Small Business – Pleasure and Pain

Chris and I recently attended the first annual Small Business Summit (sponsored by The Globe and Mail).   There were a variety of topics ranging from financing your business to challenges of rapid growth to use of social media as well as panels on successes and mistakes that people have made along the way to building their businesses.  Going to one of these events always helps you realize that you are not alone in your pleasure (or your pain) of being part of  growing a business and the natural constraints (or exciting possibilities) that go with that.  Getting to talk to others about their business model gives you valuable insight and broadens your network as you plan for the future.  

Some of my favorite highlights were:

• The Honorable Maxime Bernier saying:  Entrepreneurship is an outlook on life that there is always something to improve.
• Christina Jennings  discussing how she decided that in order to control her life, she needed to control her job and that failure is one of the most important things that can happen to you.
• Tara Hunt’s 5 core traits of success:  being completely delusional so you can find the gaps in the world, fearlessness, audacity, adaptability, and tenacity.
• Several comments about the importance of having good people to work with and trusted advisors you rely on – what LOGiQ3 is all about
• How to tell your story…. Everyone responds to passion;  use your influencers; anecdotes rule.

Being able to attend this summit was especially meaningful to me as a recent “comer” to the Small Business world.    You do not fully appreciate or realize what being in small business means until you actually live and breathe it.    You need a certain mindset to survive and accept the highs and lows.   And, it definitely stretches your creativity and talent to the max.    If you had told me 5 years ago that I would be not only living in Canada but also working at a company of less than 20 people after 25+ years of employment with large employers, I would have laughed.   But, the rewards and personal satisfaction far outnumber the worry and the pains.   So, if you are at one of those large employers and ever have the opportunity to make a leap and join a small but growing entrepreneurial business, you’ll be welcomed by millions of us that are already in that boat.     After all, how many people do you know that leave small business to join a big company?    There must be a reason that the tide goes the other way.    For those of you that are already along for the ride, take a minute to pause and appreciate what joy you’ve received from being in a company  that is growing and where you are helping shape its future.   I’m sure it will outweigh any pain.

- Laura

Lest We Forget 11.11.11

As I sit here today I worry that we’re losing our connection to Remembrance Day.  I hate to do the “when I was a kid” thing, but I’m going to… When I was a kid it was a significant event at school and we really talked about what Remembrance Day was.  Granted it was easier as we were only a generation removed from the last great war.  However, why does being lucky enough to have the passage of time since the last world war increasing, does it mean we remember less. Shouldn’t we remember more?  The smaller the world gets, the more connected, shouldn’t we be even more grateful? 

We should, but we’re not.

I am eternally grateful for what my mother’s father, and hundreds of thousands like him did in the great wars.  My grandfather, Robert Macjanet died alone in Belgium, thousands of miles from his family and young children, whom he never had the luxury to get to know.

When we talk today about work/life balance, not enough time, too busy and generally being stressed with it all, I wonder if we have all lost a little perspective.  Are things that tough, really?  My mother never knew her father, that’s tough. I’m sure there are thousands like her, that’s sad.   

Today, when we all take that moment to pause, please really think about how lucky you are.  Life needs perspective, otherwise it’s just hard work. 

-Chris

Cheering in New York City

I just returned from New York City where my wife and two of her friends ran the New York marathon.  As I watched the event, the athletes and the city I couldn’t help but be impressed. 

First, the athletes.  It is incredible to see the diversity in people running in this marathon.  People of all shapes and sizes from all around the world sharing one goal, to run 26.2 miles that day.  It’s an incredible reminder of the strength and conviction of the human spirit.  Yes, there are some remarkable Kenyans that run the course (a time of 2:05 winning it) and seem to do so effortlessly.  However of the approximate 47,000 runners the majority is finishing in 4+ hours and this was a “life changing event” for them.  It’s a pleasant reminder of what people are capable of doing once they put their mind to something.  47,000 individual stories of why they were doing what they were doing, each deeply meaningful to them. Congratulations to all of them!

Second, the city.  It is an incredible sight to see an entire city rally behind one event and get into the celebration.  On every one of the 26 miles there are crowds of people cheering on friends, family and runners in general.  I spoke to other onlookers who were cheering and supporting just for the sake of cheering and supporting.  They didn’t know anyone running but just wanted to be involved and support those that were out. 

It was inspiring to see how a city can create an environment which allows people from around the world to change their lives.  I only wish my home town of Toronto could be as supportive of similar events.

- Chris

LOGiQ3 Partners with the ‘Original’ MIB… (not those alien hunting government agents)

So far we have kept the blog away from specific client news or announcements, the simple reason that many of our clients are ‘shy’ and prefer to use our services anonymously.  We completely understand the rationale behind that, often driven by the layers of red-tape to get approval.  This means it’s nice when, like today, we’re able to make an exception and tell the world about an exciting new client and project that we’re involved in.

As of October 1^st we’re working with MIB, the North American underwriting information and analysis provider.  We will be performing all the MIB underwriting reviews for MIB’s Canadian clients, which accounts for around 80 different entities in Canada.  This is a great example of a respected organization, like MIB, taking advantage of our expertise in a long-term, outsourced contract.  We will be looking to ensure that all Canadian users of the MIB service are getting the most from the service and are using it correctly.

So if you’re in a Canadian organization in world of underwriting you may well hear from Carmela Tedesco or one of her team over the coming months to arrange a review for you.

We’re really excited about this project as we think it further enhances our risk management credentials and will deliver real value to MIB and its clients.

In 2012 we are going to be updating our website, a task which is long overdue. 

As part of the revamp we’re going to be asking all our recent clients to allow us to have just their logo on our website, no other details about what we’ve done or when. 

The main driver for having this on the website is that potential new clients always ask who we’ve done work for in the past.  Few people want to be the ‘guinea pig’ who we try out something new on! Fortunately we’ve found some guinea pigs over the years and we’re extremely grateful to them for taking leaps of faith in years gone by.  Thankfully we’re beyond the need for guinea pigs these days.

So there you are, we’ve a new client, MIB, and we’re going to have a new website in 2012. 

If you do have any suggestions for what you’d like us to include on the website please do get in touch through info@logiq3.com. We know that you’ll likely have better ideas than we have!!

Cheers

Simon