Please put your oxygen mask on first... And then, help others.

I read a post on facebook the other day, "In order to succeed, you must put the success of others first".

And of course, in typical facebook fashion, the onslough of "likes" and "comments" followed. I thought to myself, do I dare to post my disagreement with this statement here... for all to see... for a debate to ensue... I decided not, instead a quiet blog post sharing my perspective.

Does helping others first ensure your success. I don't think so. In fact, personally, I know it does not. Instead, I believe success is much like the safety (survival) demonstration they show at the beginning of take-off. "In the case of emergency you must put on YOUR oxygen mask FIRST, and then help others".

Think about it... business takes a lot out of you. Financially and emotionally. If you can strengthen yourself first in both of these areas, then you'll have more to give to others. I believe it's a delicate balance of giving and growing. But I do believe if starts with FIRST strengthening yourself.

It's a lesson I've learned personally over the years.

Power to you.

Taunya

The Powerhouse Manifesto

Powerhouse is a Canadian co-operative of independent business owners whose purpose is to lead the new economy; an economy built on the premise that profit can be attained (and distributed) responsibly, without compromising our planet or our people–an economy where everyone wins.

We aim to replace the present form of capitalism, with its inherent injustices, with a balanced social order in which conscious consumerism will supersede commercial propaganda, in which the exploitation of independent business owners is eliminated, and in which an economy, currently based on self-interest and greed, will be replaced by a that of engaged community stakeholders committed to leading the new economy.

The present system is plagued by a lack of authenticity and accountability, a blatant disregard for the cumulative contribution of its independent business owners, and in an age when our planet is in peril, the system disregards the security and sustainability of our future for the sake of financial gain.

Power is primarily in the hands of a small minority. Due to their personal interests, the majority of our society is compromised. When personal profit is the main stimulus to economic effort, our society oscillates between periods of feverish prosperity, benefiting mainly the speculators and profiteers, and of financial depression, in which the general public’s hardship is accentuated.
We believe that these extremes can be replaced by a new and balanced economy, driven by an organized collective of Canadian independent business owners, in collaboration with concerned government, large enterprise, and public citizens; people who believe that the new economy must work well, and work for everyone.

We are a non-partisan, grass-roots movement, financed by our own members. We know there are many Canadians who believe, as we do, the time has come for a far-reaching reconstruction of our economic system. We urge you to join us in building the new economy through the following five imperatives:

#1 Strengthen Our Independents
#2 Foster a New Era of Socio-Economic Responsibility
#3 Bridge the Gap Between Independents and Government
#4 Rebuild Our Lending System
#5 Inspire Corporate Ingenuity

Reclaim Your Power…
- Join a Task Force*
- Join our online community to connect, communicate, and collaborate with other independent business owners who are inspired to lead the new economy
- Join us on facebook

Throughout the Powerhouse Manifesto, you’ll be encouraged to take action and to reclaim your power through various initiatives as indicated under the heading “Reclaim Your Power”. At any time, please feel free to call 1.866.839.2333, or email me (taunya@powerhousecoop.com) with your questions, opinions or comments.

*Task Forces are groups of concerned individuals committed to carrying out specific actions as they pertain to the imperatives outlined in the Powerhouse Manifesto.

Playing for Change

Ok, I'm officially bagged. I hope my blog post last night was received in the manner in which it was intended. Middle of the night thoughts have a funny of way of magnifying themselves.

I bought Playing For Change two years ago, mother's day, as a way of marking the year I decided to take an active stand for change - the cahnge I wanted to see for the entrepreneurial community. Please take a moment to watch and then pass it on.

If you're interested, and I mean truly interested, in helping me foster the change we need to see as an entrepreneurial community! Contact me at taunya@powerhouseinc.ca It may be one of the most important things you do for yourself and your business. COMMUNITY...COLLABORATION...CHANGE! ENJOY!

We're working in a Petri dish - no kidding!

It's 5:30am, I've been up since 3am... can't sleep. Part of what's keeping me up is the realization that we're (small biz owners as a community) living in a Petri dish.

We keep bumping into each other, trying to sell ourselves to one another, going around in circles, no real connection and unfortunately no progress or forward momentum.

This isn't new... this has been going on for hundreds of years - started back in the late 1800 with the likes of Edison and Bell. As our numbers grew, and more visionaries started to bring their dreams to life, we failed to plan for the future. We forgot to build an infrastructure where we protect and nurture our own.

Maybe it's our nature to be independent, proprietary, protective, but we've go to change. We've completely missed out!

If we don't look after each other, who WILL look out for us? Better question... who HAS looked out for our best interests? CASE IN POINT!

I should stop. But really!??? What's it going to take??? We need to get organized as a community - imagine what we could accomplish! Maybe now I can sleep? Why the heck does this keep me up at night!!!

Why aren't we doing more of this across Canada???

Community activism at its roots!

CSA stands for Community Cupported Agriculture. Essentially, members prepay the farmer for 18 weeks of produce and share in the ups and downs of the growing season. They also sell eggs, meat, and other local/organic stuff outside the CSA that they deliver or sell at the Saturday farmers market.

You can learn more about this particular CSA program and the farm on their website - thegreenranch.ca. There are memberships of 3, 5, or 7 items per week (5 was plenty for us two non-vegetarians). We went online at the beginning of the week and picked our items from what was available that week. Then there was a central pick-up location on Tuesday evenings (last year it was the Science Center parking lot) or we could choose pick up at the Saturday farmers market (or even deliveries if needed). Selection varies but some of our favourites last year were microgreens, salad mixes, carrots, potatoes, herbs, green onions, raspberries, hot peppers, squash, and pumpkins. They let you skip one week (e.g. vacation) and you can always get a friend to pick up (or ask to contribute a week to the food bank).

Thank you to Gillian at SaskPower, for passing this on!

Taunya

Free...

It wasn't specifically written for small business owners, but I'm sure you'll agree, Yamin's message is relevant to the journey we all share as entrepreneurs. Share this message with others and remember - nothing is impossible.

The message of the week...

Be free and enjoy.

Cheers!

Taunya

Thanks for hanging in there!

It's been a crazy year! Thanks for hanging in there with us.
From our family to yours...

A video we made just for you...

HAPPY FAMILY DAY!

Taunya, Ian and Sophie