Meet Kara Wilson: Sport Photography Business

Is Social Media Harmful During a National Crisis?

Behind the Scenes

with GolfNorth

Properties

May/June 2013

Business Plans vs

Business Planning.

The Difference?

Welcome Our Contributors

Publisher‘s Letter

Doug RadkeyYour Restaurant & Retail Specialist at

Booming Businesses

I am extremely excited about this

edition. My first passion in life is

business followed closely behind by

sports.

Sports analogy is often used in

business to emphasize goals,

strategies, obstacles, personal

motivation and teamwork.

This edition looks at two businesses

that are involved in sport, as well as

strategies to consider introducing in

your business today.

I would also really like to hear your

thoughts on the article about the use

of social media during a national

crisis. Is it beneficial or harmful? With the recent tragedy in Boston

and the fact that it seemed like traditional media was having a tough

time keeping up with the story, where do we get our trusted news

sources from? Was what we were reading in real-time on Twitter

trustworthy? Was it possibly tipping off the alleged suspects? I

would love to hear your thoughts.

Intel Boutique

David Prang

Robert Lavigne

Ron Vitale

Kara Wilson

Doug Radkey

Golf North Properties

Editor

Jennifer‘s Tutoring & Editing in

Brantford, Ontario

Advertise With Us!

Contribute Your Articles

At Booming Businesses and Beyond the Square, we offer a

number of opportunities for industry members to share the

benefit of their experience through contributed guest content

on a wide variety of topics related to small business operations

including but not limited to:

• Planning

• Branding

• Marketing

• Social Media

• Book Reviews

• Technology Reviews

• Search Engine Optimization

• And any further tips entrepreneurs could use

2013 Article Deadlines:

• February 25th • April 20th • June 15th

• August 15th • October 15th • December 15th

Send Articles & Artwork: service@boomingbusinesses.ca

Reach an Entrepreneurial Audience!

• Company Story on Two Pages

• One Full Page Advertisement

• Banner Advertisement on Website

Contact for More Details & Pricing:

service@boomingbusinesses.ca

Table ofContents

May/June 2013 – Issue Two

Wilson Sports

Photography

Social Media

During Crisis

Millions of $$$ in

a Social Era

Meet sport photographer Kara Wilson and learn her

business and her dreams to photograph the Olympics!

We are no longer in an era where technology & the cost

of implementation of technology is a limiting factor.

Everyone was touched and drawn to social media during the attacks in Boston. But is that beneficial or harmful?

thru

Recruitment and

Selection SystemsBy David Prang

Update: 30 Days

of Progress TourOrganization

thru thru18

21

50

59

26

29

8 42

30

Behind the Scenes

with GolfNorthBy Doug Radkey

Excuses.

Excuses.

Business Owners Can

Sometimes Get Caught Up in

Excuses. Are U?

Business Plans

vs. Planning

Top 10 Books For

This Summer!

What’s the Difference Between a

Business Plan and Business Planning?

The Nice Weather is

Finally Here -Relax with These

Books!

##

Let us know which

articles you liked by SHARINGthem on your networks!

62 70 16

www.signsland.ca

http://www.signsland.ca/

In the last issue of Beyond the Square, we talked about

your Social Local Mobile strategy. I used the Social

Business Hangout Podcast Series as a shared experience

of my own SoLoMo inbound marketing tactics for both my

Personal Brand (Social Business Mentor) and my Corporate

Brand (thedigitalgrapeVine).

If you have not yet read this submission, I would

recommend that you take a moment and bookmark it for

reading. You can find this article in the inaugural edition of

this magazine, as well as my companion blog to this

ongoing series Social Media Rehab: The Sequel to the

Life@42 Social Novel.

Robert Lavigne

Your Social

Business Mentor

I used to work in the

Information Services (IS)

industry before the shift to the

current Information Technology

(IT) industry. The meaning of

that shift in nomenclature is an

article onto itself. Suffice to

say, when you focus on

technology and not on service,

you look at information in a

completely different fashion.

I want to share with you a

story of the present, the past,

and the future. Allow me the

luxury of using time travel to

illustrate how a change in

perspective leads to a sense

of awareness.

Let us now go

back 15 years…

One day, one of the department heads approached our

executive team with the following Technology Infrastructure

Request.

We need the tech guys to build us the following

systems to support our vision for this start-up that is

heavily funded by Venture Capitalist banking on this

emerging thing called the Internet.

We want you to cost out and implement the following

infrastructure:

•email system

•calendaring system

•contact management system

•competitive intelligence system (w/ news feed and alerts)

•video hosting and streaming system (with screen sharing

and webinar capabilities)

•online office suite (word processing, spreadsheet,

presentation tool)

•content management system, and work

flow and collaboration system.

―

‖

Do remember this was in the

early years of the Internet.

That decade saw a huge

spike in infrastructure

investments and major ―Dot

Com‖ expenditures.

Such requests for

Quote/Proposal/Implementat

ion were not unheard off. I

recall building a website for

a million dollars over the

course of a month. Money

was no object and the

necessity of delivery was

often out of sync with

consequences and/or reality.

How long would it take to

build? How many

employees, contractors, and

consultants would you

need? Is the request even

feasible to build and deliver?

How much would you quote

for this request? One Million

Dollars? Ten Million? 100

Million? A Billion?

Jump back to today.

If you were to ask for the

exact same list, you could

have all that for free and

available right now.

Google‘s platform (Google

Plus, Google Drive,

YouTube, Blogger, Gmail,

etc) provides the majority of

the requested elements at

no charge. Numerous other

―freemium‖ services

integrate nicely to flush out

the required functionality.

We are no longer in an era

where technology and the

cost of implementation of

technology is our limiting

factor.

Beyond the Square Magazine @BTSMagazines

You can now spend those

millions of dollars on

creativity, content,

relationships, employee

development, and training.

We are living in the Social

Era in an age of a Content

Renaissance fueled by the

Internet, SEO, and Content

Marketing.

We have the most hyper-

connected Social Graph of

any Human Society voicing

their thoughts, opinions, and

creativity.

We have the greatest

access to Freemium Social

Platforms (Facebook,

Twitter, LinkedIN) and

Content Management

Solutions (Wordpress,

YouTube, iTunes) of any

generation.

We are entering a Social

Media Rehab that will

forever redefine who we are

as a societal community and

as a commercial ecosystem.

In this issue, I will be using

my 42+1 Live to Air

Interview Series as a shared

experience to further

illustrate my point.

Over the years I have met

numerous thought leaders

online, who for the most part

I have never met face to

face. Conversations were

anything from status

updates (likes and

comments) to tweets.

With the advent of Google

Plus and the introduction of

Live to Air Hangouts, I now

have the ability to reach out

and host an interview series.

I can get to know them

more, learn from them more,

and have in-depth

conversations with them with

zero technology costs other

than a computer, internet

connection, and webcam.

How Would You Spend Millions of Dollars?

These interviews are

streamed live to anyone who

chooses to watch it. The

interviews are then archived

on YouTube, with full analytics

and statistics. The video is

then able to be embedded

into my blog as part of my

inbound marketing efforts.

If you had gone back just

fifteen years and required the

ability to do ten way video

conferencing with the ability to

stream that to the world at no

cost the IT department would

have laughed you out the

door. That reality is now.

Technology is not the limiting

factor, service is now the

opportunity.

Watch my inaugural Google+ interview with Tim Burrows of the

Toronto Police Services

Marketing has been

fundamentally the same

way. Agencies would

spend hundreds of

thousands of dollars on

print, radio, and television,

leaving nothing for

customer service. As a

result, we would have

brilliant ad campaigns that

drew people to a horrible

customer experience.

Similarly, we would spend

millions of dollars on

technology and have

corporations that had no

money to be spent on

employee development.

This led to highly

structured organizations

with complicated systems,

but an outright inability for

people to leverage them

properly.

In this current era, where

technology is almost free,

we still challenge ourselves

as to what is the ROI of

Facebook, Twitter,

YouTube. The old ROI was

measured on the return on

the cost of building the

infrastructure. The equation

has now shifted because it

is no longer front loaded,

ROI is now determined on

how we act, engage,

convert, to the call to

actions on those platforms,

which are now free to invest

in.

How Would You Spend Millions of Dollars?

Now

Over 70Podcasts!

The Social Business

Hangout with

Robert Lavigne!

Ep69 – Habitat for Humanity

Ep68 – The Hospitality Industry

Ep67 – Email Marketing Campaigns

Ep66 – Power Talk-Focus/Action/Results

Ep65 – Customer Service Strategies

Small business owners and

entrepreneurs who find

themselves scrambling to

build a business, generally

think they have little time to

relax or explore new

business ideas through

reading.

But reading is never a waste.

The time it takes to find out

what others have to teach

you about business is time

you might save in the future.

Believe it or not, there is a

business book that

chronicles exactly what you

are experiencing.

The best leaders are always

looking to learn from others,

and top business people never

stop learning or reading.

Summer is upon us and now is

the time to take a moment,

gather these books, and give

them a read.

With contributions from

military leaders and

experts in the fields of

transformational

leadership, systems,

critical and historical

thinking, and corporate

culture, this work teaches

mid-level managers how to

become high-level

executives.

Strategic Leadership: The

General's Art offers:

- Strategic thinking and

leadership processes

taught by the military to its

senior leadership.

- Strategic leadership

theories and practical

exercises to help put those

theories into action.

In line with the curriculum followed by senior officers, this

book teaches leaders how to think and lead strategically in

uncertain environments.

- The valuable knowledge that Fortune 500 companies,

government agencies, and non-profit organizations gain

through U.S. Army War College workshops.

Book Review #10

Recruitment and Selection Systems for SMB's

David Prang is currently

completing course work

and extracurricular

projects towards the

CHRP designation after a

10 year career in Student

Services at Laurier

Brantford.

When you need help or

specialized work done, often

times the easiest and quickest

method for hiring new staff is

through existing staff, friends,

family, or other close contacts.

Alternatively, an online or

newspaper ad may generate

applicants from those looking

for jobs. This may lead to an

interview, seeing how the

person "feels", and perhaps

checking some references, then

your new staff member(s) are

hired.

Recruitment and Selection Systems for SMB'sHowever, this hire may not

work out, and it may cost

you up to 1.5 times the

person's salary in terms of

time, wages, and

replacement costs, in

addition to frustration,

moral issues, and lack of

employee engagement and

interest in the success of

your business.

Recruitment and Selection

is an essential component

to the success of all

organizations. Finding the

ideal employees, at the right

time, to fit the right jobs, can

be a complex process to

establish, but once a system

is in place, it can save an

organization substantial time,

effort, and aggravation, and

increase productivity and

profit.

Recruitment is the generation

of a pool of candidates for a

position or job. Selection is

the choice of job candidates

from this pool to meet

management goals &

objectives, and legal

requirements for employers.

A simplified hiring model can

begin with a ―Job Analysis‖:

1) Define carefully what the

position is.

2) Establish the knowledge,

skills, abilities, and other

attributes required (KSAO's).

3) Determine how to measure

the KSAO's with valid means.

4) Review 1-3 for defensibility,

procedural fairness, and

consistency.

An emerging field of practice is

the use of Core Competencies

in the hiring and performance

management field. This

involves defining for your

company the groups of related

behaviours required for

successful job performance,

or, the motives, traits, skills,

body of knowledge, and self-

image desired.

KSAO's can then be

developed regardless of the

specific jobs. This approach

may be more useful for the

small but growing

organization requiring a

diversity of skills.

Once the KSAO's are

Recruitment and Selection Systems for SMB’s

established, you can then

develop a position

description, and subsequently

a job ad or brief based on

your position description. This

should briefly outline for

potential candidates the key

KSAO's and information about

your company, and how to

apply for your position(s).

With a small amount of

focused effort, a small

business owner can quickly

establish the key skills and

attributes required to support

the business, and establish a

strategy about how to staff

for those priorities to create

an environment of trust,

commitment, & loyalty, that

will result in reduced turnover

and dysfunctional behaviour,

and a positive correlation to

long term profitability and

productivity.

The next article will involve a

more in-depth look at the

Selection portion:

Screening/testing,

Structured interviews and

decision making.

Connect with

David!

Beyond the Square – Small Business Magazine

One of the nation's biggest music labels briefly signed Taylor

Swift to a contract but let her go because she didn't seem worth

more than $15,000 a year. At least four book publishers passed

on the first Harry Potter novel rather than pay J. K. Rowling a

$5,000 advance. And the same pattern happens in nearly every

business.

Drawing on the best advice

of these and other talent

masters, Anders reveals

powerful ideas you can

apply to your own hiring.

Each field that Anders

explores has its own lingo,

customs, and history. But

the specific stories fit

together into a bigger

mosaic. In any field, there's

an art to clearing away the

clutter and focusing on what

matters most. It's not

necessarily hard, but it

requires the courage to take

a different approach in

pursuit of the rare find.

Book Review #9

True leadership isn't a matter of having a certain job or title. In

fact, being chosen for a position is only the first of the five levels

every effective leader achieves.

To become more than "the

boss" people follow only

because they are required

to, you have to master the

ability to invest in people

and inspire them. To grow

further in your role, you must

achieve results and build a

team that produces. You

need to help people to

develop their skills to

become leaders in their own

right. And if you have the

skill and dedication, you can

reach the pinnacle of

leadership-where

experience will allow you to

extend your influence

beyond your immediate

reach and time for the

benefit of others.

Through humor, in-depth insight, and examples, internationally

recognized leadership expert John C. Maxwell describes each of

these stages of leadership. He shows you how to master each

level and rise up to the next to become a more influential,

respected, and successful leader.

Book Review #8

Most people believe that the best way to motivate is with

rewards like money—the carrot-and-stick approach. That's a

mistake, says Daniel H. Pink (author of To Sell Is Human: The

Surprising Truth About Motivating Others).

In this provocative and

persuasive new book, he

asserts that the secret to

high performance and

satisfaction-at work, at

school, and at home—is

the deeply human need

to direct our own lives, to

learn and create new

things, and to do better

by ourselves and our

world.

Drawing on four decades

of scientific research on

human motivation, Pink

exposes the mismatch

between what science

knows and what business

does—and how that

affects every aspect of

life.

Book Review #7

30 Days of Progress is a Brantford

based philanthropic program and non-

for-profit organization that is designed

to help build sustainable small

business communities and encourage

youth leadership – locally in Ontario

and internationally around the world.

This coming November, a team of

qualified individuals will be embedding

themselves into the community of

Saint Lucia to assist their economy

with a strategic hands-on approach to

entrepreneurial success.

“The Consulate commends you on

your efforts to assist the schools and

small businesses in Saint Lucia, in

developing and enhancing their

leadership and entrepreneurial skills.”

– Saint Lucia Consulate in Toronto.

When it comes to Saint Lucia‘s

small business community, and

even the local community here in

Ontario, we know micro and small

businesses have the potential to

create and expand employment

opportunities, develop

entrepreneurial skills, enhance

market opportunities, and

encourage export promotion and

import substitution. We recognize

the important role this sector plays

in contributing to the social and

economic development of the

area and this is why we are

excited about the opportunity

ahead.

The visual impression of a

community is very important to us,

which is why we are also helping

the students of Saint

Lucia, and those here in

Ontario, to improve their

literacy & personal

development skills, while

building awareness for

dreams to one day

become an entrepreneur.

This is what we call

building the foundations

for a stronger and

sustainable community.

With thriving small

businesses, the

impression can be one of

vitality and wealth. It can

also create positive vibes

for the entire community,

and this is important to us,

both locally and

internationally.

As with any large scaled

non-for-profit project

comes large-scaled

expense. Our goal is to

raise anywhere between

$30,000-$40,000 in terms

of monetary gains and

technology per year. We

plan to donate a minimum

of $3,000 to the schools of

the chosen country along

with leaving them with

resources such as books,

school supplies, and

computers.

Consider helping to

support local and

international

entrepreneurs and

encourage youth

leadership. Thank-You!

I am a freelance

photographer for the

Brantford Expositor and for

the City of Brantford. I am

married to Chris Wilson;

together we have 3 boys,

Cord (19), Justin (15) and

Lucas(13). Both our families

grew up in the Brantford and

Paris, Ontario region.

I have always been an

athlete and a sports

enthusiast, so living in the

tournament capital of

Ontario and being a

Sports Photographer has

blessed me with some

amazing opportunities to

photograph talented

athletes of varying ages

and levels from beginners

to Olympic athletes.

How long have

you been a

photographer?

I have always loved

photography. From an

early age I knew what I

liked and didn't like in a

photo. I collected my

favourite images and

put them on my

bedroom wall. I

remember admiring my

parents‘ camera

equipment. They had

this one camera that

had a blue cube flash

on it; I was so determined to

figure out how to use it. I think

my mom ended up hiding it on

me, due to how expensive film

and the pretty blue flash cubes

were. It was not until 2 1/2

years ago that I actually put a

high quality camera and lens in

my hands and chose to get

more serious about

photography.

What inspired

you to become

a “Sports

Photographer”?

I grew up an athlete. I

represented the Niagara

Falls Optimist Track and

Field Club and I participated

in elementary and school

sports.

My parents worked long,

weird hours missing my

events and games. As an

adult I continued to

participate in sports. I have

competed in 4 marathons, a

handful of half marathons,

triathlons, adventure racing,

and local community

team sports like baseball,

volleyball, and hockey.

A few years ago I injured my

knee. While recovering from

this injury I needed to get

my mind onto something

else. My son, Justin,

intercepted a play and ran a

75 yard dash for a

touchdown.

While Justin was celebrating

in the end zone I was still

waiting for my camera to

take the shot. My

husband knew I was

disappointed. He did his

research and surprised

me with a Canon T2i with

a variety of lens and

accessories and said “to

no more missed

moments“, and with a

hug and a kiss from my

husband, my journey

began.

I have attempted other

careers before

photography, but nothing

has made my heart sing

as loud as photography

since I picked up my first

DSLR, two 1/2 years ago.

It was the creative outlet I

needed and craved.

How would

you describe

your “style”?

Hmm.... I am a young

photographer so my style, I

think, is still developing. I

am not the same

photographer a month ago

compared to the

photographer I am today.

I love the bright, colourful

jerseys and capturing the

raw emotion of winning or

losing. As a kid, I would

photograph sporting events

on my parents’ floor model

TV. I remember Elizabeth

Manley winning the Gold

and I was there in my living

room photographing it.

When I shoot, I strive to

capture stunning, iconic and

inspiring images. It’s so

easy for me to slip into their

cleats, skates, boots, or

shoes and imagine what

they are feeling. I am not

sure if that's my style but it

is what is going on in my

head while I am shooting.

What has been

your biggest

challenge

since starting?

My biggest challenge so

far is maintaining a

healthy balance with my

family, business,

and health.

I love sharing my passion

for photography with my

family and I love to hear

about their passions.

Photography in general

creates awesome

conversation in our

house.

I have taught them all

how to use my camera

and they have kept me

grounded while I develop

my business. I just need

to go to the gym more

often to maintain and

improve my fitness.

Meet Kara Wilson of Wilson Sports Photography

www.wilsonsportsphotography.com

What has been your most memorable

moment so far?

My most memorable

moment so far would be

photographing the

International Team Canada

Vs Team Italy Rugby game

on the BMO field in

Toronto.

I kept saying to myself;

stay cool, breathe in every

moment, capture shots you

will be proud of, meet new

people, watch the crowd

for shots... you know

typical stuff you say to

yourself on your first day at

a new job. ―Don‘t screw up

on the first day‖.

I remember when scouting

for a location to shoot from,

I heard people in the crowd

yelling "WILSON―

..."WILSON"..."WILSON".

I thought oh cool there is an

athlete named Wilson here.... I

checked the roster to figure out

the player‘s position, thinking

photographing a fan favourite

would be cool.

Beyond the Square – Small Business Magazine

Like These Stories? Visit Our Website!

I didn't see it; I looked out to the field and then back to the

crowd, and because Wilson is a pretty common name I

had no reason to think anybody would be calling my

name.

But there in the stands attempting to get my attention were

members of the Brantford Harlequins (my home pitch).

It was pretty cool!

Where do you see yourself in three years?

In three years I see myself as a stronger,

wiser photographer. I will have a better

understanding of the photography industry.

Every day I learn something new. It‘s so

exciting and I am so grateful to be doing

something I love and that I am good at.

What sporting

event is your dream

to photograph?

The sporting event I would love

to photograph is the Olympics,

even though every

photographer says it‘s super

busy, there is no time to sleep

or eat, and it‘s totally crazy.

Yet, not one of the

photographers I have met, or

read of in their bio‘s, have ever

regretted photographing it.

Photographing the 2016 Rio de

Janeiro would be a sporting

event dream come true for me.

Yeah that would be pretty

awesome!!

Thanks so much Doug, I have

really enjoyed this interview and

opportunity.

Photo of Kara Wilson by her friend

and photographer Heather Cardle.

- Contact Kara for your next sporting event -

“Legendary leadership lessons from the greatest football coach of all time”

Leadership continues to

be one of the most

trained-for skills in

business today. And no

figure so fully embodies

the leadership qualities

managers hope to

cultivate in their

professional and personal

lives than Vince

Lombardi, the greatest

NFL coach of all time.

In What It Takes to Be #1,

author Vince Lombardi

Jr.--America's most

sought-after motivational

speaker-- examines the

leadership qualities that

his father considered

essential to success. He

explores the leadership

philosophy of Vince

Lombardi, extracts

powerful lessons about

what it takes to be an

effective leader.

For all business leaders, or those

who aspire to leadership, What It

Takes to Be #1 is a blueprint for

achieving Lombardi-like success

in virtually any endeavor.

Book Review #6

(Click to Buy)

Optimize provides insights from Lee

Odden, one of the leading

authorities on Content and Online

Marketing.

Optimize is designed to give readers

a practical approach to integrating

search and social media

optimization with content marketing

to boost relevance, visibility, and

customer engagement. Companies,

large and small, will benefit from the

practical planning and creative

content marketing tactics in this

book.

The power of glitzy

advertising and

elaborate marketing

campaigns is on the

wane; word-of-

mouth referrals are

what drive business

today. People trust

the thoughts of a

friend, family

member, colleague,

or even a stranger

with similar tastes.

Review #5 & #4

(Click to Buy)

Born to Blog is filled with practical,

street-smart techniques and ideas

to help you create and manage a

winning business blog. Learn how

to attract a loyal following, promote

your blog, and write powerful

content that generates new

business.

"If your dream is to launch a

business or publish a book, then

read Born to Blog! You'll realize

the blogger way is your fastest path

to success." -- MICHAEL

STELZNER

Most business

owners believe that

whether customers

refer them is

entirely out of their

hands. But science

shows that people

can't help

recommending

products and

services to their

friends-it's an

instinct wired deep

in the brain.

Review #4 & #3

Photos Courtesy of AP

By Ron Vitale

After a long day in which police went

door to door searching homes for

Dzhokar Tsarnaev, I listened to

officials in the Boston area tell the

public that they were opening the

subway, roads, and allowing people

back out on the street. Minutes later

I watched in horror as shots rang out

in Watertown and the hunt for

Dzhokar Tsarnaev continued. On my

TV, I watched as helpless news

anchors talked about what they

knew, realizing that none of them

had the power of Twitter at their

disposal.

News Truly Is at the

Speed of Light.

With my laptop on, I started

searching on Twitter and

within minutes I saw reports

from people in Watertown

filling up my tweet stream.

Were these reports true or

false? It was tough to say,

but I think I knew about 15-

20 minutes before national

news that Dzhokar Tsarnaev

was holed up in a boat on

Franklin Street.

With the internet, people

started using Google maps to

post satellite pictures of

the house and the boat in the

backyard. Gone are the days

in which onsite reporting of

the type we had last night

matters. Anderson Cooper

might as well have been in

Europe because the news on

CNN was out of date to what

was happening in real time

on the web.

CNN and NBC desperately

tried to get confirmation from

officials that the suspect had

been found but they lagged

woefully behind what

everyone already knew on

Twitter.

Granted I had no

confirmation that the tweets

that I were seeing were true,

but I started seeing reports

about flash bangs going off

and a good while later the

TV anchors talked about the

same thing. I also knew

about the thermal imaging

from the helicopter and how

it was used to find the

suspect and saw that many

of the tweets were coming

directly from what people

were hearing via the online

police scanners. Much of the

tweets I saw were right on

the money, but I had to ask

myself: Was this good?

Is Social Media Harmful During a National Crisis?

Beyond the Square Magazine @BTSMagazines

quotes from local police

scanners and it soon

became apparent that

hundreds of thousands of

people were listening to the

online scanners.

And no matter how many

times local TV stations

urged the public to not

report what was being

broadcast on the police

scanners, people tweeted

more and more of what they

heard.

I'll ask it again: Was that a

good thing? Did being cool

and sharing out what the

police were saying on the

radio do more harm than

good? I can only imagine

what police, the FBI and

Homeland Security must

think about this latest fad

with the public wanting to

participate in the real time

What About People's

Safety?

I wasn't the only person

worried about what was

taking place in Watertown and

how people on Twitter were

communicating that to the rest

of the world. @gwynnek

made a good point: People

were tweeting what they

heard from police scanners

and there was no way to tell

how giving that information

out might aid the suspect or

those who might have been

working with him.

What unfolded quickly on

Twitter amazed me as I

watched the hunt and capture

of one of the Boston

Marathon suspects take place

on live television. But that's

where the darker side of

social media crept in. In order

to spread the news, be the

first one "in the know," people

continued to tweet direct

chase and capture of a

suspect. What we know is

very little: It is alleged that

two brothers worked

together and set off the

bombs at the Boston

Marathon, but there are

many questions still

unanswered. Did the

brothers have help?

“Could other sleeper cells be

listening in to the news and

twitter chatter that night to

learn from the event?”

Beyond the Square Magazine @BTSMagazines

Is Social Media Harmful During a National Crisis?

We Are Helping Our

Enemies.

I love social media, I truly do.

I've been on Twitter since

April 2008 and have seen

many wonderful uses of

Twitter, but I have to say that

last night was a much darker

side. Anyone who wishes to

harm our country simply

needs to listen in on last

night's chatter and learn

about the online police

scanners, learn of the

position of the police from the

public and could have easily

mislead the public by

spreading false rumors

through social channels.

The genie is out of the

bottle. I get that. I know that

there is no turning back and I

also understand that many

using Twitter do not have the

maturity to understand the

power of the tool that they

are using and how they could

be assisting criminals.

We live in a world in which

we are the judge and jury all

at the same time. We can

participate in a live event and

spread our thoughts out to

the world while it's unfolding.

I saw many tweets similar to

the one below in which angry

people wanted the suspect's

head. But we don't know all

the facts, many people were

wounded and people lost

their lives. We're angry, we

want revenge, but we also

need to take a step back--

unless we want to go back to

the era of the Roman

Colosseum.

Does anyone wonder why

the Hunger Games was so

popular? Truly we're not

too far from those books.

Whose Fault Is it?

I remember watching the OJ

Simpson chase and how my

friends and I were all glued to

the TV.

Beyond the Square Magazine on Facebook

Connect with Ron Vitale

Now it's a totally different

world. With Twitter, we can be

snarky, a jokester, spread the

word and make other

comments all in real time with

anyone in the world. Maybe

it's already happening, but I'm

waiting for the next crisis to

have the suspect tweeting

back to the world.

I believe that tweeting out

police scanner information

during a crisis in which

people's lives are at stake is

flat out wrong. I'd suggest that

the online scanners be taken

down during such an

emergency. Flip that switch

off. We don't truly know how

we might be aiding criminals

by sharing out information or

helping our overseas enemies

plan their next attack on us.

In the end, as with many

things in life, it comes down

to personal responsibility.

Each person needs to take

responsibility for his or her

own actions. And

unfortunately, from

people's behaviors on

Twitter last night, we're in

for one hell of a bumpy

ride.

By Ron Vitale

Director, Electronic

Communications at Temple

University and author of the

Cinderella's Secret Diaries

young adult fantasy series for

teens and adults.

In The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Patrick Lencioni once again

offers a leadership fable that is as enthralling and instructive as

his first two best-selling books, The Five Temptations of a

CEO and The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive.

This time, he turns his keen intellect and storytelling power to the

fascinating, complex world of teams.

Throughout the story,

Lencioni reveals the five

dysfunctions which go to

the very heart of why

teams even the best ones-

often struggle. He outlines

a powerful model and

actionable steps that can

be used to overcome these

common hurdles and build

a cohesive, effective team.

Just as with his other

books, Lencioni has written

a compelling fable with a

powerful yet deceptively

simple message for all

those who strive to be

exceptional team leaders.

Lencioni's utterly gripping tale serves as a timeless reminder that

leadership requires as much courage as it does insight.

Book Review #2

Founded in 1994, GolfNorth

Properties was created with a

vision of providing golfers with the

option of affordable golf at a

variety of locations. Since its

inception, GolfNorth has evolved

to become the leading Canadian

operator of successful semi-

private and public golf courses.

GolfNorth's philosophy is to

provide the public with the

greatest value in daily golf green

fee play, golf

memberships, tournaments,

banquets, weddings and

corporate functions, while at the

same time providing a positive

experience for its various

stakeholders, including

associates, employees, partners

and charitable organizations.

GolfNorth believes in supporting the communities in which we

carry on business. Over the past year, GolfNorth has

helped community organizations and local charities raise over

$1.0 million. GolfNorth is also a major sponsor of Canadian junior

golf through its commitment to the Golf in Schools program and

GolfNorth's junior golf camps and clinics. GolfNorth welcomes you

to take advantage of any one or more of our numerous offerings,

including memberships and player's club programs, green fee

offerings, weddings, corporate functions, tournaments and junior

golf programs. Rediscover golf, discover GolfNorth!

HOME OF THE 2013

MANULIFE

FINANCIAL

LPGA CLASSIC

(Click Photo for Tickets)

Over 20golf

facilities across

Ontario!

How many courses does Golf North

have now and what do you look for in a

facility that you take on as an asset?

GolfNorth currently has 22

facilities. We own 19 of them

and lease 3 of them. When

looking for a property we

take the following into

consideration; business

viability, market share

potential, synergies with

existing GolfNorth

facilities, and existing solid

operational platforms

including course and

facility condition.

With

Mike Garside –

V.P. and C.O.O

Interviewed

By Doug

Radkey

You recently purchased a

ski resort called Cobble

Hills. What made you want

to get into the ski industry?

Yes. The ski business was

essentially something that

came with the golf course. We

knew that we could take

Cobble Hills golf operations to

the next level and thus

ventured into the ski side of

the business as it has existed

for over 50 years. We are

excited about it!

It seems the weather climate

in Ontario is changing, is

there anything Golf North is

doing to cope and prepare

from a grounds keeping

perspective?

Even though the weather

patterns are ever changing,

our superintendents are fully

capable of changing with the

weather and using their skills

to ensure the conditions are

the best and consistent they

can be.

1-888-8

Golf in Ontario is obviously

seasonal, what goes on

during the off-season from

a head office point of view?

The off-season is actually the

busiest time of the year for our

head office staff. Starting with

the closing of facilities, to

finalizing our accounting for the

season, to sitting down and

analyzing the good and bad of

the season and of course

improving on the bad, creating

supplier relationships for the

next season and looking at

ways to make our operations

better and more efficient.

How did the golf industry

fair over the past couple of

years during the economic

downturn?

The economic downturn

obviously hit everyone hard in

regards to the reduction of

consumer disposable

income. As a company we

held our own and are looking

for brighter days ahead for the

industry as a whole.

33-8787

Which of your courses

do you think is the most

overlooked in terms of

difficulty and scenery?

This is a tough one. Each

GolfNorth course brings its

own uniqueness to the

table. Canterbury and

King's Bay Golf Clubs

bordering Lake Scugog are

two of the most scenic and

well conditioned golf

courses you will find

anywhere.

Photo of the Riverhouse at Paris Grand CC. Book Your Play & Stay Packages.

What has been the most

rewarding moment for

GolfNorth since its

inception?

The most rewarding moment

is every time we bring on a

new facility. I think it's great

for our company, great for our

employees in regards to

potential to grow within the

company and most of all, great

for our customers. I've

witnessed 20 acquisitions and

the excitement of a new one

never goes away.

Many of the facilities cater to wedding functions. Book yours today!

How important is the mix

of amenities such as

restaurants and wedding

facilities at a Golf

Course?

They're important but not

essential. Our courses all

vary in what they offer in

terms of amenities. Courses

can be very viable no matter

what the scope of offering

may be. People come to play

golf first and foremost. That

course product must exceed

the customers expectations

first. Everything else is just a

potential of additional

revenue.

The game of golf is

known to be very social.

How is Golf North

utilizing social media

tools to be social off of

the course?

We currently use email

marketing blasts,

Facebook, Twitter, and we

also have relationships with

numerous organizations

that get the word out to their

members for us.

What can we expect from

Golf North over the next

couple of years?

GolfNorth will continue to grow

and offer the best possible

product for the golfer's

dollar. We will continue to

expand our offerings, expand

our market and thus

expanding our market share.

Current

Locations

Acton GC

Beaverdale GC

Brant Valley GC

Brookfield CC

Burford GL

Calerin GC

Canterbury GC

Cedar Creek GC

Coble Hills Golf & Ski

Contestoga CC

Dundee CC

Fergus GC

Current

LocationsThis will definitely enhance the

consumer's golf experience. We

will continue to promote our

products and services using all

social media along with

radio. Reputation of value and

course conditions is what

continues to bring our golfers

back and create new

customers. Increased market

share just creates more market

share, but you need to be able to

guarantee a solid product and

solid service. We're continually

working towards that.

Thank-You for the interview

Doug, I appreciate your time.

Foxwood CC

Grey Silo GC

King‘s Bay GC

Mystic GC

Orangeville GC

Paris Grand CC

River Edge GC

Scenic Woods GC

Stay Tuned For

More Properties by

GolfNorth.

Follow On Twitter

@GolfNorthToday

Most startups fail. But many of those failures are

preventable. The Lean Startup is a new approach being adopted

across the globe, changing the way companies are built and new

products are launched.

Eric Ries defines a startup as an organization dedicated to

creating something new under conditions of extreme uncertainty.

This is just as true for one person in a garage or a group of

seasoned

professionals in a

Fortune 500

boardroom. What they

have in common is a

mission to penetrate

that fog of uncertainty

to discover a

successful path to a

sustainable business.

The Lean Startup

approach fosters

companies that are both

more capital efficient

and that leverage

human creativity more

effectively.

Book Review #1

“I am willing to work

an 80 hour work

week so I don’t have to

work a 40 hour work week”

VS.usiness Plansusiness PlanningB

lthough the overall

economy hasn‘t changed too

much, the details surrounding

your business may have. How

is your market & industry really

doing?

What are your competitors up

to? What technological or

regulatory changes have

happened or are going to

happen within your business‘

environment?

Most people operating

businesses know how

important it is to have a

business plan, particularly if

they are looking to secure a

loan or other form of financing.

By Doug Radkey

A However, a business plan is

only half of what your

business needs in order to

become successful. You

also need a strategic plan

that will allow you to keep

building on your success.

This is all a part of business

planning process.

William E Rothschild once

said, “What do you want to

achieve or avoid? The

answers to this question are

objectives. How will you go

about achieving your desired

results? The answer to this,

you can call strategy.”

These words provide a nearly

exact description of the

differences between the

business plan and the

strategic plan.

Things have evolved so much

over time, and today modern

business planning is flexible,

agile and concise, and more

about goal setting than bound

physical documents. This

planning process brings

numerous benefits for the

entrepreneur, with at least an

ability to look at the operation

holistically, to ensure internal

focus and to ensure that cash

flow management is a key

priority.

While a strategic plan is a type

of business plan, there are

several important distinctions

between the two types that are

worth noting.

A strategic plan is primarily

used for implementing and

managing the strategic

direction of an existing

organization.

A business plan is used to

initially start a business,

obtain funding, or direct

daily operations.

The two plans cover

different timeframes as well.

A strategic plan generally

covers a period of 3 to 5+

years, whereas a business

plan is normally one to two

years.

A strategic plan is for

established businesses,

organizations and business

owners that are serious

about growing their

organization. Whereas, a

business plan could be for

new businesses and

entrepreneurs who are

considered start-ups.

Beyond the Square Magazine @BTSMagazines

Engage with Doug @BBusinesses on Twitter

By Doug Radkey

Business Plans Vs. Business Planning

With that being said,

there is still one more

aspect to the

business planning

spectrum. The

question is what‘s a

business model?

How does it relate to

a business plan and

strategic plan? Or,

better yet, business

planning?

They all live together.

They synchronize.

Your business

planning makes your

business model

happen. And your

business plan is a

regular step in your

business planning. It

isn‘t business plan

vs. business model,

the way some people

seem to think. The

business model is

like a destination.

The strategic planning is how

you‘re going to get there. Critical to

every business plan is also a

marketing plan that will identify

target markets, trends and

establish how you will

communicate what you have to

offer.

And no business plan would

be complete without a

financial plan. In fact, this is

crucial if you are planning to

seek investors or as

mentioned before, needing a

loan.

And finally your plan should

include background material

such as research statistics

and other information that is

critical to how your business

operates.

The components of a

strategic plan on the other

hand are more focused on

your company‘s long-term

future. It is designed as a

process that looks ahead

three, five, or more years in

terms of where you see

yourself going.

Engage with Doug on Facebook

Beyond the Square Magazine @BTSMagazines

A strategic plan sets out the

vision and mission,

establishes goals and

objectives, details timelines,

and outlines what needs to

happen in order for you to

achieve success.

One of the key elements of

a strategic plan is that it

provides you with tools on

how you can measure your

success. It will tell whether

you are on target to

achieving your goals and

with review can highlight

what areas you need to

focus on or improve upon to

achieve your key

objectives.

In a sense the strategic

plan provides the overall

direction for your business

and establishes a set of

By Doug Radkey

Business Plans Vs. Business Planning

guidelines that can be used

as benchmarks to help keep

you moving forward. A

strategic plan can be summed

up by asking five key

questions.

Where am I now? Where am I

going? Where do I want to

be? How will I get there? And

finally, am I on the right

course?

In summary, let‘s just write

this in stone… “A business

plan is important, but planning

is essential‖. With that being

said, what parts of the

synchronized business

planning process do you need

to start working on tomorrow?

“A

business

plan is

important,

but

planning is

essential”

Let’s Chat About

Your Planning

Process.

Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat

evaluations are a popular tool used in

business today to help with the planning

process, but it is often used quite poorly.

The truth is that when used correctly, by tying it in with a few other

components of the business planning process, the SWOT

evaluation can be quite powerful. Here is a simple plus effective

five-step process that will take your SWOT analysis to the next

level.

1. Set Your Goals - A general need or higher level analysis of

the business; what you want to be or do for your customers.

2. Personal SWOT – Complete a list of five Opportunities,

Threats, Weaknesses and Strengths for personal

assessments. Notice for personal - It is done backwards.

3. Business SWOT – Complete similar list. You should include a

final statement at the end of each component that

summarizes the impact the items will have on the business.

This is what many business owners miss from their plans and

are critical to the final step to make sure this process

is meaningful.

4. Your Summary - The purpose of this whole process is

to guide you through some discovery and come up with a

decision statement on what you‘re going to do and perhaps

more importantly, what you‘re NOT going to do.

www.boomingbusinesses.ca

www.boomingbusinesses.ca

Booming Businesses

Your Restaurant & Retail Specialist

“There is Nothing We Can’t Do When It Comes

to Marketing & Business Development”

What We Can Do For You:

• Professional Business Planning Services

• Market Research & Planning Services

• Concept Design & Campaign Execution

• Advanced Pricing & Positioning Strategies

• Professional Video & Photography Services

• Design, Print, & Sign Installation Services

• Digital Media Installation & Management

• Social Media Training and Implementation

• Web Design, Hosting, & Marketing Services

• Employee Hiring, Training, & Procedures

• Design of Memorable Customer Experience

• AND MORE SPECIALTY RESTAURANT &

RETAIL BASED SERVICES

Doug RadkeySolution Specialist

519-771-3475

Ask About the 300 Point

Reality

Now Only

9999+HST

They are the most tiresome

responses that people give to

problems. And no one likes

excuses. Truth be told, most

don‘t like making excuses,

but they do because they

fear the alternative would be

worse if they didn‘t try to

explain why the blame isn‘t

on them. But excuses are

nothing but road blocks to

nurturing relationships,

building brands, and meeting

goals. An excuse is normally

a lie as to why something

can‘t or won‘t get done rather

than admitting fault or

shortcomings. And if you‘re

in business for yourself, an

excuse will be one of the

most detrimental blows to the

image of you and your

company. And accepting

excuses is not much better.

Excuses hurt a business and

it doesn‘t matter whether the

people in the business are

making the excuses or if

they‘re getting excuses from

those they‘re servicing.

Excuses hurt.

They can mean late

payments, short cash flow,

lack of customer loyalty, poor

customer service, low

employee retention,

poor company culture &

morale, a damaged image, or

a suffering business. But

when you put a stop to giving

and accepting excuses, your

business will have a better

chance to thrive, succeed,

and grow. It all depends on

implementing a no excuse

policy.

Excuses. Excuses. Excuses.

By Intel Boutique

The Employee

The company is run by

people who have limitations

and limited knowledge. No

one person knows

everything, can do

everything, or is expected

to. So before the people in

your company give you an

excuse as to why they can‘t

or didn‘t complete a task or

project, first ensure that it‘s

something reasonable that

can be performed and that‘s

within their job description.

Let them know it‘s okay not

to know as long as they‘re

willing to find the

answer. And ask for their

feedback as to how your day-

to-day operations can run

better, more efficiently, and

with more ease. You might

be surprised how much the

front line people have to offer

toward your business‘

growth.

The Customer

We‘ve heard it for decades

about how the customer is

always right. Businesses

have had to bend to the will of

an irate, irrational, and wrong

customer because of an

outdated philosophy.

The customer is human just

like the rest of us. And if we

can be wrong, so can the

customer. But we don‘t

remind the customer they‘re

wrong, and we don‘t let them

run over us with excuses.

How? We go over with them

our policy, rules, limits, and

expiration of promotions. If

we have to, we read to them

the fine print. So the next

time a customer tells us they

can‘t make a payment right

now or something else came

up, remind them of your

business‘ policies, about late

fees, and other

consequences.

Excuses. Excuses.

Customers tend to have less

excuses and are more willing to

cooperate when it will cost

them.

The Business/ Owner (You)

We are our own worst

enemy. We‘ll doubt ourselves,

we‘ll sabotage our progress,

and we‘ll rest on our laurels.

Stop!

Success is achieved through

both time and practice. Take

the time to be patient with the

growth of your business, take

the time to learn as you‘re

growing the business, and be

open to suggestions and

feedback. Practice what you‘re

good at until you are an expert

at it. Take time to listen to your

employees & customers and

put to practice their ideas and

thoughts that will work well.

Always strive for

improvement, not perfection.

Above all, never let yourself

give an excuse as to why your

business isn‘t

succeeding. It‘s just a lie to

cover that you don‘t want or

feel you can do all you need

to be successful. It‘s just an

excuse.

Intel Boutique is for those

businesses and persons that

would like someone else to do

the ‗homework‘, have it

explained to them, and share

with them what that mumbo-

jumbo means (minus the legal

jargon and issues) while

sharing with them what‘s in

their best interest. Honestly.

By:

Intel

Boutique

Excuses. Excuses

Liked This Edition?

Read the March

2013 Edition