Professional Services

Braving the storm: emerging industries during a shaky economy

You don’t need a degree in economics to know we’re having a bad year. With staggeringly high inflation rates, rising interest rates and a stock market that’s had a horrible six months – the worst since 1970 – it’s no surprise that the word recession is being thrown around pretty liberally. Add to that alarmingly high energy prices and a battered supply chain, and it’s no wonder many businesses are becoming concerned, especially those in the emerging industries market, which is populated by start

Cybersecurity vulnerability and ways to fight back

Cyberattacks and cybersecurity vulnerabilities were a growing threat before the pandemic and invasion of Ukraine. Now, the experts are sounding the alarms at maximum volume.

Since the pandemic began, nearly one-third of survey respondents have experienced a rise in cyber attacks, insider threats and data breaches because of the increased amount of social and business activity shifting to the digital space.

Then in late January, Canada’s digital cybersecurity agency put out an official warning

What you need to know before starting your real estate acquisition process

Real estate is an ever-changing market with a wealth of expansion opportunities. If you’re ready to grow your business and are looking to acquire a new company, there are several steps you’ll need to take first.

Considerations include what you’re looking to acquire (assets vs. shares) and whether you’ll be expanding to a new market. In part one of our two part series, we’ll explore the preliminary questions you should be asking before beginning an acquisition:

Who are you buying and what are y

How to navigate the ins and outs of selling a pharmacy

Canada’s pharmaceutical industry is both strong and relatively small, with about 14,000 pharmacies and drug stores throughout the country. In part 1 of our 2 part series, we explore the dos and don’ts of selling your pharmacy.

Selling a pharmacy is more complicated than most business sales, mainly because the market is smaller, as is the pool of potential buyers.

Canada’s pharmacies and drug stores are a mix of independently owned businesses and chains, including large banners like Shoppers Dr

What the Rogers family drama can teach us about succession planning

The Rogers family drama has been captivating. The whole country watched it play out in the fall of 2021, when Edward Rogers tried to fire Rogers CEO Joe Natale. This move wasn’t a popular one with the board or Edward’s own family, as his mother, two sisters and other board members blocked the firing and ousted him as chairman.

Not to be outdone, Edward used his position as chair of the Rogers family trust to fire five members of the telecom giant’s board and replace them with members of his own

Technology

Talent acquisition 2.0: How talent mapping leads to better hires and long-term retention

Hiring managers are facing a unique challenge as the workplace landscape continues to evolve.

63% of recruiters admit their biggest issue is a talent shortage. It doesn’t help that the best candidates are usually off the market in about 10 days.

To further complicate matters, both businesses and talent are navigating a looming recession. With inflation reaching record highs, workers are focused on job security and financial stability.

While candidates still value flexibility and work from hom

How engaged hiring managers can improve the hiring process

Hiring managers play a vital role in any successful talent acquisition strategy. While curators often own the hiring process, it’s important to involve hiring managers every step of the way, from the preparation to the hiring and onboarding stages. Engaged managers lead to a positive candidate experience and often influence higher retention rates once top talent is found.

Step by step: Working collaboratively throughout the entire talent acquisition process

While curators are crucial to findin

Helping those with disabilities live their best lives

Smart technology has revolutionized accessible living for those with disabilities. From smart thermostats that automatically regulate temperature to voice-activated devices that can control your household appliances, proptech has made living independently – and safely – a very real possibility for a significant number of Canadians. According to a 2017 survey on disability, 22% of Canadians (or one in five people) aged 15 and up had one or more disabilities. For those Canadians, condo living can

Meta-analysis: Developers should tread carefully when using facial recognition software

The canary in the coal mine has officially dropped dead, as public opinion around facial recognition software has turned toxic. In this case, the proverbial songbird is Facebook (now Meta), who announced that they’d be shutting down their decade-old auto image-tagging feature this November and deleting the facial scan data of more than a billion users. The facial recognition software automatically identified people in uploaded photos and would suggest users “tag” them, connecting their accounts

What is Proptech and How Does It Help Building Developers?

What is proptech? How four overlapping new technologies (property technology, or ‘proptech’) can help building developers boost revenue. Categorizing more than 10,000 global proptech companies is a challenge not for the faint of heart. Numerous researchers and companies have tried, producing wildly different frameworks. Some of the top researchers, Andrew Baum, Andrew Saull and Fabian Braesemann, found that the industry structure has broadened considerably in the last few years, requiring a new

New Technology Partnership to Boost Revenue and Increase Mall Traffic

Connecting residents with local retail has wide-ranging benefits for developers seeking to improve mall marketing and increase mall traffic. We talk a lot about bringing communities together. And now with our partner Mall Maverick, we have a new way to bring local retail directly to residents within the SmartONE app. Mall Maverick is the top content management system for shopping centres and serves malls both large and small, business improvement areas and retail space in high rises. Mall Maveri

Consumer Services

Introducing the Mother’s Survival Guide

How to add self-care to a mom’s busy schedule

When I was about to become a mom, I had my life all planned out. I knew I would be the kind of mother who didn’t let her child dictate her schedule. He would nap around MY needs. I would never be late to anything. And I would, of course, always have time for a shower.

Plot twist: babies don’t work like that. As most new moms quickly learn, babies don’t care one little bit about your needs. It took only one night to destroy all my carefully made pla

How to create a quick, all-natural morning skincare routine

Read on for a morning routine that will protect and revitalize your skin in 10 minutes or less.

I didn’t always have a skincare routine. I know this sounds strange coming from someone who makes skincare products, but it’s true. Years ago, my routine was basically just washing my face and hoping for the best. When I realized my skin was suffering, I decided to up my game.

Having a morning skincare routine is essential to your skin’s health. It’s a way to prep your skin to face Canada’s demandin

Water Damage Restoration: How to Keep Your Property Protected

Water damage restoration is costly and time-consuming. Here’s how to prevent leaks and water damage.

Water accounts for half of all Canadian home insurance claim costs, beating out theft and fire. The threat of water damage comes from both inside and outside the home, but there are plenty of preventative steps you can take to keep your home safe and dry!

Here are the best ways to stop flooding and leaks in their tracks and avoid expensive water damage restoration!

1. Keep an eye on your roof

Ask a Restoration Specialist: Our Flood Recovery Checklist

Recovering from a flood is no easy feat. Check out our flood recovery checklist to give your home its best chance.

Flooding can be devastating to your home, which is why it’s essential to begin flood recovery work immediately. While it’s important to get experts involved right away, there are things you can do to help with property recovery. You’ll want to remove contaminated water, decrease indoor humidity, and deal with mold damage quickly.

We’ve compiled a flood recovery checklist to help g

Website writing

Marketing

The Pitfalls and Perks of Remote Workforce Management

Remote work is no longer an outlier–it’s the norm. Marketing campaigns are run from home offices, client meetings are virtual, and staff aren’t just opting for business casual anymore–they’re probably wearing sweatpants.

Like many businesses, marketing agencies have entered a new era of remote work, where remote employees are spread out across the country and board meetings take place over Zoom.

The AgencyAnalytics 2023 Benchmarks Report found that 97% of marketing agencies work remotely at le

3 Steps to Setting and Managing Client Goals

Marketing goal setting is just as important for your clients as generating leads, creating solid content, and boosting brand engagement. After all, if you don’t know where you’re going, it’s near impossible to get there.

Creating and managing clear, measurable goals for your clients not only encourages growth, it allows your marketing agency to focus its efforts on what matters most and ensures that success can be easily tracked.

Still, setting realistic marketing goals is often easier said th

How To Build Transparent Agency-Client Relationships

Like any important relationship in life, creating healthy connections with your clients takes time, clear communication, and, above all else, trust. Saying what you’ll do and doing what you’ve said keeps clients coming back for future projects, extending your relationship for the long-haul.

It doesn’t matter how well you know your industry or how deeply you understand your clients’ target audience. Without transparency, building a strong client-agency relationship will always be an uphill battl