you can cut down,” Sivucha agrees. “All the players in the supply chain need to he says. “There’s only so many pieces that come out as a four be honest with one another what their situation is.” square, remember, you are trying to make something square “You need to align yourself with dealers, that started out round”. “All the players in the Based on this, contractors and builders can vendors and manufacturers you trust, who are prudent, level-headed and have a supply chain need to be expect the price delta between “#2 and betsound outlook. And in order to do that all ter” and premium wood to widen. honest with one another parties need to be transparent.” “If people can share their business goals with what their situation is.” SIDEBAR: B.C. TO CUT PRODUCTION one another and have a good healthy converNews broke in mid-November 2018 that all sion, there’s more chance of finding common ground.” major lumber companies in B.C. would be cutting production. The reason, industry observers say, was not the sinking lumSIDEBAR: PREMIUM LUMBER ber prices or U.S. softwood tariffs, but reduced log supply due “There is a very high demand for premium lumber,” Kelvin to mountain pine beetles. The bark beetles have claimed huge Johnston, Senior Buyer of Commodity Lumber and Panels for swaths of central B.C., and parts of Alberta, consuming roughCastle Building Centres Group. “The demand will continue to ly half of the province’s harvestable timber supply. Some B.C. increase, but production will not.” producers have begun to look southward for greater access to He notes this trend has occurred every year for the past the needed timber. —
Photo courtesy of Tolko
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BUILDING BETTER BUSINESS
SEVEN STEPS FOR SOLVING BUSINESS PROBLEMS Learning How to Eat an Elephant Written by Mitzi Perdue
Successful people all do one thing: they solve problems. They don’t just stare at a problem and wish it would go away. The magic key to solving your big, difficult, looming business problems is to break them down into smaller parts and then deal with these smaller parts. By viewing your issues through this prism you can focus intently on solving a problem through a series of steps instead of preparing to tackle it all at once.
It’s the old, “How do you eat an elephant?” Answer: “One bite at a time.”
YOUR SEVEN STEPS FOR SOLVING A PROBLEM 1. DESCRIBE THE PROBLEM
Do this in writing. Often, you’ll find that simply explaining the whole problem to yourself will cause you to see the solution. But not always, so if that doesn’t make the situation clear, go on to #2. 2 . BREAK THE PROBLEM INTO SMALLER, MORE MANAGEABLE PARTS
Make a list of the parts of the problem, breaking the problem down into manageable parts that don’t seem intimidating. If one item on the list still seems too hard, break it down still further into even smaller parts. Then arrange your list in a logical order according to what to do first, second, third, and so on.
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Building Better Business
3. WRITE DOWN THE OBSTACLES
6. PICK THE BEST SOLUTION
This step may come as a surprise, but it’s important. Take a clear, hard look at what the obstacles are and then list them. Being optimistic is a good thing, but no matter how positively you think about a problem, you’ll improve your odds of success if you pay attention to and prepare for the likely obstacles.
When you’ve gotten as far as you can with the brainstorming aspect of problem-solving, it’s time to put on your realist’s hat. Remember, it’s a different mindset at this point. Your job is to figure out, of all the ideas you’ve come up with, which is the best? What solution or solutions best combines: a) Solving the problem; b) Getting the job done on time; and c) Having the resources available for accomplishing it.
4. BRAINSTORM POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Write down as many solutions as you can. Be as creative as you can be. At this point, your goal is quantity not quality. Don’t keep from writing down an idea just because it seems stupid or irrelevant. Often what seems like a bad idea can spark your imagination in ways that lead to good ideas. These new ideas can turn out to be highly creative ones that might never have occurred to you otherwise. You’d be surprised how often this happens. 5. STRETCH TO FIND ONE MORE SOLUTION
Ideas that come when you’ve had to stretch for them often turn out to be the most useful of all. There’s a reason: in many cases if the answers were easy or obvious, it would already have been done by now. It’s when you stretch to get a new idea that you come up with the most creative ideas—the ones that not everyone has already thought of. The most creative, least obvious solutions may have the best chance of solving your problem. Oh, and something to keep in mind at this point: Thomas Edison was right when he said: “When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this: you haven’t.”
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7. ACT ON IT
Surprisingly often, people may come up with a good solution, but they don’t “pull the trigger.” That is, they procrastinate when it comes to implementing the idea. Successful people, in contrast, have a penchant for action. They are not only good at thinking of solutions; they’re very good at plunging in and doing them. They know that the problem isn’t solved until the plan is put into action and completed. THREE QUOTES THAT EXPRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF ACTION:
“To know and not to act is the same as not to know.” “It’s not what you know, it’s what you do.” “Done is better than perfect.”
Building Better Business
Developing skill in problem-solving is an invaluable skill. The best leaders are the best problem solvers. Invest in yourself by learning to be the best problem solver that you can be.
Checklist for Solving Problems 1. Have I described my problem in writing? 2. Have I broken it into manageable chunks? 3. Have I made a clear assessment of the obstacles? 4. Have I brainstormed solutions? 5. Have I stretched to find one more solution? 6. Have I picked the best solution? 7.
Have I put the solution into action? —
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NEW YEAR, NEW HOME: RENO TRENDS FOR 2019 18
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Castle Building Centres from across Canada give a peek into what they expect to see on the horizon in home renovations. Written by Lawrence Cummer
Photo courtesy of Van Dolder’s Custom Exteriors
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Feature Story: New Year, New Home: Reno Trends for 2019
Canadian contractors are coming off a busy year in the home renovation and remodeling market, and it’s expected to continue into 2019. Castle members and designers across the country are optimistic about home renovation opportunities this year and are predicting continued strength in a few areas that saw popularity in 2018. “Over the last two years we’ve seen, and I think we’re going to continue to see more renovation growth than in new home building,” says Rachelle Scanlan, Design Specialist and Manager at Sudbury, Ont.-based Pinehill Lumber. Mike James, President of Spring Valley and O’Leary Building Centres in P.E.I. says he’s seen a strong renovation market in his region this year, adding that it has been major renovations. “It’s been the complete gutting of houses, whether it’s taking the roof off and adding a second storey, to siding and windows; major components,” he says. “We see it trending that way, as opposed to previous years where it’s been more focused on specific improvements like a kitchen or a bit of a flooring replacement.” He says the renovation market in his region has been “pretty lucrative” and expects to see “another 10 to 12 months of good fortune.” Christian Bélair of Lortie et Martin in Ste-Agathe-desMonts, Que., names aging housing stock as one of the main reasons his market saw “a good year in terms of renovations.” He shares a positive reno market outlook for this year, and
the next few, due to the combination of housing, retiring and financial roadblocks limiting new home purchases. The number one renovation, he says, remains the kitchen. In Quebec specifically, he attributes this to people being “crazy about cooking” and the strong return on investment. These are no small renovations, however, as homeowners are looking for open concept, which can create engineering challenges or even new flooring to match rooms when walls come down. “It’s becoming a challenge on the architectural side now, and a much bigger project,” Bélair says. VINYL FLOORING
Vinyl flooring has been on the increase in the central Alberta region served by Wolf Creek Building Supplies, according to General Manager Rob deRegt. Homeowners are turning to it for comfort and other factors. “Price, the install ease and warranty all played a factor,” he says. “We definitely saw a move away from laminate and hardwood and towards vinyl planking.” He says, while hard to predict, Wolf Creek expects that trend to continue in 2019. OUTDOOR LIVING
The market for outdoor living continues to be “huge” deRegt notes, whether it’s furniture, fencing or decking. He says it’s a trend tied to home renovation since, “They can’t build the (new) home they want to build, so they say ‘why not make the
Photo courtesy of Pinehill Lumber CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019
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Feature Story: New Year, New Home: Reno Trends for 2019
Photos courtesy of Spring Valley Building Centre
house we’re living in more comfortable and add to the resale value.’” To that end, composite decking took great strides in 2018 and will be even bigger in 2019, he predicts. POPULAR STYLES CONTINUE
In kitchens, clean contemporary style and white continued to be popular in 2018, and designers expect that to continue into the new year. Adding textures, such as stone or wood features was on the rise, as was the industrial look in areas throughout the house, such as stainless-steel railings. One notable trend flip in 2018 was around kitchen counters, Scanlan says. Where in years past they would be primarily 70% laminate and 30% granite. She says those numbers have started to reverse, with granite making up the bulk.
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James says he witnessed a lot of requests around more unique colour choices, especially with respect to exteriors; accent walls with stone facades, black windows and doors and more. “Black is the new white for windows, but we’re also seeing requests for green (coloured) ones. We’re seeing these different requests and it’s growing.” In flooring, colours are swinging back towards more pale options, says Robert Boyer of Matériaux Robert Boyer in Sainte-Anne-des-Lacs, Que. whose “baby sister” store specializes in premium flooring not easily found in big-box outlets. On the uptick are also stair runners and risers that either match or contrast the hardwood flooring or are carefully painted to do so. For this, he notes that contractors have been turning to his store to avoid headaches and potential mistakes.
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Feature Story: New Year, New Home: Reno Trends for 2019
Photo courtesy of Van Dolder’s Custom Exteriors
central Alberta region served by Wolf Creek Building SupPartially fueled by government rebates and initiates, green up- plies, according to general manager Rob deRegt. He says he grades continued to be a big focus for householders in 2018. expects the trend to continue this year. “With the [GreenON rebate] program, we sold a lot of replacement windows and doors,” says Kris VanDolder GENERATIONAL CHANGES of VanDolder’s Home Team - Custom Exteriors in Owen “I think with renovations we’re getting a lot of Millennials Sound, Ont. “It was definitely the biggest who are buying their first homes,” Scanlan. thing by far this year.” “I think with renovations “You can tell with them they’ve watched In fact, the rebate was so popular it a lot more HGTV, because when they walk we’re getting a lot of created a bit of a paperwork challenge. How in and are renovating, they are renovating it Millennials who are much that trend will continue in Ontario all — top to bottom.” after the provincial government cancelled buying their first homes” Those from earlier generations, she sugthe program last fall remains to be seen. gests, are more likely to pick and choose Still, VanDolder says homeowners continue to become their renovation battles; living with their less-than-favourite more environmentally conscious and aware of the efficiency flooring, if it means a more pragmatic upgrade to their kitchen. benefits of eco-friendly and low-energy products. With the The younger generation of homeowners can be harder to elimination of the GreenOn program, he expects attention to build trust with. For this Scanlan has age-old communications shift from windows to exterior doors in 2019. advice: listen more; talk less. — New energy efficient windows were the biggest trend in the GOING GREEN CONTINUES TO GROW
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WHAT’S TRENDING
QUIT FISHING FOR PUBLICITY, REEL IN THE MEDIA Written by Russell Trahan
There is an old proverb that goes,
“
Give a person a fish, and you feed them for a day. Teach a person to fish, and you feed them for a lifetime.
”
The same can be said about publicity. If you do publicity once, you’ll only get business for a day. However, if you do publicity with frequency and repetition, you’ll build a business that will feed you for a lifetime.
There are several other ways fishing is similar to publicity, there are a few: KNOWING WHAT YOU’RE FISHING FOR/ KNOWING WHO YOUR TARGET MARKET IS:
First, you have to decide what you’re fishing for, then you go where they are. If you’re fishing for trout you would go to a lake. If you’re fishing for salmon you head to a river. And, if you’re fishing for Mahi-mahi you would gas up the boat for some deep sea fishing. The same is true for your target market. Once you decide who your target market is, you go where they are. If you want name recognition in front of business decision makers you would go to trade, industry, or business association publications. If you want the
attention of single parents you would go to women’s magazines or mommy blogs. Every market has magazines and blogs they read regularly. Know who your target market is and where they’re located and you’ll get a bite every time. HAVING THE RIGHT LURES / POSITION YOUR EXPERTISE:
In a lake you would want a bobber and lures to attract the fish’s attention. In a river or stream you might want to use a fly-fishing pole. On the ocean, of course you’d want to be fully strapped in with a strong line and reel. The same is true to positioning your expertise in a way the reader wants to see it. You may think that since Entrepreneur, Fast Company, and BusinessWeek are all
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What’s Trending
business publications you can send the same press release to all of them. Consider their core reader: Entrepreneur says who they are in the title; Fast Company attracts the reader who wants new, now, next; and BusinessWeek is the old steady blue-chip business person. So, if you tailor your press release to the reader of the publication you want to get into you’ll have them jumping out of the water for you.
you comes second. Press releases should not be advertorial or self-promotional; they should be educational, informational, and content-driven. Lead with your unique stance or controversial opinion. Offer the media additional information on a story they’re already running and they’ll be itching to take the bait.
USING THE RIGHT BAIT ON YOUR HOOK / USING THE RIGHT CONTENT IN YOUR HOOK:
Every fisher has a whopper of a story about the one that got away, but just as many have trophies mounted on their walls to prove their skills. The same is true with your publicity; you’ve got to tell a good tale about it, otherwise you might as well cut bait and walk away. Start an ‘in the media’ page on your website. Nothing impresses a potential client more than knowing the media considers you the go-to source for information on your expertise. Even if your business is just in the local market, don’t shy away from national press. Showing a local realtor you’ve
Whether you use a worm, eggs, or chum depends on the fish you want to catch. The same is true for the content you use to hook the media’s attention. If you don’t get the media’s attention, your target market will never see your content, so you have to present your content in the right way. So many people make the mistake of presenting themselves as the story. What the media cares about is what you can do for their reader; who you are and why they should listen to
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TELLING A FISH STORY / USING YOUR PUBLICITY:
been in a national real estate magazine will be just as impressive as being in the local newspaper. Use the publicity you receive in your social media as well. If you’re a B2B business you would want to focus on LinkedIn, or if you’re B2C you could use Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or others. If you’re hoping to build business name recognition, increase market awareness, or boost sales, you first need to drop your line into the water. Wading in to the mainstream media doesn’t have to be a scary situation. Knowing who you want to hook, and having the right bait in your tackle box will land you publicity without much of a struggle. Regardless if you’re standing on the banks, using a row boat, or in a trawler, it’s about positioning your content in front of your target market in a format they want to hear, then just sit back and reel them in. You’ll have a net full of media placements to use in your marketing for a lifetime. —
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THE WINTER SEASON:
A TIME TO CHECK IN ON HEALTH AND WELLBEING Written by Danila Di Croce
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Feature Story: The Winter Season: A Time to Check in on Health and Wellbeing
Mental health is a topic that is rarely discussed as part of onthe-job training, yet according to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, “in any given week, approximately 500,000 Canadian workers will not go to work due to mental health issues.” Working in isolation and often unsteady employment, were some of the key contributing factors leading to these issues. Given the fact that symptoms are more difficult to detect, self-awareness and understanding play key roles in recognizing the signs. It is important to address mental health issues, like stress, as quickly as possible in order to try and maintain a safe and healthy workplace for both employees and employers alike. Unfortunately, isolated work environments can often be the reality for trade workers, in addition to potentially also dealing with seasonal work environments due to weather or industry trends. At this time of year, slower work periods are
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more prominent due to the winter months as is the occurrence of Seasonal Affective Disorder (a type of depression that is related to a lack of sunlight during the winter months) which is why it is especially important to check in on staff and coworkers to ensure that their physical and mental wellbeing are on track. Most physical symptoms can be easily detected when one falls ill, however mental health triggers may not be as easily recognizable. According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, “in any given week, approximately 500,000 Canadian workers will not go to work due to mental health issues.” Stress is all too common and is a great contributor to mental health issues. As outlined by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario in their 2006 Basic Certification Training Program: Participant’s Manual, stress can lead one to lose sleep, over-medicate or drink excessively, and/or feel
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Feature Story: The Winter Season: A Time to Check in on Health and Wellbeing
depressed, anxious, or reckless. When individuals engage in such behaviors, they are more likely to make errors in judgment, increase the potential for physical strains and sprains, and become momentarily distracted. It is important to address mental health issues, like stress, as quickly as possible. Luckily, there are programs and practices in place that can be used to help individuals. For starters, one can do a variety of simple but effective practices to help reduce one’s stress levels, like the ones suggested by the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS): take several deep breaths throughout the day; have regular stretch breaks; and organize and prioritize your day. Employers can also play a role in reducing stress. According to CCOHS, it is important for employers to control a stressful factor at its source. For example, if stress is being caused by a physical agent, such as loud noise or a painful workstation, then they recommend the employer take action to reduce the noise or redesign the workstations. Another important component in reducing stress for employees is job design. As outlined on CCOHS’s website, “good job design accommodates an employee’s mental and physical abilities.” According to CCOHS, positive job design in the workplace includes: a job that is reasonably demanding and that provides the employee with a variety of job tasks; opportunities for the employee to learn on the job as well as throughout their career; an area of decision-making that the employee can call his or her own;
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a degree of social support as well as recognition in the workplace; and the feeling that the job leads to a desirable future. Aside from creating positive job design and reducing physical stressful agents from the workplace, CCOHS highlights that it is important for employers to curb stress on a day-to-day basis by doing things such as, treating all employees with fairness and respect, providing support, being clear about job expectations, and designing jobs with a balanced workload. A balanced workload is also an important contributing factor for an effective work/life balance. According to Health Canada, “balance is one of the identified psychosocial risk factors that can impact an individual’s mental health.” While an occasional stressful workday is something that can be managed, it is the continuous stressful days that can wreak havoc on an individual’s wellbeing. Statistics Canada reported that, employees who felt that most of their days were extremely stressful, were over three times more likely to suffer a major depressive episode, compared to those who reported low levels of general stress. As CCOHS outlines on their website, the two main causes of a disruption in work/life balance are the following: “lack of time and scheduling conflicts,” as well as, “ feeling overwhelmed, overloaded or stressed by the pressures of multiple roles.” Thankfully, there are several strategies that one can implement to ensure a positive work/life balance in their lives. While at work, the Canadian Mental Health Association suggests
Feature Story: The Winter Season: A Time to Check in on Health and Wellbeing
doing things such as: scheduling breaks for oneself through- excess energy, if dietary patterns stay constant.” To counterout the day; setting realistic goals for what can be achieved act the negative effects of this change in activity level on the in a given time frame; and turning off electronic communi- body, Julia suggests incorporating regular physical activity cation after a set time so as to not be available 24/7 for work. into each day to keep joints and muscles healthy and pliable Some strategies they endorse for home are: creating a “buffer” over the winter season, and to maintain a healthy bodybetween work and home, which means, weight. During physical activity your doing an activity one enjoys after work, “Eating a balanced diet body releases “ feel-good” endorphins before beginning the evening routine; boost your sense of well-being, and and staying hydrated is that prioritizing household chores; and exerciscan also suppress hormones that contribing. Furthermore, one can consider speak- increasingly important ute to stress and anxiety. ing to their employer about adopting flexWork/life balance doesn’t just benefor trade workers who ible work hours or completing a graduated fit the employees, but the company overall return (gradually building up to a full-time have extended periods as well. For example, CCOHS points out schedule after a leave). that work/life balance programs improved of down-time” For those working in seasonal trades, company morale, helped to retain staff and maintaining a healthy body weight and regular physical even attracted new employees. Most importantly, they have activity is equally important. “Eating a balanced diet and helped to decrease stress and burn-out, while increasing levstaying hydrated is increasingly important for trade workers els of production and satisfaction. This positivity is of utmost who have extended periods of down-time” says Julia Wright, importance, especially in an industry, like construction, where Nutrition & Exercise Expert and Head Coach at FF Well- sobering statistics have shown that too many are suffering and ness. “Individuals whose occupations have an off-season are losing their lives to issues with mental health and wellbeing. — going from a highly-active level of activity, to a very sedentary level and the body may compensate for this by storing this
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DESIGN TALK
DECLUTTERING DESIGN Written by Teresa Christine
Professional decluttering design firms are perhaps one of the biggest trends in the design world today. Whether homeowners are turning on their television to the latest HGTV show or picking up the latest best-selling book, maximizing space, functionality and feeling good about where you live and spend time is of the utmost importance. Cary and Kyle of New Minimalism and authors of New Minimalism: Decluttering and Design for Sustainable, Intentional Living The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, take their background in psychology and interior design to offer some insight into the latest industry movement. Besides offering some insight into why people tend to accumulate so many things, they provide practical, easy-to-adapt strategies for decluttering and changing habits. This concept is a perfect one to adopt when entering a new year since for many as soon as the holidays are over, they start to worry about where they’re going to put all the new gifts and how they’re going to find space to store all the holiday décor and ornaments. If this is you, you’re not alone!
In fact, most organization specialists recommend purging a few things before redesigning your storage solutions. This is especially important for those that are considering any renovation or redesign projects. With the influx in home renovation television shows and best-selling books many experts believe the correlation between how you feel and quality of living in a tidier more organized home. Often when designers consult with their clients, part of their strategy involves speaking about how they use their space, functionality and day to day living needs. Simply cleaning a room doesn’t ensure that the room will stay that way. Creating and putting a sustainable system in place means that homeowners can use their space and the designer can create solutions that that homeowner will be able to maintain. As daunting as it may seem, designers often suggest starting with one of the most used room in the house or commonly used rooms. Rooms that can tend to become a stress point throughout the day. Design Talk takes a look at some of the expert suggestions for some of the most popular rooms.
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Design Talk
One of the biggest trends when designing an entrance way or mud room are incorporating “drop stations”. Creating a space to hold your daily items like mail, keys, your purse or wallet. With plenty of baskets and bins to choose from ensure that they’re big enough to hold everything to keep in your entryway. Accessories like benches, hooks, shelves and baskets are becoming key design staples in today’s fast paced world. For instance, keeping a bench with a basket by your front door allows you to keep things like purses or jackets in one area outdoor clothing accessories like hats in the summer or gloves, scarves and mittens in one location. Historically the “hub of the house”, the kitchen plays an even important role in day to day life. From eat-in islands to
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homework stations, keeping the kitchen clean from clutter is essential to maintaining the ultimate functionality. Creating habits like regularly removing old kitchen utensils you no longer use or have in multiples will help keep the design of your kitchen. Using drawer inserts to contain things so that they stay neat and organized is also another great way to keep everything in its place. Tired of seeing a counter full of clutter, another great practice is to use countertop canisters for coffee or tea or basic baking ingredients. This is a great, cost-effective solution to add extra storage and accessorize your kitchen. Typically the living room is the quickest room to collect clutter. In order to keep the design of your living room the focal point, experts suggest carefully curating what is
Design Talk
displayed on shelves or on top of coffee tables. For homeowners with children, they recommend giving them a basket in the room of their own so that they can fill it with up with whatever toys or belongings they want. This keeps the quantity of toys limited and contained while keeping the space organized as well. As we move to the master bedroom, designing closets to best utilize space and organization are a growing trend. Designers recommend regularly looking through clothes so that you are not taking up valuable space with clothing you never wear or use. Another design tip that they say make a big difference in both how the closet looks and how it makes you feel is trying to keep all hangers uniform. If possible, try to
invest in a matching set and they claim it can be the single biggest game changer for any closet and will instantly elevate your space. From there, grouping tops, pants, and dresses together or color coding within each category is also another useful tip. For shoes, no matter which room of the house you prefer to store them, using clear shoe boxes to fix the size of shoe or boot, can save a lot of space and help keep the area looking clutter free and chic. Whether you are about to move into a new house or embark on a home renovation project, decluttering design is not only a trend for professional designers but a way for homeowners to maximize space, live sustainably and make way for the new. —
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