December 2012

TBT

Winner of Local Media Association’s 2011 award for Best Business Publication

HONOURED

Toronto Board of Trade recognizes its 2012 winners Page 10

in conversation

Arlene Dickinson and the entrepreneurial lifestyle Page 13

TORONTO BUSINESS TIMES

December 2012

www.torontobusinesstimes.com

Kudos for helping women succeed in business Catalyst Canada honours those who champion women MARIA TZAVARAS tbt@insidetoronto.com

Staff photo/Dan Pearce

Alex Rodov, managing partner, centre, and the QA Consultants family at their office on Sparks Avenue in the north end of Toronto.

Bringing IT jobs back to Canada Award-winning QAC builds success on software testing izabela Jaroszynski tbt@insidetoronto.com

On the outside, One Sparks Avenue looks much like any other Toronto office building. But working inside the massive two-story space is a group of professionals that are revolutionizing the quality assurance industry.

“We are being called category killers,” said Alex Rodov, managing partner of QA Consultants (QAC) and the man at the forefront of the software testing revolution.

The company is the largest software quality assurance and testing consultancy in North America.

Simply put, it specializes in making

sure developed software is working as it should. But what makes QAC so unorthodox is that it is doing it all from here – on-shore that is, rather than off-shore in labour-cheap locations as has become the norm.

“The off-shore concept was not working for anyone,” Rodov said, pointing out cultural differences, staff retention and language barriers as some of the issues facing those companies who outsourced their IT needs overseas.

Companies lured by those low costs were soon finding themselves frustrated, he added. QAC is endeavoring to change that, offering a highquality testing service locally at prices that are competitive with those offered by off-shore firms.

Rodov isn’t giving away the magic formula – “It’s a bit of a secret sauce” – to how QAC is able to compete financially, but the key seems to be the company’s narrow scope.

By keeping its sole focus on testing, rather than going after the software development dollars, QAC is able to target all its research, development and innovation on improving the software testing process.

“Software testing hadn’t been innovated since the ’90s,” Rodov said. “We are now able to deliver a lot quicker and a lot cheaper.”

It is a story of good old Canadian innovation, he added.

When the company saw that the IT landscape was changing in the last decade, it put together a think tank to come up with a way it could compete with its lower-priced competition.

“We did what we do best as Canadians – we used our brains and came up with a solution,” Rodov said.

The answer was a 60,000-squarefoot facility called the Test Factory, a highly specialized building designed to take on projects of any size and scope. “ We ke e p t h e needs of clients top-of-mind,” Rodov said.

The company now counts 25 per cent of North America’s Fortune 500 companies amongst its clients, including those from the insurance, banking, manufacturing, retail and telecommunications sectors. >>>QAC, page 8

‘Software testing hadn’t been innovated since the ’90s. We are now able to deliver a lot quicker and a lot cheaper.’

– Alex Rodov

Each year, Catalyst Canada recognizes those who show an outstanding dedication to furthering women in the corporate world.

The non-profit organization, which is dedicated to expanding opportunities for women in business, gives out their annual Catalyst Canada Honours Award to celebrate these champions.

This year, two of the recipients hail from Toronto: Gord Nixon, president and CEO of RBC, and Jane Allen, partner and chief diversity officer at Deloitte Canada.

Allen has made achieving diversity goals a priority throughout her career. When she was the co-dean at the University of Toronto, she cofounded the Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Most recently at her job at Deloitte, where she’s a partner and Canada’s first chief diversity officer, she has helped to spearhead a number of initiatives.

Allen has won several awards, but said this one is uniquely special because it’s given specifically to people who are dedicated to advancing women in business.

“Catalyst is a very well-respected organization and they have a rigorous process for selecting their applicants so you know when you win this one that it’s really, really meaningful,” she said.

Allen was chosen because she has demonstrated the importance of senior sponsorship in advancing talented women and underrepresented groups. Also, her work to improve management accountability for achieving diversity goals >>>award, page 8

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TORONTO BUSINESS TIMES - December 2012 - 3

i n th e n e w s

The evolution of goal setting Some goals are meant to be scrapped, others must be adapted ERIC HEINO tbt@insidetoronto.com

A

t some point during the development of a small business, an entrepreneur needs to look at their goals with a critical eye.

Whether the goals are longterm or short-term, a smart business owner needs to react to both internal changes in their company and external changes in the market to analyze their strategy appropriately.

It isn’t always easy to know which goals to stick with and which to modify, so being cognizant of how performance relates to goal setting should be a priority for businesses of any size.

An owner’s time is often in high demand, so knowing when to spend that time evaluating goals is vital.

Dennis Brown has found success in many jobs through his career and has now built his own company, Dennis Brown and Associates, that provides business and life coaching to entrepreneurs.

He has devised a system that helps many of his clients monitor their goals.

Brown suggests setting an annual goal and evaluating progress on a weekly basis. If

important milestones are being met on a weekly basis, then one can move to evaluating the overall goal on a monthly basis. If things are still going smoothly, move evaluations to every six months and then start to make even longer-term goals.

Not every goal will work out and Brown said one reason is a lack of internal conviction.

“If there is no clear understanding of why you set a goal, then it is a shallow goal. It is not reasoned against anything.

A person needs reasons, even if the goal is just to be successful,” Brown said.

Essentially, if there isn’t a good internal reason to work toward a goal it has a good chance of falling apart.

There are also many external reasons that even a great set of goals can fall apart. Keeping ahead of changes in the industry, the economy and the competition can be reason enough to completely change a set of goals.

Mike Wilder’s company, Image

Gear Inc., has been in business for more than 20 years. He works in the film and television industry and has revised his longterm goals multiple times.

“It has been the outside that has influenced and changed us.

Technology has been the main factor in changing short-term and long-term goals as well,” Wilder said.

“The companies that didn’t adapt in my industry don’t exist anymore and that isn’t just our business, that is all businesses.”

He started the company with a goal of researching and developing new film equipment for sale around the world.

When some larger equipment distributors began to set up shop across Canada, he saw an opportunity to capitalize on a service sector that was being neglected by his competition.

Soon after he formed partnerships with other equipment service professionals, the recession of the early 1990s came along and the film industry took a big

‘If there is no clear understanding of why you set a goal, then it is a shallow goal.’

– Dennis Brown

hit. Most of his partners folded, but Wilder survived because he was once again able to switch the focus of his business from services back to equipment rentals.

It wasn’t long before Image Gear Inc. once again had to redesign their goals when digital video technology became cheaper and available to the general public.

When his camera rental income began to drop, he focused the business on the neglected niche of lighting and film accessories rental.

Despite his best-laid goals, Wilder has been able to survive by paying close attention to his competition and industry trends.

Knowing when to detach yourself from sentimentality and scrap a business plan is a valuable skill, he said.

“In development there are certain gateways where things are reviewed and evaluated. If they are not meeting criteria then scrap the whole project because it is doomed to failure. What is important for a development plan is to have those gateways where everything is evaluated before they move to the next step and spend even more money,” said Wilder.

Review goals for best chance at success ERIC HEINO tbt@insidetoronto.com

W

hether a goal for a small business has turned out to be a great success or a major failure, there is always something to be learned.

Even making mistakes can be valuable learning experiences, so long as they aren’t repeated.

Not only does a business owner need to learn to get a sense for when a particular goal isn’t working, but they should also pay attention to what types of goals are appropriate for personal success.

Those in the marketing industry have a particularly astute idea of how to help businesses reach their financial goals.

Matthew Georgiadis, vicepresident of business development at Elite Email, is always reviewing and learning from goals he sets in his email marketing business and also those he sees his clients set for themselves.

Some goals might seem ahead of schedule while others might seem lacking at certain times of the year; jumping to conclusions without a large enough sample size can be a mistake.

“Every business has a different calendar of goals because every business is different. Travel companies, for example, have two distinct sales schedules in the fall and in the spring,” said Georgiadis.

He admitted his own company has sometimes embarked on

what seemed like promising initiatives that turned out to be failures for reasons that weren’t always clear.

Whether the goals were too lofty or there were factors outside the company’s control, sometimes goals aren’t met and the reasons why aren’t always clear, he said.

Such unpredictably in entrepreneurial life can be stressful.

Learning that lesson plays a big role in what David Cohen preaches to entrepreneurs on his radio show, in his book and through his business consulting company, Technicolour Umbrella.

In his experience, a large part of why some business goals fail is because there isn’t enough diversity in the goal-setting

process.

Cohen created an acronym – SWIFT – to outline the five major sets of goals that every entrepreneur should pay attention to: social, work, inner, financial and taking care.

“As entrepreneurs I believe we have to have balance,” Cohen said.

“In a large business it will go on running with or without you but if you are the sole proprietor you have to take care of yourself first.”

Being able to focus on the day-to-day operation of the business is very important, but if goals designed for personal wellbeing of the entrepreneur aren’t in place, the business and the owner can both be impacted negatively, he said.

Treliving shares tips Owner of the T&M Group of Companies and Dragon’s Den star Jim Treliving, left, signs a copy of his book ‘Decisions: Making the Right Ones, Righting the Wrong Ones’ for Nellie Camran during a Small Business Month event at the Toronto Reference Library in October.

Photo/ARMANDO VILLAVONA

Setting your goals is the first step to achievement ERIC HEINO tbt@insidetoronto.com

B

eing able to design a clear path and set goals are essential steps in turning good ideas into great businesses.

It sounds simple but where does one start?

Creating an initial set of goals to keep on schedule and monitor progress is one of the many skills taught to aspiring entrepreneurs at Toronto’s Learning Enrichment Foundation (LEF).

Regardless of education or prior work experience, LEF specializes in teaching people the basic skills and understanding to get all types of small businesses off the ground.

Executive director Peter Frampton and Cheryl Partridge, emerging entrepreneurs coordinator, have seen hundreds of promising entrepreneurs pass through the doors of the LEF and know how important the first steps of goal setting can be for the overall success of a business.

According to Partridge, a good way to start is to break down long-term goals into smaller sets of time-based objectives.

“Look at your long-term goals and look at where you are now.

Work from both ends,” she said.

By following this strategy, a business plan can be broken into bi-monthly sales goals that will be reflective of a long-term financial strategy. Keep in mind that attaining a series of small goals will eventually add up to achieving large ones.

‘The best goal is to be able to get to a point where you can start selling.’

– Peter Frampton Setting realistic goals requires industry research, but Frampton urges new business owners to be wary of getting too overwhelmed. Sometimes trial and error can be a more effective way to develop goals and strategies that are realistic and relevant to a niche business.

As long as education is an ongoing process he said inexperience in certain aspects of management is not necessarily a deathblow to a start-up.

“It’s just as important to just know what you don’t know.

It’s not necessary to know everything before you start,” Frampton said.

He goes as far as to say that the best initial goal is to get the product out to the market, even if there are some loose ends in the overall goal-setting process.

Once the ball is rolling, the areas that need to be refined will become evident and learning can be more focused on relevant topics.

“The best goal is to be able to get to a point where you can start selling. As soon as you get to selling the better, because then you don’t get caught up in analysis paralysis,” Frampton said.

TBT

4 - TORONTO BUSINESS TIMES - December 2012

TORONTO BUSINESS TIMES

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Editorial

It’s not just about recognition I

t’s an ever-changing, everchallenging reality for the main street small business owner in this city.

This reality means that the partnerships those entrepreneurs forge are more important than ever to the survival and growth of their enterprises.

The Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA) knows this. It now comprises 73 BIAs across the city, and counts more than 30,000 members.

TABIA recently held its second annual Recognition Awards night at the St. Lawrence Hall, recognizing BIAs in 21 categories. Awards ranged from the more traditional (Outstanding Capital Streetscape Award) to the more contemporary

(Creative Solutions Award). In total, 39 organizations were recognized.

And while the recognition of the fine work by these organizations is deserved – and certainly appreciated by the recipients – there’s a critical component to this event: the opportunity for all members across the city to network, to establish contacts and to be inspired.

“It all just spawns ideas,” John Kiru, TABIA’s executive director, said of the awards ceremony, adding that for each award, “70 other BIAs get to see what these guys are doing.”

Small businesses have ongoing needs: The need for innovation. The need to do things at a low cost. The need to stay one step ahead of the competition.

Whether it’s the strong social media presence created by the Baby Point Gates BIA (Commmunications Award winner) or the cross-promotional savvy exhibited by The Danforth BIA (Marketing Award winner) these are policies, ideas and innovations that now have the potential to spread to other areas of the city – and even maybe take on a local flavour of their own. That alone is a reason to stress for continued growth of this initiative.

Strong neighourhood businesses create strong neighbourhoods. By banding together, businesses can create a whole greater than the sum of its parts.

The same applies when businesses look to one another for inspiration.

Opinion

Guest Column

Words of wisdom: Best Toronto must invest in what it does well advice often the simplest T I he uneasy truce between Toronto’s industrial past and its future played out again in recent weeks.

One outburst occur red in response to the upcoming closure of Etobicoke’s Christie cookie plant and the idea to replace that factory with, on average, one condominium tower for each of the site’s 27 acres.

Next there was a skirmish when the planning committee refused to rezone employment lands in favour of high-density residential use next to Nestle’s facility near Bloor Street and Dundas Street West.

Look closely at our city and you’ll see many areas where similar conflicts could occur.

Near King Street West and Niagara Street, an abbatoir is under constant pressure to stop meat processing operations. Over in Scarborough, the companies of what is known as “Chemical Alley” find it necessary to regularly test their sirens that would warn residents of major problems.

And in Downsview, Bombardier is Toronto’s largest private employment site, yet finds it challenging to operate within the city.

In many respects, these sites are remnants of Toronto’s mighty industrial past. At one time a huge swath of King Street West employed thousands of people making MasseyFerguson tractors, Canada’s bestknown brand.

It was joined downtown and later in Scarborough by the John Inglis Company, which boasted of making a million washing machines. In more recent times, the manufacturing and assembly operations for companies such as General Motors and IBM filled out Toronto’s industrial landscape.

Times were different. Except during wartime, taxes were low and regulation light. Markets were protected. Occupational health and environmental protection were rudimentary. Companies that produced hazardous products, such as

Guest Column

david soknacki

munitions, asbestos and chemicals, located in what was then distant Scarborough or Etobicoke.

Each of these key economic factors have changed, so manufacturers now find it more profitable to locate beyond Toronto’s boundaries, in many cases, far beyond.

But that does not mean Toronto is destined for insignificance.

By specializing in what we do well, by investing in education and enhancing our infrastructure we have built a remarkable, modern economy. Toronto is internationally competitive in services such as finance, education, IT and transportation, plus we have world-class research capability in pharmaceuticals and aerospace.

This new economic order allows us to create a different city.

Service industries need much less space per worker and offices can be built close to homes – factors behind the emerging trend of service businesses to again move into our city’s core where the workers live.

Nor has it escaped the notice of urban planners that services can be provided efficiently to office workers who live nearby in high-density buildings.

Our future success will be based on productivity and specializing in what we do well. When given global opportunities, Torontonians have used this model to achieve a high, sustainable and increasing standard of living. As proof, simply look at any of the international ratings for cities, where you will find us near the top of every list.

But while Toronto’s future belongs to a service economy, there are also

places for world-class or specialist manufacturers.

T hose chemical plants in Scarborough, pharmaceutical companies in North York and Bombardier in Downsview have invested heavily in research and productivity. They compete globally, operate profitably and pay their workers well.

Nor do businesses need to be large to thrive, as Toronto’s food and beverage cluster demonstrates. Our municipality ought to, and usually does, make decisions to enhance their success.

As difficult as it may seem, other considerations come to the fore when facilities are obsolete, markets are contracting and business success based solely on low cost. In these cases, our energy is best spent in attracting new business, retraining workers and clearing the way for our future.

The two cases earlier this month show these principles. The cookie plant was part of a business unit that Kraft sold, and Mr. Christie’s cookies no longer fit the brand portfolio of even the divested group.

Without the ability to compete globally, saddled with old equipment and high costs, the plant’s closure was just a matter of time. What will eventually be put on the lands is still undecided; the proposal for a forest of residential towers was just the land owner’s opening position.

On the other hand, Nestle continues to invest in its facility, to the extent it operates efficiently around the clock. It sees a long-term future in Toronto, and was willing to fight for its interests. City Hall was wise enough to support it. n Guest columnist David Soknacki is a former City of Toronto councillor and budget chief. Contact him at www. soknacki.com Ed. Note: Peter Haggert’s Editor’s Desk column will return.

recently had the privilege of being part of the judging committee for a few of the categories in the Toronto Board of Trade’s 2012 Business Awards, the winners of which were announced in mid-November.

It didn’t take long to be impressed by the creativity, ingenuity and – unquestionably – the hard work put in by the nominee entrepreneurs. Congratulations to all the nominees.

As part of the nomination package, nominees were asked to present up to three pieces of advice that they wished to share.

Words of wisdom, in other words.

I’m not going to dwell at length on the examples I heard, but I was struck by the seeming, well, straight-forward, basic nature of a lot of the advice.

These generally weren’t complex or intricate concepts to grasp or to understand. Examples included (and I’m paraphrasing here) having the fortitude to stick it out through tough times, understanding cash flow and investing in your people.

Practical, straight-forward concepts? Yes. But straight-forward doesn’t mean easy.

Even the simplest pieces of advice can take a significant commitment of time and effort before one sees a payoff. These aren’t one-time, flick-of-a-switch actions - but they tend to form the basis of successful enterprises.

Investing in your people takes time. It takes effort. It takes work.

NOTEBOOK

Paul Futhey Having the fortitude to stick out tough times takes consistent, persistent application.

And I suspect those nominees who were dispensing this advice are well aware of the ongoing challenges they face in their enterprises. They’re in the dayto-day action. They know of what they speak.

What does it all mean? I think it’s that when we struggle – in work, in business, in life – often it’s using a straight-forward concept as a guide that allows to you to re-focus, take stock, and get yourself moving again.

Also... speaking of advice, don’t miss our panel of experts on the facing page weighing in on goal-setting. Those of us who look to an upcoming calendar year for an opportunity to revamp, reset and refresh especially will welcome it!

All the best in the coming year to you all. n Paul Futhey is the managing editor of Toronto Business Times.

His Notebook column appears monthly. He can be reached at pfuthey@insidetoronto.com

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TORONTO BUSINESS TIMES - December 2012 - 5

op inion Each month, Toronto Business Times solicits opinions from experts on a question of relevance to the small business community. This month’s question is: So last year you set some goals. But things change, and during the year you didn’t reach that goal. How do you assess what went wrong? Do you keep the goal or scrap it? How do you avoid missing goals?

Research key to goal-setting Set your goals high enough Get SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely S W

hether in business or conducting a well-organized work search, having wellthought-out goals is part of the key to growing one’s business and ensuring continued success.

Frequently, I tell my clients who are job seekers to set SMART goals for themselves. Business people and entrepreneurs need to do the same.

SMART is the acronym for goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely.

Entrepreneurs must be willing to establish their SMART goals and then be flexible enough to make changes as required.

Just like a job seeker must assess his position in the marketplace by conducting research about his career and how he/ she can fit appropriately in the workplace, a small business person must also determine where and when his skills, experience, products and services will be demanded.

Only by conducting thorough research will an entrepreneur know what business goals to develop and how to market his products and services.

So the question becomes, how can an entrepreneur secure key information that will be required to launch and/

ictc

brian epstein

or grow his business and reach specific goals that are measurable, achievable, and realistic – while being delivered in a timely manner?

Research is key for any business to grow revenue and develop goals. The size of the business, and the owners’ financial capabilities will determine the amount of investment.

Although research can potentially cost a lot of money, neither job seekers nor entrepreneurs have to have “deep pockets” to compile necessary information, make valuable decisions and prepare a list of goals to follow.

You can network with other business professionals and like-minded entrepreneurs. Networking with Subject Matter Experts and can be very critical for re-developing, revising and implementing goals.

It is always advisable to continue one’s research and explore online, at libraries, at trade shows, fairs and professional associations, as well as governmental and other business publications After goals are set, they

need to be monitored.

Ongoing evaluation determines if, in fact, goals have been reached, as well as what new strategies, if any, need to be adopted.

After a goal’s timeline has passed, it is a necessity that the goals be reviewed. If the original goals have not been met, all factors should be considered and new strategies need to be developed to ensure success.

As new information is compiled, all goal setters must be willing to make changes and update the goals so that a new plan of action is taken to ensure that the goals are successfully implemented.

For a job seeker or an entrepreneur to reach one’s goals, it is similarly important that a business person demonstrate the flexibility to change and update his/her goals according to new circumstances that present themselves.

n Brian Epstein provides employment consulting and coaching services to clients in career transition.

As a coach facilitator for ICTC’s Coaching to Career program, he supports IT professionals who have been in Canada less than three years. Brian is a former instructor at George Brown College.

etting and chasing goals is like a game.

And if you’re going to win, you’re going to have to get familiar with the variables, the rules, and your position.

There are two types of goals: absolute goals and range goals. Absolute goals are basically if-andif-not statements.

For example, you can set an absolute goal to reach your flight on time.

Range goals are ones you work towards. You might only achieve 90 per cent of your sales target, but will still be very satisfied with your efforts.

Keep learning

pixel dreams

khalid mokhtarzada

close you are. Continuous review will keep you on track and will also identify future bottlenecks, obstacles and pitfalls. You cannot improve what you do not measure.

By stepping back and reviewing your progress on a regular basis, you can adjust and optimize your plan and, if need be, modify your goal.

Be realistic

Write it down

I’m just as optimistic as the motivational guru next door, but if you’re 45, overweight, and blind in one eye, your goal to be the next world figure skating champion might not be the right goal for you.

Be honest with yourself and set goals that make sense.

The first principle, a basic one, is to write down your goal. Place it somewhere visible to read before you retire at night and to see first thing in the morning.

This might seem hokey to some, but achieving great results sometimes requires weird and obsessive behavior.

Actions versus outcome Focus on actions, not on the mountain ahead of you. By doing so, you’ll have a better chance at building momentum and will also collect enough data to review your efforts and then optimize for better results.

Measure Don’t wait until the last stretch to see how

Keep focused It has become increasingly difficult to focus in our hyper-multi-tasking society. Those with laser focus have a great advantage.

Keeping your target (goal) in sight requires dedication. A few minutes of meditation or reading your goals each day can go a long way.

So you didn’t reach your goal...It’s OK. Most ambitious people don’t.

Too often, we beat ourselves up over not achieving our goals. This is unproductive and sets dangerous emotional associations with the goalsetting process.

We allow ourselves to believe that goal setting can lead to failure and pain.

rule of thumb If you’re achieving 100 per cent of your goals, you’re not setting your sights high enough.

Goals are meant to be guides in our journey toward being better and doing better. They should stretch you, make you a bit nervous, keep you excited at night and pump you up in the morning.

Failure is great The greatest achievers in life have dealt with their share of major failures.

Don’t be afraid to set big goals. Stay positive, stay motivated and fight hard.

In the end, even if you don’t achieve all of your goals, the pursuit will be worth it. n Khalid Mokhtarzada is the founder and CEO of Pixel Dreams, a strategy, branding and design agency.

There is a right way to set goals Commitment key to reaching goal

A

s the new year approaches you may find yourself thinking about goals: goals on your bucket list, achieved goals, and goals that failed over the last few years.

While you may come up with many reasons you were unsuccessful with past goals, I’ll ask you to think of a particular one.

Did you choose the right goals for you?

A common reason people drop their resolutions, even though they seem exciting at first, is that as time goes by these goals fail to add meaning to their life.

Yes, it would be great to achieve a wide range of things, but not all of those achievements would add equal amount of significance to your life.

Choosing goals that match your strengths, values and personal needs is the only way to bring meaning to your achievements and to boost your chance of success.

Stop chasing goals based on a desired lifestyle only.

These goals may not match your natural talents or even what’s important to you in the long run, so they’ll quickly lose their appeal.

lifesense

ivana pejakovic If you want to approach changes in your life with enthusiasm and sustained motivation pick goals that will give you meaningful results in the long term.

Use these categories to help you choose the right goals:

Strengths Do the goals you pick typically involve improving your weaknesses, covering up your weaknesses, thinking about your weaknesses, or talking about your weaknesses?

How often do you pick goals based on what you’re already good at?

Goals based on weaknesses are an uphill battle.

Assess your strengths and pick goals that will give you the opportunity to use them.

Values What would you say is important to you? Your values justify the time and effort you put in to achieving your goal.

When your goals are based on your values, they

keep you going. Goals that overlook your values soon lose their charm.

Needs Motivation always follows hunger. What are you hungry for? If you hunger for things like certainty, independence or spontaneity in your life, pick goals that will get you what you need. Recognize what you need to feel joy; the promise of fulfillment will motivate you to keep moving.

The new year is an excellent time to rethink your life and execute necessary changes.

Psychologically, the start of the year creates freshness in your mind and is symbolic of a new beginning of life.

If there are goals you want to revisit from the last few years, ask yourself how well they match who you are. Otherwise you may get a similar result to the one you’ve already got. n Ivana Pejakovic, of LifeSense Coaching, motivates teens and young adults to approach life with desire and passion.

She focuses on self-esteem, self-confidence, self-image and emotional intelligence.

Unmet goals offer opportunity for learning

A

s a researcher who studies the motivational effects of goals on performance, I appreciate how frustrating it can be when a goal is not reached.

Hundreds of studies over several decades point to a clear and consistent finding: assuming a person is committed to attaining a specific and challenging goal, they perform at a superior level to those who focus on vague or unspecific goals.

Therefore, my first observation would be that although the goal wasn’t reached, chances are the person outperformed a comparable other who pursued a more abstract goal.

While this may be little consolation to a person falling short of a sales target, it does indicate that abandoning the goal may not be the best course of action – at least not without serious consideration.

In diagnosing what went wrong, an important thing to assess is whether

schulich

kevin tasa the person has the requisite skills and ability to perform the task.

Recent research shows that when people are trying to reach a goal on a task that is highly complex, asking them to reach a specific target sets them up for failure. This is because they devote so much attention to attaining the goal that they fail to consider learning opportunities that will help them perform better.

To illustrate, consider what might happen if a novice golfer set a goal of taking only 90 strokes to complete a round of golf (when 120 is more realistic).

About halfway through a round the person is likely to get feedback telling them the goal is unrealistic (trust me, I know this).

Then, they stop paying attention to things they learned, such as how to hold the club, how to line up a putt, and so on. Here, the goal is actually debilitating.

In cases like this, we recommend setting subgoals that focus on learning the task rather than hitting a specific outcome.

We call these goals learning goals, and recommend them when people are new to a task.

Finally, we also know from research that people will persist towards a goal, even if they are falling short, if they have selfconfidence in their abilities to perform the task.

So, assuming a goal is attainable, managers would be wise to help their employees find examples of similar people in similar situations who have reached goals. This modeling effect can go a long way in boosting a person’s confidence.

Coaching a subordinate on how to demonstrate appropriate task-relevant behaviors is an underappreciated art, and something that goes a long way towards boosting selfconfidence and increasing the likelihood that goals are achieved. n Kevin Tasa is an associate professor of organization studies at the Schulich School of Business at York University.

6 - TORONTO BUSINESS TIMES - December 2012

op i n i on

Valuing the dissenting voice

W

hen we look back at any major business catastrophe in the past 20 years – Enron, Lehman Brothers, Exxon Valdez – there is a story of a person (or persons) who, at some point, long before the public downfall, warned key people about the possibility of a problem.

At the time of such a discussion, the bearer of bad news is often considered an outcast, naysayer or negative Nellie. They are, in fact, the dissenting voice.

Most businesses have someone who gains a reputation for being a “glass half-empty” kind of person. And it’s no mistake that businesses have such people in their employ, as somewhere buried in the psyche of the personality of most business cultures is a recognition that such people can help a business keep their feet on the ground. Dissenting voices are seldom welcomed and sometimes quieted or even dismissed – to dire consequences.

Dissension, by definition, is not a popularity contest.

People will openly argue against a decision for one of two reasons: they are a negative, ornery person or they have a compelling reason to voice concern. So how do you tell the difference?

A negative Nellie uses dissension as their auto response. Over time, coworkers learn this person needs to be talked out of their negative stance and

Coach’s Corner

Sonia Byrne shown the bright side of a situation. As a repetitive experience, this can become exhausting for co-workers who eventually stop trying to paint rainbows and sunshine.

An effective dissenting voice most often shows up as the voice of reason or the person with the cautionary tale about an impending project, initiative or proposed business change.

They tend to be contemplative types who have foresight or, sometimes, life experience that sets off a reason for concern.

Here are some tips for determining whether there is credibility and reason to pause when dissension rears its head in the workplace.

Consider the source: Is this person credible in their opinion? Do they have a reputation as a negative person or a contemplative individual?

Consider the history: Does the person have a history of being dramatic and reacting to a situation before they have all the facts? Or, has their reflec-

tive approach uncovered issues in the past that resulted risk reduction in the business?

Consider non-consensus: While it is nice and tidy – and often desirable – to have 100 per cent consensus in a business decision, it is not always necessary.

Consider allowing a difference of opinion or an experience of non-consensus to remain, especially during the processing of a large project or initiative where people may change their minds several times on the same topic as more information becomes available.

Consider asking questions: Our most immediate and primal reactions in times of conflict are to recede or to fight back. Either reaction gets us no further in better understanding what is behind the dissenting voice.

Be willing to ask questions.

Stop, take a short pause to think and get curious about the rationale for the difference of opinion.

Questions such as “What are your concerns?” or “What do you see as possible consequences?” will open up the conversation and allow you access to more information. Only then can you tell if you are dealing with a negative Nellie or a true cautionary tale. n Sonia Byrne is a business and life coach. She can be reached at www.soniabyrne.com

2012: What’s hot and what’s not

A

round this time last year, I wrote that I couldn’t have imagined a crazier year than 2011. I was mistaken.

2012 definitely set a new bar for big news stories, major events and dramatic shifts in the way we live our lives.

The world of technology was no different. So what was hot or not in 2012?

Hot The Personal Cloud. After years of technology pundits waxing philosophical about the ‘cloud’ – basically, storing software, data and files on a company’s server instead of on your PC – as an emerging concept for ordinary consumers (businesses have been using the ‘cloud’ for some time), digital customers raced to embrace the cloud in 2012.

Music services like Rdio, Spotify and Grooveshark enjoyed explosive growth year-over-year, while services like iTunes experienced flat or even declining sales. Google radically reshaped the game of online collaboration with its Google Drive software.

Movie services like Netflix continued to surge in adoption among Canadians.

Not Research in Motion. It seems hard to imagine that the Waterloo, Ont.-based tech giant could have endured just as bad of a 2012 as it did the year previously. Yet things got much worse for the

Surface device.

TECH TALK

GREG HUGHES smartphone maker this year: a stock price that collapsed to half its previous value, a massive decline in worldwide adoption of its Blackberry device, thousands of job cuts, and general pessimism dominating the company’s long-term prospects.

The only hope for RIM’s survival? The Blackberry 10, which according to advance reports, may help the company rebound in 2013 somewhat. Still, even this launch was bungled

by RIM – the Blackberry 10 release was delayed by nearly a year.

Hot Tablets. It was a brilliant year for tablet computing, with both Apple and Android consuming the lion’s share of this still-emerging market.

Apple went all-in with its tablet offerings in 2012, releasing two versions of its beloved iPad and then, in October, the iPad Mini.

The Google Nexus 7 won rave reviews from critics and consumers alike, while Microsoft doubled down on its own tablet with the

Not Facebook. By all accounts, 2012 was not the year company insiders had expected. Facebook’s Initial Public Offering (IPO) last May was hyped to extraordinary lengths by even tech boom standards; after an initial stock debut that sent ripples of excitement through the NASDAQ, Facebook’s stock price declined considerably over a period of weeks.

Lawsuits were filed, controversy reigned. Yet the most troubling long-term consequence of Facebook’s underwhelming IPO may be the start of a second tech bubble bursting, similar to 2001’s dot-com crash.

Hot Self-tracking and personal data management. It’s no big revelation that numbers, statistics and raw data are driving more and more of our decision-making. Yet in 2012, this practice finally started to trickle down to mainstream consumers.

Smartphone apps, ranging from RunKeeper to Nike+ to StudyCure, all became indispensable tools for people to take charge of their own health in 2012.

It’s a profound digital revolution that will change much of how we live going forward. n Greg Hughes is a writer, editor and Web 3.0 junkie. Follow him on Twitter at ghughesca

If you’re not serving your customers in real time, you’re missing a fantastic revenue opportunity. That means delivering relevant information customers want to a variety of platforms, whether they’re using laptops or tablets or smartphones. With the onslaught of social media grabbing business owner’s attention, it’s easy to lose sight of your social strategy by focusing all your energy on likes or retweets. It’s no longer enough to blast off a series of Tweets and Facebook statuses and hope your consumers will come to you.

It’s nearly impossible to compete with the volume of content produced on social media platforms. More to the point: When you send content to social media platforms, those companies are monetizing your content -- it’s time you follow their lead and host content on your own site.

Providing real-time content is an efficient way to engage your target market directly by building a community around a product, a service or thought leadership in your industry. It also ensures that people searching for information will come across your site before a competitor’s.

Here are some ways you can build a loyal, engaged online community around your brand: 1. Public live discussions with customers and prospects.

Harness your internal expertise and allow customers to engage with your company directly. Give customers a forum to get the information they want in real time, and you have more control over that information. Run an hour-long online conversation and allow readers to ask questions to your company directly. The discussions can be specific to your company, for example a CMO can questions around a new pricing plan or product. Or you can provide thought leadership related to your industry: a financial planner providing advice during tax season, a dietitian answering questions about healthy eating, a chiropractor talking about ergonomics in the office.

2. Private live discussions with company stakeholders.

Run a live discussion for your company’s stakeholders, such as reseller channel partners. For example, invite your channel partners to ask questions about the latest competitors, or a new business model you’re mulling over. This is especially useful when your resellers are geographically diverse: schedule a time that everyone can come online, and offer them the opportunity to engage with management in real time around a new product or target market.

3. Live event coverage Does your company host annual conferences? Workshops? Charity events? Product launches? Provide real-time digital coverage of the event by publishing photos, quotes and links to relevant information. This helps cement your role as a thought leader in your industry while also sending traffic to your site. Potential customers and prospects can attend your event virtually, which can drive more revenue. You can syndicate this out to ScribbleLive’s massive media network, which further amplifies your brand.

Dana Lacey is the Director of Real-Time Content at ScribbleLive. Scribble is the global leader of real-time, digital publishing technology that has created the world’s largest real time content network comprised of media companies and corporate brands. These organizations use the Scribble platform to create, publish and syndicate real-time content across Scribble’s global network, social properties and their own branded digital properties. Scribble’s SAAS platform is used globally by companies such as Sun Life Financial, PWC, CNN, Reuters and The Associated Press, who benefit from increasing their return on marketing investments and driving down the cost of creating content. Digital content created on the Scribble platform and shared across its network is presently viewed at a rate of over 1.4 billion minutes of customer engagement per month.

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TORONTO BUSINESS TIMES - December 2012 - 7

8 - TORONTO BUSINESS TIMES - December 2012

i n th e n e w s

Award celebrates workplace diversity

QAC success proves there’s a future for IT in Canada >>>from page 1 Their success has not gone unnoticed. In 2011, they placed third on the Branham 300 Top 20 Canadian Movers and Shakers list. In November, they won the Business Excellence award for Local Economic Impact from the Toronto Board of Trade.

With each successive year, the company is expanding, hiring 20 employees in the last month alone.

Rodov doesn’t call these jobs new, though.

“They are jobs that are being repatriated,” he said. “We lost them to India and China and now they are coming back.”

With the jobs comes also a return in dollars that are being put back

into the local economy, he said.

Rodov hopes the company can be an inspiration to other entrepreneurs, giving hope that business can be done locally, even if the competition spans borders.

“Being able to do interesting work makes us happy,” he said.

“It gives us great pleasure to create jobs.”

New employees are put through months of vigorous training in the QAC model and given the chance to work with leading edge technology. Being located in Toronto gives the company access to top talent from some of the country’s leading schools and helps keep this talent at home, Rodov said.

“We are showing that there is a great future here in IT.”

>>>from page 1 has led to a significant increase in the proportion of women partners admitted to Deloitte.

Allen has worked for Deloitte 16 years, but said her role of chief diversity officer was created five years ago when the firm decided to put more effort into creating a diverse and inclusive work environment.

“I have always felt very strongly about the need for women in business to get an equal shake as men, so I thought, what an opportunity to work in an organization that’s open-minded and wants to make change where change is required,” she said.

Allen said their goal at Deloitte is creating a workplace where everyone is respected and has the same opportunity to advance their career, so they have a number of initiatives

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‘It’s all about having men and women understand how they work differently and behave differently.’

– Jane Allen, chief diversity officer at Deloitte Canada oriented to that goal.

This includes working closely with their National Diversity and Inclusion Council and reviewing annually what progress they’ve made, identifying where the gaps are and creating new strategies and goals.

They also have leadership pro-

grams where they work with a consultant to guide them on how to make changes, as well as several education and awareness programs, such as their Gender Intelligent Leadership program.

“It’s all about having men and women understand how they work differently and behave differently, so knowing that, we can be more effective when we work together,” Allen said.

Nixon, who was not available for comment, was recognized for establishing the Diversity Leadership Council, which is responsible for overseeing the bank’s diversity and inclusion strategy, key goals and results, and he has since chaired the Council.

He has also personally sponsored the development of many women at RBC, with many achieving senior leadership positions.

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TORONTO BUSINESS TIMES - December 2012 - 9

L I S TE D

Top 10 things to keep in mind when planning your staff holiday party

T

he holiday season is fast approaching. It’s a time to reflect on the past year and give thanks to your employees. Here are a few points to keep in mind when planning your staff holiday party.

1. Know your spending limit Before you can begin planning you need to know your parameters. Have a clear understanding of what you can afford. All of your party’s components – venue, food and beverage, décor and entertainment – depend on this key piece of information.

2. Choose your venue Keeping in mind your budget, decide on what location suits your social gathering best. Would a restaurant work well or should your party be held onsite at your office? Many restaurants have separate sections for larger parties so you can still be a part of the lively atmosphere but enjoy a private area. The weekends will be filling up quickly so if it is a restaurant you desire, call now to reserve your spot.

3. Create atmosphere The atmosphere can be equally inviting at the office by making some simple adjustments. The key to holding an office party at the office is creating a different look and feel. Dim the lights, move some furniture around and add some sparkle.

4. Ask and you shall receive Talk to your suppliers to find out what the decor and food and beverage trends are this year. Every supplier has their own spin on the holiday traditions and they can help you make your party seasonal and uniquely different.

5. Create engagement The holidays are filled with festive music so bring the music to life with live entertainment. Consider hiring dueling DJs or interactive musicians like adding a bongo

player to play along with the tunes on your dance floor. Either way it can provide engagement with your employees.

6. Be prepared As a business owner you are liable for your employees’ actions so be properly prepared with taxi chits and/or securing a hotel room for the night should someone not be able to drive home.

7. Bring a guest Consider allowing your employees to bring a guest. By sharing the staff party with someone special, it deepens their enjoyment and makes the party more meaningful.

8. Give locally The holidays can be an especially difficult time for those in need so encourage your guests to bring canned goods, winter clothing or a new children’s toy to your party. Giving back to your local community is a benefit everyone can enjoy.

9. Have fun Keep the mood light, festive and joyous.

It is a party after all.

10. Give thanks ’Tis the season to celebrate your company’s success and to recognize your employees’ individual and collective contributions.

Raise a glass and give thanks to the people who make you look good.

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Listed is a monthly feature in Toronto Business Times. Judy Healy is an instructor at the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Ryerson University.

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R E C OG N I TI ON Board of Trade Business Excellence Awards The Toronto Board of Trade’s 2012 Business Excellence Awards were held Nov. 15 at the Toronto Congress Centre. Winners were recognized in nine categories: Global Reach, Business Growth, Local Economic Impact, Start Up New Business, Innovation, Diversity, Entrepreneurs Under 30, Sustainability, and Entrepreneur of the Year.

Photos/PETER C. MCCUSKER

Toronto Board of Trade president and CEO Carol Wilding, left, presents the Global Reach Award to Ozery’s Pita Break’s Alon Ozery.

Seneca College’s Daniel Atlin, left, presents the Entrepreneur of The Year Award to Resolve Research Solutions Inc.’s Celina Rayonne-Chavannes.

The Royal Bank’s Naznine Virjee, left, presents the Diversity Award to Acosys Consulting Services’ David Acco.

About: recognition of any successful initiative that has expanded their business to the international business community.

About: recognition of highachieving entrepreneurs who drive growth, build communities and transform industries.

About: recognition of a business that exemplifies leadership in increasing diversity, equity and inclusion, and achieves a sustainable and quantifiable impact in these areas.

Grant Thorton managing partner Glen Gilbert, left, presents the Business Growth Award to Pristine Properties Maintenence co-owner Jon Agg.

Toronto councillor Shelley Carroll (Ward 33, Don Valley East), left, presents the Start Up New Business Award to Top Hat Monocle’s Mike Silagadze.

UPS vice-president of marketing Nicholas Dorget, left, presents the Entrepreneurs Under 30 Award to Alexa Translations CEO Gary Kalaci.

About: recognition of a business that achieves growth that outpaces its competitors and demonstrates the ability to manage the operational impacts of growth.

About: recognizes a new business/entrepreneur (up to five years in business) who has been identified by corporate peers and the community for outstanding business innovation and achievement.

About: recognition of business owners/operators under the age of 30 who have achieved professional success and made significant civic contributions to our community.

Toronto Community News editor-in-chief Peter Haggert, left, presents the Local Economic Impact Award to QA consultants managing partner Alex Rodov.

Rogers director of small business marketing Tisha R attos, left, presents C l e a r v i ew S t r at e g i c Partners executive vicepresident Paul Enright with the Innovation Award.

Allstream sales manager Cory Gill, left, presents the Sustainability Award to the Metropolitan Tea Company Ltd.’s Gerry Vandergrift.

About: recognition of a business or individual who has helped create and maintain quality, year-round jobs for the community and who has made significant contributions to the local economy.

About: recognition of a business or individual who demonstrates innovative advancements in process, concept, or product and has successfully implemented/ marketed them.

About: recognition of contributions that enhance our understanding of ho w vibrant communities can be built through improved social well-being, strong & diverse economies, and the maintenance and improvement of our environment.

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TORONTO BUSINESS TIMES - December 2012 - 11

N E W S A N D N OTE S

Employees with right attitude critical for small businesses’ growth, transformation SANAM ISLAM tbt@insidetoronto.com

Photo/PETER C. MCCUSKER

The Wise man presents Former Dragons’ Den advisor Sean Wise delivers a presentation on “how to know if your business idea will fly or fail’ at the North York Central Library auditorium Nov. 20. Also an author, Wise is currently a professor of innovation and entrepreneurship at Ryerson University’s Ted Rogers School of Management.

Hiring employees with the right attitude is crucial for small businesses that are looking to transform or grow, according to Rob Henderson, president of Student Awards Inc., a Toronto-based company that matches postsecondary students with financial awards.

“People can be taught things, but you can’t change attitude. Ask, what is their appetite for change and growth? You need a group of people with a certain mindset and there are a number of people who are very resistant to change. You have to make some tough calls,” said Henderson, who is currently redefining his company’s business model and strategy.

Henderson, along with Lisa Shepherd, CEO of The Mezzanine Group, a businessto-business strategy and marketing firm in Toronto, spoke about maximizing human capital in a case study discussion called “Keys to Success: How Can I Find the Right People at the Right Time?” during the Toronto Board of Trade’s SMB Exchange event in October.

Henderson said a transformational period is the best time to cut staff members

who are resistant to change because they will respect your decision when you explain that things will be done differently going forward.

‘You can learn an awful lot from talking to a candidate on the phone. It only takes 15 to 20 minutes and will help you answer that preliminary culture fit question.’

– Lisa Shepherd “We cut 20 per cent of our staff because we wanted that attitudinal change. It happened in about five or six months,” Henderson said.

He is happy with the result: recently, his team approached him with three new business concepts, and

they are very excited about change and growth.

To find the right people, Henderson suggested using experts, such as HR consultants who specialize in attitudes, who can better assess candidates.

RIGOROUS PROCESS Shepherd, whose company employs 15 people, said she has a rigorous hiring process in place that involves four or five interviews with various executives and staff members.

Candidates also undergo psychological and profiling tests so decision-makers have a complete picture of them.

For entrepreneurs with smaller businesses and less time, Shepherd suggested screening candidates on the phone first.

“You can learn an awful lot from talking to a candidate on the phone. It only takes 15 to 20 minutes and will help you answer that preliminary culture fit question,” she said.

When it comes to hiring independent contractors, it’s best to do so for jobs that are not core to growth.

Henderson said core jobs are better suited to full-time employees who can offer a higher level of loyalty and continuity.

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g ood work s

Patagonia pitches in to assist EcoSpark EcoSpark has sent out a thank you to Patagonia for its support of the Big River Study program.

EcoSpark works with communities and schools, providing them with the knowledge and tools to monitor their environment and take action for positive environmental change.

Thanks to the generosity of the staff at Patagonia, EcoSpark is enjoying new equipment including

some much needed chest waders.

Patagonia is also one of the dozens of businesses supporting EcoSpark in the Make the Drop battery recycling campaign at their 500 King St. W. location.

Patagonia grew out of a small company that made tools for climbers. It now includes clothing for skiing, snowboarding, surfing, fly fishing, paddling and trail running.

Photo/Courtesy

Lawrence West Dental supports breast cancer research The team at Lawrence West Dental is a strong supporter of breast cancer research and recently announced the results of a successful fundraiser. Their Dress for the Cause Campaign raised $1,075 and included Tanya Dedman, left, Stefanie Fiorilli, Alicia Turpin, Dr. Nick Babatsikos, Lisa Carcasole, Dorothy Tromboukis and Frieda Babatsikos.

Future Shop helps boys and girls club A youth from St. Alban’s Boys and Girls Club will be able to pursue her dreams of post-secondary education thanks to Future Shop.

Christina Vandervaart was presented with a Future Shop Future Generation scholarship during a recent presentation in front of friends, family and supporters from St. Alban’s Boys and Girls Club in Toronto.

Christina is among 40 Boys and Girls Club youth across Canada to receive a $5,000 Future Shop Future Generation scholarship that will help off-set the costs of pursuing higher education.

Future Shop’s Future Generation program promises students in Grade 10 a scholarship for their postsecondary education at a

time when it may still be possible to influence their decision about whether or not to continue their studies past high school.

By awar ding these scholarships in Grade 10, successful applicants may realize earlier on that pursuing post-secondary education can still be a realistic option.

Recipients were selected

based on their contributions to their Boys and Girls Club and community, good academic standing and financial need.

St. Alban’s Boys and Girls Club was founded in 1949 and serves 2,000 members a year at its founding clubhouse plus 1000 more in 18 satellite sites including locations in three United Way-identified priority neighbourhoods.

Number 9 Audio supports Children’s Wish Foundation

Photo/PETER C. MCCUSKER

Cookies for coats at Amica Ron Storey, left, and Donna Lu Mitchell enjoy a treat during Amica at Bayview’s ‘Cookies for Coats’ event in November. Donations of used winter coats were received at the retirement residence and donors were treated to cookies and tea as thanks.

Share Your Good Works with TBT readers Email details of your business’s charitable deeds to tbt@insidetoronto.com

Located downtown, Number 9 Audio has been in the music business since 1981.

They provide professional recording services, audio/ video transferring and editing services, graphic and web design, and media duplication.

Part of the success of the business involves giving back to the community, and this year, Number 9 has chosen the Children’s Wish Foundation as a partner.

Founder George Rondina has produced a special Christmas album, working with some of Canada’s top talent (who have also donated their time) to create Christmas On Seaton Street. The album will be available for purchase in December at the studio and online, at iTunes and through CD Baby.

HomeSense helps women’s shelters HomeSense, in partnership with the Canadian Women’s Fo u n d a t i o n , l a u n c h e d Hosting for Hope, a national program that supports local women’s shelters and violence prevention programs.

Canadians are encouraged to raise money for their local shelter during any party they host before Dec. 31.

The program allows hosts to create an event that fits with their schedule, budget and sense of style. As a thank you from HomeSense, each participant will receive a $25 gift card.

Once signed up at HostingforHope.ca with a $50 contribution, participants invite guests to their event

using the website and request a donation to a local women’s shelter in lieu of a host or hostess gift; 100 per cent of all money raised will go toward helping women and children rebuild their lives.

To help kick off the campaign, Jann Arden hosted the first Hosting for Hope dinner party in Toronto.

Staff photo/Mary Gaudet

Yogurty’s serves up for Kids Help Phone Chris Li, owner of the Yogurty’s at 2203 Bloor St. W., is one of the chain’s participants in a fundraising effort in support of Kids Help Phone. The self-serve frozen yogurt company is donating 10 per cent of its net profits, up to a maximum of $25,000, during the campaign that went from Nov. 12 to 30. The funds will go to Kids Help Phone to support their anti-bullying programs.

Scotiabank teaches cyber safety The (ISC)2 Foundation, a charitable trust that aims to make the cyber world safer for everyone, sent cyber security experts into Toronto schools to educate students on the dangers of the cyber world.

More than 30 executives from Scotiabank discussed students’ online image, the consequences of cyber bul-

lying and numerous other cyber security topics.

Safe and Secure Online is a program that brings top cyber security professionals from business and government into classrooms for free to teach cyber safety to kids.

Topics include online identities and reputations, malware, cyber bullying, online predators and gaming.

Gourmet Food & Wine Expo gives back to Second Harvest The Gourmet Food & Wine Expo announced Second Harvest as the its charity partner for this year’s expo.

“We are thrilled to be able to once again help out such a fantastic charity that does so much good for the community,” said Paul McNair of the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo.

The expo ran at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from Nov. 15 to 18. Upon leaving, visitors handed in their wine glass and $1 was donated to Second Harvest,

Canada’s largest food rescue program.

Second Harvest has been picking up donated, excess food, which would otherwise go to waste, and delivering it to 200 community agencies in Toronto for the past 26 years.

Since the partnership between the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo and Second Harvest began in 2007, the expo has raised more than $50,000 and has rescued 11,000 pounds of food for Second Harvest.

TORONTO BUSINESS TIMES - December 2012 - 13

i n c onversa tion

Arlene Dickinson: the entrepreneurial lifestyle need to have all the right support and infrastructure in place so that you can grow well. That takes discipline and that takes slowing it down and understanding what you are trying to deliver.

ERIC HEINO tbt@insidetoronto.com

M

any got to know her after gaining mainstream fame on CBC’s television show Dragon’s Den, but Arlene Dickinson built her reputation by finding amazing success in a multifaceted career.

She is the CEO and owner of Venture Communications, one of Canada’s top marketing communications companies, and has invested in many businesses that have turned around to make a tidy profit.

She has been recognized by a number of publications and independent business groups as one of the most powerful women and successful business owners in the country.

Her most recent creation is a website called YouInc (www.youinc.com) where she constructs a space for entrepreneurial education, support and investment.

She spoke with Toronto Business Times about her new website, social responsibility and finding a balance between business and personal life.

Q

Talk to us about YouInc. How did the idea for YouInc come about?

A It’s a website and it

came about because we really did feel that there needed to be a place where entrepreneurs could go to not only get resources and information, but to share and talk with a community of other entrepreneurs and to help each other.

Really, it was to try and create a meeting place for organizations and entrepreneurs looking for support and help.

Q You’re very active with the Breakfast Clubs of Canada. Talk to us about the importance of social responsibility in your life and from an entrepreneurial perspective.

A I’m a big believer that

Photo/CHRISTOPHER WAHL

Dragon’s Den star Arlene Dickinson is one of the co-chairs of Covenant House Sleep Out: Executive Edition, that saw major business executives sleeping outside overnight on Nov. 15.

Q A lot of the work you

do involves purchasing or investing in other businesses. This is a little different because it is something you came up with and got off the ground on your own accord. Do you approach this differently than a business you would be involved with because of investment?

‘Everyone has to figure out what it is that gets A Yes, them out of bed every anytime you are a day; What makes you starting business happy; What makes you are the entrepreneur them push and get yourself better as a person and and so it is very differthen pursue that.’ ent than

involvement with the website?

investing in a company.

Although, I would say that any investment I make I also want to act and think like an entrepreneur does, so at the end of the day you are trying to build a business whether it is your own or somebody else’s – that is the common thread.

A It’s owned and oper-

Q On the YouInc website,

Q What is your level of

ated by Arlene Dickinson Enterprises, which is my company. So YouInc is my company. One of the things we are doing is creating that website so it is directly connected to my brand.

Q Was this an idea that

you came up with and wanted to push for personal reasons or was it another venture brought to you and you liked the idea?

A No, it’s all mine and this is part of Arlene Dickinson Enterprises. It’s part of the reason we created this kind of media content development company, to help entrepreneurs through a variety or media platforms and to help businesses succeed through investment.

one of your themes is the entrepreneurial lifestyle.

What is that and what does it mean for an entrepreneur to find a balance between their work and their life?

A The tagline for the site

is “when work is life,” and most entrepreneurs spend our waking hours and most of our sleeping hours thinking about our businesses and how they can improve and the things we need to do on a daily basis.

We don’t really separate who we are at work from who we are at home; it is one person. We are the same person. The notion that there is this thing called balance and that you can switch it off when you are at home is not what most

entrepreneurs do.

This whole site and everything I’m doing recognizes the fact that entrepreneurs do think differently and do behave differently. We do have our lives and our work intertwined and intersected in many ways.

That is OK. It’s not that we don’t love life and don’t pay attention to the other aspects of our life, but business is a big part of our life.

Q You’ve taken your

personal philosophy and mixed it in with business sensibility on the website.

You said you created it as a place for entrepreneurs to access information and communicate with each other. In your opinion, what is the single biggest obstacle that inhibits aspiring entrepreneurs in Canada?

A In my latest blog post on the site I outline the three worst mistakes you can make when starting a business and they are common threads that affect many businesses.

Those are underestimating the time and energy it is going to take to get a business off the ground, underestimating how much money and capital you are going to need, and underestimating the need to have people around you that balance your skills.

Q Do those three points

remain true across Canada?

How might they change when looking specifically at Toronto as an environment for small business?

A I think those are entre-

preneurial challenges no matter where you are. It doesn’t matter if you are in Toronto or another market, the reality is that you are going to need time, energy, money and help and it doesn’t matter where you are.

Q Toronto is a bit of a different environment than

other places in the country.

What are some of the positive and negative aspects of starting a business here?

A I would say this is a very big market with a lot of established business here.

In Toronto you have to have the determination to go and knock on doors and it is going to take longer for you to really become visible because there is so much crowding and noise in a small space.

I think it is hard from that perspective.

On the other side it is a big market so you have a bigger audience, you have more resources to draw on, you have more opportunity to network.

The negatives are also part of the positives.

Q We’ve talked about some of the problems people can encounter when trying to start a small business. Can you tell us what it is that inspires you to continue putting so much time and effort into your businesses?

A We are all motivated

by different things and I think we all have to really examine what our motives are and make sure we understand what it is that drives us.

For me, I love what I do.

I get up every day and start working and it is something that keeps me engaged and interested. It challenges me and it makes me, I believe, a better person because I am exposed to so many great people as a result of what I do.

For me, I’m motivated by all those things but mostly I’m motivated by my family.

I do what I do because I have four children and I want to be a good parent and I want to support them. I want to help them and this is one of the ways I do that.

I’m also motivated by success. I want to be successful at what I do and we all define success differently. I

think everyone has to figure out what it is that gets them out of bed every day; What makes you happy; What makes them push and get better as a person and then pursue that.

You need to figure that out and go hard for that because life is too short to not go hard for what it is that makes you happy.

Q If you could give one

piece of motivational advice to an entrepreneur that is really struggling to find success but you think has a good idea for a business, what would that advice be?

A Define

what success is because you have to ask yourself what success even looks like.

The one piece of advice is, “Do you even know what success looks like?”

You have to know what it is in order to accomplish it. Some people say they want to be successful but they don’t know what that means.

we live a very privileged life in Canada and we have to make sure that our communities and social environments that we live in are supported. Anything that stands in the way like lack of food, shelter or support for all sorts of individual challenges.

I think it is incredibly important for individuals to give back what we can. That’s why I support the Breakfast Clubs. It’s ridiculously unacceptable to me that any child in this country should be going to school without food.

It should be a basic right and I believe it’s important that we feed our children so they can learn and be more effective in their day and can become contributors to our society. They need a healthy foundation to do that with. Social responsibility is all of our responsibility.

It belongs to the government and it also belongs to you and me and it is so important to give back whenever we can and however we can.

Q Let’s get back to YouInc. What do you think is the most important function it serves?

Looking down the road, what other functionality do you hope to grow the site to include?

‘The one piece of advice is, “Do you even know what success looks like?”

You have to know what it is in order to A Right now it is a accomplish it. Some place for to people say they want people not feel to be successful but afraid about being they don’t know what honest about what it means to that means.’

Q When growing a busi-

ness that is already established, what are some of the mistakes an entrepreneur makes when trying to make that next big step and expand business?

A The same things I said

earlier and also that growth at all cost is not good. You need to have profitable growth as well as process and operation nailed down.

You can grow a company and grow yourself out of business. To grow well you

be an entrepreneur.

It’s a place to share and give insight and participate in a conversation about what it feels like to be an entrepreneur.

We are doing all sorts of things to continue to add value to the site. We are going to be adding a lot more content and are going to ensure that we are going to give people not just a place to communicate but also to learn and to share.

We are going to push the needle to help entrepreneurial efforts in this country by investing in them, by helping people go and find financing and by helping their products get into the market.

14 - TORONTO BUSINESS TIMES - December 2012

BU S I N E S S A G E N DA DEC. 1 AND 2 ■ TORONTO WOMEN’S EXPO, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Downsview Park, 40 Carl Hall Rd. Discover new and innovative products and services; grow your business from the array of workshops and seminars; find resources for everything from personal care to business success. Visit torontowomensexpo.com to register.

MONDAY, DEC. 3 ■ YOUR IDEAL CLIENT: who they are, and how to attract them; an Enterprise Toronto seminar presented by Olga Brouckova, of OB4innovation Inc., 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Toronto City Hall, Committee Room 3, 100 Queen St. W. No fee. Call 416395-7416 or email enterprisetoronto@toronto.ca

DEC. 3 AND 4 ■ WORKPLACE DIVERSITY AND Inclusiveness Forum: Inclusion, Innovation, and Immigration. Learn how to capitalize on the full value of diversity and inclusiveness to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of your workforce. Presented by the Conference Board of Canada at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, 123 Queen St. W. Visit www.conferenceboard.ca/ for details.

TUESDAY, DEC. 4 ■ WHY PRIVACY MAKES Good Business Sense: Speaker Lonny Kates from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada talks about the collection, use and storage of personal information about your client and customers. Whether you are a retailer or service provider, it is your responsibility to

Hillman, YWCA Toronto, manager, special events, 416-961-8101, ext. 361, shillman@ywcatoronto. org; Bassem Ghali, Green Lotus, VP client strategy, 647-405-2525, bassem@greenlotus.ca

Submissions to the Business Agenda can be emailed to tbt@insidetoronto.com. The deadline for the next edition of Toronto Business Times is Friday, Jan. 11. protect this information and use it according to the guidelines set out by the PIPEDA. Get the help you need to keep your business in compliance with the law.

At North York Central Library Auditorium, 5120 Yonge St., 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Call 416-395-5613 to register.

■ DONATE & LEARN workshop, an initiative created by Green Lotus to support Toronto’s non-profit organizations/ charities and provide small and medium businesses with a focus on social media, online marketing strategies, and the tools needed to achieve online marketing goals. At YWCA headquarters, 87 Elm St. (Bay and Dundas), 6:30 p.m. Details: Shana

■ SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS: how small businesses use Twitter and Facebook, 3 to 4 p.m. at Toronto Reference Library Learning Centre 1, 789 Yonge St. Call 416-393-7209 to register.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 5 ■ MANAGING YOUR CASH Flow, an Enterprise Toronto seminar presented by TD Canada Trust, Small Business Banking. Get real-world examples and practical tips that will help you maximize your cash flow, minimize the need to borrow and ensure you are taking full advantage of the cash flow cycle. Takes place 10 to 11:30 a.m. at North York Civic Centre, Committee Room 3, 5100 Yonge St. No fee.

Call 416-395-7416 or email enterprisetoronto@toronto.ca

TUESDAY, DEC. 11 ■ SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING Made Simple, 6 to 8 p.m. at Malvern library branch, 30 Sewells Rd. Author, speaker and

entrepreneur Jim Pagiamtzis shares strategies and best practices a business should understand to get started with social media marketing. Participants will have time to ask questions, share experiences and network.

To register, call 416-396-8969.

MONDAY DEC. 17 ■ TORONTO BOARD OF Trade Diversity Series: Join Shawn A-in-chut Atleo, National Chief, Assembly of First Nations, as he discusses the path to prosperity and productivity for all Canadians. Explore how the First Nations’ re-emerging economic confidence is helping to shape the Canadian economy. At Toronto Board of Trade, 1 First Canadian Place, 4th Floor, 77 Adelaide St. W., 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Tickets are $79 for TBOT members and $99 for non-members. Visit www. bot.com or call 416-862-4522.

JAN 12 AND 13 ■ THE NATIONAL FRANCHISE and Business Opportunities Show, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building, Hall F & G, 222 Bremner Blvd. See all your business ownership options in one place, and meet with Canada’s best known franchises and

hottest new opportunities. Call 905-477-2677 or 1-800-891-4859, or visit http://www.franchiseshowinfo.com/

SATURDAY, JAN. 19 ■ SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS: how small businesses use Twitter and Facebook, 3 to 4 p.m. at Toronto Reference Library Learning Centre 1, 789 Yonge St. Call 416393-7209 to register.

MONDAY, JAN. 28 ■ ANNUAL DINNER OF the Toronto Board of Trade, 5:30 p.m. at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building, 255 Front St. W. To reserve, call 416-862-4500 or visit bot.com/annualdinner ■ SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS: doing market research online, 6 to 7 p.m. at Toronto Reference Library Learning Centre 1, 789 Yonge St. Learn how to use Scott’s Business Directories Online, article databases and other online sources to do market research for your small business.

Call 416-393-7209 to register.

JAN. 28 AND 29 ■ ENTERPRISE RISK MANAGEMENT 2013: Creating and

Seminar series geared to business startups Toronto Business Development Centre hosts a weekly seminar series for people in the initial stage of starting a business.

Sessions are on Tuesdays from 6:30 at 9:30 p.m. at 1 Yonge St., and the registration fee is $60 in advance or $75 (per person, per seminar) at the door.

The series of four seminars is a certificate series and also includes a one-hour consulting session with a TBDC business advisor once you have attended all four sessions.

■ Dec. 4: Starting a Business – The Essentials ■ Dec. 11: Business Research – Will Your Idea Work?

■ Dec. 18: Marketing – How to Get and Keep Customers ■ Dec. 22: Tax and Cash Flow – Ensure Your Business is Profitable Book online at www.tbdc.com; call Ted Barton at 416-233-5287 for details; send email to eveningseminars@tbdc.com

Protecting Future Value with ERM, at the Hyatt Regency Toronto, 370 King St. W Hear about the latest approaches from ERM thought leaders and best practice case studies. Learn how to anticipate risks and make informed, risk-based decisions.

Visit http://www.conferenceboard.ca/conf/13-0036/default. aspx for conference details.

JAN. 28 TO FEB. 1 ■ FFWD ADVERTISING & Marketing Week 2013: Speakers, parties, awards, galas. For anyone who is part of the Canadian communications industry. Visit http://advertisingweek.ca/aboutadvertising-week/ for details.

Promote your event online

You can get the word out about your business event through our online calendar.

Sign up online at insidetoronto.com to submit your events (click the Sign Up link in the top right corner of the page).

Call 416-774-2256 if you have any questions.

TORONTO BUSINESS TIMES - December 2012 - 15

16 - TORONTO BUSINESS TIMES - December 2012

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