What type of meeting is it again?

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112512_2029_BookReviewT1Understanding the type of meeting that you are planning should help you make it even more effective. The type and purpose of getting this group of participants together will determine the timing, preparation and follow-up expected.

Amanda Schneider says

“Not all meetings should follow the same template. Using a variety of meeting techniques helps people focus, feel productive, and helps teams keep projects on track. Knowing your “meeting type” and following these best practices can keep you from wasting time and depleting your team’s motivation”

Read more of her great article here…

Redpath Waterfront Festival

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download

From Kwan Films

“If you were to stand in one spot in downtown Toronto for the past one hundred years, what would you experience? Journey through the architectural history of Toronto. See familiar landmarks from the first days of photography transform to full-colour modern day. Some things change, some things stay the same.”

 

Great meetings result in something tangible.

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112512_2029_BookReviewT1Do you know what it takes to have a great meeting? Or, how not to ruin one?

Making sure that you have certain rules when it comes to the preparing for and running a meeting is critical to ensuring that your team emerges from the meeting room on the way to something valuable and tangible.

“No agenda should include the words information, recap, review, or discussion.

Great meetings often have agendas that are no more than one sentence, like “Determine the product launch date” or “Select software developer for database redesign.”

Information? Share it before the meeting. If I need to make a decision during a meeting, shouldn’t I have the information I need to make that decision ahead of time? Send documents, reports, etc., to participants in advance.

Holding a meeting to share information is unproductive and wastes everyone’s time–it’s lazy.”

Read this really great article about having great meetings here…

 

 

How does your meeting room arrangement affect participants?

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Are you guilty of overlooking meeting room logistics. The layout of your meeting room is secondary only to the meeting agenda and info. Here are some results of a survey conducted on meeting room participants, to think about before your next meeting.

“Meeting participants gave the highest ratings to the speakers, the opportunity to ask questions, the responses to questions, and topics about how the company was doing, especially about recent successes.

The lowest rated items were the meeting room and all the logistics: Room was too small or too big; room temperature was too hot or too cold or too stuffy; the chairs were uncomfortable chairs; the audio was poor; sight lines were poor; the video screen was too small; there were no refreshments; the refreshments were unhealthy; there were too many apples and oranges and not enough cookies; there was no water; there weren’t enough diet sodas.”

Read the rest of the article by Liz Guthridge here…

Getting the right employees for your business is crucial to success

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Getting the ‘right people on the bus’ is crucial to the success of any business but how do you ensure you are recruiting the right people with the right skills? Here’s a list that can help:

1. Re-examine your job listings. Is it just a canned description of the company with a list of required skills? Mike Ganiere, manager of talent acquisition, North America for Johnson Controls, says, “You can’t just post a position with a list of duties and expect to connect to the perfect match. People today need to know how their job fits into the organization and what impact it will have—they want to do work that matters.” Including short- and long-term expectations allows a potential candidate to see what his or her value is to the company…

Read the rest of this article here…

Keep your business competitive with good eMarketing

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Being able to connect with your audience online is important to your business’ survival in the long term.

Maximize Your Google Presence

Google offers many tools to aid small business marketing strategies. Whenever a customer uses Google to search for your product type, you want Google to lead the customer to your business. To appear on Google search, Google Maps, Google + and millions of customers’ mobile devices, you need to list your business with Google Places. Simply sign into your Google account and enter your business information, address, website, etc. Listing your business with Google Places is a completely free service, so be sure list your business as soon as you can.

Read the rest of the original post here…

101 Secrets to Running a Successful Home-Based Business in Toronto

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Originally posted by Sara Wilson

According to the Small Business Administration, more than 50 percent of small businesses are home-based. Home-based businesses offer low overhead, helpful tax incentives, and the opportunity to work in your pajamas, among other benefits. But before you get started, there are some things — 101, to be precise — that you should know about running a company from home. Here is our list of top tips, lessons, pitfalls, and more to get you on your way.

Getting Started 

We asked home-based business owners to share their best tips and advice. Here’s what they had to say about organizing a home office, skillfully operating a business from home, and more.

1. Create a work environment you feel good in. And that includes investing in professional office equipment and furniture. “Everyone is vulnerable to repetitive stress injuries from using office equipment,” says Paul Robert Edwards, coauthor of Working From Home as well as a Small Business Development Center consultant. “So take care to get things that fit you ergonomically. Particularly important are your chair and your keyboard.”

2. Keep your overhead to a minimum. “It’s not about how much money you make, it’s about how much you keep, so overhead is key,” says Craig Wolfe, founder of CelebriDucks, a company that creates celebrity rubber ducks. “It’s great that you’re working from home, but you can still bankrupt yourself through ill-conceived overspending, especially in technology.”

3. Create a strong team. “Work with experts on parts of your business where you are not an expert,” says Cathi Brese Doebler, a home-based business owner for 10 years and author of Ditch the Joneses, Discover Your Family. “For example, if you are not good with computer hardware, hire someone to help you set up your computer network. Or, if you are not an expert on taxes, find a good tax advisor. Focus your business on your areas of expertise and strength, and hire experts to help you with your areas of weakness.”

4. Work where you’re most productive, even if it’s outside of your home. “Sometimes home is not the right place and work is not the right place — even when On laptop in the poolthey are the same place,” says Stephanie Staples, a personal coach and motivational speaker. “I need a third location. For example, a donut shop, library — somewhere that even though other things are going on, I don’t have to pay attention or care about it. It is the power of the third location; I think differently, work differently, act differently there, and it really helps me.”

5. Work on your business, not in your business. “There’s a big difference between working in your business and working on your business,” says Jeannel King, a visual facilitator and coach, and founder of her own home-based business, Big Picture Solutions. “A home-based business typically translates into being a small operation of one: you! In that situation, it’s easy to focus only on product or service delivery. However, it’s essential to make time to work on our business, and that means focusing on the finances, the marketing plans, the vision and strategy, the systems and processes that provide the infrastructure for our businesses to be not just successful, but thriving and sustainable.”

6. Have the attitude that you work from home, not at home, says Edwards.

7. Don’t hide it, flaunt it! “Don’t try to shy away from the fact that you run your business at home,” says Maria Rapetskaya, cofounder of Undefined Creative, a home-based design and animation studio. “Give your potential clients the rundown of why it benefits them — like low overhead.”

Seven tips for a great home business

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Original post by Tony Featherstone

A friend recently asked how I have managed to work from home for so long and stay sane. Good questions. As appealing as it sounds, working from home does not suit everyone. Doing it for years requires discipline, self-awareness and careful planning to avoid key traps.

Comments about working from home usually fall into two categories. Some say a home-based business must be a terrific lifestyle with all that supposed extra time and flexibility. Others ask how you can work from home when there are so many distractions.

Both comments are off the mark. I don’t know too many home-based business owners who have oodles of spare time, unless they are struggling for work. And home distractions are usually the least of your problems when work is busy and deadlines are pressing.

A bigger challenge, in my experience, is maintaining networks, developing new skills, and maintaining energy and enthusiasm. In some ways, the routine of corporate life forces you to develop professionally, and stay productive. In home-based business, it’s all up to you.

Your goal as a home-based business owner should be to build a thriving, profitable venture – and have a great lifestyle at the same time. Or put another way, have more money and more time with family and friends – and for yourself.

You won’t achieve it unless you become super disciplined and productive, are ruthless with your time, and understand the nuances of home-based businesses.

What’s your view?

  • Do you find it hard to work from home for long periods?
  • What are the biggest traps when working from home?
  • What advice could you give others to make the experience more enjoyable?
  • For those who have worked from home for many years, what has been your biggest learning?

For the record, I still love working from home. I couldn’t imagine being stuck in traffic each day commuting to work, being bound by a 9am to 5pm lifestyle, or wasting time in useless meetings and office politics. But like anything, you have to work at running a home-based business.

As I approach my seventh year of working from home, I have decided to share seven tips so new or prospective home-based business owners can avoid some key traps.

Read more: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/small-business/managing/blogs/the-venture/seven-tips-for-a-great-home-business-20140522-38piu.html#ixzz32Rs8ITYN

Bike to Work Day kicks off Bike Month (May 26-June 26, 2014)

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Bike-to-Work-Day

Bike month is soon approaching. The month long event will be kicked off with Bike  to Work day on May 26, 2014. The initiative started off as a Bike to Work day and has now gained momentum and is considered one of the largest cycling promotion events in Canada. The event is hosted by an organization called Cycle Toronto. Bike Month brings together families, artists, commuters and community groups to promote cycling at hundreds of events all month long.

The Rostie Group will be participating in Bike to Work Day and many staff members and tenants will be cycling  to the office all month long.  Bike month reminds us that our beautiful Queen’s Quay will soon be a wonderful oasis for bikers with expanded bicycle lanes and much more green space over the next year. The entire Queen’s Quay revitalization program is bicycle friendly and we are excited to see a big change in the number of cyclists in the area.

Around the globe, several countries are launching initiatives to promote cycling and healthy lifestyles. In the US, there has been a rise of protected bike lanes. A video detailing the rise can be seen below. One of the best projects that we have seen to promote cycling is taking place in Sweden. The municipal government in the city of Gothenburg is offering free bikes to commuters who promise to drive less. You can read more about this here.

Be a part of the movement and select a day to Bike to Work.

Happy Bike Month everyone!

 

The Rise of Protected Bike Lanes in the U.S. from Green Lane Project on Vimeo.

Keep your office space in Toronto organized with these 25 tips

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25 Tips to keep your office organized and running smoothly by Janet Taylor 

1) Clean out each desk drawer, to free up even more valuable storage space.

2) Clear off the top of your desk, then wipe off the surface of the desktop.

3) Keep essential items on your desktop (computer, phone, fax, card file).

4) If you work with more than one person create an in box for each person.

5) Have a master to-do list for each day at your desk.

6) Pre-Sort the mail.  To-File, To-Read, To-Contact(write or call).

7) Use a variety of containers to organize office supplies, paper clips and pens.

8) Use a variety of desktop organizers or trays to organize papers that come across your desk.

9) Create a separate drawer for personal paperwork, items, etc.

10) Use storage boxes to store dated files.

11) Purchase Magazine boxes to store booklets, magazines, catalogs you want to keep.

12) Create a file for magazine articles or scan them into your computer.

13) Filing system should be simple easy and manageable.

14) Color-coding your files makes it faster to find information.

15) Do not over stuff folders.  It may be time to toss some of the information in the folder .

16) Never overload filing drawer.  It will make it difficult to retrieve information in the drawers.

17) Sub-divide larger files with interior file folders.

18) Tab hanging file folders in the front.

19) Return calls in batches.  Leave specific messages and the time you called if the person you’re trying to reach isn’t available.

20) Empty workspace of everything but the project you’re working on to cut down on distractions.

21) Keep an assortment of all-occasion cards and stamps in your desk.

22) Keep takeout menus from favorite restaurants so you can  order ahead and pick up dinner on your way home.

23) When using more than one checking account, color coded checks are an easy way to identify each account.

24) At the end of each project or event, organize paperwork and file or store it.

25) Straighten desk at the end of the day and especially at the end of the week so that you can start each morning with a clear desk

 

Originally posted here…