Category Archives for "Business Coaching"

I’m halfway through Bill Browder’s excellent 2015 book, Red Notice, talking about his experiences as an investment banker and asset manager in Russia in the days and years after the fall of the iron curtain (circa the 1990s). If you are like me and wonder why so many of the financial industry’s products are self-serving […]

Here’s an except from Bill Browder’s excellent book, Red Notice, Simon & Schuster, 2015, https://www.dropbox.com/s/kgepgbdty474z6m/Red%20Notice%20Bill%20Browder%20Mad%20River%20financing%20excerpt%20chapter%208.pdf?dl=0, a true story. Bill was among the first people to recognize the opportunity to invest in Russian equities (then called vouchers—basically, coupons that could be alchemized into shares in what would eventually be publicly-traded entities) at the end of the […]

“How important is trust in life?” asks Stefan Aarnio of Bruce M Firestone on his show, Respect the Grind. Bruce M Firestone is best known as an entrepreneur and founder of NHL hockey team, the Ottawa Senators, their home arena, Canadian Tire Centre, and the Ottawa Senators Foundation, a children’s charity, as well as a […]

“How important is your education in terms of your success?” asks Stefan Aarnio on his show, Respect the Grind. [Here’s a rough transcript of the entire show] Stefan Aarnio: Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the show, Respect the Grind with Stefan Aarnio. This is the show where we interview people who have achieved mastery and […]

20-things you need to do to produce an endless stream of grateful clients— devote at least ½ day a week to biz dev (to a maximum of 1-day per week) define your irresistible coaching niche define your ideal (target) client what is the irresistible outcome of your coaching? market the heck out of your practice […]

[excerpt from Don’t Back Down, the real story of the founding of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators and why big leagues matter, Bruce M Firestone, 2015, https://brucemfirestone.com/product/dont-back-down/] Ottawa-based tech and real estate billionaire Sir Terence “Terry” Matthews reinforces the following ten “Terryisms” for each startup he has guided to success: 1. Form an early (and lasting) attachment to your […]

I’ve just finished reading Ron Wiens’ excellent book, Building Organizations: that Leap Tall Buildings in a Single Bound, 2012. If I understood it correctly, the role of a leader is to build an organization that (eventually) won’t need him or her to function effectively. You can do this, according to Ron, by building, EI, emotional intelligence, RI, relationship […]

What is QSV, quick sale value. There is no generally accepted definition, but here is my attempt at defining it based on experience: QSV, quick sale value, is the price a property put on the market will trade at less seller administrative, legal and accounting charges, realtor fees and closing costs in a liquidation process […]

Here’re a few tips on how to save money from the Financial Diet, https://youtu.be/G6l5GWYE9fQ: 1.       cash cleanse—pay only using cash (wherever you can) 2.       BUY IN BULK and use coupons/take advantage of deals 3.       treat yourself occasionally but don’t overspend due to stress, excitement or sadness 4.       rack up points but only if you can pay […]

I have a small group of Canucklehead entrepreneurs that I coach. They have a great idea (seriously) to launch a new service to do the last mile of ****** for homeowners. What it is exactly, I am not allowed to say, but there’s no doubt that an app would be an amazing boost. But that’s […]

You know what I’ve found? Getting clarity in your life matters (a lot). Here’s how I help people do that (feel free to pass this on): [I highlighted the big depression-fighters in my experience in bold]

Every year since I can remember MTO (ministry of transportation for Ontario) has been doing work somewhere along the Queensway–highways 417 and 174. You’ve heard the joke before: There are only two seasons in Ottawa–winter and construction. It’s one of the prices we’ve paid for not embracing light rail a lot earlier than we did […]