Kootenay Mall
17th St V1N 2L9 Castlegar, BC, Canada

Not just copying others. Innovation is about tweeking small details sometimes to make a big difference. Other times it is just about practicing what you do right until your definition of "hard" is what was formerly "impossible".... kootenaymall.ca #kootenaybusiness #supportsmallbusiness #kootenays #local #shoplocal #supportlocal #bccanada #smalltown #slocanvalley #nelson #nelsonbc #nelsonbccanada #castlegar #castlegarbc #kootenaylife #kootenayliving #kootenaylove #kootenaybiz #explorebc #kootsroots #koots #kootsrock #shoplocally #shoplocalbusiness #shoplocalonline #localbusiness #locallove #locallymade #localpeople #kootenaymall

Labour Recovery & Redeployment There are good reasons why the federal government is spending money on this kind of jargon. It's because- as I have spoken about... before- in the economy of the near future the key metric of success will be how well a company utilizes the people it has, and how well an economic unit develops and redevelops its labour. Make no mistake: the tea leaves have been read, the runes rattled, the bones thrown, the constellations watched and- well, they may have done an economic forecast or two. Artificial Intelligence and smart machines won't do away with jobs entirely, but they WILL demand agility and capability from the humans left in charge. As nearly as I can tell, I am one of the very few who saw this coming in advance. Our provincial, as well as out regional and local economies are going to need a lot more than positive vibes to work through this. Local businesses will need a strategy. APEX Deployment is the sensible place to come for those strategies. The voice of innovation. I provide actionable intel to businesses. [email protected] (pic from pexels, Kevin Ku)

Take me to your Thought Leader A public speaker on my LinkedIn feed Brigette Hyacinth posted that a good leader does not create followers, but sets up the people under them for successes of their own. This seems to me like just great advice because it is not costing us anything to help others grow and succeed, but the payoff is loyalty that they will always remember. ... You can't buy that. #authentic #justgreatadvice #kootenaybiz #shoplocally #ExploreBC #localpeople

The Right Stuff! It was maybe 30 years or more now when I had the last really great interview. (At Red Robins in Vancouver, btw. Didn't get the job). I only ca...ll it an interview because that is technically what I was there for, but it was more of a fun conversation, in which I told him about my work experience. That may sound like a fad to some these days, but it is a very practical thing to do. If you are concerned with company culture, it is a point of critical control. That is because there are many, many people who are well-versed in talking their way through interviews. Some of those people are going to be very bad for your company. The #task of interviewing should never be confused with the #purpose of it. I notice a lot of companies doing exactly that. I would offer a grade of 3.5/5 to most of the interviewers I've met in the last 25 years and the rewards for those average grades are problems well out of proportion to the simple fix. What grade would your company get? APEX Deployment. [email protected] #recruitment #culture #hiring #hiring2021 #therightpeople #rightnow

Not a Self Promoter? The Kootenay Mall Program is easy, and easy to fit into your busy schedule. You are going to post on Facebook and Instagram anyway, simply cooperate with other local businesses. ... #kootenaybusiness #supportsmallbusiness #kootenays #local #shoplocal #supportlocal #bccanada #smalltown #slocanvalley #nelson #nelsonbc #nelsonbccanada #castlegar #castlegarbc #kootenaylife #kootenayliving #kootenaylove #kootenaybiz #explorebc #kootsroots #koots #kootsrock #shoplocally #shoplocalbusiness #shoplocalonline #localbusiness #locallove #locallymade #localpeople #kootenaymall

"The Trap" In hockey, this is a strategy to impede the opponents skating the puck through the neutral zone. In business it is just a metaphor, loosely describin...g how progress is stifled by people who funnel all new or existing business their way or to key cooperators. In hockey it is a plan enacted by the coach and used by the players but in business it's just a loose agreement. It's a wink and a nod, maybe a back-room deal. Truly, it is just people doing what they can to increase profits. Unfortunately, as in hockey, it's mostly bad for the game. Towns, cities, regions and even countries can get a reputation for being "closed for business" in this way, but this is not hockey. The coach and the players will not own up to using 'the trap'. Whenever people begin to talk of change and "being open for business", they will agree wholeheartedly, and privately siphon any new business into their funnel. "It's just how things are done around here." is what they would say. What those players need to know is that there is far more profit available in a wide open game. There are a few options for doing business in such an environment (but you don't need to know hockey metaphors to play). "Once you know the playbook, you don't need to know who is playing" APEX Deployment I provide actionable intel to businesses. [email protected]

If something feels like a new idea, people will balk at it for most any reason. Kootenay Mall is not exactly new. Point of fact I took the idea from a service in the east, but it occurred to me that it could be used for more than just selling stuff online. Just like small business owners on any given day, Kootenay Mall is doing more than one thing at a time. It is selling local products, and also advertising local businesses, AND also promoting local businesses- thereby pro...moting your own local business. That online mall in the maritimes I mentioned does all of that, but mostly for the big company that runs it. I felt like I could do better. Kootenay Mall #authenticcommunity for small businesses. kootenaymall.ca #kootenaybiz #shoplocally #localpeople #explorebc #authentic

One of my favourite spots #castlegarbc #kootenaylife #kootenayliving #kootenaylove #kootenaybiz #explorebc #kootsroots ... #koots #kootsrock #shoplocally #shoplocalbusiness #shoplocalonline #localbusiness #locallove #locallymade #localpeople See more

I can hardly wait to get on the next road trip. I want to go to Ghostrider, mostly just to say that I've been there. It's a great name for a town, and I want to brag about having been there. Any other suggestions?... #kootenaybiz #shoplocal #bccanada #ghostrider #Hosmer #fernie

On Diversity and Inclusion I stumbled upon the value of #diversity and #inclusion as a restaurant manager at a time when staff were very hard to find. In spite ...of the trouble it caused sometimes, I found myself taking interviews with people if they so much as showed up for one. Better safe than sorry, I told myself. I got diversity, alright! Some of my people didn't speak English, or only barely so. They were from everywhere. Korea, Jamaica, South America, India, and even Russia. You would think it was more trouble than it was worth, but it worked. Fewer #cliques, fewer silos, and more work from the local kids. Most of the local kids were great, but quite a few would have been MUCH bigger problems in a totally WASP environment. And our customers all thought it was awesome. We got very busy. In that case, I was lucky in that the company had outstanding systems in place and also that I had some strong key people. But I maintain that the diversity and inclusion are what made it all work. It changed the dynamics from a mean-spirited competition to 'vote someone off the island' to a motivated sense of team spirit. In the present, with the descent into racism and possibly worse, I would point out that business owners and corporate managers and CEOs will be more successful creating diversity and inclusion than those who do not, because the economy doesn't care about ideology. I am available for consults whenever you want to make more money. [email protected] #bccanada #shoplocally #diversity #DiversityAndInclusion #productivity

Just thinking ahead. Back in 2011 I read a news article about how the federal transportation minister was quoted saying that the potential disruption of labor ...and trade by "driverless vehicles" was #significant. I did a bit of #math, just looking at how many jobs involved vehicles, and how much they contributed in earnings yearly. It turns out that "significant" is a terrible understatement. Driverless vehicles are going to be a monumental #paradigmshift in our economy. Not tomorrow, not next year, but not long from now. The tech is evolving fast and, the next big question is What are we going to do with all of the extra people that need jobs? Well, the federal ministers aren't going to do anything about it. It's a global economy- for them. Down here on the ground, we are slated to be #cheaplabor. Really cheap. It occurs to me that something could be done before then, to mitigate the poor planning of federal ministers. I hope somebody becomes #interested before then. APEX Deployment. Innovative Solutions for the new economy. #kootenaybusiness #supportsmallbusiness #kootenays #local #shoplocal #supportlocal #bccanada #smalltown #slocanvalley #nelson #nelsonbc #nelsonbccanada #castlegar #castlegarbc #kootenaylife #kootenayliving #kootenaylove #kootenaybiz #explorebc #kootsroots #koots #kootsrock #shoplocally #shoplocalbusiness #shoplocalonline #localbusiness #locallove #locallymade #localpeople #kootenaymall

The Online Shopping Mall A regular mall is valuable to businesses because it does all of the marketing for them. A spot in a mall means guaranteed exposure. One of the #issues with the online marketplace is the overwhelming #competition. You are competing alone with online stores from all over the world. Many of those stores are selling products similar to yours cheaper. ... Back east, there is an online mall, but it is dominated by big name box stores and, it occurred to me that, with a bit of effort, #smallbusinesses in the Kootenays could compete on those levels, BUT, it had to be easy, and as cost-free as possible because local businesses are already expensive to run. And I did it. You won't find any other service as #adapatable to your business needs as this, as flexible as this, as effortless as this. I post a page for you on the website. You participate in #cooperativecommunity marketing with other local small businesses. Unlike a real mall, this doesn't have to cost you a dime. #kootenaybusiness #supportsmallbusiness #kootenays #local #shoplocal #supportlocal #bccanada #smalltown #slocanvalley #nelson #nelsonbc #nelsonbccanada #castlegar #castlegarbc #kootenaylife #kootenayliving #kootenaylove #kootenaybiz #explorebc #kootsroots #koots #kootsrock #shoplocally #shoplocalbusiness #shoplocalonline #localbusiness #locallove #locallymade #localpeople #kootenaymall

"The Right Projects, Done Right." I paraphrased the #slogan of a paper authored by a notable consulting firm. I want to #echo the point, and take it one step f...urther by suggesting that it will be easier for Municipalities to know what the "right projects" are if they understand the #issues facing them. Because the big names and players will only sell communities and corporations what they want to sell them, and they will inform their clients as much as they need to make the sale. That is no revelation. Does your community really know what homelessness is about? Does it understand what is supporting the continued problem? What about the drug trade, and the continuing fentanyl overdoses? Why are we now worrying about a conflict between the #Province and Municipalities? How will communities manage the conflict between the need for rentals, and the property owners need to keep their heads above water? Big #complicated issues. Your community needs 'local-centric' intelligence to work from. Does your community have someone who can digest those issues, and all of the complicated research and information, and tell you something that is useful and specific to your town? It does now. APEX Deployment. #kootenaybusiness #supportsmallbusiness #kootenays #local #shoplocal #supportlocal #bccanada #smalltown #slocanvalley #nelson #nelsonbc #nelsonbccanada #castlegar #castlegarbc #kootenaylife #kootenayliving #kootenaylove #kootenaybiz #explorebc #kootsroots #koots #kootsrock #shoplocally #shoplocalbusiness #shoplocalonline #localbusiness #locallove #locallymade #localpeople #kootenaymall

Wisdom of the #Pandemic Even as I wrote that title, I thought, 'Well this oughta be rich!' How are we going to find #wisdom in one of the most wretched years in recent memory? ... Years ago I got a job with a small yard work company, just one guy and his truck & trailer. He asked me at the start, "Do you mind #hardwork?" I told the truth, "I don't mind it at all, but I prefer '#smartwork'" He wasn't buying it, and gave me dumb work, often just to pad the price of the job. Like the time he had me remove some stairs on a hill in a client's yard, and then haul all of the material we just cut down up the hill. That was typical work for that guy. #YouKnowWhatIMean In the years since then, I have proven my willingness and ability to slog it out and get my hands dirty and, what has come of it is knowing when it is no longer necessary. This Pandemic, is making us recognize the difference between hard work and smart work. Every small #kootenaybiz out there right now is free to go it alone, or even wait for the various associations to make something happen- and then pay them more. OR, there is the "smart work" option. The smart work is only an email away. #ShowMe Kootenaymall.ca #crawfordbay #wynndel #creston #salmo #fruitvale #montrose #yahk #moyie #cranbrook #kimberly #marysville #fortsteele #wasa #canalflats #fairmonthotsprings #windermere #fernie #ghostrider #invermere #hosmer #sparwood

About the Recent Rash of Silliness I think Bill Maher is pretty great. Been watching his show for years. Recently, though, he made a comment that hit pretty clo...se to home. He was referring to the USA, but it's hard to think that we are so different. He called America a "nation of silly people", because while China does smart things like develop its middle class and reduce poverty and homelessness, we still struggle with silly things like whether Dr Seuss was a racist. As I write this book on #manipulation, the examples of silly things done in business seem to pile up also. People not trained in psychology offering therapy. People employing friends who blatantly drive away good staff. Business owners turning a blind eye to bad managers. Here are a couple of gems of my own collected wisdom: High staff turnover is not "just a cost of doing business". Continuous staff training IS a cost of doing business, but pays for itself if done right. The chain of command protects the business owner too. If you allow staff to circumvent it by coming to you directly, sooner or later one of the staff will use you to undermine your managers and supervisors. Don't do it. I don't offer protection from silliness, but I can put key systems in place that #inocculate your business from it. Initial assessments of silliness in your business are without charge. Monkey-Business is extra. #business #localbusiness #local #bccanada #protectyourinvestment APEX Deployment: Protecting businesses from silliness and tomfoolery since the Stone Age.

Any Given Monday There is a great deal to be said for #workingtogether. In Canada we think of the free market as really free, but we know that some industries have our government making sure that other countries can't compete unfairly with us. Softwood lumber for example. The US has been trying to get out of its free trade agreements for decades. ... The internet has no such protections, though, and foreign producers of goods are free to sell directly to consumers- your customers. Your customers can get goods similar to what locals sell here for better prices. No government will intervene on your behalf. But local vendors can work together to keep business local. And now it's as easy as an email. kootenaymall.ca #kootenaybusiness #supportsmallbusiness #kootenays #local #shoplocal #supportlocal #bccanada #smalltown #slocanvalley #nelson #nelsonbc #nelsonbccanada #castlegar #castlegarbc

Kootenay Mall A few years ago on the tv show "Shark Tank" a woman pitched her products to the Sharks and they asked how she had been marketing and selling her products. She explained that she had been travelling up and down the east coast in her van, often sleeping in it on her stacks of product, selling in person to grocery stores for months. ... Like the Sharks, I was also quite moved by her story. That is what 'drive' and #dedication and passion look like and, I want to be like that. I also remember my first employer, a former Calgary Auctioneer turned taxi company owner. He also had a van and did a lot of in person visiting, but mostly he just called people on his fancy push-button phone (that was 1988). He took over the taxi business in that town in under 10 years, with a prehistoric phone. Now things are #different. Now we have #Instagram and #Facebook and #hashtag. Our competition is not confined to the small town we live in. The competition for your products and services live in China, Russia, South East Asia, Africa and Europe. They can sell directly to your customers. Kootenay Mall is the new way to compete with them. Easy. Cost effective. Social. kootenaymall.ca

Thinking Outside the Box It's always a catchy thing to say, and as a 'buzz word' I am fine with that, but at some point somebody actually needs to do that. I #think that many times, people say it expecting that others will go first. What would it look like if you did? People will be #critical. ... My favorite is when a solution is brought forward, and people suddenly claim there was never an issue to solve in the first place. You have to believe in yourself. I find it liberating to step outside of popular or commonly accepted thinking. It's a perspective change that spurs creativity and sheds light on what may be stifling progress. More than that though, it doesn't require rejection of old ideas or popular ideas, common sense or common thinking, just being open to new input. Sort of like in the Matrix- with the spoon. "Don't try to think outside the box, but just realize the truth- there is no box." #kootenay #smallbusiness #localbusiness #local #castlegarbc #nelsonBC #trailbc #think #thinkpositive #creative #Creativity #outsidethebox #outsidethecomfortzone What does your business need? kootenaymall.ca