CEO Blog

SEPTEMBER 20, 2016

I had a great COO working for me at SYNNEX who talked about "Conditions". Conditions are those things which you cannot change - you can only choose how to react to them. For example - the exchange rates or if an accident has already happened. It is done - now you can only react to the Condition. Or as someone once wrote "you cannot ought to have done anything".

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SEPTEMBER 11, 2016

Headline says it all. Brother to Baby Elizabeth who now likes to be called big sister Elizabeth. Wondering what exciting things his life will bring. Must be colder in Ottawa than here - he is wearing a hat.

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CEO Blog

SEPTEMBER 11, 2016

Headline says it all. Brother to Baby Elizabeth who now likes to be called big sister Elizabeth. Wondering what exciting things his life will bring. Must be colder in Ottawa than here - he is wearing a hat.

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CEO Blog

AUGUST 30, 2016

Danby is Canadian. People like to buy Canadian. In Canada it means local. In the US, it denotes quality and North American. Everyone does not know Danby is Canadian and even if they do, they may not know our language. We we put up a simple Canadian Translator. Simply type in the word or phrase you want translated and it speaks back what that is in Canadian.

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CEO Blog

AUGUST 30, 2016

Danby is Canadian. People like to buy Canadian. In Canada it means local. In the US, it denotes quality and North American. Everyone does not know Danby is Canadian and even if they do, they may not know our language. We we put up a simple Canadian Translator. Simply type in the word or phrase you want translated and it speaks back what that is in Canadian.

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CEO Blog

AUGUST 21, 2016

I read a book - Disruptive Marketing - What Growth Hackers, Data Punks, and Other Hybrid Thinkers can Teach us about Navigating the New Normal by Geoffrey Colon. (no - I did not make up the sub-title). In short - I love it. Partly I love it just because I love marketing. But mostly I love it because Colon understands that marketing has changed and is changing.

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CEO Blog

AUGUST 11, 2016

I was approached by an entrepreneur who wanted to know how to make things go viral. Actually he asked what are early signs that things might go viral. The following is my reply. I have occasionally experimented in how to make things go viral. These same ideas apply to promoting a product like a book. The obvious - develop a product with a viral co-efficient greater than 1 - meaning if you tell 100 people, you get more than 100 views or users.

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CEO Blog

AUGUST 9, 2016

I have previously commented on negative interest rates. It turns out they have the opposite to the intended effect - people save - not spend. Interest article on it here. I was recently hiking on the beautiful Bruce Trail near Ancaster. At the Sulphur Springs Rail stop information kiosk has a flyer for a kids summer camp. It looked great: Learn how to read maps.

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CEO Blog

AUGUST 4, 2016

I have previously blogged about Bitcoin so was fascinated (and slightly distressed) that there was a $60,000,000 thef t of them. Someone once asked a bandit why they robbed the bank. The answer "because that is where the money is". So why Bitcoin? Because that is where the money is. It is distressing to see bad guys everywhere trying to disrupt things. + I had blogged about pokemon and the possible health benefits.

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AUGUST 1, 2016

The garden is in full production I am enjoying bountiful harvests of herbs - thyme, basil, parsley, chives, tarragon etc. And eating zucchini pancakes, soup, casserole, etc etc. Poor tomato crop. Fair bean crop. Good beets and leeks. Of course what is really going strong is crabgrass and most other weeds that seem persistent and resilient. Thinking we could all learn lessons from them.

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CEO Blog

JULY 18, 2016

I always say more companies and people fail from perfection than speed. Of course for some things, like surgery, I want perfection. Lack of perfection can cost time. For example - Danby sells about 2,000,000 appliances per year. If 1% of the customers have problems or questions, that is 20,000 calls or emails. My experience is if those are not resolved perfectly and in a timely manner, many people contact the CEO (That would be me).

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CEO Blog

JULY 5, 2016

I read a great book by Carmen Simon, PhD called Impossible to Ignore - Creating Memorable Content to Influence Decisions. Of course I love marketing and SEO. Simon is a Cognitive Scientist. I am not smart enough to know exactly what that is but she writes scientifically (which I love) with proper research. Much of the approach to me echoes what a psychologist would do.

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CEO Blog

JUNE 24, 2016

I am highly worried about Brexit even though I buy nothing and sell nothing in England and rarely go there. I have almost no interaction although I do know a few people who speak English. I worry the ripple effect of the vote will cause a worldwide recession. We are in delicate times and it does not take much to turn psychology. A turn in psychology will cause a slowing which will cause a drop in oil price which will cause the Canadian $ to drop.

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CEO Blog

JUNE 19, 2016

I really do not have original ideas. Even my Ted Talk emphasized that. The next 2 concepts were emailed to me by friends. Thanks! + I love technology.and I don't. So I was very impressed with the Bullet Journal concept. I have been using a system like this for years which I simply evolved for myself. EG - I have a series of symbols I use to indicate things like "send an email".

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JUNE 1, 2016

I recently read a book (big surprise) that had a list of taglines and that got me thinking. Do taglines work if they are just words? Or does the company have to do something to earn the right to their tagline? In some cases, I think just having the tagline works - when it is in sync with what we think the company is. For example: Just do it - Nike (they stole that one from me before I thought of it) Quality never goes out of style - Levi Challenge everything - EA (Genius for a video game company

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CEO Blog

MAY 29, 2016

I read a book today by Dr. Samantha Nutt MD - Damned Nations - Greed, Guns, Armies and Aid. It was captivating. Scary and depressing in parts but also hopeful. Nutt understands the complexity of the problem. She has traveled to war torn areas frequently. She founded the charity - War Child. Good book - worth reading. At the same time, I am listening to The Evolution of Everything by Matt Ridley.

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MAY 16, 2016

I read a book by John Blakey - The Trusted Executive - Nine Leadership Habits that Inspire Results, Relationships and Reputation. I like the title since I like habits. And distilling a complex topic into 9 things sounds attractive. The book leads with a section on why executives want to be trusted. I recall a speech I heard recently by the CEO of Ace Hardware, John Vanhuizen (and getting to know him a bit, I would call him a trusted executive).

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CEO Blog

MAY 9, 2016

I like to garden. Perhaps I should have figured out that I have hay-fever before I took it up. That is the only downside except for the occasional sore back caused only by myself - by lifting wrong. Connecting with nature has health benefits according to Huffington Post. I know I track my steps with a Fitbit and it gives me about the same credit as a stroll but for some reason I get much sorer gardening.

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MAY 3, 2016

I have not been able to bring myself to blog since the death of my nephew. Zafer would have wanted us to live life so I am back blogging. I have previously blogged about the Pomodoro system. It is simple. Set the timer for 25 minutes and work all out on the task at hand. No emails or calls. No one is offended if my door is closed for 25 minutes or if I do not get back to them for 25 minutes.

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APRIL 17, 2016

It is with great difficulty, I share this post about the passing of my 19 year old nephew Zafer Estill. Thursday night after midnight I was called my my distraught brother, Lyle who shared the terrible news that his son was dead. I could hardly understand what he was saying. I did not want to understand it. His obituary is here. A promising young man whose life was cut short.

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CEO Blog

APRIL 10, 2016

I had a birthday this week and my brother asked me if I had big plans. The reply was "of course I have big plans - I always have big plans regardless of whether it is my birthday or not." Reflecting on how often those big plans come to fruition, I note that they often don't. But because I have plans, I get closer to them than not having big plans. Big plans inspire.

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CEO Blog

MARCH 30, 2016

I feel guilty when I do not blog. But is am wondering - is this really something to be guilty about? The reason for not posting is usually time pressure but sometimes it is creativity. So for creativity - I welcome any ideas you would like me to blog about. I posted an article on Linkedin on easy video marketing. I believe in video for marketing but am not a real consumer of video (No TV does that).

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CEO Blog

MARCH 20, 2016

I find I am productive or not based on triggers. For me, one of my best triggers is working out. When I start my day with a good workout (like today), I tend to be more productive all day. I even tend to eat smarter. Productivity is higher. A simple workout triggers much positive in my days. Another positive trigger is taking a walk outside. Even a short walk is a good pick me up.

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MARCH 15, 2016

Danby has a factory in Findlay, Ohio (and we are soon opening one in Mobile, Alabama). The drive to Findlay from Guelph is about 5 hours. I usually visit there on Monday - ideally on a Canadian holiday. Being there on Monday lets me drive down on Sunday. I take it leisurely. I drive for 45 minutes then stop. Take a short walk and open my computer and work on projects.

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CEO Blog

FEBRUARY 28, 2016

Recently I have begun "blogging" on Linkedin. As I use it, I see it as excellent way to have a blog without actually having to post as often. There is a button on the home page that says "publish a post". One great thing about using Linkedin to post on is those people you are connected to see when the update is published. And usually, they are the ones who would care what you post about.

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CEO Blog

FEBRUARY 22, 2016

Lately, I have incorporated the 7 Minute Workout into my routine. I downloaded an app which does the timing and tells me the exercise to do. Very simple. And there is never a day that I lack 7 minutes. There sometimes are days I lack the motivation to spend it doing the workout though. The exercises require no equipment other than a chair so simple to do anywhere.

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FEBRUARY 15, 2016

I had the privilege of going to a trade show in Frankfurt. I do a weekly report to my board (this is good discipline) and in it I said "for an entrepreneur, a trade show is like a kid in a candy store". I have to so much restrain myself. The challenge with me, is I have far more ideas than time and resources to implement or to implement well. And I also need ideas that are the "right" size.

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FEBRUARY 8, 2016

I love my Fitbit. My children gave me a new upgraded Fitbit for Christmas. It not only measures steps (goal 10,000/day but 20,000 in a good day) but it measures flights of stairs (goal 20 flights but 50 in a good one). Because I live on a hill, when I walk in the neighbourhood, the Fitbit gives me credit for stairs when they are not actually stairs which is how I manage to get 50 flights in.

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JANUARY 23, 2016

Years of business and focus on productivity - trying to get more done in less time has caused me to lose my attention span. Technology has been a huge contributor. Emails, cell phones, social media all contribute to "short" interactions and many of them. This is not all good. Much of the greatest value I can deliver comes from doing high focus activities.

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JANUARY 1, 2016

Happy New Year! 2016 is here. Like all new years, today is the first day of the rest of your life so you can choose how to use it. Each new years, I reflect on my goals. And yes, I often set resolutions. So of course, I try to figure out how to have more success and this is the conclusion I reached: Self discipline is linked to energy levels. When I am well rested and high energy, I have the drive, motivation and focus to accomplish my goals.

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MARCH 10, 2016

A while ago, Forbes printed an article on the power of 30 minute meetings. Of course it interested me. I generally dislike meetings and the dislike is proportional to the length of the meeting. My simple addition to what is said in the article is "be on time". And in the age of devices, it is simple to start on time. First thing each day, I set alarms on my device for 2-3 minutes before each meeting.

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NOVEMBER 9, 2016

Most things that happen - positive or negative happen because of our reactions. It is not what happens - it is our reaction to it that is important. I do not do politics. The Trump victory will cause massive reactions in the stock market, housing prices, oil prices, gold prices, currency etc. There will be great uncertainty while people try to figure out what is going to happen.

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CEO Blog

NOVEMBER 9, 2016

Most things that happen - positive or negative happen because of our reactions. It is not what happens - it is our reaction to it that is important. I do not do politics. The Trump victory will cause massive reactions in the stock market, housing prices, oil prices, gold prices, currency etc. There will be great uncertainty while people try to figure out what is going to happen.

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