From full-time accountancy to full-time funny man, the 35-year-old tours comedy clubs, college campuses, and makes regular radio appearances. But he makes best use of his specialized talent selling his witty wares on the corporate circuit, tailoring his act to suit individual business needs. John’s clean classy wit lends itself well to a professional environment. He’s come a long way since cracking up coworkers from within the confines of his cubicle, while employed as a senior financial advisor with PricewaterhouseCoopers.

With song parodies like Taxes Are Done (to the tune of Here Comes the Sun), and lyrics like “see that girl, watching me, digging my Adding Machine  (yes, that’s Dancing Queen), John’s got a growing YouTube fan base. In Powerpoint, he picks on a corporate presentation that reviews “rules about rules”, and “exceptions to rules about rules”.

Beyond office humour, John’s family provides comic inspiration, like his dad driving his new scooter (while wearing a football helmet and garden gloves) and waving at motorcyclists, or his mom thinking “right click” means moving the mouse to the right side of the desk and clicking.

As for tax preparation advice, “I barely do my own,” he says. “I can’t help anybody else. I hate it when people are coming up to me, ‘Hey, what about this?’”  “I’m like, ‘Man, whatever you think. Your guess is as good as mine!’”

Check out John’s website at www.johngcomedy.com While he may not be balancing other people’s books anymore, his corporate comedy act is starting to balance his own just fine.

Submitted by Jan Napier (who had laughter induced tears when interviewing John) Find her at:  www.jnapier.ca

It doesn’t take a lot of room or even gym clothes….

1. Hold something solid with a bit of weight to it (try a book) in front of your thighs and stand tall with
2. your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Toes should be pointed slightly out, legs straight, abs engaged (tuck ‘em in!), shoulders relaxed, and back straight.
3. Push your hips back (stick your butt out) and squat down to make a 90 degree angle at the back of your knees. Make sure that your knees don’t go out passed your toes. Keep your back and shoulders straight (don’t bend forward).
4. While squatting, raise your arms with your makeshift (book) weight so they are parallel with the floor.  Then return to the starting position as you squat up and bring your arms back down to your thighs. Keep the movement steady and controlled.

Muscles used: quads, glutes, hamstrings, shoulders.

This raises two important questions. The first is: do you have a business plan based on a selling model? There is an old expression in business “if you don’t know where you are going, anywhere will do”. It is key for you to set goals and build a plan that will get you there. Break it down by first looking at your annual goal, then break it down to quarterly, then monthly and weekly.

The next question is: do you know how to keep score? Sales is not a “go with the flow” type of business. You need to be focused on tracking your activities on a daily basis. If you do, you can  be hugely successful. Here the key is to break down the activities that you can control and keep track of them, instead of just tracking the results. This way you become activity-focused, which will bring the results.

Here is an example: the 21 point system. You look to achieve 21 points a day. One phone call where you reach someone and they say no is worth 1 point; if they say yes, it is 2 points. If you go to see a prospective client and they aren`t there, it is worth 3 points. If they are there, it is worth 4 points. If you make a sale, it is worth 5 points.

It’s a simple way to help you begin to track and monitor your activities instead of just your results. This system has worked successfully for a number of sales organizations over the years. If you want more information on this please feel free to contact me.

Happy selling!

Submitted by James R Hanifen RHU CFP Partner at Life Quest Financial. 

Try using Google to search for your email address or phone number.  When I searched for my phone number one of the first results that came back in the search list was titled “India Mobile Number Index for phone numbers starting with (xxx)-xxx-xxxx”

Your stuff is out there already, as they said in Hill Street Blues – be careful out there.

One of the first things you can do is to build a mote around yourself; but when you do that you have to be able to get in and out of your castle. This is where passwords come in.

Passwords are used to:

• Identify authorized users of the system
• Authenticate the identity of those users
• Authorize their access to specific areas
• Record activity for security purposes

The problem is, the more we rely on technology, the more passwords we have. For that reason you need coping strategies. For example:

1. Forget passwords
2. Use the same password for everything (like your cat’s name)
3. Write your passwords down and keep them nearby
4. Reuse old passwords
5. Call tech support

Please don’t use #2 or #4.  If you must write them down, make sure they are stored in a safe place and not easily accessed by other people.

One simple but effective strategy is to always maintain three main passwords:

• High security – Work
• High security – Personal
• Low security

The high security passwords should be long, and changed on a regular basis. The best way to create a really secure password is to convert a meaningful phrase into a string of characters.

• For example, pick a line from your favourite song:
• “Well – I’ve got friends in low places!” becomes W-Igfilp!
• Or
• The opening of the Gettysburg Address could become 4s&7Yag0

A couple of final scary thoughts:

• Digital copiers/printers usually contain hard drives full of personal information.
• Cell phones store large amounts of data in the form of call records, text messages, contact information, and photographs.

Be aware, and- be careful out there.

Submitted by Steve Morley. As Manager of Computer Services for the Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Steve spends his days trying to keep the academic world online, and safe.

With tax deadlines just around the corner, many small business owners are finalizing year-end statements and getting their finances in order. How in the world, one might ask, does Social Media fit into the picture? In more ways than you might think!

There are many helpful social media and mobile resources that can assist with financial management and taxes. Some offer year-round support and others are specifically for tax season.

 Social Media

Tip’d (tipd.com) is an online social media community providing financial tips, news and ideas. Users vote for their favorite articles, ask questions, participate in discussions and add their own articles to showcase expertise. Article categories include finance, stocks, entrepreneurship, business, careers and more.

Finance 3.0 – Social Network for Finance (finance30.com) calls itself “the world’s best website for financial management, financial modeling, corporate finance, business valuation, quantitative finance and accounting.” It has a large article database, active discussion forums, resources for financial planning and even an entrepreneur group designed to help with business plans.

Tax time is seeing a number of organizations go above and beyond to offer help through social media. Turbo Tax Canada is stepping up its game with very active and helpful sites on Facebook and Twitter (@TurboTaxCanada). @HRBlockCanada is another great resource, and @CanRevAgency provides up-to-date information on tax laws and programs.

 Mobile Apps

H&R Block and TurboTax both have mobile apps for advice (and filing help) on the go. Concur, Expensify, Shoeboxed and Receipt Filer are applications that itemize tax receipts and simplify bookkeeping all year long. InDinero provides small business owners with a complete mobile financial dashboard, and FreshBooks streamlines the invoicing process, saving time and potential headaches in the process.

This is just a snapshot of the wealth of social media and mobile resources that are available to small business owners to help them with taxes and financial management. So, when you don’t know where to turn, consider plugging in. The wired world is ready to help you.

Submitted by Frances Leary of  Wired Flare www.wiredflare.ca

The Canada Summer Jobs program is designed to help both students and industry. Not-for-profit employers are eligible for up to 100% funding of the provincial minimum hourly wage per student. Private sector employees with 50 or fewer employees are eligible for funding for up to 50% of the provincial minimum hourly wage rate. Employment must be full time for at least 6 weeks to a maximum of 16 weeks. Details of the program can be found on the Services Canada website or by calling: 1-800-935-5555.

Young Canada Works is funded by Heritage Canada. There are three summer job programs for students: YCW for Aboriginal Youth in Urban Area; YCW in Heritage Organization; and YCW in Both Official Languages. The programs may contribute up to 75 percent of the student’s employment costs (wages, benefits and other eligible expenditures) to a maximum of $8,000 per job and $50,000 per employer.

SkillsPEI administers a government funded Post-Secondary Student Program. The Program is designed to create jobs for post-secondary students by providing a financial incentive to Island employers who provide students with summer employment in their field of study. Details of the program are online.

The Health Care Futures Program provides PEI students with summer employment in health care facilities throughout the province. The Nursing Student Summer Employment program in NS provides employment for up to 12 weeks for Nursing Students who have successfully completed at least one year of a recognized Bachelor Degree in Nursing Program or Practical Nursing Diploma Program. Application for both of these Programs can be found online.

There are many other funding programs available. It takes time to uncover these programs, but the benefit to both the workplace and the student is worth the effort!

Submitted by Tanya Sieliakus of HRpros. 

Tanya is a Certified Diversity Trainer, certified by Executive Diversity Services, Seattle, WA.
She has trained nearly 1000 people across North America and Europe. Find Tanya at www.hr-pros.ca or contact her at (902) 293-0253

It’s okay to be trying to minimize our tax bills, but we need to do it within the framework of the rules. I encourage clients to conduct their affairs with the thought that they may be audited someday and that everything should be in order when that happens. My experience in dealing with CRA has been mostly positive and I have had a good amount of success regarding various types of audits with my clients.

How can you, as a business person relax and not live in fear of a CRA “AUDIT”? The first principle I encourage with my clients is to be honest. Report all of your income, but also claim all of the expenses to which you are entitled. Unfortunately not all business people know what they are entitled to, and may either unknowingly claim expenses incorrectly, or not claim expenses that they deserve under the income tax laws of Canada. For example, some business owners don’t know that you can only claim 50% of the HST on meals and entertainment, as well as just 50% of these expenses for income tax purposes, except in certain circumstances. This is one of the main reasons why you, as a business owner, need the services of a professional accountant. A professional accountant can assist you in structuring an accounting system that will properly…track your revenue and expenses, including correct reporting of HST.  They can also give you tax advice to ensure you are maximizing your tax benefits, but staying within the boundaries set by tax law.

Make sure that you keep copies of all of your receipts. If you are entertaining clients or your employees, make sure that you write the names of the people and the purpose of the meal or entertainment on the receipts. Audits often occur 2 – 3 years after the filing of tax reports, so if you are anything like me, you won’t want to depend on your memory for details.

To keep on the friendly side of CRA and reduce your chances of being audited, always file and pay your tax reports on time, including tax returns, payroll remittances and HST returns. Make sure you give your accountant authorization to deal directly with CRA. In case it is ever required, make sure you give your accountant authorization to deal directly with CRA. agents on your behalf. In fact, it is wise to have access to your own accounts online with CRA by properly registering through “My Account” or “My Business Account” on the CRA website.

If you are ever contacted by a person from CRA for an audit, make sure you are always friendly and try to be accommodating within reason. It is also imperative to have an accountant who has experience dealing with CRA audits, and get them involved.

If you have prepared properly from the beginning, you will never have to worry about an audit and can sleep soundly knowing that you are ready if that call ever comes.

Submited by Gary Graves, garygraves.ca

Suzanne Robinson meets me for coffee late on a Friday afternoon. She has just squeezed in a work out, and despite the fact that she is in sweats with a cap pulled over post-workout hair, she is still working. We luck into a private room, and as we sit down, out come the tools. Her phone, Ipad, etc. get plunked on the extra chair between us. The phone is on ‘quiet” mode but the screen keeps sparking like a fireworks display as we sit, chatting. This is a woman who has the mobile office down to an art form.

She is focused on me regardless of the potential distractions, and we talk about her current business venture: Team Buy. Suzanne is very jazzed about it.

A master networker and advocate of supporting local business, she quickly recommends a friend’s restaurant when she finds out I am heading out to dinner after our interview. Laughing at herself, she indicates that this is exactly why her current project is such a good fit. But to better understand how she got to heading up the Halifax end of the Canadian group buying vanguard that is Team Buy, I steer her back a few years.

Suzanne Robinson has a varied background. It includes a lot of education (degrees in computer science, marketing and management from 3 local universities) and a lot of diverse work environments (small business, big business and everything in between). About the time that the corporate world’s seemingly constant change for change’s sake lost appeal for her, a previous co-worker was planning a move to Toronto to pursue a new business. She asked Suzanne to join her. Suzanne was not interested in leaving Halifax, but was interested in the business; they worked it out. Suzanne would take care of the marketing end of things. And so she found herself in a new business area- pole dancing.

Well, not any old pole dancing- “Flirty Girl Fitness”. With Flirty Girl Fitness, they capitalized on a trend in the fast-growing fitness and spa market, but faced unique branding and marketing challenges.  “Attracting people to a pole dancing business was always a challenge because it comes with a certain stigma.” Focusing on offering fun fitness with an underlying message of female empowerment, Suzanne describes it as “feeding the inner diva.” Hard hitting exercise and crystal chandeliers under one roof. They partnered early on with another young company that was also targeting the growing fitness market to do Flirty Girl clothing products: Lululemon. The concept took off in Toronto. Next they opened in Chicago. They shot an infomercial that still sits in the top 10 infomercials in the U.S., developed more products (videos, clothing, and supplies, i.e. poles)  and appeared on Oprah. Suzanne was back and forth between Halifax and the Windy City, more involved as an owner-operator than before.

Chicago is where Suzanne was introduced to a fresh marketing concept: “group buying space”. Groupon was still in its infancy when its rep walked in the door of Flirty Girl Fitness to sell them on trying a new approach to reaching potential clients. Suzanne’s marketing instincts kicked in.

Suzanne calls it the “try before you buy” effect. With Flirty Girl, group buying helped to shift the barrier to buying. Women may have wanted to try it, but needed incentive. At a half price trial, they would grab a bunch of friends and do it for a lark. She explains that group buying is more effective than a coupon because there is a financial commitment involved. It worked for them in Chicago, so when Team Buy started up in Toronto, she and her partners decided to support the Canadian company.

About this same time, her own life was changing. She had just had her son and no longer wanted to do the inter-city commutes. She had been clear from the start that she wanted to stay based out of Halifax. While working with Team Buy as a client, she became excited by what she saw happening with them in Toronto. She started thinking about Halifax, about the tight-knittedness of this community, the one degree of separation that happens here. She felt that, despite being a smaller market, the group buying space was a concept that would fly here. She convinced Team Buy to take what she calls an “odd” chance on letting her try their product in the this market.

They might not have got it, initially- until the CEO flew in for Team Buy Halifax’s first anniversary bash. Suzanne picked him up in her Team Buy vehicle (the first Team Buy car in the country). As she made her way through downtown, waving at clients, bumping into her brother, and pointing out someone getting ice cream with a Team Buy voucher, the CEO joked that she had planted people to look good. He had never seen anything like it.

Team Buy holds the number one spot in the industry in Halifax. Suzanne believes the reason is that the team actually lives in the community, which is not the case with her competitors. The members of her team are very community-centric, involved in volunteer activities and charitable events. For Suzanne, it’s a no-brainer: this is her home; she has stayed here by choice and is vocal about “local”.  She knows the businesses they represent, they are a part of her life.  “I want to see them succeed.”

She is a proponent of networking and taking the time to get to know people and has an interesting take on it.  As she says, a lot of people are just trying to meet their next sale. For her, if your business isn’t the right fit on one end of Team Buy, that doesn’t mean you might not personally be a client on the other end. It’s what makes doing business in an ethical way so important in a small city. “It’s aways about the relationships you don’t see, and about the ten relationships behind that one you see.”

Submitted by Jacquie Thillaye, Find her at www.shapecommunications.ca

Mingle Publishing provides the complete design, layout and majority of the content for your localized publication in conjunction with our award winning design agency, Apeeling Orange Design Communications. A local profile anchors each issue, and all content will be edited by head office. Design, local and national content and final editing as a completed proof is then sent to the franchisee for approval. On approval, head office will print, ship and distribute the final magazine for you. It is that easy!

A unique networking platform proprietary to the Mingle brand, tied into a cutting edge social media platform, bridges the gap between each franchisee and it’s community of advertisers.

We will guide you in all aspects of the business to ensure a timely and cost efficient product.

Mingle/Ideas franchisees have exclusive access to an extremely low pricing structure through many years of industry relations and large buying power and because of our partnership with Apeeling Orange Design Commnications. Our great relationship with printing partners allows you to purchase products (magazines, business cards, rate cards, signage, etc.) and take advantage of our substantial discounts.  This industry exclusive arrangement will help keep your cashflow healthy and allow your Mingle Magazine to thrive and grow.

For more information, please call (902) 830 5572 or email franchising@minglemag.ca.

Frances gives us some great resources in her Social Media Queen column, while Jim’s Confab breaks down a simple formula for staying focused and motivated in sales. Tanya tables employee opportunities  that can gain you good faith, less expensive pay scales and fresh input; Gary’s advice in being prepared in case the taxman cometh is practical.

Let’s face it- not everyone is good at the financial end of the business. But here we have a chance to learn from people who know of what they speak.

This may just be the year to shake the sand from my hair and say goodbye to year round beach head.

Your shook-up friend,

Jacquie Thillaye

The live crab vending machine in a subway station in Nanjing, China took a while to catch on but as many as 200 live hairy crabs are being sold to commuters daily. Meanwhile, two British companies are coming to the rescue of damsels in footwear distress by dispensing Rollasoles and Afterheels, cheap flats that are sold with matching bags for toting painful heels home. According to the Huffington Post, these flat shoe vending machines are selling out in England’s popular nightclubs.

Hankering for a fresh baguette but the bakeries are all closed? Hit the “bakery of tomorrow”.  French baker Jean-Louis Hecht claims to be “answering a real need” for hungry night owls; thousands of steaming freshly baked baguettes are being purchased from a machine in Paris’s 19th arrondissement and another in Hombourg-Haut. Shocking for a country where bread baking is sacred?

The Swiss and Danish duo Yarisal and Kublitz have even turned a vending machine into interactive art with their Anger Release Machine. Put your money in, and out comes a piece of china, yours to smash until your blood stops boiling.

No money but in need of a shopping fix? The Swap-o-matic in Brooklyn, NY allows participants to earn “purchasing” credits by contributing items. Okay, it’s a point rather than money being made on this one but it’s seriously inventive use of technology to make our planet greener.  According to the website www.swap-o-matic.com “it’s fun . . . and it promotes recycling and reusing.”

See a vending machine opportunity in your business’s future?

Submitted by Jan Napier, Find her at www.jnapier.ca