I have been spending a good portion of my time lately networking and participating in many discussions about business.  I feel that this is a great way for me to learn and see different perspectives that may be able to give me an edge in my business.

There was a particularly stimulating conversation this week in one discussion regarding your competition.  Now, the discussion was relating to online businesses, but to be honest, it can apply to traditional brick and mortar businesses.

It basically comes down to this: you can look at your competition from two different perspectives. 

Perhaps the most common perspective is this: your competition is your enemy.  They take your business away from you, take your …

Read more articles on Business Ideas.

I don’t want to start out sounding shallow, but looks are everything when it comes to a first impression.  Think of a restaurant - if you see dirty tables, get dirty cutlery, or see hair in your food, will you be coming back?

I sure wouldn’t.

It is the importance of how your business presents yourself that will either make or break your business.  You may have the best product, offer the best customer service, but if you make a bad impression, no one will care about your strengths.

This reminds me of a lesson that I was taught at my first job twelve years ago.  You see, I was working at a doughnut shop in town and I was …

Read more articles on Business Ideas.

With the boom that Saskatoon has been experiencing over the past years, there have been some serious changes in the employees in town.  You see, the "good" employees have moved from the entry level jobs (such as fast food, retail sales, etc.) to higher paying jobs.  With their glowing resumes and references, they have had no problems getting new jobs.

The result of the good staff moving, has left a void to be filled by the mediocre or poor employees.  Taking a look at the help wanted signs down every street, the businesses are in a position where they need bodies to work, so they hire these people that don’t do a good job.

The result of this …

Read more articles on Business Ideas and Business Management and Saskatoon Business.

As I write this article, the Canadian dollar is worth more than the American dollar.  In fact, it is at its’ highest level since the late 1970s. 

What does this mean for us as Canadians?

One word:  Opportunity.

Consider that the American housing market is in turmoil and people are being forced to foreclose on their houses because they can no longer afford them.  This housing crunch has put downward pressure on housing prices, making it a great buying opportunity.

For example, looking at a real estate auction site based out of the U.S., for under $100,000 US I can buy a four unit property that brings in just under $20,000 US per year.  Looking up here in my …

Read more articles on Business Opportunities and Real Estate Investing.

Numbers have come in the the past week for real estate sales in August in Saskatoon.  The average price rose to $253,240 from $161,921 just one year ago.  This number is slightly higher than July and a new record for the city.

This trend is expected to continue into the fall when residents try to move into their new houses before the snowfall.  Also, with the continued interest from out of town investors, many realtors expect the housing prices to continue on their upward trend.

How does this benefit you?

If you are a real estate flipper, you can see increased returns on your investment.  It is also a great time to get rid of some of your poor performing …

Read more articles on Saskatoon Real Estate.

Yesterday, while driving down the road, I came across an interesting sign.  It was a sign from a local commercial leasing company who was offering to build whatever building you needed, provided you leased it.  Now, you might wonder what was so interesting about this, but one of the items on the sign caught my eye:  rental.

Now, I may have read the sign wrong, as I would expect to see “retail” on the sign.  That aside though, it did give me a good idea - leasing rental properties.

I am not thinking of this in the traditional sense where you get your tenants to sign a lease for X amount of months.  Rather I am thinking of it from …

Read more articles on Business Ideas and Real Estate Investing.

It seems that it has been almost a month since I have written here.  It is not that I don’t have anything to say, rather it is because I have been busy that this site has not been updated.  What have I been doing that is so important that I don’t update the blog?  Read on and see…

Basically for the last month I have been working on a blueprint to get me out of work.  You see, my children are getting old (my oldest is just starting kindergarten) and I feel like I am missing their lives.  I miss doctor’s appointments, concerts, volunteering at school and church and many other things that just plain suck.  So, in essence, my …

Read more articles on Business Opportunities and Entrepreneur and Online Opportunities.

I think the title of this article is self explanatory ? at some point your business or organization may need a joint venture partner.  Why?  Below are four common reasons why you might want a joint venture partner:

Lack of Expertise

You may have good skills but are lacking in certain areas.  In my case, I am good at seeing the big picture and designing websites, but I lack content creation skills.  So, I went out an found someone to partner with who excels at writing and complements my skill set.

Lack of Capital

Perhaps you have some inside information on where to get a screaming real estate investment deal but don?t have the money to take advantage of your good fortune.  If you …

Read more articles on Business Ideas and Entrepreneur and Online Opportunities and Real Estate Investing.

Numbers came out this week regarding the average home price in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.  For those of you that have not been reading the blog up to this point, Saskatoon is located in Canada and is currently experiencing a housing boom.  The average house price for a house in Saskatoon in June was $252,433 CDN up from the price in June 2006 of $160,547 CDN.

A large reason for this increase is both the number of frustrated potential home buyers bidding irrational prices just to get property and the influx of investors from outside the city.  An example of these external investors are those investors from Alberta who have entered the market due to the high prices found in the Alberta market.  …

Read more articles on Real Estate Investing and Saskatoon Real Estate.

Now, this may seem a little weird for a business opportunity blog, but it is something I suffer from.  Fear of success?  Is that possible?  Yes it is.

What is the fear of success?

Some of the symptoms of the fear of success are:

• Fear that even if you accomplish all that you have set out to achieve that you will not achieve happiness, be content or be satisfied with the outcome.
• You feel undeserving of all your accomplishments and successes.
• Fear that your accomplishments can be destroyed at anytime.
• Fear that after you have achieved what you have set out to accomplish, your interest will wane and your success will fade
• Happiness will not come from your accomplishments …

  Read more articles on Business Ideas and Entrepreneur.