v o l u m e 18, i s s u e 1

I N S I D E

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Weed be remiss with no cannabis coverageBy Dr. Tom Keenan

PAGE 6 Sculpting the art of the closeBy Randall White

PAGES 18-19

Tales from the cryptoBy Alex Millar

Edgy word wizard’s cast spells disruption for the legal industryYou could say that Rob Driscoll is driven to succeed.

In 2017 alone, he drove the TransCanada Highway between Vancouver and Calgary more than 50 times. To some, that might sound like a highway to hell. Driscoll, however, considers each road trip through the Rockies a heavenly experience that helps produce mountains of good fortune. “I never get tired of the scenery and notice something new every time,” Driscoll says. “I feel inspired in the mountains, and I do my best thinking and writing - using the voice recognition feature - as I drive.” Driscoll used that focused alone time to devise three business models, each in a different industry. All three businesses - Business Edge Media and Corporate Communications, Court Wizard Legal Support Services, and More L Support Services - launched in December.

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NAFTA Norm delight Norman Leach adds critical intelliigence on the issues surrounding NAFTA talks.Page 6

Close encounters Wise Guy Randall White explains how closing a deal is about much more than asking for the sale. Page 8

Currency conciliationTom Keenan examines the potential marriage between cannabis and blockchain.Page 20

Reid and reapReal estate writer Tim Reid reveals riveting research on real estate.Page 22

Path to profitsManagement consultant and journalist Len Nanjad points out that when only 41% of Canada’s ‘Top 1,000’ businesses are profitable, there is an urgent need for major change.Page 24

Following the leadAccording to Jarrod Stanton of Business Edge Coaching, business owners are unwittingly manufacturing the very things that bother them most.Page 26

Tripping in Tofino Rookie travel blogger Angela Driscoll gives us the highlights of her adventurous trip to Tofino on Vancouver Island.Page 30

Passive/aggressive incomeFinancial columnist Andrea Kerr contemplates challenges and solutions that have come with her goal of establishing passive income for herself and her customers.Page 31

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Phoenixx rises to your mobile software challenges

IF you are a business wondering whether you should jump

into the mobile world, here is a stunning statistic that will make your decision an easy one to make. More than 81 per cent of the three billion worldwide web users today access the Internet from their smartphones. “This is more than a trend. Today if a business – even a very small one – is not present in the mobile world, if people can’t find your product or services, if you are not there, you are out of the game,” says David Banford, chief executive officer of Phoenixx, which specializes in mobile applications and mobile software development. “It’s not just adding a website and being present on Google. It’s much more important than this. You absolutely need to be present on the mobile world to be sure you will be seen by all your potential customers.” Banford started the company by himself in 2008, and today Phoenixx benefits from a team of 250 experts and collaborators all across Canada, including Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. He started by creating websites and providing e-commerce and e-marketing solutions for businesses, but in the last five years Phoenixx has become an expert and very strong in mobile solutions helping companies reach their target audience. Phoenixx strives to offer the best quality and rates in the Canadian IT market for web and mobile solution development. The company also provides IT consulting, digital marketing, business intelligence, cloud hosting and security services.

“Eighty-seven per cent of people are looking, searching for product and services every day from their smartphone. We decided to become a leader in mobile solutions for businesses. We invested a lot of money in research and development to create our own technological platform and technological process to be able to quickly create mobile applications for any kind of business to answer any need,” says Banford. This has become the most important aspect of its business. The advanced proprietary technology helps facilitate a much faster method than other companies to develop software solutions for businesses. This saves time and money, which is passed down to customers using Phoenixx’s services. Affordable pricing and financing plans are available. “Our goal, our mission, is to offer the possibility to any kind of business, any size of business, at any budget, to have access to this mobile world. If they don’t have access to the mobile world – if they cannot reach their potential customers on the smartphone and tablet – they lose

a lot of money every day. They lose a lot of sales. They lose a lot of opportunities,” says Banford. “So our business model is to offer a technological approach that can offer the possibility to any kind of business, even if it’s a startup or even if they don’t have money to invest in development and marketing. We have packages for any kind of budget starting as low as $99 a month. They can have a full and complete mobile solution including mobile website, mobile application for Apple and mobile applications for androids to reach their potential customers every day.” Businesses have to realize that they need to be present in the mobile world today to increase sales. Phoenixx has clients all over the world and more growth is expected in the near future. “We want to be a worldwide leader in the field. We started small, but we are growing very fast every month,” says Banford. For more information visit phoenixx.ca or email sales@phoenixx.ca.

David Banford, CEO of Canadian-based mobile software solutions provider Phoenixx. Over the last few years, David and his team have worked for recognized companies like Microsoft, RONA, IBM, Best Buy, CGI, Fujitsu and Pfizer.

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It is hard to read a newspaper or listen

to the evening news without hearing the words NAFTA and renegotiation. I have been around this game long enough to remember when many Canadians argued that a comprehensive free trade agreement was going to destroy the Canadian economy and create poverty for all Canadians. It is strange to hear many of those same people saying a repeal of the agreement will do the very same things. The North American Free Trade Agreement – signed in 1994 – was designed to counter the economic unification of Europe in 1992. The U.S., Canada and, ultimately Mexico, realized that there was a good chance they would be cut out of the lucrative European market. NAFTA was born out of the desire to create a unique trading block with Canada being the supplier of resources, the U.S. manufacturing and Mexico a young and rapidly growing market.

As with anything, there was no way for the framers of NAFTA to anticipate the rapid change that globalization and technology would bring. Even before American President Donald Trump was elected in November 2016, it should have been clear that the U.S. government was starting to question the terms of NAFTA. The Canada/U.S. trade deficit has reached a point at which the Americans buy $12.6 billion dollars more goods and services from us than we do from them. For the Mexicans, the numbers are even more advantageous; Mexico sells $58 billion more to the U.S. than they buy. Even the details of NAFTA need upgrading. For example, when the agreement was signed, there were provisions that certain professions could work in the U.S. under certain conditions. These professions included those popular in 1994 – engineers, architects, and even librarians. The problem was that there was no mention of anything vaguely describing the new professions driven by the Internet. Even a 25-year personal mortgage gets reviewed on a regular basis. It is time NAFTA was reviewed – reviewed, not destroyed. There is no question the agreement has benefitted

Canada – sometimes disproportionally so - but it has also helped the U.S. and Mexico. Each county would be hurt by a collapse in the negotiations. At the end of the day there is a deal to be had. The risk is that any or all sides find themselves trapped in positions that are more political than economic. This is a free trade agreement, after all.

Norman Leach is the founder of Norman Leach & Associates, a boutique consulting business in Calgary that guides companies and non-profit organizations to their next level of success. As a professional speaker and trainer, Norman is in demand for his presentations and seminars on leadership, business development and business strategy. You can contact him at nsleach@telusplanet.net.

Economic progress is a NAFTA thought

N O RMAN LEACHBusiness Edge News Magazine

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Silver Spruce shines in strengthening minerals market

After a challenging 2016/17 for the metals market, mining

stock prices are affordable, and there is plenty of reason for optimism for those with the vision and patience to invest wisely. Silver Spruce Resources Inc. (TSXV-SSE) is one company worth looking into. Silver Spruce brought on blue-chip CEO Karl Boltz and new board members to take advantage of existing opportunities and validating historic resources at the Kay Mine in Arizona. Meanwhile, the company is exploring the prolific Sierra Madre gold and silver region in Chihuahua State, Mexico. Boltz was co-founding president, CEO and director of EXMIN Resources Inc., which was acquired by Sierra Metals. He follows in his father’s footsteps as a mine finder and applies his proven expertise in operations as he strives to take Silver Spruce to new levels of proven resources and future production. “I am honoured to be at the helm for what I believe will be a fantastic journey for our team and for our shareholders,” says Boltz. “We have the management team, existing asset base and prospects necessary to achieve exciting growth in the coming years.” Silver Spruce has a very clean balance sheet and an experienced management team in the areas of exploration, prospect development, corporate finance, and public company management. Silver Spruce offers an excellent opportunity to take advantage of mining opportunities that are

farther along the road than early-stage companies searching for discoveries. The Kay Mine is a historically producing VMS (volcanogenic massive sulphide) ore deposit with an indicated resource of 1.6 million ounces Au (gold) equivalent. There is significant potential to expand the resource downdip and along strike. Pino de Plata is 15km away from the Coeur Mines’ flagship mine Palmerejo. Coeur now surrounds SSE’s claims on east, west and north sides. ▪ Silver Spruce’s initial NI 43-101 report on Pino de Plata indicates many similarities geologically between the Pino de Plata and Palmerejo projects. SSE’s surface sampling has confirmed high-grade mineralization of more than 550 g/t silver with highly anomalous grades of lead, zinc and gold. When evaluating resource companies, it is critical to look for proven management, reduced risk (see SilverSpruceResouces,com for information about their reserves) and provable reserves.

Silver Spruce Resource intends to deliver value to its shareholders by: ▪ Leveraging the strengths of its board and management team ▪ Focusing primarily on high-impact precious and base metal exploration opportunities ▪ Making strategic acquisitions in well-established districts with well-understood models ▪ Seeking properties that have had some production and/or a resource that needs investment to be brought into NI 43-101 compliance. Investors are wise to consider companies listed on the TSX and TSX Venture such as SSE. Fully 57% of worldwide mining financing occurs on these two exchanges, which offer highly liquid trading and strong growth potential. For more information on how you can benefit from your investment with Silver Spruce Resources, contact Karl Boltz at 714 394 8827 or visit SilverSpruceResources.com.

Silver Spruce CEO Karl Boltz (left) and Greg Davison at Kay Mine in Arizona

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Sculpting the art of the close

RAN DALL WHITEGuest columnistBusiness Edge News Magazine

The art of the close actually starts at the

beginning of the sales process, not the end. The 2018 version of the ABC (always be closing) mantra is ABL (always be learning) from your customer! The foundation of closing is understanding the deepest needs of your customer. This goes far beyond addressing “features and benefits”, which are relatively obvious and most sales people are already trained to address. A critical, common mistake made by salespeople is assuming that you know the client’s needs. Another unacceptable gaffe is thinking that price is your selling tool. Successful people are looking for value first and foremost. Without having addressed your client’s underlying needs, “features and benefits” and price are of no concern. For example, I once walked in to a car dealership and was immediately approached by a very enthusiastic young man who quickly launched into all the fuel economy and safety aspects of the vehicles.

Unfortunately for the intrepid young man, I was looking for a sports car. Speed, handling and aerodynamics were MY ‘features and benefits”! My experience building, managing and mentoring sales teams in resort development produced another classic example. A salesperson was having trouble bringing a wealthy client to the table. We met with the client together and through relaxed, genuine questioning discovered that beyond the location, the view, the finishing and the layout, the driver for the prospective client’s decision was to purchase a property that outshone his father-in-law’s property down the way! This led to a new selection of properties for his viewing and

the art of the close became simply … “Would you like to use my pen?” Many salespeople when prospecting in a competitive industry start with price, “Can I show you how I can save you money?” Consider as alternatives: “How is your relationship with your supplier?” “What are your billing cycle and terms?” “How do your employees like working with your current suppliers?” Successful businesses operate on quality and efficiency first, THEN they want the best price they can negotiate for the product or service that has established value for them. The art of the close always starts from the very beginning

in utilizing the best genuine questions to understand the customer’s needs. Of course, most purchasers will need the value/price ratio addressed, but your closing will often be based on the best questions you asked in the earliest stages of your relationship. The art of the close is indeed ABL (always be learning) your clients deepest needs and emotional drivers! Randall White, founder and CEO of Wise Guys Sales and Marketing Strategies, has achieved record-setting success in project sales, resort development and senior executive-level work in several other industries for more than 20 years. He can be reached in Canada at DaVinciInternationalInc@gmail.com or 236 868 0805.

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1. I did not see transport/trucking on your profile. Why the heck do you drive back and forth between Alberta and B.C. so much? I consider myself a resident of Calcouver, constantly rotating between Calgary and Vancouver. Edmonton and the Okanagan are also part of the mix. I have many customers in each city and enjoy spreading my time among them. I also play in volleyball tournaments all over Alberta and B.C. in the spring and summer. My kids also love the beach life so they join me on trips regularly.

2. What is the new Business Edge about and how is it different from the business you asked me to start writing for in the year 2000? After many tumultuous years, riding the ups and downs of the advertising world, I finally shut down the business and went back to the drawing board. With plenty of help from my new board of directors, I came up with a business model that is perfectly suited for the times. Business Edge Media and Corporate Communications has a much broader mandate. Business Edge News Magazine is now just one part of a high-powered communications agency that offers services including investor relations, public relations, marketing strategy, branding, design, and any type of writing and editing support.

3. Who is your target customer? We can help virtually any company that wants to grow and/or improve their communication lines. If your business’s target audience is Canadian business decision makers or the wealthiest consumers/investors, I do not believe there is a marketing option that comes close to Business Edge in delivering leads of the highest quality. The hard-copy magazine is delivered directly to an unrivalled 157,000 businesses per issue and reaches about 98% of business addresses in 53 markets from Victoria to Ottawa with every two issues. The digital edition is read by thousands more, and our social media reach is fantastic. With Linkedin, for example, many boast about having 10,000 or however many people in their networks. But they usually go silent when you ask how many they have engaged in person, by phone or through direct messaging.

We have 13,000+ LinkedIn connections, a very high percentage of which are C-suite executives and business owners. I make it a point to connect personally with as many as possible. I can’t have 13,000 beer-drinking buddies, but I can sure as heck take the time to exchange pleasantries and quickly explore business synergies. It translates to a potent network, some fascinating relationships and a better understanding of the inner workings of our economy.

4. Do you consider Business Edge to be part of the dwindling print industry? Business Edge has always had print and digital offerings, but we have taken aggressive steps with the new company to grow our digital presence dramatically. Bringing on Sarah Kirkpatrick of Jumping Elephant was a crucial step for Business Edge. She put together a market research document that blew me away with its breadth and level of insight. Then we had a long meeting in which she asked about 100 questions and requested that I present to her as I would to a Toronto ad agency. A couple weeks later, she presented me with a book that included detailed strategy and an execution schedule. Sarah and her team are truly amazing and are a big part of what has been a great start for Business Edge Media. Meanwhile, our print audience is larger than ever, thanks mostly to attrition. These days, instead of 10-20 magazines on the corporate reception tables as there would have been prior to the recession that hit in 2008, there are three or four now. That translates to more readers per copy for Business Edge.

Highway travel helps inspire big changes C O N T I N U E D F R O M F R O N T C O V E R

Sarah Kirkpatrick

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5. Is there a viable future for print products? Of course. A lot of players in the print world have been phased out, but I see a bright future for media firms that offer the best of both the print and digital worlds. The digital realm is obviously king of the hill, but print is still a huge part of the industry and will be for many years to come. I spend most of my work life in coffee shops and bouncing from office to office, and I can tell you without question that print products are still very popular. Many people prefer to look at a book, magazine or newspaper rather than a screen. It is better for our eyes and there is something nice, even romantic, about the experience of holding paper instead of always feeding our electronic addictions. The best proof, though, is in the reports from our advertisers and editorial subjects. Our digital platforms generate a lot of reaction, but most of the response comes from readers of the hard-copy edition.

6. What else is new at the new Business Edge? We had an architect who happens to be one of the best designers in the country update the design. We recruited several brilliant journalists to complement our all-star core. We will not have the most coverage, but we will have the most intelligent and relevant coverage of the key issues. We have a new section called Investing Edge, which presents exceptional and highly educational coverage of the issues that matter most to investors. We then convert the section to a newsletter format, and disseminate it to our fast-growing database of investors. Most important, we brought on Brad Krizan as chief operating officer. I have followed Brad’s career for years and am thrilled to have him help run the company. He is a very intelligent and detail-oriented leader, and therefore a great complement to my skill set, which is more about sales and the creative side.

7. Who are your competitors? Our competitors are business publications, investor relations firms, PR firms, and creative agencies, but I suspect many of them will also become customers. We can help just about any company grow. We lost one competitor the way no one should ever be lost. Ruth Kelly of Venture Publications, against whom I fought tooth and nail for Alberta advertisers since the day I started in this business, took her life last year. Under pressure from creditors, she decided to give up her battle to stave off bankruptcy. She also gave up on her precious life. May we all remember that while business is very important, it is nothing compared to the value of human life.

C O N T I N U E D O N T H E N E X T P A G E

Brad Krizan

A lot of players in the print world have been phased out, but I see a bright future for media firms that offer the best of both the print and digital worlds.

P H O T O B Y L A U R A P A R R Y

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8. On to business #2. What is CourtWizard all about? CourtWizard Legal Support Services (courtwizard.ca) is a new concept in which we help people navigate the legal system while saving a ton of money. We help ensure that people who are representing themselves in legal matters submit highly polished documents on time and at the right place. We also help them understand important subtleties such as following protocol in the courtroom. The name CourtWizard is a little cheeky as I am a good “speller” and also try to make magic happen on the volleyball court. I am a very court-eous person. The feedback on our business model has been completely positive and very inspiring. People who I have never met have called CourtWizard a “game changer” and the beginning of a “disruption of the legal industry.” Numerous lawyers have approached me with offers to get involved. A few days after I announced the launch of CourtWizard, a gentleman walked up to me in a coffee shop, introduced himself as a lawyer who moved to another industry, said he recognized me from my LinkedIn post and congratulated me on a business model that is desperately needed. It has been a fun ride, to say the least.

9. How did you come up with the CourtWizard concept? I credit the separation process I have been through (and am still going through) with my ex-common-law wife, which has resulted in me becoming all too familiar with legal documents and the court system in general. I know that, like me, many people find themselves with no choice but to defend their rights through the courts when another party is not willing to work out a dispute informally. But as difficult as it has been for me, I am very grateful for the experience. I would never have come up with the CourtWizard concept otherwise. At the start of the separation process, I paid lawyers a ridiculous amount of money to help me create documents that I could have written better on my own. Many friends and associates have experienced worse. I have a female friend who is still paying off $275,000 in legal bills from her divorce. All that legal representation including way too many hours on document preparation did not help. She was only awarded $100,000 out of what she thought was a seven-figure asset base. Our legal system has some serious problems, and perhaps the biggest is the way lawyers charge about $400 per hour on average for work that can be done by someone else for pennies on the dollar. The system is broken, and we can help. With CourtWizard, you pay just $250 a month or $1,800 a year. We not only help you save heaps of money, I believe that in the vast majority of instances, the documents will be equally well or better written and will improve our customers’ chances for success.

CourtWizard model, clients’ cases are well documented

We help ensure that people who are representing themselves in legal matters submit highly polished documents on time and at the right place.

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10. Are you saying that lawyers are not needed? Not at all. In fact, I am still in a legal battle in which I am in over my head and definitely need a lawyer. He is a great lawyer who actually used to be my ex’s lawyer – on a non-family matter – but is now representing me against her because he knows the truth and truly cares about justice. I know several excellent lawyers who are worth every penny they bill for and more. I have referred several people to one family lawyer. If you are going to trial or mediation/arbitration, it is great to have a skilled lawyer guiding you through the process. We specialize in helping self-represented litigants, but we also work with people who are working with lawyers but want to pay a fraction of the standard costs. We help you produce brilliantly written legal documents that you can present to your lawyer. They will likely say something along the lines of, “Wow - that is good!” Regardless, they should not need to bill you for more than an hour to put their personal touches on documents for which they would otherwise typically charge in the range of $3,000-$10,000.

11. Have you seen any backlash from the establishment? None whatsoever. We even had a lawyer subscribe as a customer a couple of weeks ago. Although I have lawyers in my network who help with technical matters, CourtWizard is not a law firm and therefore does not provide legal advice. That keeps us out of trouble.

12. Will you become a law firm one day? That is the plan. I would say it will happen in 2019. Of course, that will mean bringing on at least one lawyer as partner.

13. With what type of customers do you work? We have helped an entrepreneur with documentation in the acquisition of an international company (swordsofmight.com), we help another entrepreneur with contracts for her many suppliers, we help people with documents related to various stages of divorce; there are all kinds of legal matters that are applicable. I told one potential customer that we will do our best to have her fire us within a month. I truly hope that one elegantly written letter that eliminates the intense emotions of her divorce and presents a respectful exit from the court battle, plus a settlement agreement, is all we need. How many people do you know who spent $250 to arrive at a divorce settlement? Of course, there are scenarios in which retaining a lawyer is essential, particularly in cases dealing with a lot of assets, but I think it’s worth a shot.

We have helped an entrepreneur with documentation in the acquisition of an international company, we help another entrepreneur with contracts for her many suppliers, we help people with documents related to various stages of divorce; there are all kinds of legal matters that are applicable.

C O N T I N U E D O N T H E N E X T P A G E

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14. On to business #3. What is the concept behind More L Support Services? On one of my long drives back from the coast, I was thinking about the profound impact that my friend Magda Czyz has had on my life. She is the best and fastest communicator I have ever met, and she is always there for me. Always. Whether it is a walk along the river, a quick lunch or a brief text exchange, Magda always responds with love and support. Magda has a masters in conflict resolution and peace, a psychology degree and is a certified AromaTouch therapist. Her knowledge of aromatic, therapeutic oils is essential to those around her. I was thinking about how nice it would be if others outside her inner circle could benefit from her great knowledge and loving spirit. It hit me like a ton of bricks - we could offer support services in the corporate world, which, it seems, has a dire shortage of love and individual support. Fast forward a few months and voila! (Oh yeah, she is fluent in French .. . as well as Spanish, Polish and English.) The L in More L Support stands for love. For $147 a month, you as a sole proprietor or corporation will have access to Magda for her many qualifications and loving support and me if you need some quick support in marketing, sales or leadership.

15. Can you give me a sample scenario of how it works? Okay, you work at ABC Manufacturing, and your smart boss has subscribed by visiting morelsupport.com. You are feeling unappreciated and uninspired, so you send Magda a text. Usually within five minutes, Magda will engage and provide positive, supportive and solution-based messages. It could also be a phone call, and we also do L@L (Laugh at Life) workshops at which we will have you rolling on the floor while we provide great insights on myriad workplace challenges.

16. Do you have any competition? No. More L is a completely new concept, and it is another business that is desperately needed in our society.

17. How about your part of More L – how much marketing support are you willing to provide for $147 a month? I consider myself an ideas guy. If you run any marketing concept or material past me, I will almost certainly give you feedback that will kick it up at least a notch or two. I am not going to have weekly two-hour brainstorming sessions in your office, but I will always be available for rapid-response creative input.

More L Support injects love into the workplace

Magda Czyz

Magda will engage and provide positive, supportive and solution-based messages. It could also be a phone call, and we also do L@L (Laugh at Life) workshops at which we will have you rolling on the floor while we provide great insights on myriad workplace challenges.

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18. So what is the deal with having yourself featured on the front page of your own magazine? I am not going to deny that it might be partially motivated by my ego, but the biggest reason is that I know it will be good for business. Over 17 years of publishing more than 300 issues of Business Edge, I have heard countless stories of the amazing impact of being featured in the Edge. For example, about three weeks after we featured legendary author (The Wealthy Barber) Dave Chilton, he called to congratulate me on having such a huge audience. He said that out of the thousands of profiles done on him - including in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, London Telegraph and Globe & Mail - he saw the most reaction when he was featured in Business Edge. It was not my idea to feature myself on the front page, and all five members of my new board of directors approved it without debate. Yes, I was one of the five. It is part of our business plan. We figured that it would take about 17 years for me to individually contact decision makers at 157,000 businesses - or we could do it in one week with a profile in Business Edge.

19. I have met your children, but it was when most were knee-high to a grasshopper. Can you give me a quick rundown? Nick, 25, is an amazing singer/actor/dancer who graduated cum laude from Missouri State University with a bachelor of fine arts, musical theatre, in 2016 and is a genius/trainer for Apple in Calgary. Angela, 23, finished her stint as captain of the Mount Royal University basketball team and led the country in steals in 2016/17. She has one year left for her degree in outdoor leadership and ecotourism. Theresa, 20, is a great athlete but focuses more on being an exceptional student at St. Mary’s University in Calgary and a hard-working employee at both a restaurant and a coffee shop. Julianna, 18, followed Theresa’s footsteps to St. Mary’s and is similarly athletic with great work ethic. Like Nick, she has the voice of an angel and performed beautiful solos with the St. Francis High choir last year. Christina, 16, is very mature, independent and often mistaken as the oldest of my four daughters. She has a gift for child care and is highly sought-after on the babysitting circuit.

She is very athletic and loves being part of the Kits Beach volleyball scene. Benjamin, 14, is the principal reason that I have some grey hair. Thankfully, he is starting to realize how smart, charming and athletic he is. Ben can kick a soccer ball harder than most adults. When he played in his first beach volleyball tournament at age 11 with me, we won three matches and finished in third place in Tier 2 playing against adult teams. Trey, 12, is an athlete and highly motivated entrepreneur who spends his riches on remote-controlled vehicles. My LinkedIn post about the day he sold 253 boxes of chocolate almonds garnered more than 19,000 views. I have always been good with numbers, but that seven-kid thing really snuck up on me. I have zero regrets and love them all deeply. Their mother Karen and I split up many years ago, but I will always be grateful to her for bringing them into my life and for helping raise good humans.

20. How do you find time to play beach volleyball?

Beach volleyball is a beautiful sport that fuels my body and soul. When I am in Vancouver, whenever the weather is decent, I work till about 4 p.m. then throw on my board shorts, play volleyball on challenge court with an amazing group of characters on beautiful Kits Beach till sundown, then jump in the ocean. Nothing beats it. In Calgary, it is roughly the same, although ocean views and access are obstructed by the Rocky Mountains.

About three weeks after we featured legendary author (The Wealthy Barber) Dave Chilton, he called to congratulate me on having such a huge audience. He said that out of the thousands of profiles done on him, he saw the most reaction when he was featured in Business Edge.

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As Canada begins the final

march to the legalization of recreational cannabis in July 2018, the stars have aligned for public licensed producers (LPs) or advanced Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR) license applicants. 2017 was a very good year for both LP and ACMPR applicants with market caps exceeding even the wildest expectations. With legal recreational cannabis on the horizon, the top four cannabis companies in Canada – Canopy Growth, Aurora Cannabis, Aphria, and MedReleaf – have grown to a combined market cap of more than $15 billion (that’s with a “b”, folks). Smaller LP and those ACMPR applicants

close to receiving their license, also faired well in 2017. This meteoric increase can likely be attributed to various forecasts that estimate that the medical and recreational cannabis market could grow to $5-10 billion within three years. Canadian-focused cannabis companies have to thank the Canadian government for additional buoyancy in their share prices and enterprise valuations as it has instituted a model framework for creating a robust domestic medical (and soon to be recreational) cannabis industry. Health Canada embraced the benefits of medical cannabis and in September 2013 announced changes in legislation to create a free market for the controlled substance and opened the door for large-scale, publicly funded, legal grow operations. On July 1, 2018, recreational cannabis is to be legalized across Canada. Meanwhile, south of the border, the recent action by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to rescind the Obama-era policy of non-interference with cannabis-friendly state laws, poses a crackdown by federal prosecutors across the U.S. This crackdown can only benefit Canadian LPs

DEREK I VANY Guest Columnist Business Edge News Magazine

This column is part of an ongoing series of expert opinion pieces from industry insiders who add a new level of insight to Business Edge’s editorial lineup.

Stars align over Canadian cannabis

as they grow and establish their businesses unhindered north of the border. The Canadian framework for medical, and now recreational cannabis, has given Canadian companies the “first-mover advantage” with respect to the international cannabis market place. Canada is only one of three countries allowing exports of medical cannabis. The Netherlands and Uruguay also allow exports, and Australia is expected to remove the export ban in February 2018. So, as companies in the U.S. and other jurisdictions must wait and see, Canadian companies are rapidly forging ahead to increase their capacity, refine grow operations and improve product offerings to customers. PUF Ventures (publicly traded on The CSE under the symbol PUF) has attempted to seize opportunities that afford diversification in terms of product, scalability and geographic reach. Over the past year, through the hard work of its dedicated management team and board along with the patience of the shareholder base, PUF has gone from being a late-stage ACMPR applicant with a small facility, to a vertically integrated international

cannabis enterprise with continued promise. As an adjunct to the expansion of its ACMPR applicant AAA Heidelberg facility in London, Ontario, PUF founded Solaris Nutraceuticals (formerly PUF Ventures Australia), which is developing a 1.2-million-square-foot medicinal cannabis cultivation facility with the capacity to produce over 100,000 kg per year of high-quality medical cannabis. PUF also acquired a 100% interest in Natures Hemp Corp., which is developing proprietary hemp-based food and medicinal products in partnership with a major Canadian university. The stars seem to have aligned over Canadian cannabis companies, and 2018 is sure to be another action-packed year in this rapidly evolving industry. Derek Ivany is President & CEO of PUF Ventures (CSE:PUF). PUF Ventures is a growth-oriented and diversified company focused on the international cannabis industry. It has ownership in several cannabis companies: AAA Heidelberg, Solaris Nutraceuticals Pty. Ltd., Weed Points Loyalty Inc. and Natures Hemp Corp., and is actively pursuing other opportunities within the industry.

I N V E S T I N G E D G E

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Blox Labs’ shift into a blockchain technology

enterprise was a logical decision after processing the reality that every person and business will potentially have a touch-point to blockchain technology in the near future. Blox Labs Inc, a boutique technology firm publicly traded on the CSE under the ticker symbol BLOX, has recently entered into a partnership with Canadian cannabis company Liberty Leaf Holdings for the development of a blockchain-based smart contract supply chain management platform for the legalized cannabis industry. Aptly named cannaBLOX, the joint development project

was a logical fit once the respective parties matched up the parallels of Liberty Leaf’s vertically integrated distribution model and Blox Labs’ expertise in supply chain and logistics. What is blockchain? It is important to clarify what blockchain isn’t. Blockchain is not Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency. It is the underlying technology platform that enables Bitcoin and up to 1,300 other cryptocurrencies with its unique, secure features. According to the Economist, a blockchain is a distributed database that maintains an ever-growing list of records called ‘blocks’. The information in a block cannot be altered retrospectively as each block contains a timestamp and a link to a previous block. The nature of blockchain makes it function as a public, digital, distributed “ledger”. To simplify, blockchain is a technology that permanently records transactions in a way that cannot be amended, altered, edited, or erased. The transaction can only be updated with the next sequential transaction, which results in keeping an everlasting, chronological trail.

JEFF ZANINI Guest Columnist Business Edge News Magazine

This column is part of an ongoing series of expert opinion pieces from industry insiders who add a new level of insight to Business Edge’s editorial lineup.

Blox Labs enters blockchain ecosystem with cannaBLOX

The two slick things about this technology that differentiate it from others are its “decentralized” and “peer-to-peer” characteristics. These allow for impeccable record keeping that creates timestamps of who did what and when. Many industries and software programs (ERP, SFA, CRM, FSR, etc.) spend countless hours assessing this exact problem. With the increasing pressure on regulatory and compliance in a multitude of industries including government, food safety, pharmaceutical, medical and recreational cannabis legalization, and automotive, especially with the occurrence of recalls, in any of these areas, blockchain technology could save thousands of hours and possibly lives. The magnitude of blockchain becomes ever more crucial. The newer generation of blockchain introduces what’s called Smart Contracts, which is the execution of contracts backed by blockchain software, which will execute contracts as they are written between parties, thus eliminating risks associated with intermediaries, exchange value, releasing data, or releasing payment all while remaining tamper resistant to outside control.

Blox Labs’ cannaBLOX project with Liberty Leaf is backed by Smart Contract technology, creating unique and critical logistical protocols for the distribution of legalized cannabis in Canada. Blockchain opportunities dovetail particularly well into the logistics sector, in which BLOX Labs has core expertise. Blockchain is the perfect fit to transform many critical elements of the logistics supply chain, which brings the ecosystem together on a standard platform. A vision in which the customer is sharing first-hand information with the supply chain ecosystem is disruptive. Blox Labs Inc is focused on best-in-class development of the cannaBLOX offering, while expanding its development team in Eastern Europe for global project. The company is actively assessing further opportunities relating to blockchain and decentralized digital applications. Jeff Zanini, director & advisor to Blox Labs Inc., is a 25-year veteran of the Canadian logistics industry, having held various senior level executive positions within multi-national organizations. Further info can be found at bloxlabs.ca.

I N V E S T I N G E D G E

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The state of cryptocurrency

A LEX MI LLARBusiness Edge News Magazine

2017 will be fondly remembered amoung

holders of cryptocurrency, as the market cap of all crypto rose forty-fold, from $15b USD to $610b USD. Since 2010, bitcoiners have been discussing (and more recently, arguing) how bitcoin should scale. The arguments were mainly between those who favored on-chain scaling via bigger blocks and those who favored scaling by building a second layer. Tension from those arguments dissipated on August 1, when the big-blockers started mining and buying tokens on a fork of the blockchain called “bitcoin cash”. Every holder of bitcoins suddenly also gained control of the same number of bitcoin cash, (dubbed “bcash” by its critics). While the chain split weakened bitcoin’s overall network, each of the communities became more free to follow a coherent scaling philosophy. Best of all, holders who had no opinion or wished to sit on the sidelines were free to hold both coins and wait to see if one or both prevailed.

Many argued that bitcoin’s superior dev team, brand, scaling plan would prevail, and indeed, at launch the market valued bitcoin cash at just 0.15 of a bitcoin. While bitcoin peaked at $19,700 US in December, its fees hit a peak too, with $50 not uncommon for same-hour confirmations. Since 2013 I’ve believed that the powerful network effects of money would impel wealth convergence in bitcoin, similar to how VHF beat Betamax. While I still hold this belief, often called “bitcoin maximalism,” I can’t deny it has been challenged by both the growth of bitcoin transaction fees and the rise of alt-coins.

I N V E S T I N G E D G E

SOURCE: coinmarketcap.com/charts

SOURCE: coinmarketcap.com/currencies/bitcoin-cash/#charts

SOURCE: fork.lol/tx/fee

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An alternate hypothesis is supported by Zipf’s Law, a empirical law that is ubiquitous in physical and social sciences. Zipf noted the frequency of a thing is often inversely proportional to its rank in a set. For example, the most common word in English is “the,” occuring roughly 7% of the time, twice as frequent as second-place word “of,” and three times as frequent as the third-place word “and.” Another example of data that fits Zipf’s Law is the number of speakers of languages around the world, as graphed on the left. When I first graphed the value of cryptocurrencies against Zipf’s Law in March of 2017 it was not a good fit, however, as more value flows into altcoins it is becoming a better-looking hypothesis. So while the data suggests small-cap altcoins have further growth potential, logic has me clinging to bitcoin maximalism. Its brand and code are too strong. Even ethereum, the second most successful blockchain, is struggling to find utility beyond money. Ethereum’s blockchain is larger and growing faster than that of bitcoin, which portends centralization and fragility.

In addition, bitcoin’s coveted second layer solution, dubbed “lightning” is emerging, hinting the holy grail of cheap and instant payments is imminent. I don’t know what 2018 has in store for crypto, but I’m sure it will be exciting. Alex is a Queen’s engineering physics grad. He has taught high school math and worked in software for four years with SQL databases. Alex first heard about bitcoin in 2011, bought his first in 2013, and has been studying cryptocurrency full time since 2014. He shares his research and thoughts on a YouTube channel, which features technical videos such as, “What Bitcoin Miners Actually Do” and “How To Do A Multisignature Transaction” as well as the hit pseudo-comedy: “Don’t Buy Bitcoin. It’s Gonna Crash.” Alex has had essays published on CoinDesk, including “Bitcoin and The Law of Conservation of Energy”. In 2015, he ran for member of parliament in East Vancouver as an independent to raise awareness about bitcoin. Alex is most active on twitter as @thealexgalaxy.

SOURCE: Data from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_number_of_native_speakers

SOURCE: bc.daniel.net.nz

SOURCE: Data from coinmarketcap.com

While the data suggests small-cap altcoins have further growth potential, logic has me clinging to bitcoin maximalism. Its brand and code are too strong.

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The euphoric mix of blockchain and marijuana

DR. TOM KEENANBusiness Edge News Magazine

What do cannabis and blockchain

have in common, aside from being smoking-hot topics in Canada right now? One answer is that managing legal cannabis raises big problems and the blockchain might provide big answers. We know from Canada’s experience with medical marijuana that meticulous “seed to sale” tracking is vitally important. This could be a tailor-made application for blockchain, which is essentially a distributed ledger that’s hard to fudge. Blockchain is the basis for cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, which has a publicly viewable ledger that anyone can check. There are people all over the world making sure that if you spend a Bitcoin (or, more likely, a fraction of a Bitcoin), you can’t spend it again.

A blockchain approach has been tested by Walmart for tracking products such as Chinese pork and Mexican mangoes. One goal is to be able to pull them off the shelves quickly in case of a recall. IBM, which is seeking to become a big player in the blockchain space, provided the technology for this through its open source Hyperledger Fabric. I recently attended the Distributed: Health Conference in Nashville, and it was clear that health care companies are very keen on this technology. Doctors, nurses, lab technicians and pharmacists could put your health information onto a secure distributed ledger. Then, if you wanted to change doctors, or add a new one, you could simply give that person permission to access your records on the blockchain. Of course, the devil is in the details. Who will design it? Who will build and maintain it? Researchers at the MIT Media Lab have created a pilot system called MedRec. They needed to find a way to encourage “miners” – the folks who use their computing power to maintain the integrity of the blockchain.

With Bitcoin, that incentive is pretty straightforward. Miners get a small commission, in Bitcoin of course, for their efforts. The MIT researchers suggest that health organizations might prefer their compensation in the form of anonymized data about patients that, with permission, could be used for medical research and diagnosis. There’s something of a sweet irony in applying blockchain to track marijuana. Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin are still getting over their bad reputation as vehicles for the sale of illegal products, especially drugs. Law enforcement couldn’t really trace who was buying and selling contrabando in blockchain-based marketplaces such

as the Silk Road. Its latest incarnation, Silk Road 3.1, sells “every type of cannabis/weed, psychedelics, opioids, ecstasy, benzos, dissociatives, prescription drugs, stimulants broken down into smaller subcategories, such as DMT, heroin, and cocaine”, according to an online user manual. There is a certain sweet irony in the possibility that the technology that fueled Dark Web drug dealing may soon be harnessed to bring order, structure, and, of course, the inevitable collection of taxes, to Canada’s legal marijuana industry. Dr. Tom Keenan is an award-winning science/technology journalist and professor in the Faculty of Environmental Design at the University of Calgary.

T E C H S T Y L E

IBM’s Hyperledger Fabric: https://www.ibm.com/blockchain/hyperledger.html

MedRec: http://dci.mit.edu/assets/papers/eckblaw.pdf

Silk Road 3.1: https://silkroaddrugs.org/guide-on-how-to-access-the-silk-road-3-0/

W E B W AT C H

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TIM REI DReal Estate ColumnistBusiness Edge News Magazine

There has been a lot of media splash and

excitement recently about the real estate market in the Metro Vancouver area. Stories abound over the market being severely affected by the recent 15% tax on foreign buyers. This tax did indeed have a temporary effect on prices for homes in the greater Vancouver area, and had a much more significant impact on areas such as Surrey, where in some examples we saw a 15% drop in sale prices (not that significant in the big picture).

Sellers and buyers held a “wait and see” stance for about a 30-day period. Once that period passed, the amount of homes on the market decreased, which in turn lowered inventory, leading to prices stabilizing and being close to the previous levels. This tax only applies to residential homes, so foreign buyers shifted their attention to commercial buildings, which has created an increase in pricing and low inventory in this space where properties are exempt. The fundamental topographical location of the Metro Vancouver area with ocean to the west and mountains to the east creates a fundamental shortage of quality development sites. Standing inventory has historically not been able to

keep up with demand as is the case with many urban centers in North America. This fundamental force is unlikely to change in this area unless in-migration drops off significantly. B.C. is in the top four regions in Canada in terms of population growth. The difference is only a few percentage points from Manitoba and Saskatchewan, with Alberta topping the list. This shows that B.C. still has very strong in-migration to drive strong demand. A recent condo development in Metro Vancouver was announced and sold out in less than two weeks with 85% of those buyers being local buyers, showing that the local demand far exceeds the foreign-buyer pool. These local and foreign buyers are starting to look

to the suburbs of Vancouver, driving up prices as far away as Kelowna, which has seen strong year over year gains. Foreign buyers are often looking for a way to extricate their investment capital from their home nations. With limited options, they will continue to look at real estate in stable, safe, western areas such as Canada to invest their capital. Accounts from the front lines tell of builders and renovation-based companies alike fighting it out voraciously in bidding wars on properties, showing that the heat is still on in this market and there will still be plenty of money to me made in this region for some time to come. This is in stark contrast to what I call “common knowledge” reports by those not in the real estate business.

B.C. real estate: beyond common knowledge

R E I D A N D R E A P

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In July of 2017, the Bank of Canada

raised its interest rates for the first time in about seven years. Since that time, two increases have followed with the most recent on Jan. 17 of this year. These three rate increases have caused lending institutions to follow suit and raise their mortgage rates. Canadian homebuyers can expect to see rates at least 1% higher than this time last year. This is a far cry from the almost 20% interest rates seen in the 1980s. However, given that the average first-time homebuyer is roughly 30 years old, many are not old enough to remember the hardship of those times.

According to a recent Ipsos Reid survey, almost 48% of Canadians each month are less than $200 away from being financially insolvent. It is easy to see how even the smallest interest rate increase can lead to major financial hardship. Let’s look at a sample scenario: A couple in Calgary buys a single-family home and takes advantage of the ultra-low interest rates in December of 2017 for $520,000. With a 20% down payment they are left with a mortgage of $416,000. This leaves them with a monthly payment of about $1,760. Factoring in the recent Bank of Canada rate increases, their mortgage payment jumps up to $1,915, which translates to an extra $155 per month.

MI CHAEL DINGWALL Business Edge News Magazine

Bank of Canada interest rate increase may lead to slower-paced housing market

For this couple, that $200 buffer has now turned into $45. With the possibility of more rate increases on the horizon, the ability for new buyers to afford mortgage rate and home price increases will become increasingly difficult. Fallout from these circumstances could include a stall in housing prices. The outlook is not entirely bleak. This could be an excellent time to enter the market for buyers and investors looking to get a good price on a new home. Whether buying, refinancing, or looking to invest, a mortgage associate can help find the mortgage to fit your needs. Michael Dingwall is a mortgage associate with Apex Mortgages. He can be reached at 403.804.4374 or mdingwall@mortgagesby apex.com.

According to a recent Ipsos Reid survey, almost 48% of Canadians each month are less than $200 away from being financially insolvent. It is easy to see how even the smallest interest rate increase can lead to major financial hardship.

B O R R O W I N G

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Reorganize. Or die.

LEN NAN JAD Business Edge News Magazine

How do you run a successful Canadian

small business? Buy a large one and wait. It is a classic joke that is not too far from reality looking at the current horizon of business health in Canada. Looking closely at the Globe and Mail’s “Top 1,000” Businesses in Canada shows that only 407 of them were profitable last year! As our local and global economies shift, creating a tremendous array of opportunity, a lot of business leaders are still waiting for things to come back or turn again to their favour. Chances are, they won’t. Countless businesses have gone through massive cuts to reduce operating cost, and many projects have “paused.” A lot of these companies, especially the larger ones, have wasted this crisis and opportunity for real change. They still experience some people being overworked, while others don’t have enough to do; managers who don’t really know how to keep their teams accountable for

results; and people in jobs where they are spectacularly average at best. Cascio & Young have been studying downsizing for decades and have shown repeatedly that “As a group, the downsizers never outperform the non-downsizers. Companies that simply reduce headcounts, without making other changes, rarely achieve the long-term success they desire.” Those “other” changes to make? Business design and organizational effectiveness. Now, before you hand this off to your top HR person, consider firing that person instead. And possibly yourself. This is work for which you, the top leader, are directly accountable. No one else. Many leaders rely on gut instinct, past experience, or what their peers are doing to make these kinds of decisions

on their own. That only gives the temporary illusion of success. Most research says it just does not work, in both the short run and the longer term. Better science applied to organization design yields possibilities to reduce cost structure (not just costs this year, but every year going forward) by about 20%, in my experience. The upside is even bigger with productivity gains of 50% faster execution on clear strategic plans. According to studies done by Ron Capelle over the past 20 years, better organizational alignment can yield efficiency gains of at least $2,500 per employee. Doing the quick math – if you still have 1,000 employees, that means you are still leaving more than $2.5 million on the table in organizational misalignment.Every year.

Redesigning on these rigorously verified principles is a lot easier to do than you might think. It takes less than a year and it feels a lot like ripping off a giant invisible Band-Aid. There is a lot of fear and hesitation at first, followed by relief, fast recovery and smoother movement afterward. If you are truly serious about immediate performance improvements and long-term, sustainable success, starting with business design is the best way to both survive and thrive. Otherwise, your business may be the next tragic joke. Len Nanjad is a management consultant working with senior leaders committed to making massive impact through their people and performance strategies. He can be reached at len@nanjad.com.

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JARROD STANTONManaging PartnerBusiness Edge Coaching Inc.

IFyou are the main contributor to the

input, make sure you start with YOU when attempting to change the output. One of the unspoken oaths that is taken when placed in the position of “coach” at any level is the pledge to say what is on your mind no matter what. I call it the truth-serum oath. Sometimes it really challenges perception around “customer service” because what the customer will often request is not always what the coach sees as the TRUE issue. How to balance the customer’s wishes and BE the coach at

the same time is a finesse-filled topic for another day. Let’s use this column to cover a few of the (sadly common) instances when the problems causing the business owner so much strife are, when forensically traced back to the roots, planted by that business owner him/herself. In short, they light and add fuel to the very fire they are seeking our assistance to extinguish. Not always a pleasant fact to point out, but a necessary one. Denial is the most often missed and devastating aspect of being below the line; a state from which no progress or growth is possible.

4 ways you might be creating the very problems you hate: 1) You ask questions that start with “Why” The problem you detest is that too many excuses are being made. My team makes excuses, my suppliers make excuses, my customers make excuses, etc. It only takes a few moments of watching these people live and in action in their business to realize the tragedy that they are not only actively training their people to be ready with excuses – they are often demanding that their people give excuses. If you ask questions that start with

“why” or “how come” – expect excuses. Period. Don’t ever expect the team to be above the line and focus on solutions, because you are conditioning them to spend their energy on their alibi. If you are feeling sick to your stomach right now, give yourself a break – it’s natural for most of us to ask these sorts of “why” questions. The question is, what are you going to do to be better in the future and change the type of questions you ask? 2) You help too much The problem you want to solve is getting your team to show more initiative and take more responsibility. See, everything you do and don’t do is training your people. When you rush in and save them when things go the slightest bit off track, you are training them. When a big sales opportunity comes in and you say, “I’ll handle this one,” you are training them. When they produce

Look in the mirror first – four ways you might be creating the problems you hate

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The question is, what are you going to do to be better in the future and change the type of questions you ask?

Page 27

some fantastic work, show it to you, and you make a small edit, you are training them. In all these examples, you are being super helpful – too helpful. Stop it. Don’t bother referencing what it says on their position description, citing what it clearly states they are responsible for, etc. Your actions and behaviours deliver the message of what their job is louder than the position description, and if you are being too helpful, the thundering message received is “This job does not require responsibility, assertiveness, or independent ideas and ability.” Once again – you are watering that weed you wish to kill. Ouch. 3) You focus on price The problem causing you pain and frustration is that you are getting too many price-focused shoppers and deal hunters. This one in particular is evidence of the fact that so often we can’t see the obvious right in front of us until it is pointed out by a third party. If you run most of your marketing and advertisements using price-focused headlines, offers and copy, and you show up to your networking events constantly referencing deal pricing, and you practise little to no question-based selling – i.e. you are an order taker – then, of course, you are going to attract price-focused shoppers and bargain hunters. In fact, your marketing is working perfectly in attracting what you are projecting. There are dozens of further paragraphs we could go through to explore getting out of price

competition, but for now let’s just stick to the core theme – they come in focused on price because you are. See how that works? 4) You talk differently to the team than you do to the customers The problem bothering you is that you feel the team doesn’t respect your leadership. You want to know what’s painful? Watching someone speak in a short, condescending, impatient, and flat-out

disrespectful way to a person on their team, and 30 seconds later watching them deal with a customer in a caring, respectful, positive, and “how can I help?” manner. Even more painful when said person has a bookcase full of leadership books from all the authorities, has attended several big-ticket leadership conferences and retreats, and prides themselves on being a leadership expert. Umm …

fail! If you speak differently to the customers than you do to the team, than you do to the (insert any human here), the chances of you receiving the respect you seek is zero. Now that we have that out of the way, put down the latest masterpiece from “leadership expert X”, and take a hard look at your integrity and consistency. This can often be hard to notice as self-awareness is not acute in all of us. Ask for some feedback.

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What’s a Canadian manufacturer to do?

Wesure has done what most businesses in Alberta have

done; cut the fat and control expenses. But then what? What does a 42-year-old Alberta manufacturer with a reputation for high-quality manufacturing do? Wesure’s choice was to reinvigorate itself by upping its game and taking the opportunity to do business in a different way. Wesure started this process by looking outward at the changing Alberta business landscape to try to understand how to best serve our current customers and, potentially, our future customers. It was pretty clear that doing business the same old way was not a real option. Wesure has chosen to focus on its strengths and to build on those to provide even more value to the Western Canadian marketplace.

Sacrificing quality was never a consideration because, simply, our customers rely on Wesure for quality. Instead, Wesure has doubled down on quality assurance by making a strategic investment in having an ISO management specialist on staff to further strengthen our ISO certification and reinforce our commitment to quality manufacturing. On the column side of Wesure’s business, customers have always been viewed as valued trade partners. The strategy going forward is to enhance those relationships further by providing additional structural services like steel beams, heavy duty hangers and connection engineering by adding an in-house engineer to our staff. To complete the picture, a key

investment to enhance its capabilities is to re-equip by moving to more robotic welding and ensuring its production floor is capable of more. Another forward business tactic is actively looking for strategic alliances in the marketplace. Wesure believes that with the right strategic alliances, we can all be stronger together and far more capable of helping each other prosper and grow. For Wesure, it is really about thinking about doing business in a different way from what we have done it in the past and reaching for continued success in the future. For more information on Wesure Metal Manufacturing, call 403 279 2440, email tony@wesure.com or visit www.wesure.com.

Sacrificing quality was never a consideration because, simply, our customers rely on Wesure for quality. Instead, Wesure has doubled down on quality assurance.

By Tony FisherWesure Metal Manufacturing

Tough times call for big change

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ITwas hard to imagine more

beautiful scenery than what I see in my frequent visits to Kananaskis Country and Banff National Park and just looking out the window on my drive to university in Calgary every morning. Then I visited Tofino on Vancouver Island. Even the drive with my dad from the ferry terminal in Nanaimo to Tofino was breathtaking. Each time there was a break in the forest of towering trees on the side of the highway, I could see the open water lined by majestic mountains. I had to have my camera ready at all times. Long Beach Lodge Resort, nestled in the trees along magnificent Long Beach and just outside the town of Tofino, was the perfect site for our two-night stay. We were able to take in amazing views and some of the heart-pounding activities for which Tofino is best known. As an adventure junkie, I was very excited to do a four-hour sea kayak and hiking tour through the Coquitlam Sound

Tofino: adventure and luxury abound at Long Beach Lodge Resort

A NGELA DRISCOLLBusiness Edge News Magazine

T R AV E L & H O S P I T A L I T Y

out of the Tofino Sea Kayaking Company early the morning after we arrived. Under clear blue skies and on thankfully calm seas, our sweet and encyclopedic tour guide Andy Murray led us on an incredible tour filled with fascinating stories about the surrounding islands. After a stop at Meares Island for a hike to learn about local wildlife and the beautiful trees that were unlike any I had seen, we hopped back in our kayaks and regrettably headed back to where we began our tour. As soon as I got back to Long Beach Lodge, I rented a surfboard from their surf rental shop, which was conveniently right next to the beach. I ran straight out the front of the resort without even having to put my shoes back on! My full-length wetsuit kept me warm in the water, which seemed crazy for the middle of February. They say that late winter is one of the best times to surf off Long Beach, and it was an absolute

blast! The relentless waves made it very difficult for this rookie surfer, but I loved every minute of it and managed to stay up for some decent rides. As the sun began to set, I ran back to the resort, straight up to the lodge, changed out of my wetsuit and enjoyed a delicious cocktail while watching a spectacular sunset from our window seats in the lounge. My curry chicken dinner was exceptionally good as was the service throughout our stay. After an exciting day and eventful day – I would say one of the best days of my life – a glass of wine in the hot tub in the backyard of our spacious, private lodge was the perfect finishing touch to an amazing stay in Tofino. Oh, and the extreme comfort of my king-size bed in the loft was another real treat. It is a trip that I will remember forever and one I highly recommend to anyone … even if it has to be with your dad!

You can follow Angela’s next adventure to Indonesia on Instagram - @angeladriscoll (Note from the publisher: After enjoying a truly amazing vacation to Tofino on what many call the “real” West Coast on Vancouver Island, I asked my 22-year-old daughter Angela to write a 200-word sidebar to go with my main travel piece. Angela was on a much-needed, reading-week break after completing her final year as captain of the Mount Royal University basketball team, and she obliged. However, she submitted 500+ words and said it was hard to keep it that short, which literally speaks volumes about the trip. So I guess she gets the byline and I get to put my feet up and enjoy the great memories. I will just add that Long Beach Lodge Resort, with an unmatched package of luxurious rooms/cabins, meeting spaces and adventure opportunities, is an ideal location for corporate retreats/conferences/gatherings of any size.)

Angela Driscoll strolls into the surf outside Tofino’s Long Beach Lodge Resort P H O T O B Y R O B D R I S C O L L

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Think cash is king? I’d say that passive income

is king. Warren Buffet has been quoted as saying, “If you don’t find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die.” What the Oracle of Omaha was referring to is passive income, or income that can be made with little to no effort on your behalf. Basically, it’s still coming in even while you sleep or sit on a beach in Bermuda. Years ago, I began my quest to acquire enough passive income to cover our monthly expenses by purchasing rental properties. At first, it seemed great. There was income every month that exceeded the expenses on the properties – it was so exciting! Then reality set in. I had to start dealing with issues at the properties. Inevitably, it seemed, water heaters wanted to die on Friday evenings so the plumber would charge over time. Then we had to pay for bed-bug remediation. There would be vacancies to fill and

the rent rates declined. On the properties where I did have a manager, I was often needing to manage the manager to prevent him from spending the maintenance budget every month simply so he could create work for his handyman company. This income was creating a lot of stress and a ton of work for me. It didn’t feel passive at all. Actively owning real estate definitely has its challenges. Over time, I was introduced to the exempt market and real estate investment opportunities that I found to be fairly simple to understand, offered cash flow and profit sharing, and allowed me to use my registered money

to invest. Incredibly, these were often offered through companies with significant track records in executing a wide variety of real estate investment opportunities. Investors leverage these teams and experience to participate in impressive projects done on a much larger scale than what individual investors could accomplish on their own. REITs, REIFs, and MICs are an example of this – large scale funds that hold multiple properties (buildings or land) or mortgages that allow you to share in the profits from cash flow and participate in the growth through profit sharing. Unlike publicly traded companies, these

opportunities are privately held and do not necessarily fluctuate with the stock market, thereby providing diversification to your portfolio away from the stock markets. You, the investor, have the potential to realize the benefits of real estate and passive income without all of the headaches. Andrea Kerr is a private wealth advisor with Raintree Financial Solutions and is registered in Alberta and Saskatchewan. To learn more about how you can begin earning passive income personally or through your corporation, contact Andrea at akerr@raintreeFS.com or (306) 737-9475.

Revenue properties: not so passive income

A NDREA KERR Guest Columnist Business Edge News Magazine

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