Latest Posts
October 3, 2017 
___________________________________________ My wife and I saw both our kids off to University last month, our first taste of the ‘empty nest’. Naturally our thoughts turn to our children’s next stages of life. We hope that we have prepared them well, but as anyone who has either had or been a parent knows – parenting is never over. Rather we trade the worries we had when they were young for the worries of life’s next stage. During each stage we delude... View Article
September 6, 2017 
________________________________________________ Under the category of ‘even a broken clock is right twice a day‘, Donald Trump struck upon a truism in what otherwise might have been mistaken for an election night victory speech – albeit 7 months late – when he addressed the Boy Scout convention in Virginia on July 24th. It is too easy in the President’s case to throw the baby out with the bathwater, and I almost did as I joined the international cringe at the majority... View Article
August 1, 2017 
______________ Salespeople, with virtually endless variations in between, come in three basic categories. Bad ones tell you what they think you want to hear. Good ones tell you the truth. Great ones tell you the truth – even when its bad – and leave you excited to have received the news. This generalization probably translates into the rest of our lives as well. Unfortunately, I have to admit my position on the scale falls well short of great. Years... View Article
July 4, 2017 
_____________________ Success is a nebulous term. By societal measure success is often equated with financial achievement. If making money is your primary objective, setting out to achieve that result can be an exercise in futility. Conversely, examples abound of passionate people, even in the most obscure arenas, reaching the pinnacle of both their profession and their bank account. Passion and process it would seem, is the egg that comes before the chicken. This is not to suggest financial achievement ought... View Article
June 6, 2017 
—————- With apologies to my grade school teachers, the most consequential lesson I retained from my days at Marden Public School came not in the classroom, but rather on the playground. My friends and I went through a period in which our greatest life goal was to collect a complete set of O-Pee-Chee NHL trading cards. Oh, the wonderful problems of a ten-year-old in 1977! The hot players of the day were Darryl Sittler and Guy Lafleur. I had them... View Article
May 24, 2017 
————— I am pleased to announce that effective today Stephen Foti has assumed the role of Broker of Record for Coldwell Banker Neumann Real Estate. Those who already call Coldwell Banker Neumann Real Estate home know first hand Steve’s commitment to the growth of our salespeople’s business, and by extension the continued growth of our mutual business. For those of you who may not be familiar with Steve, or our company, I can sum up my reasoning best by borrowing... View Article
May 2, 2017 
In an age when so much is made of marketing, and speaking from personal experience, much pressure is placed upon companies to spend marketing dollars. Perhaps it would serve us and our businesses well to pause and consider exactly what we are hoping to achieve when we market ourselves or our company. Are we wanting to create an image for the consumer? Or would we be content to accurately reflect what we really are? All businesses have a brand.... View Article
April 4, 2017 
————- Tim Hortons Roll up the Rim promotion has firmly established itself as Canadas first sign of spring. Move over robin and Wiarton Willie, when I catch the first glimpse of Tims red and yellow emblazoned cup I know the end is near. Aside from being an enormously successful marketing campaign, it also serves as an interesting insight into our sense of character. Consider this: You buy a friend a coffee. He rolls up the rim and wins a donut.... View Article
March 1, 2017 
——— My parents immigrant story is not an uncommon one. Arriving post war with nothing, they worked, saved, worked, and worked some more. Canada provided them with the opportunity to get ahead, which did not exist in Europe at the time. By the time their youngest of five came along – me – much of the heavy lifting had been done (according to my siblings) and my parents had begun to realize what was for them the ultimate accomplishment –... View Article
February 3, 2017 
On a recent Christmas car trip through the heart of the American rust belt, and the tip of the Bible belt, I indulged myself in some syndicated AM talk shows – of the right wing variety. When away from the comfortable surroundings of home, I like to listen in on what folks in other parts of the world are thinking. In Ireland its Hurley. In America, its right wing radio. For the uninitiated, this industry is not your run of... View Article
