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Tom Dalton (not his real name) ran a very successful distribution business.  He had been in business for 42 years and the business had been successful for a long time.  He has seen the ebbs and flows of the economic roller coaster, so it is not new to him.  For the last two years, business had been expanding quite aggressively, albeit with only two customers.  Both these customers were [...]

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As the world goes global, more and more companies are looking to find opportunities to expand beyond their traditional markets and to open up in new, international jurisdictions.  While that sounds attractive, we all know that such growth is fraught with challenges, and the only way to do that successfully is to plan that expansion very carefully. Government help? Many government departments, [...]

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Your website is telling tales about you - that's why a Responsive Website Design is a must in today's world. Your website says more about you and your business than your home page, the about us page and just about all the content on your site. And not only does it tell a story to your customers and your referral sources, but it tells an even more telling story to the most important person in [...]

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The days of compartmentalizing business functions into tightly controlled areas of influence (like marketing, sales, operations etc) are long gone - we just need to accept this Change Reality and buy into a new way of thinking: Business Growth. "Good fortune is what happens when opportunity meets with planning."  Thomas Edison It is no coincidence that Edison had the foresight and [...]

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During tough economic times, businesses need to look to all available opportunities (including government funding) in order for them to maximize their business growth. So why not leverage some of the taxes you pay by finding out whether there are Government Grants and Government Secured Loans available to fund your growth initiatives? Government grants and secured loans can fund business growth[...]

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Mastermind Solutions helps companies with business growth and expansion - locally or internationally. That includes companies looking to export to Canada from anywhere in the world. We help North American and International clients with knowledge, information, management, implementation, finance and entrepreneurial advice to tackle a growth initiative.  We can act as consultants, project [...]

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Question: Why is a marketer with strategic insight, a business sense, and an eye for opportunity so valuable in a business? Answer: He will be the first person to identify growth opportunities. How does he do it? He walks in the shoes of your customer and can identify what you need to do for that customer to attract him to your company.  It is this ability and insight that most people in a [...]

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For years, Jet Stores operated in the South African retail space as a lower- to mid-income clothing and footwear retail company. The chain was part of the largest and most sophisticated retail group in the country. Jet was seen as the cash cow for the group, and was an important strategic asset for the organization. As the chain evolved over the years, I was involved in leading the development of[...]

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I have been saying this for years.  Change is upon us and as a business executive or leader making important decisions you only have 2 choices: either embrace change or become a casualty.  It really is as simple as that. Just ask Target, Sony, Mexx, Smart Set, Jacob, Holt Renfrew (some stores), Sears Canada, Future Shop who are just some of the high profile casualties.  Ask some of the Wal Mart[...]

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A number of years ago I was given a task by a cash retail company: generate loyalty from our cash customers. The first cash retail loyalty program in the world I created a free Club for the customers to join and then had to manage the loyalty program that was part of the club. At the time, this was the first full-scale loyalty program for a major cash retailer in the world.  After a year we had[...]

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