The world is getting smaller every day even in the financial world. The desire for a better life is starting to grow and driving a need for access to financial products.


The other day I came across the website for The Bank of China using Google’s translator.(Oh make sure to check out the interesting translation and spelling provided.)

[...]

Helping the Kelowna Food Bank this fall is as easy as getting your picture taken!

Elizabeth and Mike Soergel of Aviva Studios will be kicking off a new fundraiser next month called “Christmas in September”. The event will be held September 25th and 26th, 2010. It’s a weekend for families, couples and individuals to have professional portraits taken in support of the Kelowna Food Bank.

“I’m really excited about this project,” said Soergel. “It’s a great way for us to get into the spirit of giving early while providing the community with a great opportunity to support our local food bank”.

All participants will receive a 1/2 hour studio portrait session with Aviva Studios and a set of 25 custom Christmas Cards for only $50. when you donate a bag of non-perishable food items for the Kelowna Food Bank. Items that are always in demand are baby food, tuna, canned meat and soup just to name a few.

“We currently provide help to approximately 40,000 people a year through our location, and 40% of those are children”, say Rob Weller, operations manager at the Food Bank. “Projects like Christmas in September are a great way to help maintain the levels we require to support these needs”.

Space is limited for the “Christmas in September” event as is the beautiful Okanagan summer sun so call now to reserve your space and be part of this great weekend.

For more details or to participate contact Aviva Studios at 250-317-4395 or 250-863-0630. You can also find out more information about this charitable event and others by visiting our website at www.avivaphotostudios.com/giving_back.php

Liz & Mike Soergel
Aviva Studios
Phone: (250) 317-4395
Email: info@avivaphotostudios.com
Website: www.avivaphotostudios.com

Rob Weller, Operation Manager
Kelowna Food Bank
Phone: (250) 763-7161
Email: Rob@kcfb.ca
Website: www.kelownafoodbank.com

8 tips for keeping and developing a winning brain

1. SELF-AWARENESS Train yourself to interpret other people’s gestures by watching scenes from a movie on mute. Then watch the scene with sound, to see how you fared. You can improve this skill over time.
2. MOTIVATION If you procrastinate, make large tasks more manageable by breaking them down into parts.
3. FOCUS If something’s not coming to you despite your best efforts, try relaxing and letting the brain work on autopilot.
4. EMOTIONAL BALANCE Practice managing your emotions by changing your perspective of a situation. If you think of a highly emotional event as a challenge rather than a problem, you can stay calmer.
5. MEMORY Edit your brain. Recognize and consciously purge useless information. Imagine sweeping it away, so you can concentrate on more useful data.
6. RESILIENCE When you’re in a tough spot, think of a “resilience role model” a parent, a teacher or mentor, and ask yourself what they would do in your situation.
7. ADAPTABILITY Try a few minutes of meditation a day to calm your thoughts. Studies show “regular yoga and meditation can increase cortical thickness in as little as eight weeks.”
8. BRAIN CARE Research suggests that 30 minutes of moderate physical activity, three times a week, can help strengthen your mind.

Mark Fenske and Jeff Brown

David Anderson
Okanagan Training Solutions
Priority Management Interior BC
250 762-5096 / 1-877-762-5096
prioritymanagement@shaw.ca
http://www.okanagantrainingsolutions.com
http://okanagantrainingsolutions.blogspot.com/

To blog or not to blog that is the question. In recent years Blogs have become an effective way of creating a dialog with your target market allowing businesses to market products and services to their clients.

Blogs allow your business to re purpose all relevant information that is subject oriented to your market and this sharing of information allows you to become the leaders in your field and utilize all the free internet tools made possible on Google to drive down traditional marketing costs.

Blogs allow you to:

•Humanize your company with corporate blogs. One or more employees, the CEO included, may blog. Corporate blogs require a level of transparency. As a result, corporate bloggers must have access to, and support from, senior management, PR, and legal depending on the business. A bike shop has greater freedom than a corporate banker.

•Build business or brand by connecting with consumers. Both small businesses and major corporations can use blogs to build closer relationships with their customers by posting relevant information that speaks to the needs of their clients

•Gather market intelligence. Blogs allow you to monitor the public buzz to determine how your brand and close competitors are faring. Knowing where, why, and how you’re being trashed (or praised) in a public forum allows you to respond appropriately.

•Engage bloggers by commenting on key business topics. Reading blogs related to your product or company to understand the blogger’s perspective and audience trends will allow you to strategically respond to postings to initiate dialogue. More genuine that a PR pitch, this approach can also help correct misinformation

A blog allows you to educate, support all your products, speak to your past, present and future clients and stay top of mind for your services while helping you to Build Your Business.

Donald Robichaud is the President of FloodLight Consulting and can be reached at 250-768-9415

I grew up in a small town outside of Ottawa Ontario called Kanata. At the age of 17, I moved north to Pembroke Ontario to play junior hockey, where I finished high school. At that time I was offered a contract to play professional hockey in the United States, where I played for two seasons. I decided to retire from professional hockey when I was accepted to the kinesiology program at the University of Ottawa. When I completed the 4 year program, I applied and was accepted to the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto where I spent the next 4 years completing my doctorate of Chiropractic. Upon completion I moved out to the beautiful Okanagan Valley.

What do I do?
Currently, I am working at Creative Healing as a Chiropractor and at Global Fitness (formerly Gold’s gym), as a personal trainer and rehabilitation specialist. I use all aspects of my education to help you achieve the highest possible level of health.

What services do I provide?
Chiropractic services (DC)
• Neurological/Orthopaedic/Postural analysis to design a therapeutic program to help You the patient get well in the quickest most effective way
• Muscle release therapy
• Traction
• Therapeutic laser
• Half hour to Health classes (every week, please call Kim to book your position)
• Ergonomic office assessments
Personal training services (BSc. HK, CSCS)
• Complete fitness evaluation
• Designer strength and conditioning programs
• Rehabilitation programs for ICBC and individual clients
• Hockey specific programs off-season and in-season
• Low back and Core strengthening programs
Diet planning
• Establish daily caloric needs
• Analyse one week diet diary
• Diet assessments

Mission
My mission is to improve the health and wellness of as many families and individuals as I can. I want to educate and empower you to make positive lifestyle changes to improve your health. Let me be your health expert and employ all my skills to improve your health and wellness!

How can you reach me?
When you are ready, please call or visit one of the two locations for a free consultation.

Dr. Dan Walker-Delisle, DC
Creative Healing
7-1551 Sutherland Ave
Kelowna, BC
250 868 2010
Email: dwelisle@gmail.com,
www.creativehealing.ca 250 868 2010
www.globalfitnesskelowna.com 250 860 6900

As a financial professional most of time I only get calls when someone is in a financial transition (that is financial speak for a change that has not been planned for).


The loss of a job, forced retirement, dealing with aging parents and the dreaded sale of family home or now referred to as “downsizing”.


The idea of downsizing is a good one. Your new smaller home is cheaper, easier to maintain and if properly located can save money on transportation. More money in your pocket the better retirement … but is it worth the pain?
[...]

Like the rockers, “The Who”, you need to ask yourself who are you? Who are you on the web? What is your Google footprint?

When was the last time you did a Google search on you or your company?
Everybody does a search for information, and especially for relevant information about you and your services.

I publish volumes on the web, and I check to see if my name comes up readily in a Google search and it does. I also want to see if my information is relevant and if it’s been re-purposed (copied), on someone else’s site.
As business owners we should always be checking to see what people are saying about us or our business.

The web is a great place for businesses to expand their presence, but it a can also be a dark area for people to rant, rave and target businesses and individuals without any retribution. No different than the bully in school, the unsuspecting can be torn apart in forums with no way to add their own comments or defend themselves.

I have worked with a few clients who have been attacked on blogs and forums by people who hide behind the anonymity of bogus names. It’s been upsetting to my clients and the negativity can affect their business.

I recommend to my clients that they raise their profile on the web by being an active user of blogs and social media with a targeted message about their business or themselves. Positive information on the web can be a real bonus. If someone does take an unkindly swipe at you or your business, at least you’ll have information on the web that speaks and reflects well of your business and what you do.

This is where testimonials on a web site can pay major dividends. When you have lots of people stating how much they love your products and service, and one person on a forum putting you down, who are people most likely to believe?

I believe that in our instant access world, you really need to think out your internet marketing strategy and decide how to build up a wealth of positive information about you and your business.

Used effectively and skilfully, the web is a great marketing tool and a great way to ‘Build Your Business’.

Donald Robichaud is the President of FloodLight Consulting and can be reached at 250-768-9415

The first half of 2010 is almost over and we are approaching the summer months.
This is a great time to access the first half of the year and review your business goals for the year. Are you on track? If not, Why? What do you need to do to ensure success for the balance of 2010 and the start of 2011?
I’ve had many discussions with Start Ups, Entrepreneurs and mid size businesses just like you who are struggling to find new leads, close sales and market their business.
When I ask if they’re experts in their field, I get all types of odd answers from, No!!!!!! To, well I don’t have a university degree or even worse I don’t know.

If you’re not an expert in your field and fully confident of your products and service your potential customers will sense your weakness and not be moved to desire your services.

Many businesses are held back because key people in the organization lack the proper skill set to either manage their business effectively or they lack the skills to utilize new technologies like the internet to leverage their business.
To be a successful business today you need to continue the learning process and learn new skills. You are the key to your success. You need to have an open mind and become and expert in your field and the only way to do this is to continue learning.
To do this you must take stock of your business:
1. Write down the top ten must improve areas of your business for 2010
2. Now divide the top ten in to the following areas of Sales, Marketing and Business Operation.
3. You will notice that one area will become painfully obvious
4. Now go buy a couple of books to read in that obvious area. (Possibly Marketing)
5. Monday to Friday get up early every morning or shut off the TV early at night and read every day for one hour.
Five days a week for one hour. Take notes of the things you like and implement as soon as possible.
5 hours x 26 weeks = 180 hours dedicated to learning.
To really achieve any goal or to learn a new skill that is worthwhile, we need to discipline ourselves to keep it on track until it’s accomplished. There are several ways to effectively track your goals.
• Keep a list and review your goals regularly, preferably daily
• Break down a goal into actionable steps
• Break down a goal into quantifiable results
• Track a goal by the amount of time you spend on it
The investment in learning will pay multiple dividends for the balance of 2010 leading into 2011 and help you to “Build your Business”

Donald Robichaud is the President of FloodLight Consulting and can be reached at 250-768-9415

Thank you to Alexandra Krieger of Print Three and Don Robichaud of Floodlight Business Solutions for speaking. What a great combination of One on One Marketing and Social Media. Also a big thank you to Rob at Remix Industries for the sound system, and Jennifer and her staff at the Sandman Hotel Kelowna for the great appitizers. Hope to see you again in the fall.

Also a thank you to Liz Soergel of Aviva Studios for the superb pictures, Sharon Coghill of Mary Kay, Sharon Smith of Goodbye Grafitti, Ron Finch of Liquid Capital and Becky Robar of Western Financial Group for the door Prizes.

Mike Hassard OBRG President

In the last few weeks I have been involved with the Training of many employees throughout the Kelowna region.

In one session we were doing sales training with the emphasis on accessing the customers’ needs and in the other session employees were improving their Microsoft excel skills.

In both classes the feedback was very positive and many expressed how confident they felt once the session was over and they had started to utilise their new skills.

In one situation the salesman was able to re-engage a national account, once thought lost and due to the sales training they have put this 250 thousand dollar project back on the rails to success.

In business we sometimes look at training as a cost to the employer rather than the benefits of the training and how it will enhance our performance as a company and return on Investment. (ROI)

In fact many businesses have no problem dropping $1000.00 to $5000.00 dollars a month or more on advertising with little results when all they really had to do was pare down their advertising by 20% and funnel the dollars into the betterment of their employees and improving company efficiency.

The results are ever lasting and generally the employee will be very thankful for the opportunity to enhance their skill set.

Fifteen years ago I was that employee looking for an opportunity to improve my lot in life. My employer invested in training for myself and others. At the age of 39 I embarked on a learning curve that has lead me to the present position as president of Floodlight.

It was not easy, but as I learned more I was able to move myself up the corporate ladder until such time I decided to begin my own company.

I am forever grateful for the opportunity that was given me to improve my skill set which allowed me to take better care of my family and my clients.

Learning new skills and enhancing old ones is the best way to improve your employees self esteem with the quickest rate of return.

Take a look at your present advertising and marketing budgets then funnel some dollars in to your greatest area of return, your employees.

Who knows, that salesman in cubicle number three may just be your next vice president and help you Build Your Business.

Donald Robichaud is the President of FloodLight Consulting

and can be reached at 1-888-768-9415 or at 250-768-9415