Chris Zownir

When Chris Zownir entered the corporate world 11 years ago as a commodities  trader, last on his mind was the thought that he would someday launch a business
very different from his financial career. “Although I enjoyed my job, I questioned
whether it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I felt that I needed a change, but I had no idea what it was that I wanted.”

Zownir asked himself how he could apply the skills he’d developed in another field. He also asked: “What am I truly passionate about?” Althoughhe’d spent years working in a field demanding conformity to a highly conservative dress code, he harboured a fashion sense that he kept reigned in. “While working in finance during
the mid-nineties, the basic Bay Street wardrobe was pretty boring – grey and navy suits, white shirts. The only way to express my personal style was by wearing French cuffs and a distinctive pair of cufflinks.”

 

Jumbo Jet cufflink

Zownir discovered that manufacturers of unique cufflinks were few and far between. A light bulb blinked, and his idea to make cufflinks materialized – Not high-end cufflinks for special occasions, but a line that was a little quirky, stylish, affordable – a fun, everyday wear line that would appeal to his generation. “I wanted to design pieces that grab attention with their unique styling, but could also be worn to the office. Why save cufflinks just for special occasions? Isn’t every day a special occasion? Dress Up The Moment was the mission statement that came to mind.”

Avoiding risk, Zownir remained at his day job, using nights and weekends to source out suppliers and build on his idea. In early 2005, he incorporated his company, Cuffwear, and just before Christmas that year, he launched his Web site to target online shoppers.

Turntable cufflink

In 2006, after hearing from several companies looking for custom logo cufflinks, he began developing a branch of his business that would appeal to
the corporate sector. Soon, he branched out once more by selling his line in stores. Zownir says, “By then, I realized that if I was to take my business to the next level, I had to quit my day job. The prospect was frightening. I enjoyed my job, but I didn‚t want to look back someday with regrets. My driving force was my passion for what I was doing with Cuffwear.”

In 2007, Zownir made the leap and has never looked back. Today, the three components of his business are online shopping, selling to retailers, and corporate custom orders. He now spends less time designing, more time handling the business side. With only occasional help from family and friends, and some sales reps, he recently hired his first employee of sorts, a business development consultant.

The future of Cuffwear? Instead of working to expand his business in different directions, Zownir plans to keep his focus on what he does best: creating a distinctive brand that helps his customers Dress Up The Moment.

Visit http://www.cuffwear.com to view the entire collection.

Donna Marrin is a freelance Senior Writer/Editor specializing in corporate communications and advertising. She also founded and runs the Markham Village Writers. You can visit their website at www.markhamvillagewriters.com

Have you ever been treated poorly by a company? Chances are you’re hesitant to do business with them again. Yet so many large and small businesses fail to change their ways to make their customers feel great. Here’s how to make your customers feel like they’re worth a million:

• Smother them with attention. Small business owners often neglect their existing customers and spend all of their time chasing new ones. Create a plan or system to communicate frequently with your existing customers via newsletter, email or phone calls. Take the time to call them even when there’s no business on the table.
• Talk about them. Brag about how well your customers are doing to others, hopefully as a result of your help. Feature your best customers in your marketing materials, your media releases and your website.
• Remember the details. It’s the little things that add up to make your small business distinctive. Remember your customer’s birthday and call with best wishes, or help them to find a new employee using your database.
• Do you what you say. Build trust and credibility by always following through on your promises, no matter how small. Forward that column you mentioned to your client immediately, ship the order within 24 hours or make that introduction to someone your client wants to meet.

You can learn more about this and other how-to topics at a free STAPLES BizLaunch Webinar. To find one near you, please visit http://www.staples.ca/bizlaunch today.

ROGER PIERCE is passionate about helping entrepreneurs achieve success. Co-founder of Canada’s largest small business training company, BizLaunch.ca, he’s launched eleven small businesses of his own and personally experienced what he calls “the good, the bad and the ugly” sides of entrepreneurship.

BizLaunch advises thousands of Canadian startups through its popular how-to seminars and webinars delivered with partners such as STAPLES.

When working from home, take time to set up your workstation to maximize comfort, enhance posture and minimize strain or injury. There are many things you can do to make your office ergonomically friendly and build wellness activities into your day. Here are

Tri Fit’s top tips for better health, positive energy and improved performance.

1. Invest in ergonomically adjustable office furniture

Invest in ergonomically adjustable office furniture including an adjustable chair with lower back support, a foot rest and an adjustable keyboard.

2. Set up your workstation to suit your activity

Make sure your workstation is properly positioned for the work that you are doing. Do you spend more time on the phone or computer? In either case, ensure that your posture is well supported for that activity.

Keep workstation tools (computer, keyboard, phone, files, papers) within reach without having to lean, bend, or twist at the waist to avoid back problems.

When typing, adjust your keyboard height so that your wrists are straight when typing and keep elbows close to your side at a 90° angle.

Adjust the tilt of the keyboard: Some people find it more comfortable if the keyboard is flat or tilted slightly down at the top.

Learn to use your short cut keys to minimize your mouse work. Maybe you can use your mouse on the opposite side for achange?

3. Adjust your posture regularly and take frequent short breaks to increase blood flow

To prevent eyestrain and neck pain, situate your body about arms length from the computer screen and keep your neck and head in a neutral position.

Use a headset or Bluetooth when talking on the phone to maintain good posture and stay hands free for typing or searching the internet.

Take regular breaks to increase blood flow. Do an errand on foot rather than taking the car. Take a walk or run at lunch. Take a 5 minute stretch break. March on the spot while talking on the phone.

Arrange a walking meeting. Plan a healthy snack mid morning and mid afternoon such as fresh fruit, nuts and dried fruit or veggies and hummus dip.

4. Stay focused on your priorities

Set an alarm to go off every hour to remind you to get up and move around. This will help you to stay focused and keep on track. Create a To Do list and work it doing first things first.

Tri Fit Inc.

Better health, positive energy, strong performance. Corporate clients have seen the bottom line benefits that can be achieved through Tri Fit’s innovative fitness and wellness services. In business since 1978 Tri Fit’s mission is to enhance the personal and organizational health of our clients through wellness programs that are integrated into the culture of the organization. Tri Fit customizes each program by analyzing client resources, employee and organizational needs and interests and the workplace environment. Our approach has resulted in improved employee and organizational health, energy and performance.

Crush It! Why Now Is the Time to Cash in on Your Passion, by Gary Vaynerchuk

Online-marketing trailblazer, Gary Vaynerchuk, tells business owners what they need to do to boost their sales using the Internet, just as he has done to build his family’s wine store into a multimillion dollar business. Do you have a hobby you wish you could indulge in all day? An obsession that keeps you up at night? Now is the perfect time to take that passion and make a living doing what you love. In “Crush It! Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion,” Vaynerchuk shows you how to use the power of the Internet to turn your real interests into real businesses. Gary spent years building his family business from a local wine shop into a national industry leader.

Then one day, he turned on a video camera, and by using the secrets revealed here, transformed his entire life and earning potential by building his personal brand. By the end of this book, readers will have learned how to harness the power of the Internet to make their entrepreneurial dreams come true. Step by step, “Crush It!” is the ultimate driver’s manual for modern business.

Check out Gary Vaynerchuk’s informative and entertaining video clips.

Discovered any great business books you’d like to recommend?

Donna Marrin is a freelance Senior Writer/Editor specializing in corporate communications and advertising. She also founded and runs the Markham Village Writers. You can visit their website at www.markhamvillagewriters.com

As the winter months come to a close, most people look forward to the thought of the warmer weather to come.
Cleaning around the house or garage is a seasonal ritual that many Canadians tackle every spring. However, many of us overlook our computers. 

Just like your vehicle, computers need regular maintenance to keep them operating at their best. Changing the oil in your car is critical to maintaining fuel economy and prolonging the life of your engine. Maintaining your computer is no different. This simple five-step guide will help you keep your machine running as it was intended–to keep you working as efficiently as possible.

Step 1 – Remove that dust!

Your computer is made up of a number of components generating a significant amount of heat. Because of this heat, fans are installed in many areas within your desktop or laptop computer. The fans draw in air to help keep things cool, but at the same time, they also draw in dust. 

For desktop computers: 

With your computer powered down and unplugged, open the case. There are a few screws on the back that you can unfasten so the side panel pops off quite easily. You’ll need to have some canned air on hand– available at any STAPLES store. (Note: Wearing safety glasses and a dust mask is recommended when cleaning with compressed air.) Hold the canned air about six inches away from the computer’s internal components and blow the dust out. Be sure to get to all of the small areas, including fans, eliminating as much dust as possible from your system. Although a vacuum may seem like an easier alternative, vacuuming can actually damage your PC’s components and do more harm than the dust. Once all of the visible dust has been removed, use a soft cloth to wipe the inside of the case and side panel to remove any lingering dust. Be sure to double check all of the connectors and cables inside to make sure nothing has been inadvertently disconnected. If everything looks good, reattach the panels and screws, plug everything back in and and you’re ready to go!

Tip: Consider taking a digital picture of the inside of your computer as a reference. This will come in handy in the event that a part becomes disconnected and you aren’t sure how to reconnect it.

For laptop computers:

Just like desktops, laptops have fans that draw air in to keep things cool. Laptops aren’t quite as easy to get into, but you can remove as much dust as possible without having to open up your machine. If your laptop is really dirty, or you suspect that your internal fans have stopped working, you should consider using STAPLES’ EasyTech service, available at any local STAPLES store.

You’ll need a can of compressed air, and this time, you will also use a vacuum with a soft brush attachment. With your laptop shut down and unplugged, use the compressed air to blow out any loose particles, food crumbs or other gunk trapped between the keys and under the keyboard. Turn your laptop on its side or upside down and all of those loosened particles should fall out quite easily. Next, locate the side vents on your laptop. There should be one on either side, or one on the back or bottom. Either way, locate two separate vents. Blow compressed air into one vent and use your vacuum to suck out the dust and loose particles from the other vent. Reverse the process by alternating between air and vacuum until all visible dust has been cleared from the vents. Using a soft cloth and your favourite LCD cleaner, give your laptop a thorough wipe down and it should look like new.

Next week…

Step 2 – Optimizing Windows Start-up 

Mike Robinson is a Purchasing Manager specializing in Computer Hardware for Staples Canada.

There are three main legally recognized businesses:

1. A sole proprietorship is an unincorporated business owned and operated by one individual, under his or her name or a trade name, and where there’s no legal distinction between the owner and the business. That means all assets are owned and debts must be paid by the individual. A sole proprietorship is the easiest kind of business to set up; the owner has full decision-making power, keeps all profits from the business and pays only personal taxes, not corporate taxes.

2. A partnership is similar to a proprietorship, though more than one person shares control of the business. Again, all assets are owned and all personal taxes and debts are paid by the individual partners who, together, have full decision-making power. A partnership can be easy to set up but like a sole proprietorship, partners can be exposed to high levels of personal liability if financial problems arise.

3. A corporation offers the most safety from liability because it exists as a legally separate entity from the people who own shares in it. Incorporation also ensures the business can continue to operate if any members of the business leave.

STAPLES and CorporationCentre.ca, which has registered over 10,000 businesses since 2001, make it easy and affordable to register your sole proprietorship or partnership or incorporate your business online.

Questions? You can learn more here about which type of business makes the most sense for you – or send us your questions. We’ll do our best to answer them.

Which type of business makes the most sense to you?

The majority of new small businesses in Canada start as sole proprietorships, or a company of “one”. After all, the idea of truly flying solo is very alluring. However, consider the advantages of taking on a partner:

• You’ll have someone else to kick start you. Individual entrepreneurs or “solopreneurs” often lose some get-up-and-go because they work alone. A good business partner will offer support, encouragement and guidance to help propel you toward your goals.
• Two heads are better than one. Entrepreneurs working by themselves can make disastrous business decisions simply because they had no one else to consult. While you may not always agree, a partner will bring a refreshing perspective to business challenges and opportunities.
• Build your business faster. Two or more people working together should form a productive synergy, allowing you to take on more clients and projects to accelerate growth.
• Work for yourself, but not by yourself. It can be lonely running a one-person show. If you leave your job to start a business, you may be surprised at how much you miss simple day-to-day interaction with co-workers. As a partner, you’ll get to run your own business while enjoying all the benefits of a mission companion.

Like marriage, take time and care before entering a business partnership. Be sure your partner complements your skills, shares your vision and is someone you feel you can work with every day.

You can learn more about this and other how-to topics in a free STAPLES BizLaunch Webinar. To find one near you, please visit http://www.staples.ca/bizlaunch today.

ROGER PIERCE is passionate about helping entrepreneurs achieve success. Co-founder of Canada’s largest small business training company, BizLaunch.ca, he’s launched eleven small businesses of his own and personally experienced what he calls “the good, the bad and the ugly” sides of entrepreneurship.

BizLaunch advises thousands of Canadian startups through its popular how-to seminars and webinars delivered with partners such as STAPLES.

In these credit-crunching times, raising financial backing has become harder than ever. For small businesses, this recent squeeze has hit hard as banks tighten up their risk profiles. New capital is, of course, the lifeblood of any business, and particularly, for ones that want to expand. With this setting as a backdrop, consider the following:

Employee buy-ins

Even if you only employ a small number of people, buy-ins should not be ruled out as they deliver multiple benefits. Employees relinquish a portion of their pay in return for equity or profit sharing in the business. Benefits include reduced labour costs, employee retention, increased morale, accountability and maintaining corporate control. For proof as to how scalable and successful buy-ins can be, just look at John Lewis Partnership from the United Kingdom – £6.9 billion turnover with 69,000 employees involved! And to think, these people started out with a corner shop.

Consider changing your legal form

Depending on where you sit in the small company hierarchy, adapting your legal shape can present several opportunities. If you’re a sole trader, consider becoming a partnership – this way you can bring in fresh blood, new ideas and, most important, new capital. If you are a partnership, consider incorporating, converting partnership equity to stock, charging a premium for the conversion and inviting new shareholders to join at the same time. Poll your close networks for potential subscribers, perhaps inviting family members or private investors to become equity holders.

Equity-raising opportunities

Many see this option as full market flotation and so shy away due to dissolution of ownership; though there are other methods which should not be ruled out. For example, Business Angels—these are private individuals willing to invest in businesses monetarily and intellectually. Sums of money from these individuals can range from a few thousand to many thousand dollars. Angels are more likely to consider small-scale businesses, with their input normally coming with the proviso of profit or equity share. Venture capital is another option to consider; again, this is private capital and is more likely to be obtained by small, high-potential, high-growth businesses. Venture capitalists will normally invest for an equity share.

Approaching the bank for a loan

Always have a business plan prepared when you approach your bank—this goes for a first-time request as well as a refinancing proposal. Bankers thrive on detail and will look for coherence, risk appraisal and, above all, viability. More than ever before, you will need a copper-bottom representation of your needs and a reasoned forecast for your ability to repay with interest. Business plan formulation is an art form and I would seriously recommend the uninitiated to engage an accountant to help put one together. Investing some money on professional fees now will save you a lot of heartache further on down the road.

Squeeze working capital

Some businesses don’t always realize how much money is tied up on their balance sheet. Often a quick win for businesses to produce cash for reinvestment is to speed up their working capital cycle. Examples of this would be to reduce payment terms or speed collections along with invoice discounting—selling the debt to a third party and receiving the cash up front. You can also reduce stock levels or move to a ‘Just in time’/JIT system of procurement. Conversely, try and increase your payment times to suppliers; this can be achieved by smarter ordering and renegotiation of payment terms.

Become more profitable

By making more money, you will have more money to invest. You can achieve this in two direct ways. First, and most obviously, is to increase your selling price. To do this you need to establish what sensitivity there is to your pricing and test it. Alternatively, try to strip out costs—direct and indirect. You may look to renegotiate prices with your suppliers or look for cheaper ways of doing business. Outsourcing is another option, or look for cheaper premises, maybe moving to an entirely virtual business if you are service based. Lots of business owners, such as real estate agents, have now moved entirely online, simply renting a small office space for holding staff and client meetings. This concept is scalable and transferable to many other businesses.

The opportunities considered here are some of many available to small businesses. In this challenging commercial environment, it pays to be flexible and open to new ideas. Whatever approach you take, consider the outcome in the round, weighing up the risks and benefits thoroughly before moving forward with your decision. As any small business owner knows, your success will come through your ability to innovate.

Neil Horton is the Director of Business with Interlinkdirectory a human edited business Internet directory with a focus on quality and global reach. Neil has a business and finance background and has worked in the commercial sector for 15 years. He began his career with small, owner-managed businesses, progressing through to global corporations and, ultimately, to running his own company.

The names “Carissa Reiniger” and “BlackBerry” had become one in my mind over the years. I was an “early adopter,” owning one of the first bulky, blue devices that took two hands to support, later graduating to sleeker upgrades as BlackBerry grew in popularity. I have a BlackBerry graveyard filled with devices from my past that I will clearly never use again, but for some reason cannot bring myself to throw away. You get the point. My name is Carissa Reiniger and I am a BlackBerry addict.

My company is now almost five years old and throughout that time, my BlackBerry has been my lifeline. I realized about a year ago that I could not survive five minutes without checking for that flashing red light. I also found it difficult to get through an entire meeting without excusing myself to check it. The day it conked out and left me ‘BlackBerryless,’ I climbed the walls until a replacement arrived. It was the closest I have come to a panic attack in years.

It was a day of revelation—I was allowing a little electronic unit to control my life. BlackBerrys have only been on the market a few years; clearly, the world had functioned quite effectively for a long time without them. Add to that the realization I am really not THAT important. The world will continue to spin whether or not I respond to a message within hours versus seconds.

Realizing how much I’d permitted my work life to spin out of control, I realized it was time to regain some normalcy. I began “My Campaign to Become a Better Version of Me.” The plan: to work on the five most important areas of my life: career, emotional/mental health, physical health, spiritual health and relationships.

Part of my emotional/mental health commitment is to plan two vacations every year: no BlackBerry…no access to “weekday reality.” In 2009, I visited Paris for two weeks, then toured Uganda and Egypt for two weeks. Over those four weeks, my BlackBerry did not exist.

A number of things happened.

My creativity sparked. While mulling big-picture issues and possible solutions, my clarity piqued. I was deluged with fresh ideas for improving company structure, solving staffing problems, and adopting new ways to trigger growth—ideas that had been buried under my BlackBerry preoccupation.

I remembered all the activities I used to enjoy outside of work and I rekindled old passions. I began to read books again, simply for pleasure. I attended cultural events. I caught up on the latest hockey stats.

I spent more time talking to strangers—taking the time to truly get to know someone, not because I had an agenda. And many of those conversations ended up resulting in a realization or idea that ultimately helped my business.

What didn’t happen? No angry emails or calls received from people wondering where I was. No one really noticed my desertion. Not even my BlackBerry.

Carissa Reiniger is the President of Silver Lining Ltd., a company dedicated to helping small business grow. Author of Inspiring Entrepreneurs: How To Build Your Business To Its First Million, Reiniger speaks often on entrepreneurship and building businesses.

First, let’s start with a definition from Jeff Howe, author of Crowdsourcing: Why the Power of the Crowd is Driving the Future of Business:

“Crowdsourcing is when a company takes a job that was once performed by employees and outsources it in the form of an open call to a large, undefined group of people generally using the Internet…. The cocktail version is very simple: Crowdsourcing is Wikipedia with everything.”

In essence, it’s a virtual focus group community of potentially millions, instead of 8 or 10 people in a small room, where no one needs to be intimidated or swayed by what that one loud guy across the table is saying.

Dell’s IdeaStorm website is a great example of the power of crowdsourcing. The Texas-based PC manufacturer has used the forum to solicit hundreds of new product ideas and suggestions from customers.

Apple’s iPhone apps are another great example. Once you buy an application, you have the ability to send messages to the developer offering suggestions or complaints if something is not quite right.

And perhaps the tool with the greatest and most immediate crowdsourcing potential is Twitter. If you have enough followers, it’s easy to tweet a question and wait for the replies to come in.

Here are a few ways you can start using crowdsourcing for your small business today:

1. Generate ideas for products – social media tools like blogs and Twitter are ideal for asking for suggestions and it costs nothing to ask.

2. If you don’t know, ask – You may have started your business because you were good at sales or design but know nothing about marketing. You can use sites like LinkedIn or Yahoo! Answers to solicit crowdsourcing advice.

3. Is the price right? – If you’ve developed a new product or you offer a service, crowdsourcing can be an effective way to gauge a fair price for it. Again, ask away and see what people are willing to pay.

Are you already using crowdsourcing tools to promote your business? Please send in your advice.