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From employee to owner!

  Have you struggled with making the transition from being an employee to becoming a business owner? Are you finding out the hard way it is not as glamorous as it looks from the outside? Becoming an entrepreneur means going from one boss to hundreds or even thousands of bosses, and keeping them happy means the difference between eating or not. I have personally known many small business owners who make it past the getting customers stage to then struggle with concepts such as managing cash flow including remembering all of the factors they must consider; in fact I was entertained when I was in the shop while a client took twenty minutes to explain rent, equipment, utilities, insurance, advertising, benefits, and finally salary hours versus billable hours and warranty returns to an employee who questioned charge out rate versus his wage. But here is the thing; many others have done it, and many of them are willing to help! Not only that, there are many resources available to help yo...

How do you prefer to learn?

 Not everyone learns the same way nor can all subjects be taught in the same manner. While many people focus on university education there are others who are interested in the trades. While some subjects are taught in a lecture hall, others required a hands on approach. Some require both. Once formal education is complete the learning has only just begun as experience is the other side of the coin. Moving on to learing environments, while classrooms, labs, and tradeshops are common, so has become online courses, virtual classrooms, and books including digital and audio. Forward Looking Solutions is combining formal education and experience in accounting, human resources, engineering, and emergency services to provide clients with a unique approach to problem solving. Although we are certainly available for in-person training both in the class and remote, we are also providing online courses, books, and guides. We are excited to announce we are currently in the process of converting...
  Do you feel like you are spinning your wheels? Are you one of those who are trying to recreate the wheel? When someone experiences an event which others learn from, we call this history.  There are many people out there who have tried it, failed at it, and done it! Why not draw on their expertise? It is a small price to pay! There are an unlimited number of consultants who may be available to help you solve almost any problem. There are also many platforms for learning including ebooks and short on-line courses. At Forward Looking Solutions we offer on-line training, ebooks, and are available to work with you one-on-one. http://forwardlookingsolutions.ca/

Be a link in the chain!

Business requires many people from different walks of life where each is a link in the chain. You cannot sell your product without the marketer, you cannot deliver it without the driver, there is nothing to sell without the fabricators, the machine does not run without the mechanic, and the chain goes on and on! Find your place in the chain, and excel at it! As many push university education we cannot forget there is more to the world than doctors, lawyers, and engineers. Even though I am a CPA a day does not go by where I wish I could rewind the clock thirty years and become an electrician. Why, because the work they do fascinates me and their roll is essential to everyone in every corner of the world. The trades are in need, and many tradespersons make more money than many university graduates. Don’t overlook the opportunity. The third book of The Beancounter series will be dedicated to the trades; if you are a tradesperson and have some stories to tell, drop me a line at forwardlook...

Is business travel redundant?

  Travel, like meetings, can be either productive or ineffective depending on the how and why; this has been an issue long before, and will continue long after the Pandemic. While touch base discussions and information sharing on video is quick, effective, and efficient, events such as strategic planning, team building, and leadership development are far more effective when in person. I have experienced these types of situations both on video and in person, and can say for certain many critical issues were resolved during physical presence, and some during the hours after the office was closed. I believe we will return to times of physical presence, but with a better appreciation of the how and why. What do you think?

The Customer is always King?

  During one of my marketing classes in 1995, the professor insisted the Customer was always King. However, over the years I have seen cases where this did not hold true; and today, you will find with more oligopolies, the supplier is in the driver’s seat. Comment and share your experience with this.

We are all Leaders!

  Do you believe you are not a Leader? Do you think Leadership development is just for the boss' favourite? We are all Leaders, but some of us just don't know it! Regardless of whether we are a supervisor or not, we all play a Leadership role one way or another:  a teacher leads his students, a psychologist leads her patients, an accountant leads his clients, and a rookie policewoman leads the people she attends to. If formal Leadership experience is something you require to take that next step, consider volunteer work! Coaching sports, leading a scout troop, and guiding an excursion are all Leading! En excerpt from our Forward Looking Guide: Lead by Example:  Amazon.com: Daniel W Elliot CPA CGA: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle ‘You become strong by defying defeat and by turning loss and failure into success.’ (Napoleón Bonaparte)   Leaders must be able to look forward, envision potential opportunities, anticipate challenges, and develop strategies to en...