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Wednesday 12 December 2018

The Holidays Are Upon Us

I'm not the Grinch who stole Christmas, but I'm pretty close.

It's not that I have a problem with people celebrating their faith. No, I have no problem with that at all. However, I do have a problem with Christmas carols being played before the middle of December. It kind of freaks me out.

The seasons go so fast, it hardly seems right to complain about Christmas carols. Before you know it, we'll all be looking forward to the Easter Bunny jumping around our back doors and, much like one of my friends, stuffing our faces with mini eggs.

I understand the importance of staying ahead of the game when it comes to market share and consumer awareness about products, but does that mean we must constantly be bombarded with messages about the next approaching holiday?

The jury is out on that idea, but it is apparent that we will have to endure this Christmas thing at least until the 25th of December, after which point Boxing Day sales will ensue, intoxicating the general population in retail sales therapy.. something that I'm sure will work until they receive the bill for the holiday season on their respective credit cards.

So, is this a holiday do-good post? Not really. I would like to remind everyone who "have" to remember those who do not. I firmly believe that it's all about giving, in one way or another. You don't have to break the bank. A simple act of kindness will ensure that at least one person during your holiday season has experienced some sort of positive human interaction.

As you can probably tell, I'm not much of a Christmas person. But I am very spiritual, and I believe that acts of kindness have a place like no other during the holiday season. It stresses me to think there actually is a child who will go hungry this year, but as statistics would have it, that is bound to happen. Please donate to your local charity or food bank year round.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Thursday 22 November 2018

Entrepreneurs & Small Business


Everyone has had the dream of going into business for themselves at one point or another.

Being your own boss, making your own rules; these are the things that dreams are made of. Bug going into business can be risky. Fortunately, there are people willing to take the BIG risk of going into business.

Fifty percent of small businesses started in Canada fail within the first two years of existence. That number inflates to 60 percent in the first five years and a whopping 70 percent in the first ten.
Maybe the biggest mistake that people make when going into business for themselves is the label they put on themselves. The word entrepreneur is thrown around like a basketball.

But what is a real entrepreneur? A real entrepreneur is an individual who wants to take an industry by storm. Big dreaming and full of enthusiasm, entrepreneurs are the ones who seek venture capital from “funding angels” and venture capitalists.

Venture capitalists want to see there is an obvious, well planned road to profit with any project they fund. If you’re not familiar with venture capitalists and what they do, take a look at the program Dragon’s Den and you will get a pretty good, yet media-charged example, of what the venture capitalist does.  When you think entrepreneur, think Microsoft and Bill Gates.

An individual who would like to be self-employed is generally content with selling one service on a smaller scale, possibly hiring employees as business demands grow. Typically, there is less funding available to grow the small business from traditional lenders, and venture capitalists aren’t interested in smaller thinking. This means the self-employed are put into a positon where they must support themselves and their business at the same time. This process is called “bootstrapping”.   

Those individuals who choose to be self-employed are generally in it for the freedom that it presents. People with disabilities may choose this route to help them join a workforce that would otherwise be too rigid to accommodate their disability.

Perhaps the hardest thing about being an entrepreneur or a self-employed person is figuring out what the product or service they are selling is actually going to be. The status quo says “do what you love”, but how do you determine if your idea is good for a business venture and not just a really great hobby?

That’s where a business plan comes into play. A serious business idea deserves the attention of a serious business plan. Developing a business plan can be a daunting task, but once completed serve as an invaluable tool. Big businesses generally have fluid business plans that are constantly changing as consumer demand for goods and services evolves.

If you’re sincerely looking for a place to start with your ideas, spend some time thinking about the impact you would like to have with your product or service. Unfortunately not everyone can invent the next Pet Rock, but with a solid business plan and a bit of luck you may just be able to carve out enough market-share to support your business and yourself.



Monday 12 November 2018

Klevr Digital Marketing Press Release



Halifax, NS. November 12, 2018. -- Klevr Digital Marketing is in business, seeking new and exciting opportunities in Halifax Regional Municipality! Klevr is centrally located in downtown Halifax, close enough to the buzz of downtown to get a real taste of city.

At Klevr, we like to develop ideas. Ideas that will help grow your business. From social media campaigns to collateral development like online brochures, newsletters, blog posts, audio blogs and marketing reels, we have the creative power to produce for you.

Our team can offer you guidance in your quest for acquisitions with your marketing dollar. Our methods are measurable, backed up with solid knowledge in Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Klevr is available to customers almost any time during reasonable hours. If you find yourself bursting at the seems with an idea and you need a sounding board, Klevr is here email us immediately. But normally, the hours are 9-5.

We sincerely hope that you will consider us for your next creative project.

Sincerely,

Darren Surette.
Klevr Digital Marketing
902-229-8230
www.klevr.ca
Klevr on Twitter





Friday 9 November 2018

My Banking Days

Well, a positive experience? Some would say no.

On top of having a panic attack every single day that I was there, I persevered for almost exactly three weeks into the training before pulling the ripcord. I jumped out of the plane and into the air, once again, with no real safety net.

Some would be very happy and smug that my adventure has come to somewhat of a stalemate of an end. The fact of the matter is, I was doing OK. But just OK. If I had actually liked what I was trying to learn, I'm sure the outcome would have been different.

It seems that, the older you get, the less likely you are to put up with the bullshit that is often generated from work learning situations. It's either that or once you hit fifty you become incredibly dumb.

There was a  brief minute when I actually felt stupid in class. I wasn't being picked on, just picked out. Which was enough to freak me out and not be able to  answer the question asked. What a knob I am sometimes.

I will never purposely work in a call centre again, unless it is on the admin side of things with no headset. Even then, I find the atmosphere of call centres a negative buzz at best. Nobody wants to be there and the air smacks of employment dissatisfaction. At least in my mind.

Why am I  posting this? I talk to the Internet about my problems. It listens sometimes, judging from the stats I see. And ever now and then I'll get a comment. That's cool. Because I'm finding more and more that a  comment is worth more than many would lead you to believe. A comment indicates interest? Well, maybe.

I'm writing about my life. A 420 planet.



Sunday 14 October 2018

A New Contract

I am about to embark on another new adventure.

I am kind of excited, as I have been fortunate enough to meet new friends on my past adventures into employment, some of which I am still in contact with to this day.

Ideally, this will be a contract that will allow me some precious off hours work time, so that I can develop my new project, Klevr Digital Marketing, into something of a known entity in the HRM.

Hopefully the work life balance will be OK and I will be able to endure the hoopla that usually comes with working for a larger organization.

But, if the interview process tells me anything, it's that where I'm going is growing fast and and has maintained a steady growth pattern over quite a long period of time. To me, this says get in while the getting is good and get established as someone who knows what they're doing really fast.

I can't think of anything going on in my life that could get in the way of my success. Family drama will be there regardless so I have to learn how to deal with that while getting use to a whole new work family.

To say the next couple of weeks is going to be interesting is putting it mildly. But I'm setting myself up for it to be a positive experience.


Friday 11 May 2018

I Have Been Humbled

So, what I thought I was offering was a broad source of experience in exchange for some new experiences and maybe a good reference.

Now, I'm thinking to myself, what have I gotten myself into? This morning a lady came back to return a shirt. No big deal I thought. Just give her the size she wants and away she goes right? Not so. I had forgotten the fact that her purchase had to be swapped out in the computer for inventory purposes, and was reminded as such by one of my staff members. 

Once I realized what I had done, I immediately took chase of the customer down the hallway of the mall, apologizing and grabbing for the merchandise at the same time. I explained that the switch had to be recorded, and that she had to come back to the store. 

I was prepared to dig out the procedures manual and teach myself how to do an exchange, when from out of the dark came the employee, with fingers blazing on the keyboard. She was done in about ten seconds. She looked at me with almost a smirk and said, "that's how you do a return."

I'm very happy that my staff is that competent. Quite frankly, I was a bit nervous as to what a receipt would look like after I mangled it with my retail knowledge. But really, it was a relief to have the help. 

The moral of the story? I don't know if there is one really. Just a story I needed to tell and kind of an appreciative nod to the person who helped me out. Cool. 


Monday 23 April 2018

I'm Being RETAILED to death!

So here's the story.

I have started my new journey into a basically new career for me. Failing to be able to handle anymore call centre activity in my brain, I figured that my love of helping people and my need to stay busy might be rewarded in a retail setting.

However, I never, ever thought that I would encounter the people that I have in the business so far. One person, my direct boss, seems to be a caring, ethical person with a liberal mindset and favorable personality qualities. The other, my direct trainer, is quite the opposite.

She, who I will refer her to as from now on, is an uneducated, socially inept, unskilled teacher with the boisterous laugh of a polar bear in heat and then some.

I am constantly being railed for stickers, stickers, stickers! I had no idea that forming clothing for sale could be so intrinsic, that the value of a well placed sticker could bode so well on the selling features of a garment. Apparently, or so I'm told, sticker placement is of utmost importance in the retail field and strict rules must be adhered to in order for that piece of merchandise to sell!

I hope you're getting the sarcasm that I am intending in this post, because, if you can tell, I'm neither fond of stickers nor the person directing me of their terminal importance. Please, I beg of you, if you go into a retail outlet and decide to try on a piece of clothing, please don't mess with the sticker.. it will doom the clerk to an eternal life of re-stickering and could lead to a reaction from that individual like spontaneous outbursts and the like.

Ofcourse, I am just fooling around with the sticker thing. I understand the importance on unification when it comes to a marketing scheme.. but the sticker nazi has got to go.



Tuesday 20 March 2018

I'm trying to decrease the space in time between posts, but I get so busy that I don't know what I'm doing.

Currently I am working with numerous people to keep my life afloat and keep www.trancelogic.club, and www.klevr.ca on the air and on the web. I am looking for new clients, so if you know of anyone looking for an  adventurous marketing guy, please let me know. I can be contacted at darren@trancelogic.club any time.

My efforts can be seen at www.klevr.ca and www.trancelogic.club. Chances are if you're reading this you're well aware of what I've been up to, but wait! There's more!



I have just signed on with a store called "Cool As A Moose", located in Halifax's historic properties into a retail management position. For the large part, I took the job to keep my working resume up to date and to learn some new skills from a professional. It never hurts to have experience in multiple realms.

That being said, I remain and will continue searching for my ideal clients for www.klevr.ca and I will always be on the air with www.trancelogic.club. I have recently secured a new talent for www.trancelogic.club.. a very impressive dj by the name of Simon McCann. He is endorsed by some very big names in the EDM world including Judge Jules. I'm really looking forward to having him on, and hope that my listeners will enjoy it too.

My foray into retail management will being at the start of April. Somewhat of an Easter gift you might say. I've been getting some bites through online advertising with www.klevr.ca, but I think the only real way to harbor customers is to get out there and hoof it to the streets. Most digital marketers would have you believe this is the old fashioned way of doing it, but I believe terrestrial marketing still plays a big role in the success of a business. Including word of mouth.

For those of you who are already familiar with my pursuits, wish me luck. For those of you who are not, please visit my sites and take a look at what I'm doing - www.trancelogic.club is all about building an EDM ( Electronic Dance Music) community in Halifax, NS. It's not about raving, it's about the music - there is a huge difference between what you might hear at a rave and what you'll hear on www.trancelogic.club.

In the same respect, www.klevr.ca is primarily a site showcasing my marketing wares, but I am open for business suggestions all the time. Meaning, if you have an idea that you think will fly with some help, let me know and we'll look into it together.

I hope my various pursuits don't confuse you or what I am trying to do for either brand. www.trancelogic.club and www.klevr.ca are both my babies and I intend to nurture them to full maturity.

Cheers for now,

Darren.

Sunday 25 February 2018

Imagine that...

I am currently in the process of figuring out which advertising vehicle is best for my yet unknown website Klevr.ca .

I am considering a campaign. It's with a blogging outfit who are selling me an audience that would probably be right up my alley. It's a smaller budget project, but I'm a smaller business. 

The artwork for Klevr.ca was all produced in house. So I have to get past the publishing credentials for the website concerned. Meaning, I have to get my logo approved for use by a real editor. That's a bit nerve wracking.