Wix is Where It’s At (For Small Business Owners)

As someone juggling a full-time career with a busy part-time small business,  time and money are obviously very important to me. Effectively managing my time and money (expenses and sales) has been a challenge for me since I began this over five years ago.
It was then that I would manage my website with one provider, my email with another, with my accounting, marketing, social media and other business functions spread out over half a dozen other providers. Thus, I spent the majority of my time logging in and out of different sites.

Fortunately in recent years, Wix.com has made my life as a small business owner much easier. Wix started as a website building platform and has grown into so much more. It it basically the lifeline of my business at this point.

The easy-to-use Dashboard from the Wix Website Builder.

Wix is a ridiculously easy to use drag-and-drop website builder and domain/hosting provider that anyone with a computer can use effectively. In the last couple years, Wix has grown and developed into an all-in-one portal allowing business owners like myself to manage their accounting, email marketing campaigns, search engine optimization, email inbox, invoicing, social media content, blogs, CRM, and more. They also have the Wix App Market with dozens of useful apps to business owners.

On top of that, they have also introduced a mobile app allowing me to connect with customers, manage my schedule, invoice and accept payments from customers anywhere, and at anytime.

The Wix Mobile App keeps me connected to my customers 24/7.

 

So if you are thinking of starting a new small business, or already have one and looking to consolidate many  of your business functions into one easy-to-use software, I would strongly recommend giving Wix a try!

I’m always looking for new ways to help me run my business better and more efficiently every day. If you have any good recommendations for the latest and greatest in business software, I’d love to hear it in the comments.

What in the World is the Walt Disney Co. Building?

This past long weekend, I binge watched Season Three of Narcos through my Netflix subscription. Before bed tonight, I intend to catch up on an episode or two of Big Bang Theory on my Crave TV account. And finally tomorrow, I plan on watching the Sens vs. Blackhawks game on my NHL Gamecenter App.

  I, like many others in my generation, “cut the cord” on cable subscriptions several years ago in favor of on-demand streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, Shomi (R.I.P) , Amazon Prime, etc. I prefer to watch what I want, when I want and I don’t want to pay for five dozen channels that I have no interest in.

Netflix for example, has been my go to source for movies for the last five years. For TV series, I log on to CraveTV, If I want to TV-stream my favorite music, I’ll go to YouTube. I think you get the point. Over the last near decade, streaming services such as these have given consumers most of their entertainment needs at their finger tips. In fact, a couple of the only remaining enticing factors drawing consumers to modern cable are live sporting events and live news.

That being said, I am going to put on my Nostradamus hat and make a bold prediction on the future of streaming: The Walt Disney Company is about to change that all. That’s right. Disney is building the streaming service of all streaming services.

Let’s look at their billion dollar acquisitions of IP in the last several years. Lucas Films (Star Wars Library), the entire Marvel Studios portfolio (which they have began to pull from Netflix), and most recently Twentieth Century Fox. 

This gives Disney a very impressive library of acclaimed TV Series and Movies to launch a competitive streaming service of their own. However, Netflix offers the exact same. Disney doesn’t want to just grab some of the streaming market from Netflix, but to utterly dominate it. And it can.

As I mentioned above, one demand great streaming services like Netflix have not been able to offer to this point to consumers is live news and live sporting events. With global brand-name news and sports properties such as ABS News and ESPN, the Walt Disney Co. most certainly can do so…and I predict they will.

I love my subscriptions for Netflix ($13.99/month), CraveTV ($8.99/month), HBOGo $6.99/month) and NHL Gamecenter ($19.99/month). However, if and when Disney introduces us to a new streaming services that brings together the quality TV series and movies that I’ve come to love, and the live sports and news aspects that I’ve been longing for– all under one roof — then all I can say is…

 

 

 

Ottawa Senators: Out of the Playoffs and Out of Touch

   Being a sports fan is an emotional roller coaster. It can make you cheer, heckle, laugh, or cry. It can make you overjoyed, heartbroken, and constantly on the edge-of-your-seat. One word that should never be used to describe a die-hard fan of a major league sports franchise is “apathetic”.

Unfortunately for the Ottawa Senators, lifelong fanatics like myself are throwing that word out pretty frequently these days… and it has very little to do with the team struggling on the ice. We have grown apathetic of this out-of-touch organization and the message it has been sending.

Who’s to blame for this? Is it former team President Cyril Leeder, a founding member of the team and pillar in the community (before he was fired a year ago?) Is it his replacement of only a year, Tom Anselmi who we only knew from a few media appearances before resigning over the weekend? What about beloved former captain Daniel Alfredsson, who parted ways for the second time in five years for “undisclosed personal reasons”. Could the two dismissed C.F.O’s, former head of ticket sales, or even “Spartacat” be to blame? The answer is no.
The answer is Sens owner, Eugene Melnyk. Yes I am aware he saved the Sens out of bankruptcy in 2003 before Facebook was even a thing. For that I am grateful. And yes, I am aware that he, as the owner of the business, has the right to run his business however he pleases. At the same time, myself and other fans have the very same right as his consumers.

Since our great run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007, this team has been defined by mediocrity (squeaking into the playoffs one year, just missing the next year). Not only has it plagued the team, it has also been rewarded. Pierre Dorion is an excellent hockey mind and eye of talent, and he is restricted by a tight internal budget. However, he has not done a great job managing that budget (giving a two year extension to Alex Burrows with a no movement clause or signing AHLer Max McCormick to a one-way contact next year — these are unnecessary moves that other GM’s around the league wouldn’t have even entertained, thus there was no competitive need for this. I know 2.5M is not a big cap hit, but it is when you are a strict budget team. In a year where the Sens sit in the bottom five in the NHL Standings, there is no reason for Melnyk to reward Dorion with a three year contract extension at this juncture.

Between working with a skeleton staff, and strict internal budget, Sens General Manager has his hands full as he looks to rebuild the Ottawa Senators into a contender.

Back to Eugene and “The Internal Budget”…

Of course he has every right to implement a sustainable business model with spending in correlation to revenue. Thus, there needs to be an emphasis on smart drafting and development instead of high-prices free agent signings. I accept that and actually encourage that.

However, this means you need to invest into scouting and development (hockey operations department) and it’s widely known that we boast the thinnest hockey ops staff out of all 31 clubs. We’re driving a car with no engine here folks.

RELATED: Former Ottawa Senators executive sues Melnyk, team for $1.55M; alleges discord behind the scenes

 

Let me be clear, Eugene has done a lot for our community as well and is heavily involved in many great local charitable causes. But as he said in his comments at the NHL100, “this is about business”.

Finally (and most importantly) is that his attitude and behavior toward fans is the biggest reason for the overall disconnect here. His comments on Parliament Hill in December before the NHL100 outdoor game, when he took the focus off the one exciting event fans had to look forward to in a down year and made it about himself, are proof of this.
Listen, I will always love this team and what it means to this city. But while the hockey operations department is managed like the Trump White-House, and the owner is blaming the results of his poor business strategy on fans on a regular basis, I won’t be buying tickets or merchandise.

I am not a fair weather fan. I have a Sens tattoo for Alfie’s sake! The Sens have just committed to a “let’s just squeeze into the playoffs- and hope for the best” – approach. I’ve simply done the same with my ticket purchases.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the current state of our hometown Senators and how ownership can work to rebuild some of the bridges that have been burnt recently?

#GoSensGo

Blog #1: A Hidden Gem in Prince Edward County!

My wife and I went on our honeymoon this past September. After a spring and summer that didn’t bring the most ideal weather, we certainly hit the jackpot on our honeymoon week with twenty-five degrees and sunshine each and every day. We started with a terrific (and busy) four day trip to Niagara Falls, Ontario which featured everything from cruising on the Hornblower Boat Tour to the Falls, losing money at the beautiful Fallsview Casino, and making ears bleed singing karaoke at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville. After four fun-filled and action packed days in Niagara, we were ready to relax for the final few days of our honeymoon.

We left the Golden Horseshoe and headed back towards Ottawa, deciding to “wing it” and stop somewhere along the way. Neither of us had been to Prince Edward County or the Sandbanks area, so when we were approaching Exit 522 on the 401, a voice in my head said “What the heck” and I took the next exit toward Prince Edward County.

My wife was very excited until she got on her phone to find available accommodations and find out that there was next to none. All that was still available was a single room with two full beds and a minibar at the main Inn at Isaiah Tubbs Resort. “Oh well” we said, and decided to make the best of it and reserve the room anyway. An hour or two later we were checking in, about to receive our room keys, and after some small talk, revealed to the concierge we were on our honeymoon. She looked at me with an “I’m about to save your life” type stare, handed me the keys and said “We’re upgrading you to Beach House number 2. Enjoy the rest of your honeymoon.”

We were blown away when we got to our beach house which was loaded with amenities including a private beach, patio, and even a hot tub. The next day we finally got some much needed R&R with some beach lounging, a Surf N’ Turf dinner at the lounge, and topped it off with a nice bonfire on the beach.

On our final day, the concierge called us up and said she had one more surprise for us…a complimentary wine tasting tour and lunch at the highly regarded Norman Hardie Winery nearby. All I can say is if you are ever in the area and wondering which of the dozens of wineries nearby to visit…this place needs to be at the top of your to-do list. You may go for their wide selection of great wines, but you stay for their mouth-watering stone fired pizza.

The famous stone-fired Pizza at Norman Hardie Winerie in Prince Edward County.

All in all it was an incredible week. My wife and I had a great time in Niagara Falls, but what really made the trip for us was how above and beyond the staff at Isaiah Tubbs went to provide exceptional customer service and make sure that we had a special stay in Prince Edward County. If you’re ever in that neck of the woods, I would definitely recommend checking them out.

Do you know of any great places to stay or things to do in Prince Edward County? Let us know in the comments below…