Deja Vu In Quebec

With the Quebec election just around the corner its deja vu time once again for residents of this crazy province.   Our Premier Pauline Marois  has just alienated half the province by deciding that there will be a referendum when she gets elected.  Sure we will be able to use the Canadian currency, passport and yes there will be no borders and yes it will be just like they have in Europe and no we won't salute the Queen, and yes we will still take handouts from the rest of Canada. Not so fast Pauline.  You have told us there will be a referendum. Yes ... separation.

Well this time its different.  Last time around most Canadians loved Quebec and really made a genuine outpouring of love and respect in trying to keep Quebec part of Canada.  This time around though the argument has gone stale, the love is gone and the party has moved on.

 No one including Quebecers really care about separation.  The economy in Quebec just got back to a respectful level, the housing market was strong and tourists felt they could go there and have a great holiday and would be respected for speaking their language of choice and spending their money.

This has all changed.  Since the PQ have openly stated they will separate all bets are off.  Investors don't care about investing in province that has higher corporate taxes, harasses businesses for trying to carry out business in the language of their choice, has higher government interference and does not allow business owners the opportunity to get documentation in either English or French.  Nothing wrong with protecting the island, however no one wants to end up on the island anymore, especially if its going to be a pain in the butt.   There are a lot more inviting places and warmer places to start a business why would you want to do it in Quebec, must be the poutine and cheap beer.

Those on the island are making it pretty clear whether they go to school here, or work here, that long term the island is not for them.  They want to explore the world and be part of the modern world not some broken down, island with high debts, failing infrastructure, minimal health care and restricted views.

So this election will be about principle.  No one including business, individuals from other countries hoping to gain employment here or move here wants to live in an oppressive society regardless of whether it calls itself part of Canada or not.  People want to be free.  Free to wear what they want to work, free to order a meal in any language they choose and free to receive correspondence in the language of their choice.  

Its an old record and old song, sung by a Party, the PQ that are out of step with the times and the events of the world.  Canada is a great country, its admired by everyone in the world.  Quebecers have a choice of freedom or oppression.

 In the modern era, governments regardless of what language you speak cannot take your freedoms, your rights and your values away.  Only dictatorships, small minded people and oppressive governments can.  Quebecers won't let it happen.  The Liberals will prevail in Quebec and the PQ will once again take their small minded views and corrupt ways back to the island.  On the island, eventually life has a way of passing you by.  On the island, eventually you run out of food and water and eventually if no one discovers you, you just fade away.  Lets hope the PQ do the same.

French Language Law is a Double Standard for English Canada

I just got home last week from a business trip and opened up my latest corporate tax bill. After years of living in Quebec and getting business correspondence in English or in both languages I was advised in French that in future all correspondence in regards to my business would be in French.  That's OK as long as I read and speak French.  However the changes to my return were in a language I did not understand. 

I now know how a French guy felt when he was on that plane and could not order a soft drink in his own language. The difference is I have no one to complain to and I will not get a settlement of $28,000 since no one is there to listen to me and Anglais ways.

This is the thing that is irritating about the whole language debate.  The French Mafia have convinced everyone in Canada that the cost of doing everything in two language to placate the French in the rest of Canada is alright, but not in Quebec.

The language laws are forcing French on Bilingual communities.  A municipality cannot communicate in both languages, yet on a recent project completed for the City of Ottawa the project costs doubled since the City has to provide bilingual services for 18% of the population.  In Quebec, you need to have a 50/50 English/ French ratio.  Falls below 50/50 and its French only.  Again the French Mafia manages to run the agenda.

In  regards to business the official language of business in Quebec is French.  The official language of business in the world is English.  The French Mafia makes it difficult since they send out the language police, a rather expensive government organization to crack down on websites, brochures, signs and correspondence made up of the dreaded English language. Again the Mafia is at work.

 I am a Canadian ( I would say native, but that too has its own set of issues) born in Canada and love living here in Quebec and love the French language and the life that goes with it.  I am however fed up with the fact that the Federal Government speaks to Canadians and Francophones in two different voices. I would say languages but they preach bilingualism in Canada and let Quebec have its own distinct language.

 First I have no hope of ever getting a job in Ottawa with a government organization, association or municipality because, the French Mafia owns that realm as well.  No speaky de Francois, no job.  Also when I go to Quebec, all the road signs are in French while the French Mafia has talked the provinces of Ontario, Manitoba and New Brunswick into spreading the work of the Mafia around.

So Mr. Harper, Mr. Official Person of Bilingualism, ( I would say official languages but there are not two official languages in Quebec)  and members of Parliament, are you going to sit by and watch the French Mafia take over the English language in Quebec and treat the English speaking minority with disdain.

The French Mafia has managed to infiltrate so many government organizations that Canadian Heritage, Official Languages, The N.C.C. and more are filled with Francophones dedicated to making French the official language of Canada.  Quebec laughs in its French accent while the rest of Canada, pays to add the accent.

I guest that guy who got $28,000 for having someone speak to him in English only shows that Canada and English speaking Canadians are already being manipulated by the French Mafia and a double standard indeed does apply.

 Mr. Harper are you listening, or maybe I should say that in French which I think you might just not really understand.

The New Reality of Moving My Head Office to Ontario

So as I have said many times before, I like living in the crazy province of Quebec. I like the people, the crazy way things happen and the fact that I can get a beer on Sunday at the local Depanner.  The only thing I don't like is how they treat business in the province.

On one hand the government is handing out all kinds of money to help people start businesses. The unfortunate part of this is if you speak English, you are a non-business.  This really gets me since business is business. 

With our Business Over Breakfast Clubs, we do business throughout the world.  We look for ways to breakdown the barriers to helping to build a person's business and a world economy. Unfortunately they just have not learned that in Quebec. 

With their preoccupation for forcing the French language on English businesses, most will just move to a more friendly marketplace.  I for one am moving my Head Office to Ontario.  I have decided that after 10 years of running a business here its easier to do it in the language of my choice.  I no longer have to strain through trying to figure out what Revenue Quebec is asking for, I can talk to a real person on the phone, get a straight answer and no longer struggle through Franglais phrases trying to get my point across. 

I mean I tried, however, with this latest round of insults from a basically racist government that is set on trying to out the English, its the last straw.  I will continue to live in the province, pay my taxes and enjoy my surroundings. I will continue to try my French when I can and love and respect my neighbours and my community.  I just will be carrying out my business with people who care and will be giving my corporate tax money and all my business expenses to English speaking business people that care.  Oh and did I mention that gas is 10 cents a litre cheaper in Ontario as well.

So bye bye  Quebec, it you would like to reach Kensel Tracy, The Corporate Coachworkz or Stratejis Disruption and Transformation Strategies, I can be found a 290 Picton Ave., Suite 104 surrounded by other English speaking business people doing business world-wide with people who care.  The number is 819-665-5851 and I will answer the phone with " Hello".

Quebec Election Another Round of Seperation?

A wise man once said, keep trying until you succeed and the same thing holds true with this Quebec election and the separatists.  They are going to keep trying until they succeed.  Free education, tougher language laws and enforcement of French as the business language of choice in Quebec.

That's great if you speak French and want to live on the island, however I think that language and business should not be integrated.  First off in most countries of the world the international business language is English.  Learning a language is not a problem, you should be able to do business in the choice of a language of where your customer lives.

Quebec has a habit of shooting itself in the foot however.  The economy just gets good, real estate prices are high, demand is great and then you elect a separatist government or at least a separatist minority and all your growth goes out the window.

What we need is the "All Canada Party".  The ACP would make English mandatory in Canada and make the language of choice as English and enforce it.  We would scrap all the French services provided at all levels of government in Canada and make everyone speak English.  English this and English that... you would see English everywhere.  Street signs in English, Web sites in English, we would fine people if they did not speak English and boot them out of the country if they did not speak English.  We would make all the world's languages speak English, English English.  

So now that I have that off my chest, I can go back to being a minority by living in Quebec, ducking the French Language Police and sneaking in a little English here and there.   Merci... Canada, its been fun but I am taking my French and going home.   After 25 years of living in this crazy province, nothing suprises me anymore and it should not suprise you either, because what ever happens you will end up paying for it.

Student Protests in Quebec What are they Really All About?

Having lived in Quebec for over 25 years I am not surprised by anything that happens in this province.  When they say Quebec is a distinct society, they really mean it.  For one the province is basically broke ( and so is Ontario for that matter). 

Over 40% of the population do not pay any income tax which means they are on some form of social assistance.  Five dollar a day care started in Quebec as well.  So here you have students who pay the lowest tuition out of any student in any province and they are protesting an increase of less than $500 over 3 years.  What gives?  

Well in my mind this is not about tuition. Like occupy its about a new youth revolution that is being driven by the use of social media.  I call it an experiment really. Social media, twitter, Facebook and the others all allow for conversations to start on various topics.  Its also about exerting your collective power. 

Our younger generations always are interested in personal revolutions of some sort. For example I remember the 70's and the wearing of jeans to school, listening to rock and roll, smoking on school property and not having to wear a tie to an assembly. 

We protested all of these things on top of the war in Viet Nam and having more say on what went on at the campuses of our universities and how the funds were being used.  Our protests were collective however, no one wore a mask, carried a crowbar, set off smoke bombs in subways and smashed stores, or sparred with riot police.   Today's protests are far more violent and premeditated. 

They are supported by unions, lobbyists and potentially separatists and anarchists.  They are labeled protests but are really about exerting power and controlling the balance of the conversation. Its not so much about the tuition fees.  That's secondary, this is about control.  The government is not sure what to do.  Each time they make a concession they lose the power.   This is a test.  If the government cancels the increase the terrorist students have won.   So .. what do we do now?

Social media revolutions have started, they are having some success and its only going to be a matter of time when revolutions will be fought over bigger issues.  They will include, taxes, water, wind turbines, energy, over countries, language resources and social programs.   The bottom line is the provinces in question are broke and if this continues you may just see a new young guard that controls the power.  The power of the twittistphear and using the power of social media, the bulk of the conversation.

So.. as far as protesting tuition goes, most of the people protesting it, are not in school anyway, that's a symbol and a smokescreen.   The future will be about power and who will control it. Based on how governments have been waisting our tax dollars for years on needless programs, the power may just be in hands of the people and few thousand Quebec non-student protesters may just be the canary in the coal mine as to what is to come.

Seth Godin and Daniel Pink Right Brain Thinking is Alive and Well

So this week I just returned from the Odyssey Consultant's Training program a 6-day intensive program directed at becoming a trusted advisor and a better consultant. They say 6 days at Odyssey and you will never be the same and its true.

Right off the bat, I knew this was a different program because there was a lot of honesty and trust in the room. It was demonstrated within the first fifteen minutes of being there. The coolest thing about this program was that after day-one, people kept congratulating me for my skill and my craft of being creative.

Most of my life I have been this way only to be shut down by left brain thinkers trying to keep my creative juices hidden in the box or dismissed for being too far out in left field.

One of the colleagues Kevin, said, you should read Daniel Pink's book "A Whole New Mind", which I quickly down loaded on my Ipad and started reading on the plane back from Phoenix.

Pink thinks ( hey that rhymes) that "right brain thinkers" are poised to take over the world. The right hand side of your brain is responsible for the creative side of most ideas.

Pink also believes that "right brainers" and their creativity are going to be responsible for making the world a better place and will help in getting America out of its current funk. I must admit, America is down. Lots of negativity and left brain thinking in the old United States of America.

A confused left brain government, left brain negative business people and left brain ideas.

Get this for an example: understand how banks deal with people that can not pay their mortgage or who have a house under water ( this means worth less than its mortgage).

The banks use left brain thinking in regards to foreclosures. Here is the current left-brain system.

You have trouble paying your mortgage, we kick you out. You end up the the street, the house goes empty, the bank writes you off on its taxes as a loss. The bank makes money. You end up on the street and need social assistance.

The house mean while falls into disrepair, vandals without jobs or a place to live, break into the house and steal all the fixtures. The house is a blight on the neighbourhood, bringing the price of all the houses around it down.

The neighbourhood falls further into disrepair. Price of houses in the area tumble further since this is a neighbourhood in disrepair.The bank then tears the house down because it can't fix it or get anyone to buy it since the neighbourhood is so run down and takes a further tax loss.

The bank pays less taxes to the city because there is no house there only and empty lot. Services and business close or move away because there are no customers or home owners to use their services.

The government takes care of the people on the street, takes a hit on the tax loss from the banks, the city takes less taxes from the banks and the people on the street go to the government for support. This is classic left-brain thinking. People say.. the economy is bad so in this way the left brainers have won once again. We are stupid people.

So here is right brain thinking:

Right brain thinking would have said in the first place - what can you pay, great, let us know. Great we will let you remortgage and be able to stretch your mortgage out as long as you keep the house in good repair. People with homes and mortgages to pay usually get jobs, taxes are paid, people are off the street, communities continue to maintain their standard and banks get some money ( probably not as much as when they foreclose but they get some money) taxes get paid and people look for work and consumer services, neighbourhoods survive.

A simple right brain thought - "lets let them stay for what they can afford, when things turn around we will gradually raise their mortgage and make our money long-term".

Selfish "left brain" America and the banks are driving the country into the ground.

Their thought process is "we could not do this because its not our policy. Why?

Well its just not policy, we compromise our position as banks, we set precedence for everyone and well its just not our policy. What about America and the need for a new policy?

So here we have it, stupid left-brain bankers, unenglightened left brain politicians and lots of old left brain ideas and policy. ( most likely created in the 1920's just before the last crash created by greedy people).

Time to give some of us right brain creatives a chance, we can't screw it up any more than these guys.

Occupy What -- They are After the Wrong Guys

I spent the better part of yesterday trying to get into the Christmas spirit by setting up a few spot lights outside, helping my honey setup the Christmas tree and then sitting down for a quiet scotch. I must tell you that I was happy to have all the things around me that I have and I was particularly grateful for everything I had worked hard for.

It was then that I got to thinking about those people who have been occupying a lot of public spaces hoping to get somebody to change their mind about something.

First of all, what was their purpose and what where they trying to accomplish. At first I thought it was all about taxing the rich. Taxing the rich was not a bad idea but who the hell is rich. How about this one. How about taxing nobody. I mean taxes are really what we should be talking about.

Take the middle class. You earn $49,000 and you pay 49% tax that means that you pay all most 1/2 of what you make in taxes. Gas taxes include provincial taxes and GST on provincial taxes, so again double dipping.

In most municipalities now you can't escape home ownership without paying taxes and school taxes. The average tax in a major urban city is $3000 per year or $250 per month. Add that to the $2500 you have left that you did not give to the feds and then take off 13% of every dollar you spend for GST and provincial tax and you have now given another $325 to the tax man.

That means your $49,000 dollar salary is now worth $25,000 less $3500 for municipal taxes, $700 for school taxes and $3900 for GST and provincial taxes.

That now leaves you with $18,500 for the year or $1541 per month. Out of that I need to pay rent or a mortgage say of around $900, my car insurance of $150, my home insurance of $50 and now I have over priced hydro ( another government tax grab) at $150 per month and I am up to $1250 per month in costs so I have $289 left for food and entertainment.

So I think based on this scenario its probably a whole lot easier to go live in tent somewhere and collect welfare. At least I would get free dental, doctors, eat at the mission and have unions donate power, shitters and electricity and I could be a television star to boot.

Its not that I have anything against people that don't work and protest all the time but I think they are protesting against the wrong guy. Its governments man, check it out -- tax the governments and give it to the middle class, they are the guys that really need it. Yes - so what do I do. I sit back and wonder, maybe I should be occupying something and protesting the taxes I pay.

I turn on the television and what a bunch of people living for nothing, contributing nothing and see my tax dollars supporting nothing, what does that say. Anyway - there is not much I can do unless I can get a bunch of others to join me or get those guys protesting to do it for me.

Conservatives Miss Great Opportunity in Ontario Election

Well this week I am about to see a great opportunity for a political party go down the drain due to a poor election strategy. I am always amazed that political parties are the last ones to use real marketing in their campaigns. I mean advertisers are used to calling their strategies when implemented campaigns. Why is it that political parties don't call their campaigns, advertising?

Lets look at 5 reasons the Conservatives under Tim Hudack will go down in flames this week after having a pretty convincing opportunity to sweep this election from the Liberals and Dalton McGinty.

1. Not understanding your audience - here the conservatives failed to understand what it was their audience wanted. Rather that talk about specifics, the conservatives used negative advertising throughout failing to get the real message of their campaign across. Having seen the same ad complaining for the past 4 weeks, I too was sick of it and lost interest in the message and the party. The audience wanted real meat. Simple, tell us who you are and what your committed to.

2. Poor creative - never got to know the leader or anyone in the party. People buy from people, we never did get to know who Timmy boy was and what he was all about. Even when he had real opportunities to talk like a human being while being interviewed on T.V. and radio he spouted the same boring messages from the commercials Surely his fart catchers could have given him some coaching on being human and telling us who he is.

3. No real concrete messages - who are you and what are going to do, give me some real benefits for voting for you, all I know is you are hammering away at your competitor and forgot to tell me who you are and why I should vote for you.

4. I did not feel the love - here you may not like the other guy, but you have to give me a reason to love you. Based on what you tried to feed me, I had no relationship with you, I have a better relationship with the NDP because I love Andrea. Don't like her politics and we will be poor if she gets in ( or when she gets in I should say) because I could feel the love. If I could feel it, then you can be rest assured that thousands of others do as well.

5. Not capitalizing the weakness of your competition - even car companies and breakfast cereals have this down pat. Capitalize on the weakness, exploit the loop holes, here the conservatives had a real opportunity to talk about the record of their opponent and say how they would make it better. All you need to do is compare the mileage and the price, we got neither.

So Timmy my boy, it looks like you are destined to be a latecomer once again and although handed a golden, yes golden opportunity to the Teflon man or the real nice lady in the orange suit.

It would be helpful next time to hire a marketing firm to help you run a campaign rather than some political hacks and fart catchers that are out of touch with the market. All I have to say farewell and good night Tim and the conservatives and I am a conservative that will wake up the day after the election and say... I told you so.

Great Headlines - Make it Pop!

This week I thought I would steal a page from www.marketingandsalesuniversity.com and talk about writing good ad copy. I have seen it over the years that companies spend lots of money on marketing only to wonder why their advertising is having little or no impact. Its important for advertisers to consider how to write good ad copy.

There are 5 major components to good advertising copy: (The order of these is essential to success)
• Command Attention
• Showcase Benefits of Products/Services
• Prove the Benefits
• Persuade People to Embrace the Benefits
• Call to Action

Advertising is sales in print. So, you need to think about the unique benefits your products/services offer and showcase that in a persuasive way. You need to emphasize results, not features.

Let’s take a minute to talk about each of these components:
1. Command Attention: This is usually accomplished with the headline. You need an attention-getter that makes people want to know more about your products/services. The best headlines give a vivid portrayal of the benefits or show how a problem can be avoided with your products/services. The headline is the advertisement for the advertisement.

2. Showcase Benefits: You have to showcase the benefits of your products and services and, more importantly, show how they will solve or prevent a problem. They need to know what’s in it for them. Include useful, factual and clear information to show precisely what the benefits are and how they are going to help the customer.

3. Offer Proof: This is where you prove what the advertisement is offering. You need to establish you have a method to deliver. Consider information that establishes credibility and past performance.

4. Persuade: You need to add compelling reasons for your potential customers to purchase your products/services. Use a hard sell approach and create scarcity. This will enact your potential customers to feel like they have to act now. Which leads into the last component.

5. Call to Action: You need to compel your potential customers to DO something. They need to check out your site, sign up for your newsletter, purchase your products, contact you about services…something. Offer a freebie-a booklet, sample, product, bonus, demo, consult, limited time price…the list goes on. There are lots of ways to get potential customers excited about ordering and help them feel like they are getting an amazing deal.

Good advertisements include all of these components and are not complete without any of them. You can sit down and think through any one of these components, then figure out how to best place them together for the most effectiveness. We can help you with this too.

For more information on this and to get more marketing advice than you ever wanted to know, check out www.marketingandsalesuniversity.com. or contact me at the email address below.

Kensel Tracy is the Marketing Coach at The Corporate Coachworkz Inc. located in Chelsea, Quebec. If you are interested in getting more marketing advice or just need a coach to help build your business contact Kensel today at kenselt@sympatico.ca

Canada is a Great Place to Open and Own a Business

Canada is A Great Place to Open and Own a Business
This week’s article I thought I would talk about Canada and why it’s a great place to invest or to open up a business. With all the blood on the tracks in the great U.S. of A I thought I would brag a little about your neighbour to the north and discuss why Canada is doing well in spite of issues facing other countries throughout the world.
Here are the top 8 reasons why it makes sense to invest in Canada.
1. First of all Canada has a people advantage. Canada is a nation of intelligent, educated workers, ranking #2 in the OECD in higher education achievement.
2. The next is the business environment advantage: The Economic Intelligence Unit has rated Canada the #1 place to do business in the G7 for the next five years.
3. The economic advantage puts Canada as better placed than many countries to weather the global financial turbulence and worldwide recession
4. This one could be debatable since there are some better tax advantages in other countries. Canada however offers businesses low tax rates, boasting the lowest payroll taxes among the G7 countries.
5. The NAFTA Advantage advantage gives investors access to more than 450 million consumers and a combined GDP of US$ 17.1 trillion (PPP basis).
6. If you are considering doing business in Asia the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative (APGCI): takes advantage of Canada’s strategic location as the crossroads between the North American marketplace and the booming economies of Asia.
7. The transportation advantage gives Canada a sophisticated infrastructure and a highly developed transportation network.
8. Last of all the main reason we are all here in the first place is the life style advantage which gives Canada world-class universities, a universally acclaimed health care system, clean, friendly cities and spectacular scenery make Canada a great place to invest, work, live and raise a family.
There you have it, a simple and effective reason to invest in Canada. If you are thinking of opening a business, looking for good investment or want to move to stable democracy Canada for my money is the place to start hands down. Hope this helps you think about great places to live and invest.

Kensel Tracy is The Marketing Coach with the Corporate Coachworkz Inc. a business coaching company located in Chelsea Quebec, and Ottawa Ontario. He is also the President of Business Over Breakfast Clubs opening up in every city throughout North America.

Twitter Helps Small Business Grow and Prosper

Canada it is said is one of the most connected countries in the world and in spite of paying some of the highest rates for internet and mobile phone, social networking is continuing to grow. If you run a business and have an online presence, chances are you have heard about the potential value that Twitter can have as a business tool.

The usefulness of Twitter and other social media for promotion, marketing, interacting with customers and building relationships has been promoted by a number of social media pundits and business professionals in a wide variety of industries. However social media has proven to be much more difficult for small business people to get a hold of and building an active presence on Twitter can me more difficult than expected. With and estimated 200 million tweets a day being sent simply sending off tweets won’t prove very useful nor will starting a twitter account and letting it lay dormant.
So in order to take advantage of what Twitter has to offer it requires having a strategy.

Here are some quick tips on how to start, build and maintain and active and effective Twitter persona for your business.
First step is to understand why you want to start a Twitter account for your business. It is important to have specific goals in mind when creating any channel and ensure they goals are reflected as you setup your profile for you and your business. It’s also important to understand how you will achieve these goals. For example if you are trying to find new customers, make sure what you will say and to whom to attract people to find you on Twitter, subscribe to your messages and eventually visit your store, website or blog.

Twitter takes some understanding to use it effectively. It’s important to understand that Twitter is pull technology and not a push approach to promoting. Traditionally you needed to force people to read your messages by buying some form of media or sending bulk emails to prospects. On Twitter, people need to follow you or opt in to read your messages therefore you need to make sure you saying something that is relevant or interesting to people vs. trying to achieve your goals.
Nobody is going to read a feed full of advertising. This media is called social media for reason as it puts the audience as part of the conversation. Most good case studies show that the most effective use of social media are those in which creative topics are created that are of interest to your potential audience. It’s therefore important to create creative ways to respond, reach out and respond to other individual messages too.

First of all, remember that Social Media can be used for more than just marketing. The key to any marketing program is understanding your customer, their likes, dislikes and interests. Once you have this profile, ensure that your Twitter messages are following these interests (for example, if you own a unique restaurant, tweet about food, preparation, recipes and equipment). Again, Twitter is an opt-in channel, so make sure what you say is something that your customer would want to read out of interest. Be as conversational as you can. In the restaurant example above, ask people what types of food they like and how they cook. Watch for the tweets of people you follow, and when they tweet about food, don't hesitate to reach out and share your thoughts in a friendly way.

Also, understand that tools are rarely effective in isolation. Mention Twitter in conversations, and link to it from your website. Perhaps even mention it in your other marketing materials.

Twitter can be a very effective marketing tool but needs to be used correctly. The key is get the conversation going, build credibility with your business approach or business focus, give information to your audience they want to read and be a source of inspiration and knowledge which will give you an advantage and help you build followers. Also look for key influencers in your industry and follow them on Twitter.

There following may also be your customer then you have a good chance of participating in a conversation with a variety of people that may also be interested in what it is you are saying. Remember, quality information, valuable knowledge, unique and key learning will help you grow your Twitter reputation and help others seek you out and develop a better understanding of what it is you do and what it is you have to offer.

Kensel Tracy is the Marketing Coach, Senior Partner for the Corporate Coachworkz and Managing Director of Stratejis, Results Based Marketing Solutions. He is also the President of Business over Breakfast Clubs in North America now opening up in every city in North America.

Millionaires on the Rise in Canada by 38%

If all you ever thought about Canada is that it’s the land of ice, snow, oil, wood and hockey it’s time to think again about doing business in Canada. For example, number of millionaire households in Canada is set to surge 38% and total wealth will more than double, according to a new report.

A study carried out by the Deloitte Centre for Financial Services of 25 countries found that the number of millionaire households in Canada will jump from 1.74 million to 2.4 million in the next nine years according to a report on Global Wealth. This study also found that Canada’s total wealth will rise from $3.35 billion to $6.77 billion. This is great news for a population of some 35 million but still a drop in the bucket in comparison to the U.S.

For example, the total wealth projected in the millionaire households world-wide will grow from $92 Trillion in 2011 to $202 Trillion in 2020. For my American friends who think that their economy is still on the skids, they should be a whole lot more optimistic now because the study also found that the U.S. is likely to remain the world leader in terms of total wealth followed by Japan and Italy.

For example any American worried about the U.S. economy should be investing heavily in real estate, stocks and or bonds since the same study predicts that 43% of the world’s millionaire households are predicted to be in the United States and also the number of millionaire households in the United States is projected to increase from an estimated 10.5 million in 2011 to 20.6 million in 2020.

While this news is good for Canada right now, it’s projected that even with this impressive growth Canada is likely to slip in wealth status to 8th world-wide since China is expected to make huge gains in the next number of years and is currently in 12th place.

The study also showed that wealthy Canadians have the biggest portion of their money in cash and other categories, which accounts for 28% of their total holdings. Canadian millionaires also tend to hold equal shares in real estate and domestic stocks at about 21% and over 11% in foreign stocks.

Meanwhile with the bloom off American real estate in the short-term (except for those Canadians investing in warm climate states like Florida and California) the ownership of property still accounts for 51% of millionaire household assets in Italy, compared with 45% in Spain and 35% in Hong Kong.

This study also shows that Canada is still a safe haven to do business, start a new lifestyle or just continue doing what we have been doing since the economy is maintaining a steady growth and there is also strong projected future growth.

This is also a great message for my American friends who can now start to change their attitude slightly and view their economy as one of the best in the world and see that it’s time for America to start to rebuild its business base, its cities, its real estate and its stock market. Even with the current downturns the U.S. it is still the leader in the number of millionaires world-wide.

So even though you think that Canada is that northern white spot on the map north of the 49th parallel remember there are millions of dollars up here waiting for investors and new products and Canada represents a great market for any type of business.

Kensel Tracy is the Marketing Coach, Senior Partner with the Corporate Coachworkz Inc. and President of Business Over Breakfast Clubs currently opening in every city and town in North America.

It Still Costs Less to Live in the U.S. Even with a Rising Canadian Dollar

As luck would have it for the average Canadian consumer travelling to the United States, it still makes a lot of sense to spend more dollars state-side than in Canada. Having recently returned from a holiday in California I was quite happy to spend as many dollars as I could in the old U.S. of A since like me, many Canadian consumers are still paying more for goods and services at home even though the Canadian Dollar is now worth $1.04 U.S.

The Loonie ( as Canadians affectionately call the dollar) has now risen 30% from its levels just two years ago fuelled by investors seeking the stability of Canada’s financial system and booming demand for the nation’s commodities.

BMO Chief Economist Doug Porter says that it’s because of more moderate inflation performance vs. other countries overwhelmed by the surge in currency. As a result says Porter “the cost of a basket of goods, adjusted for today’s exchange rate, has bolted higher in Canada relative to the U.S”.

Having lived in Toronto growing up, it was not uncommon in the 60’s and 70’s to make the trip to Buffalo N.Y to shop and to pick up Lee Jeans, and Penny loafers ( once all proudly carrying the Made in USA sticker) and bring them back to Canada every chance you got. The U.S. dollar could be purchased for as little as $.70 cents Canadian and it made perfect sense to purchase goods at lower prices in the U.S. with higher Canadian dollars.

Over the years that has all changed. The Loonie fell behind the U.S. dollar and Free Trade had so much impact in that it became attractive to start to sell your goods in the U.S. at margins 25-40 percent higher due to the fact that the Canadian dollar was trading in the $.60-$.70 cent range for one U.S. dollar. The U.S. economy was booming and everything from lumber to pork bellies was in demand.

This helped Canada in the export market because goods bought with U.S. dollars gave manufacturers a comfortable margin just with the exchange rate. Now however, some companies have had to learn how to adapt to being more competitive in sales, quality, delivery and performance based on the rising Loonie.

Now another thing is happening with the a the rising Canadian dollar, consumers are still paying more for comparable products in Canada than our friends south of the border. For example, check out the price of books and food. The U.S. price is still lower for a book in comparison to Canada even if the book is printed in Canada and there are no shipping costs.

Running shoes in the U.S. can be had for a low buy one pair for $69.00 get the second pair at ½ price. In Canada the same shoes cost $147.99 Canadian for one pair. Golf balls have an 11% price difference in Canada than in the U.S. Gap Cargo shorts are 15% more expensive and an IPod Touch costs $249.00 in Canada and $200.89 in the U.S.

The cost of gas and alcohol is also cheaper in the U.S. due to lower government taxes. For example a gallon of gas in Canada costs $5.62 cents (at $1.25 a liter) and a six pack of beer is around $10.99 plus deposit. I recently bought a case of 12 Becks beer in California for $11.99 and a dozen Budweiser’s for $6.99. The price of gasoline was less than $4.00 a gallon.

The BMO says that the lofty Loonie is here to stay so that it will appear that many more Canadians will be taking their vacations State-side this year and Canada will see less U.S. tourism based on the higher price of goods and services and the need to have a passport to cross the border.

This does not favour good long-term growth for tourism related industries or those exporters and those who ship the majority of their production to the U.S.
It should however give Canadian politicians some food for thought about reducing corporate taxes, reducing the taxes on gas and decreasing consumption taxes such as the HST and GST to make Canada more competitive with our friends to the south.

Kensel Tracy is the Marketing Coach and is Senior Partner with the Corporate Coachworkz in Chelsea, Quebec.

Canadian Companies Face Different Challenges than U.S. Counterparts.

I came across an interesting discussion this week online by Paul Ricketts where he put a question out on his blog about the differences that Canadian companies face in comparison to those starting up in United States.

Many of my American business friends and I discuss this on a regular basis especially now that the world is getting smaller every day and Canada’s small business environment is growing especially now that we have a solid economy, great standard of living and a highly educated workforce. Yes, in many parts of the country that goes with 6 months of winter, but Canada is still a great place to start a business.

However in spite of all the good things about doing business in Canada, Ricketts brief survey addressed some of the issues affecting Canadian start-ups. For one, Canada has a small domestic market which is further fragmented by inter-provincial barriers and regulations. This is especially true for tangible goods. Many products are regulated provincially forcing many Canadian companies to seek markets offshore or in the U.S. quicker than developing the Canadian market. For many start-ups this means that many companies are doing business in foreign markets quicker than their U.S. counterparts and this leads to increased costs and marketing issues as companies are forced to tackle markets outside of their home country.

Canada also has a much smaller VC market and angel capital pools are smaller. This means that investors are required to be less patient in there need for returns which forces a lot of smaller companies to grow much more quickly to satisfy investors forcing in some cases quicker expansion and higher risk taking. This is not all bad, however but if you have a product that requires good long term patient investment it can be difficult to find the right investors in Canada.

Because of the size of the market only 30 million people, there is a lack of diversity of industry clusters and sub-clusters and fewer companion companies within those clusters, so a lot of start-ups are forced to go alone or go a long way from home to find companion products and companies that can use their products. Canada also suffers from a lack of large major home grown companies and has limited national and global players with a major presence to act as catalysts for new ideas and to grow management talent. This does not mean there isn’t any real talent there is, just not enough.

Ricketts also thinks that Canadian business owners have a bad case of “ sell-out-itis “ which forces Canadian companies too often to take the big cheque sell out too early or plan a business with short-term or limited thinking where the entire business strategy is predicated on finding an exit.

With that being said, a stable economy, solid work force and a growing market Canada is still a great place to consider starting a business. There are a large number of government business incentives and safe environments. The only thing that we really need is a better climate in general, because sometimes you just don’t need 6 months of winter.

Kensel Tracy, The Marketing Coach is a Senior Partner with the Corporate Coachworkz Inc. located in Ottawa and Chelsea, Quebec and is also the President of Business over Breakfast Clubs of North America now opening in every City. If you have a story that you think on doing business in Canada, he can be reached at kenselt@sympatico.ca.

What's Really Ethical in Government

I recently got an email from a disgruntled conservative that said that he did not sign on at being a conservative to have the current government give a government employee especially a senior manager that gets fired for doing a lousy job a
$400,000 golden hand shake.

I wonder how all those guys being hounded by revenue Canada, the hard working man on the street, that is trying to get ahead feels when he spends 24 months fighting a court case over some grey area with Revenue Canada only to have $400,000 of those dollars be given to an government employee that does lousy work.I think our world is completely upside down.

In government we reward people for doing a bad job. This sends all the wrong messages. One you can't be fired so don't worry do a bad job. If you have work too hard, well go on stress leave and if you stay on it long enough, retire early because of all the holidays you have saved up while you were on stress leave, er a holidays while getting paid.

I don't want this to take away from those hard working government employees only that there is too much of this lining the pockets of too few people who have places the work force where government entitlement is getting out of hand.

Take that other dude, the other ethics type government guy that left the
Federal government for another job with the City as Ethics Manager and got $500,000 in benefits from his new employer to top up his pension or take those employees that went from collecting Provincial taxes when the HST was implemented who left work on Friday, went to the same job and the same desk on Monday, started collecting the same taxes with a different name only more of those same taxes and they got vacation pay and retro active pay because they were doing the same job with a different name.

Sign me up for a job like that. I will do the same job today and call it something else tomorrow , where is my cheque? Revenue Canada is this legal, especially with a corporation. Does this mean that I can increase my salary and not have to pay taxes since its the same job I had the day before.

So ethically, I guess, it only means you take what is given, and if government types have negotiated the gold hand shake for any type of change, you can still do a pretty shitty job and get paid " big time" as long as you hang around long enough and occupy a desk.

So my ask today is ... what's really ethical in government anymore? Does anyone know, all I know is the taxpayer is wondering and sighing and steaming and wonders who he should call. Oh -- I forgot nobody knows who to call all the phones have busy signals and no one is in charge, you will have call back.

Canada's Cities Dominate on World Stage

As a Canadian and a business owner it was great to find out this week that based on research provided the by the Economist Intelligence Unit that three of the top-ten most liveable cities in the world were in Canada and that Vancouver ranked as the number one most liveable city in the world.

The Economist Intelligence Unit is the world's leading resource for economic and business research, forecasting and analysis. Like The Economist, it is an independent of all governing bodies and corporations, leaving it free to deliver accurate and impartial business intelligence. The report provided livability rankings for 140 cities. Each city was assigned a score for over 30 qualitative and quantitative factors across five broad categories which included, stability, health care, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.

Australia had four cities in the top ten and Vienna, Helsinki and Auckland New Zealand rounded out the top-ten group. A big disappointment for my American friends was that the highest ranked city was Pittsburg at 29, and that Los Angles ranked at 44 and New York ranked at 56.

Why are these rankings so important? Well as a business owner, a highly livable city allows you the opportunity to define the best places to setup and run a business and it is important to know what cities have the greatest potential.

For Canada to have three cities, Vancouver ranked as number one and Toronto and Calgary as four and five respectively it’s quite an accomplishment. It shows that low interest rates, coupled with good government, limited risk, vision, stability, infrastructure and commitment are all important in growing an economy and a city. Canada has managed to build the infrastructure in order to make its major cities as appealing places to live and as such, great places to start and grow a business.

Canada has also weathered the economic downturn quite nicely.Our business growth is strong and emerging and our banking system is also strong. Although we take a lot of flak from our neighbors to the south and sometimes throughout the world in regards to Canada’s commitment to national health care and high taxes which are in some cases perceived as detrimental, Canada continues to lead all of the G8 countries in economic growth. Combine that with high livability rankings and you have a country that is well positioned in regards to providing opportunities for business for the future.

This study also shows that if quality of life can be sustained then businesses can also grow and prosper in these environments. An educated work force and a highly livable city are usually tied into a strong economy and significant business growth.

As a Canadian I am proud of the fact that Canada is the land of opportunity. Yes it may have cold weather, 15% of the population that speaks French, higher personal and business taxes, the HST (sales taxes) and higher municipal taxes, but now Canada should have no inferiority complex on both the world stage and in the business world.

Lowering our national debt and continuing to provide lower corporate taxes, rebuilding our education system and ensuring a high standard of living will ensure that Canada is a good place to invest and build a business. These are the things that hopefully we can teach the world. Combine that with mutual respect for our fellow humans throughout the planet and you have a winning formula for business success.

For more information on the study and to register free for additional information checkout http://www.eiu.com/ at the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Kensel Tracy is The Marketing Coach and Senior Partner with The Corporate Coachworkz Inc. and a Senior Consultant with the Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing in Ottawa. He is also the President of Business Over Breakfast Clubs now opening in every city in North America. If you have something of interest he can be contacted at kenselt@sympatico.ca

Government HST is Sham When it Says its Creating Jobs in Ontario

In the Province of Ontario the provincial governments recently harmonized the Federal GST at 5% with the Provincial tax of 8 % for a total tax of 13% on all goods and services except for those few products which are restricted to GST only.
The rationale was that this tax would replace a manufacturer’s tax and provide business owners with the added cash flow from the manufacturer’s tax to create a significant amount of new jobs.

At the time I was thinking how can a new tax create a new job? The only way that can happen is if the government stimulates the job through government training or through some other method since the amount of money paid to the manufacturer is marginal compared to the costs.

One of the things the HST has stimulated and it sure as heck is not a lot of new jobs is the price of gas and the cost of electricity and heating oil. In the past heating oil and electricity two main stays of industry were not taxed. The price of gas was below the cost of gas in the United States.

Now with the combined HST, on top of a federal and provincial tax, gasoline shot up above the psychological $1.00 a litre price and is now $1.12 -1.15 giving the oil companies carte blanche to raise their prices without any consumer backlash. Higher gas prices are seen as the impact of the HST. Electricity in Ontario has gone through the roof and prices have increased also because of the impact of the HST.
Disposable income has also decreased. For example, since the consumer now has to pay as heat, hydro and fuel costs, that’s a $.20 cent per litre increase or $10.00 per tank of gas does not go into other products, just into the pockets of the oil companies and the tax man.

Take that same $10.00 and multiply that by the number of vehicles registered in Ontario of 10.5 million filling their tank once a week and that’s $100,000,000 million that is not spent by the consumer and again goes to just two sources, the government and the oil companies.

Are you getting my point? Taxes don’t create jobs. Companies and businesses do. Companies and businesses can only create jobs when they sell products. By cutting down on the consumers disposable income, less goods and services are acquired. With less goods and services purchased, less jobs.

So I think that government meddling and taxes are partly responsible for this mess we are in in both Canada and the U.S. Give someone $10,000 more per year and they are going to go out and buy new products and stimulate the economy. Somehow we have it all wrong in this country where jobs are limited due to high taxes and politicians with little or no business sense. Now .. where are those new jobs the HST was supposed to create.

Kensel Tracy is the Marketing Coach and a Senior Partner with the Corporate Coachworkz Inc. located in Chelsea Quebec and Ottawa Ontario, and also the President of Business Over Breakfast Clubs of North America. If you have a story of interest please contact him at kenselt@sympatico.ca.

Here are Awards for Government Waste by Jane Taber

Here is a great article by Jane Taber, Hill Columnist for the Canada's National Daily the Globe and Mail. The best thing about Jane's article is that it gives an overview of the issues that our government is facing when it comes to waisting taxpayers money.

Once again we passive Canadians just stand here and take this kind of thing. When someone wants to cut government spending, the NDP ( who only know how to spend) get up in arms, the Liberals ( who always spend no matter what) say that we are attacking the public service and the Bloc ( they always spend our money because its from Canada and so what) are waisted funds anyway, because we invest in these guys so they can take Quebec out of Canada. ( What a concept, try explaining that to the new democracy in Iraq)

Without with with out further adieu, Jane Taber. The Weatherall Awards


MP pensions and junk mail top waste awards
Jane Taber

The award-ceremony season could not go by without the Teddy waste honours. And this morning, dressed in black tie, the Prairie director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, Colin Craig, announced the best of the worst government waste. He was accompanied by a person dressed in a pink pig costume – Porky the Waste Hater – and hostess and ceremony assistant, Natasha.

So without further ado, the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Teddy for 2010 is the “Gold-plated MP Pension.”

The CTF is always after the MPs and their generous pension plans that it says is “quite possibly the richest pension plan in the country.”

MPs are eligible for a minimum pension of $46,000 after just 10 years of service. “Oddly enough it is the only government program that all parties in Ottawa seem to agree on,” said Mr. Craig.

The Federal Teddy Award for 2010 goes to “MP Junk Mail.”

“The federal mail-out program allows MPs to send flyers to no more than 10 per cent of the households of any riding in the country,” the CTF says.

The group notes that the flyers have increased in cost from $5.9-million in 2005/06 to $10-million in 2008/09. “The more our government went into debt the more these things were sent out,” Mr. Craig aid.

This is the 12th annual Teddy awards, which are named after former bureaucrat Ted Weatherill who was fired from government in 1998 for claiming $150,000 in meal expenses over eight years.

There were others considered for the 2010 honours. Here are some of the better of the worst of federal government waste:

» $1.5 million for unused hotel rooms at the Francophonie Summit in Quebec City;

» the Public Works officials who sold the Queen’s silver by mistake (they sold it for $4000 and then spent $100,000 to get it back);

» and the $1.4-million spent by the Royal Canadian Mint to figure out that $20-million worth of missing gold was not missing at all.

Where Has All the Good Government Gone

I was reading the paper yesterday and counted at least 6 stories that had an impact on me because they were all about governments or people in the public trust that have violated the taxpayer in some way.

First of all there was the HST. This tax while not being a bad tax for adding to the provincial coffers is horrible for Ontario and B.C. residents.

Again its being implemented on top of all the other taxes which will ultimately reduce spending and encourage more underground economy. In Quebec for example which already has this tax, the grey market is growing and the there are two prices for almost every service. The cash price and the one with the tax. If you are Joe consumer doing a job on you house, which one are you going to pay?

The second issue was a so called Senator that had people from his office staff working on his property. He was charged, but while waiting a year and half ( another issue in my book, how long it takes to go to court in this country)was collecting his $130,000 a year salary for not going to work. Even if he gets the boot, he will still collect an $80,000 a year pension.

The next story is about the Auditor General for the city of Ottawa. Here is a dude that has a pension of $600,000 coming from the time he spent with the Federal Government. He takes a $150,000 year job at the city and asked councilors to top up the difference in the pension he will lose from not working for the feds.

Now this one really rattles me. Ottawa council votes to give him an additional $100k of taxpayers money to make up the difference. This guy will have a $1 million dollar pension plus when he retire. The only thing he has audited is how much money he will have when he retires. Another example how the little guy loses and how the system protects those that are in it.

These are just three examples. The point I am making is that the lowly business man, the one that can't collect unemployment when unemployed, the one that needs to match CPP payments for his or her employees, the one that pays the most taxes and does not have a pension, is the one that gets " scooped" by our laws.

We now have a group of employees working in government that make the rules for themselves. Its kind of like being on a volunteer board a few years back when the first order of business by the board was to give each board member an honorarium for attending board meetings. What was with that! Needless to say I gave my opinion and when it passed I left and donated my time and money to another charity.

We have public servants that make a living using the system and get all the perks and they control it.

We the taxpayer pay for it. What's to become of us. I am not sure how much longer I can afford to continue to support a bunch of fat cats living a life of entitlement. Can you?

Nortel, Too Bad It's Canadian

There was an interesting debate happening this morning on CFRA the Talk Radio station in Ottawa on whether or not that governments at all levels should have bailed out Nortel. A Canadian icon and Canada's symbol of technology to the world was left to the wolves of big business in the telecommunications industry. Like the auto industry they were seeking bail out money to keep the company from going into bankruptcy.

The debate focused on whether the various levels of government, city,provincial,federal should have helped Nortel with loans and funding to keep the company in Ottawa and keep it Canadian.

Its an interesting debate. First of all, Ottawa City Council does not have the intelligence to consider this a debate. They are all too worried about their own personal egos and really have little or no understanding about business or the business community in Ottawa. Nortel was a significant employer and the city should have been lobbying the province and the feds to keep a major employer alive in this city. Instead we waisted valuable time at the council table debating Shannon Tweed day. Great move City of Ottawa! This is the level of intelligence that comes from the City of Ottawa and its elected officials. Employment or Shannon Tweed Day? What would you choose?

Second, Premier McGinty is also focused on the other things in Ontario like creating more tax dollars and the HST. He managed to take a position on the auto industry because its important for votes but Ottawa. A major employer a high technology firm in Ottawa is not high on the priority list even though he is from the region. The feds, well, my friends after watching our government at work for the past 8 years I have decided that they have no plan ( even though I am a conservative) and would not show any leadership anyway unless " Stevie Boy" calls in the troops. " Stevie Boy" seems to have no interest in this at the moment. In fact no one really knows what " Stevie Boy" is interested in since he is floundering around like a fish out of water. This guy, our leader is more interested in travel ( after all it is summer, the government jet still has money left in the budget, better get it spent) than in keeping jobs in Canada. I guess a reformist can never really be called a true conservative. A true conservative has a focus for big business, employment and helping to build business inside a true democracy. "Stevie Boy" is a dictator with limited vision and well big business just does not go with the territory. What's 50,000 high tech jobs anyway and how many votes will I get from that and besides Ottawa is not even in that red part of the map in central Ontario.

So the debate continues, was Nortel a good candidate for a bailout or should it's years of mismanagement be seen as a reason for letting it go.

It should be mentioned here that at one time our Federal government had a agreement to support Nortel's research and development for reciprocal taxes. So our government has already invested millions already in the technology and Nortel and why let it go?

The debate continues and now we are without a current employer and we have lost another Canadian icon. Short sighted governments and business people with limited management skills mean this country has a long way to go before it will be a major player on the world stage. So, so long Nortel, its been good to know ya. Its only too bad that we did not do something about this company earlier.