Each day we are born again. What we do today is what matters most. Buddha.

Last weekend I had an an opportunity to spend a couple of days with friends, tucked away in the corner of the Eastern Townships of Quebec.

There is nothing like getting away from the city, if even for just a few days,  to clear out your mind and regain your perspective. It was a wonderful get-away. A small, rustic but very comfortable house on a lake, just a few kilometres from a village of 1,000 souls.

No cell connection, no WiFi, no cable…. just the stillness deep in the countryside; wonderful company, delicious food and eclectic conversation.

We all need to get away occasionally. With so many distractions and endless pressure, it’s easy to get caught up in unimportant events and meaningless activities and lose sight of what’s really important.

To be reminded of what it’s all about, to appreciate our blessings and reflect upon how precious life truly is.

I invite you to join me on Facebook, Twitter, connect with me on LinkedIn or email your thoughts and comments to drew@drewsimmie.com

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Growing a business is never easy. There are always challenges and competitors snapping at your heels, trying to poach your customers. In today’s social marketing era here are three questions to ask yourself:

1. Who are you trying to reach? Have you drilled down far enough?
2. Why would they want to buy something/service from you? To make the transaction happen, they need to to want to buy. What story have you told them to make that happen?
3. What do you need to do to build on the momentum? What resources, tools or fact have to be be present to make all this happen? What products or services do you need to change? How do you know?

I invite you to join me on Facebook, Twitter, connect with me on LinkedIn or email your thoughts and comments to drew@drewsimmie.com

Recently I came across some words of advice attributed to Mother Theresa and wanted to share them because they are as relevant today, more so, I think, as they were some years ago:

“If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; if you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; be honest and frank anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy over night; build anyway.”

You get the idea. It doesn’t matter what others may think or if anyone else even cares about what you are doing.

What matters is that you  care; and that you do it anyway.

I invite you to join me on Facebook, Twitter, connect with me on LinkedIn or email your thoughts and comments to drew@drewsimmie.com

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We all have our own definitions and they are varied as those who write them….

Speaking for myself , I think success is made up of many things, among them a mixture of having a flair for the thing that you are doing; knowing that it is not enough, that you have to keep working hard and with a certain sense of purpose that fuels your spirit.

I invite you to join me on Facebook, Twitter, connect with me on LinkedIn or email your thoughts and comments to drew@drewsimmie.com

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I met last week with a client of mine. She wanted to talk about her business, more specifically, to tell me that she was not as bullet proof as she thought and, try as she might, sales were flat-lining.

She went on to say that she had already done the usual things that all entrepreneurs instinctively now what to do when times are challenging; she had reviewed her business from top to bottom, cut back her expenses everywhere she could – and cut them even further. She is servicing her existing clients and added new services to the mix. She has a good handle on her marketing strategy/activities but still the sales are trending down.

“I know I’m not alone, but that doesn’t help. What can I do?” she asked.

Stay cool, I replied. These are not usual times. Change is still impacting on everyone and on every industry. And, I added, you will need to work harder to create something your have not done before and bring even more value to the market place. Creating is hard work.

Tighten your focus – then tighten it some more. Work on solving today’s challenges, one issue at a time. Keep believing in yourself – and resolve today not to dwell on what you can’t do but rather work on what you can. Little by little, the rest will look after itself.

I invite you to join me on Facebook, Twitter, connect with me on LinkedIn or email your thoughts and comments to drew@drewsimmie.com

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