Call For Action - Affirmative Ventures-Main Street Centre

 Dear (Donor,)

 Two weeks.

 I had just escaped a very toxic environment, but I had no place to go. I could stay with relatives for two weeks, then it was out on the street for me.

 At the time, I was just starting a new job, but I didn’t have a permanent address to give to my employers. I had no money for the deposit on an apartment and nowhere else to go. It was my rock bottom.

 Desperately, I turned to community supports to see if they knew of anyone who could help me. As luck would have it, 211 provided me with Affirmative Ventures phone number, who later offered me a home on Westwood Drive in Dartmouth. After a seven-month residency there, I was offered an affordable apartment in the association’s Affirmative House, where I now live.

Having a place to live has given me the gift of stability, and the reassuring feeling of having a home to go to. I’m able to plan and save now, and I am building my own place in the community independently.

Affirmative Ventures is embarking on a major campaign to raise awareness and money to assist with our newest project, “Main Street Centre.” The centre will be a community hub for social enterprise and an affordable residence for consumer survivors and seniors.  As a member of our community, we are hoping that you will dig deep into your pockets and donate today. Our goal is to reach one million dollars, and we wanted to give you the opportunity to help us build new homes and, in turn, rebuild lives.

Make your donation today! Donations are being accepted via the association website at www.AffirmativeVentures.ca. For more information about this and many other initiatives the association is embarking on, please contact ___________ at xxx-xxx-xxxx.

Managing Your Debt vs Paying Your Debt

Debt is one of the most challenging and stressful matters we must deal with.  If you don’t have the money to pay your debt when it comes due, it can be even worse.  For people living in low-income situations, people who may be unemployed or anyone living through a financial crisis, debt can be a heavy burden to carry. 

 Paying bills on time and never incurring more debt than we can afford is the ideal goal.  But what if you have experienced a life set-back?  Maybe you’ve been laid-off, maybe there was an emergency life event that has put you behind on paying your bills.  Maybe you have old debt that you haven’t been able to pay yet.  Most of us will avoid the phone calls from the creditors, or we will ignore the notices and letters coming in the mail and we will stress out over it.  But we don’t have to; we can manage our debt even though we don’t have the money to pay it right away.  The key for success when dealing with you bills is contact and communication.

 Creditors and bill collectors want only one thing – they want money.  However, they do recognize that people may not always be able to pay in full on demand and most are willing to work with individuals to get the situation solved.  This is where managing your debt vs paying your debt comes in.

 We will always have the obligation to pay down our debt, but we can manage it in the absence of the ability to completely pay if off.  Simply put – managing debt requires staying in contact with our creditors and bill collectors and be willing to have open and honest communication with them regarding our financial situation.

 Contact your creditor and ask for their help.  Explain your situation and your plan for paying your debt.  Never tell a creditor what you are going to do without their input – rather, work with them to develop a strategy for making your plan work for both of you.

 Other tips for managing your debt:

 Be Realistic:  Offer to make payments you can safely afford and don’t make promises you can’t keep.  If you can’t pay it now, strongly communicate that in a polite but adamant fashion and offer to update the creditor on a regular basis.

 Be Reasonable:  Creditors want their money within a reasonable amount of time.  The longest time frames for most are between 3 and 5 years.  Managing your debt may not immediately mean making payments, but it does mean that you are working on a plan to eventually pay it.  That plan has to be a reasonable and realistic plan – one that you can stick to safely and affordably. 

Be Specific:  Make the details of your repayment plan very clear.  If it’s going to be a long-term plan, be very clear in the time-line.  If it’s going to take a year to start your plan – let them know that.  

A creditor may try to pressure you into making payment arrangements which you may not be able to keep.  However, it is important to remember that this is your debt, your management \ repayment plan and it is your responsibility to ensure that you manage your debt until such time as you can pay your debt.

 So – rather than being afraid of the phone calls or the notices and letters from creditors, manage them with a good plan, open communications and regular contact.  You will find your stress level decreasing and your chances of ultimately being debt free increasing.

 Managing your debt does not necessarily mean paying your debt this instant, it means planning for a time when you can safely and affordably pay your debt.

 For more information on debt services contact the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada.

Frauds and Scams

It’s probably one of the most vulnerable feelings you will ever experience.

Of course, you’re not aware when someone is setting you up for a fraud or a scam. Everything seems right in your world until a clue is revealed indicating that you have been had. That clue could be any of several things, depending on where the fraudsters have been focussing on.

Take our friend Kate, a happy grandmother to three grandchildren. She was enjoying a quiet afternoon at home when her phone rang. The person on the other end of the line claimed to be her grandson, and he was in a bind. He said that his friend he was travelling with had been stopped for speeding, which led to a subsequent search of the vehicle he and his friend were in and went on to say the police found drugs in the trunk of the car.

Of course, this took Kate quite by surprise. Her grandson had never been in trouble with the law. She consoled who she thought was her grandson by assuring him that everything would be  OK, and that he should contact his parents immediately to deal with the police and the pending charges.

Kate spoke with her grandson for the better part of a half an hour. Despite being a fake, the person seemed to know many of the circumstances surrounding the family, including dates and times of birthdays and holidays, family members and recent events that had occurred within the family realm.

As the call continued, Kate became more and more worried about the situation her grandson was in. According to him, he was in jail, and he would remain there until someone came up with eight thousand dollars to bail him out.

It was at this point that Kate realized that she was speaking with a very talented, convincing fraudster. If he really was her grandson, he would have known there was no way that she could come up with that amount of money. Her heart sank and she felt violated. Upon realizing that she was speaking with a scam artist, Kate immediately hung up the phone.

 Shaken by the event that had just happened, Kate called the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Fraud Squad. She described what happened to the officer on the line, who said, unfortunately, this was a scam that was happening all over the province, and there was little to nothing they could do without an illegal transaction happening with the fraudster in person.

 So, what is the moral of this story? It’s almost a shame, but you have to be careful who you are talking to on the phone. A good scammer can convince you of the immediacy of their plight to suck money out of you. Kate eventually recovered from the phone call she received and was very lucky she wasn’t convinced to give up any cash, but many people aren’t so lucky.

Scammers and fraudsters will stop at nothing to get your information if they think that you are a good mark for easy money. And they can be relentless in their search for a victim, and quite frankly, they do not care who they are scamming.

There are many types of scams to look out for. According to an investigation performed by the American Federal Trade Commission, the top scam type is Romance scams. Romance scams tug at the heart strings of the victim, convincing them to give up cash and gifts in exchange for the attention of a would-be suitor.

Next on the list is Prizes, Sweepstakes and Lotteries scams. With these types of scams, you get convinced that you are the winner of a substantial prize, but you must pay a “processing” fee for a much larger payout. There is never any payout.

Business Imposter scams also top the list. This type of scam is very hard to detect, because with the proliferation of technology, it is easy for a scam to be put together with computer software and burner phones.

For instance, you might get a call from someone who claims to be from your bank, and your call identifier may confirm they are calling from a number that displays as coming from your financial institution. But really, it is a computer program making the call look like it is coming from the bank. NEVER give out banking information over the phone from an inbound source. Banks do not typically make calls out to clients unless for a very specific reason.

Government Impostors, Investment Representatives and Tech Support scams work in a similar way to the Business Impostor scam. The scammer will try to convince you that you owe money to their organization, or they have a “golden egg” of an investment that you can take part in. Tech support scams are usually supported by malware on your computer – meaning the scammer places a program on your computer either to collect information or prompt you to call them to recover your computer from a crash.

Other scams include Online Shopping scams, Impostor scams, Timeshare Sales/Resale scams. This list is not exhaustive; fraud artists are always figuring out new and improved ways to part you and your money.

Are You a Victim of Identity Theft?

Another, even scarier type of fraud is identity theft. To determine if you might be a victim of identity theft you should look for the following:

 • You are contacted by a creditor because an application for credit that you did not apply for was received in your name and with your address.

• You receive a phone call or letter informing you that you have been denied or approved by a creditor that you never applied to.

 • You receive credit card statements or other bills with your information that you never applied to.

 • You no longer receive your credit card statements or any of your mail.

 • You are contacted by a collection agency informing you that they are collecting for a defaulted account established with your identity that you never opened.

What To Do If You Are a Victim

If you think you have been a victim of identity theft, here are some important actions to take:

 • Contact your bank or credit card issuer right away – the bank will take the appropriate steps to help prevent fraud in your accounts. These steps could include cancelling and reissuing credit or debit cards, investigating and reversing fraudulent transactions and providing further advice to customers.

• Contact local police – contact your local police force and file a report about the fraud.

 • Contact Canada’s credit reporting agencies – if you suspect that you may have been a victim of identity theft, contact both of Canada’s credit reporting agencies, Equifax Canada, and TransUnion Canada, and obtain a copy of your credit report. If there are creditors on the report that you have not done business with, contact those organizations and let them know you have been the victim of identity theft.

 • Consider a fraud alert for your credit files – Equifax Canada and TransUnion Canada can also put a fraud alert put on your credit files. With this fraud alert, creditors that have viewed your credit report will have to contact you before extending credit. This can help prevent someone else from taking out a loan or credit card in your name.

 • Contact other organizations as necessary – other organizations and government agencies may also need to know if your personal information has been stolen and used to commit fraud. For example, you should contact government agencies such as Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) if someone has used your Social Insurance Number to apply for government services.

Now that you know a bit about the type of scams and frauds that are out there lurking in the real world, you can feel empowered to watch out for any suspicious activity on your accounts and personal information.

Remember, scammers and fraudsters will stop at nothing to get your information, cash, or valuables. Don’t give them the opportunity by using common sense, follow the guidelines outlined in this article, and NEVER give out personal information to someone you doubt or don’t know. Go with your gut feeling – if you think the proposition is too good to be true, it probably is.

A year-to-date study by the Canadian Revenue Agency says that there were 90,137 reports of fraud in 2022, with 56,352 victims of fraud and a total of 537 million dollars lost to scammers and fraudsters.

If you would like to investigate scams and frauds further in Canada, go to https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/campaigns/fraud-scams.html

CBD Oil - A Radical New Experiment

 

CBD, also known as Cannabidiol, is one of the many active compounds found in the Cannabis plant. Out of the several compounds present in marijuana, CBD and THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) are the most well-known. The THC that is present in the plant is the cause of the feelings of euphoria and “high” when cannabis smoke is ingested either by inhaling or through eating THC infused products such as gummies, brownies and other baked goods.

 Contrary to many people’s beliefs, CBD is not responsible for the “high” feeling that is attributed to smoking pot. CBD is not a mind altering chemical and does not promote the “high” feeling or euphoria. Although CBD does not produce the “high” effect, it is quickly becoming recognized for its medicinal purposes – though the jury is out as to what CBD does and how it actually benefits a person using it.

 Very little investigation has been done to support the claims of CBD as a wonder drug, though some swear by it. CBD oil is said to relieve pain, anxiety and sleep issues without making you feel “stoned” as THC would. But there are still many holdouts on the effects of CBD. Legislators in the United States are studying the “real” effect of CBD oil on the previously mentioned illnesses.

 Some claim great success with its use, while others remain on the fence as to the therapeutic benefit of CBD. In Canada, where marijuana is legal, CBD oil is enjoying somewhat of resurgence in the marketplace as a miracle cure for many ailments including muscle pain, anxiety and a myriad of mental health issues. CBD oil is being touted as the new “sliced bread” in homeopathic circles, with claims the oil works.

CBD oil is available in Canada at marijuana dispensaries and at marijuana dealers that are sanctioned by government sale. There are many brands of CBD oil available, though the Cadillac of CBD oils in Canada is CBD-North, a full spectrum oil that is touted to work to relieve depression and mood disorders and is rated the number one CBD oil on the market in Canada.

 CBD-North is made with natural organic elements only, and is available in multiple potency levels with fast reaction times and claims that it is highly effective. Medical and related industries are not rushing to embrace the good effects of CBD oil. Many medical professionals are still left undecided, much like the use of medicinal marijuana is (or at least was in Canada) controversial and unusual. In any case the future of CBD oil on the North American market is only expected to increase.

 There is hard evidence that CBD oil is effective in shrinking tumors and aiding with the administration of cancer meds, and there are encouraging studies happening that would point to CBD as a very good addition to cancer therapy. But again, even with this new evidence, the medical community at large has yet to embrace the full power of CBD oil.

 

Seven Reasons to Have a Podcast

1. Compared to text and video content, audio content is more accessible for users. They don't have shift time away from what they're doing to focus exclusively on your content. They can listen to your podcast while they're exercising or driving, for example. Your podcast won't take them away from those activities; it will enrich them.

2. When you publish your podcast on platforms such as iTunes and Stitcher, you expose your content to thousands of potential listeners for free. These platforms are search engines, and people use them to find podcasts as well as hit singles. That organic exposure helps you increase your reach and grow your audience.

3. Recording a podcast episode is far less time-consuming than writing an article or recording a video. To create a podcast episode, all you have to do is record yourself speaking (something you do naturally every day). Get a decent microphone and a program for recording and editing your episodes, and you'll have everything you need to produce audio content.

4. The popular interview format allows your audiences to learn from your guests' expertise, successes and failures. At the same time, you get to add more expert connections to your network. That's a definite win-win. Plus, if your guests decide to help promote these interviews, you'll get free exposure to their audiences, too.

5. Podcasting picked up some serious momentum during the past few years, but there's still plenty of room for more shows. Depending on your niche or topic, you may have the advantage of facing very little competition. Hosting a podcast can help you immediately stand apart from rivals in your marketplace and position you as the go-to authority in your field.

6.  Audio content is very personal. When someone hears you speak, they hear your personality and your authenticity. They can detect the excitement in your voice and feel your passion for helping them while you discuss topics that are relevant to you both. This makes it easy for them to meet, like and trust you. Podcasts help your target market feel as if they already know you on an individual level.

7.  At the end of each podcast episode, include a CTA (Call To Action). Give listeners a clear direction, and make sure your landing page, email subscriber list or other tools are ready in advance. Make it as easy as possible for listeners to follow through and create your desired result. 

I recently learned how cold it had to be before I froze my toes off.

Last weekend's storm left my household without power for more than a day. I often wonder what people with children do when there is no tv or video games to entertain?

We entertained ourselves by watching the frozen smoke billow from our lips every time we opened our mouths. It was minus twenty one in the living room, and it seemed as if my feet would never be warm again. 

At one point, just before the last candle blew out, we attempted hudling on the couch; three big people together in one giant pod. That, thank God, only lasted a minute. I'm clostrophobic. 

Bottom line was we were freezing, and the only thing that we could really do is go to our respective bedrooms and huddle up with as much blanketing that could be found. I found a really ugly grey, wool fabric blanket amongst the throng of blankets on my bed and wrapped up. 

We endured that for just over a day. I know. That's not a very long time. But let me tell you, living without electricity in the country means that you also lose the water. Gross. That means you have to fill up the tub before weather starts so that you can flush the freaking toilet. 

The cold weather was an experience, but all in all, I'd say we made it through pretty good. Our experience proves one thing; it pays to be prepared.

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!

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.

Klevr Digital Marketing Press Release

Klevr Digital Marketing

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

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.

Remedy Radio On Twitter

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

-Measuring Growth-

As my adventure into Internet radio continues, I am learning more and more every day about streaming and the tremendous opportunities there are for marketing and collateral development in the digital world.

As a newbie to the scene (I consider myself a newbie, though I have been at it for approximately six months), I had some idea about server latency and file structure, but I had no idea how directly my organizational habits would affect my process as a dj online.

I have been wading into the world of live streaming bit by bit, doing short shows peppered all over my clock, with no real schedule, mainly because my daytime job didn't allow me to commit to blocks of time during the day.

According to the stats produced by Centova Cast, the broadcasting software utilized by ShoutCast, my listener base is, for the large part, in Europe, Asia and China. This means adjusting my live broadcast schedule to the wee hours of the morning if I want to foster that audience. Though I'm sure that I do, I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to make the transition from daylight to darkness for my broadcasts.

Recording "live shows" is always an option - and I do have some ideas for a show rambling around in my brain which includes a show called "Remedy Radio"; though I'm not sure exactly what the premise of the show would be as of yet I am sure that I can come up with something compelling that may even be commercially viable.

I'm thinking that "Remedy Radio" could be a show on Trancelogic.club about the marijuana culture in Canada - not a "Cheech and Chong" type show, but something that is both entertaining and informative about the recreational and medicinal use of marijuana in Canada. Right now it's  just a shell of an idea, but I plan on developing it in the very near future.

Trancelogic.club is still a baby. I'm running on auto dj for the majority of the time because the reality of working a 9-5 job is sucking all of the energy I have out of me that could go into producing spots, shows and selling the concept of Trancelogic.club to appropriate interests in the business community. But I am determined to continue building on what I already have.

If you would have told me six months ago that I would be broadcasting live to the world via the Internet I may have doubted you. At the same time, if you would have told me that I would be conquering the use of Centova Cast and utilizing encoding software I may have doubted you. But the fact is, there has been progress, and that progress will continue on into the new year.

The Visitor Will Come Soon

In a few short weeks my friend from Toronto will be visiting me in the city of Halifax, where I reside, alone with no cat or dog to keep me company. Though this is to my advantage as well (the no cat or dog thing) because I don't have to deal with dander. I'm hoping that my friend finds the city delightful and inviting, so that he may chose to return at a later date.

I am relaxing in my bat cave today in anticipation of the large bird that I'm going to eat on Sunday. The bird, with all the other stuff, I'm sure will be delicious. Too bad I couldn't just pop in as the invisible man and help myself. No, I'm afraid my presence will be all to well known.

I feel as though I am going through a transition in my life, from someone who panics to a thinker. If you have to ask what I mean by that, congratulations, you have made it to this point in your life with relative ease. Panic and anxiety can completely immobilize you in fits of fear and to experience them is frightening.

The term thinker is from my own head. I'm not quoting anyone or anything. As someone who has been prone to anxiety in the past I know how it can be; I've experienced it first hand. The term "thinker" just seems appropriate because, given that other checks and balances are in place, you can literally think your way into or out of just about any situation.

But of course, the groundwork has to be laid before you can jump right in. A good therapist and a great prescription are good starts. But you need to have good friends as well, some kind of social network. And everyone should be allowed to have the right to meaningful employment, whatever meaningful means to them.

In a few short weeks, the days will be shorter and the nights will be colder. I will be enjoying the company of my friend at a local pub - and we're all going to talk about hopes, dreams and fears. Let's work on making the fears go away and proliferate hopes and dreams into each of our lives.

The Post With the Most

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

I'm listening to Armin Van Buren, contemplating the meaning of life. No, not really, but just really happy today about today being today. It has been a good day. Things that I didn't expect to happen, happened. It felt good to be the recipient of some positive feedback!!

I've got a couple of compliments on the radio station www.tranceradio.ca . Some people are really into the type of music we play. I know in Europe the EDM genre is huge; a much better developed presence for sure. Halifax radio is just radio.

Our audience is from all over the world, but 75% of our audience is homegrown. We have friends in Norway, Iceland, India, London, Ireland, all over the world. I had a listener from China for several nights in a row. Cool...I'm into that cultural exchange!

My goal is to have 50-60 listeners regularly (daily) to start off, but I would like to get much  much bigger than that. Not too big - but big enough to host some parties and get some artists on board for premiers and interviews.

Does this sound like a large task? It is. But it's something that I want to do. It's in my bucket.

Scream Media Rocks. 

October 2, 2017

Not so all of a sudden, positivity has come to play an integral part in my life. I am finding it very difficult to find people who share my outlook, and can only hope that those of you who chose to read my stuff can see that a positive attitude is paramount to success. No shit. It really means something.

I have people coaching me from all sides, each trying to move me toward a particular goal or position in life that I am not prepared to accept for myself, but still, they push, refusing to render the image that is my giving them the finger as I move successfully off into the future.

I'm not into playing games. Nor am I into the blame game. Life is life and it often involves shit that we don't want to deal with. But for every success, there is a small glimmer of light, like a smoldering flame underneath a giant piece of newspaper in a bonfire.

I want to win the game of life. But I'm not sure what a win looks like for me yet. The verdict is out. I am feeling very hopeful about positive things to come. I hope it remains that way for everyone at least for a little while. But, beware, for after the pumpkins comes Christmas carols! Fuck me.

www.trancelogic.club is going swimmingly. I'm enjoying it so much I'm losing my weekends to it - which is fine, but I have to find a mate to hang with after the station is turned down. I don't mind being alone, but in these cooler nights of autumn in Halifax, it would be nice to have someone to cuddle up with. www.trancelogic.club will be debuting a new DJ this month. DJ Darren. The schedule isn't done yet, but I'll post it as soon as it is.

Everybody needs a little TLC!

Trancelogic.club

I've been listening to my station a lot now, and I've come to the conclusion that my playlist is ready to move forward. When I first started this venture I really thought I'd be posting a lot of long sets. But in reality, nobody wants to hear a long set unless they're in a more intimate environment. 

Even after 15 years of being an all out EDM sewer rat I still have no idea who the biggest show is and all that stuff. I can find that out any time at Beatport or something like that. I keep getting sidetracked with older tracks that I really want to play because I believe they are really good and that people will like them. That would be awesome if people liked them.

So here I am thinking that "yeah, I know everything there is to know about Trance music" - yeah right. I knew nothing  and make it a point to continue to know nothing. I know I fell in love with Oceanlab about a million times last night. For real.

I'm hoping to get some written content up this week. I have two ladies who are anxious to get started on their writing careers here in Halifax and they've blessed me with their time to develop that. I need to find some sources for video content. I'm still very happy.

www.trancelogic.club