Your premium brand had better be delivering something special or it’s not going to get the business. Warren Buffet.

Building a successful business takes imagination and commitment. There are always challenges, of course, and competition coming at you from everywhere.

In today’s hyper-competitive environment just having a good idea and working hard isn’t enough. Building a business or a brand is like creating a reputation for a person.

You must earn it. By doing the right things well, rather than following the crowd and doing things right. Day after day, after day, after day.

For better or for worse, your brand is a reflection of your thinking, character and values.

Chief among your values must be authenticity. In an era of fake news and sheer nonsense, authenticity is the most important component of a successful marketing strategy. If you don’t want to be instantly deleted you have to be real.

The most powerful and sustainable brands are built from the heart.

Their foundations are stronger because they are built not only with a slick ad campaign but with the strength of the human spirit.

Now that you’re here: Want to maximize your potential and take your life to new heights? Could you use a life coach? Does your group need to be inspired? Like me to talk to them?  For a complimentary consultation, text/call 416.450.8867 or email drew@drewsimmie.com. Follow me on Twitter.

All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he, she (Italics mine) grows up. Pablo Picasso.

I couldn’t help but think about this quote, attributed to Picasso, when I found Allyson’s email in my inbox announcing her 20th. anniversary in business.

It takes a long time to build a business and a special combination of skills and character to pull it off successfully; to not fall for the applause nor lose sight of our humanity and the child within us and get up every morning, resolved to keep on doing good work.

Her bio and her work says it all.

Kudos Allyson and congrats.

Dad.

Artist Statement

The reward is in the act of observing. Stone colours, textures, the shape of leaves, the ebb and flow of the sea, the changing seasons – all of these things continue to inspire my work. A gesture of thanks and appreciation.

At first it was a technical challenge – to really learn to see the natural world and to develop techniques to capture a sense of it in metal. But as time has passed I am now realizing another purpose: Connection. People connecting to place, places connected to each other, and our shared connection to the world around us.

“The moon casts 3 shadows, you know.”

One of my students said that to me almost 20 years ago. I am still thinking about it.

Shoreline Ring

This ring was inspired by the ocean’s timeless shaping of our coastline. The Shoreline Ring features the islands, trees and rocky shore of Mahone Bay, on Nova Scotia’s scenic South Shore.

View the Complete Shoreline Ring Collection

Fall Show Schedule:

• Craft Nova Scotia Christmas Show
  Halifax, November 16-18th
• 20th Anniversary Celebration Show and Sale
  Feheley Fine Arts, 65 George St.
  Toronto November 20th – 5:00pm-8:00pm
• One of a Kind Winter Show
  Toronto, November 22-26th Booth #P-21
• Hubbards Christmas Market
  Hubbards, December 8th

Would love to hear from you. For more information email me or visit my website.

Allyson Simmie

Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and, above all, confidence in ourselves. We must believe we are gifted for something and that thing must be attained. Marie Curie.

In my coaching practice, the thing that I have repeatedly come to see over the years is that, more often than not, many people know what they want. It’s just that they don’t do it.

Why? Because they can’t get past their self-limiting beliefs. They come in a variety of disguises, all starting with ‘I’. There are as many of them as there are people. Here are just a few of the most common ones:

• I’m not smart enough.
• I’m over qualified.
• I’m under qualified.
• I don’t have enough money.
• I don’t have enough time.
• I have too many other responsibilities.
• I am not quite ready.
• I’m too old.

You are not alone. From time to time, we are all afflicted with one of the above or something similar. We’re only human. But it is important to remember there is always another way of looking at challenges. The trick is to creatively find a way around them.

As I am fond of saying, attitude is everything. Your present circumstances might not be be ideal but it is not your circumstances that determine how far you can go. What ultimately determines your breaking through is how well you respond to the road blocks standing in your path.

We are all responsible for how we respond to life. The question is, if you are running into a self-limiting belief, how are you responding? In a tentative, self-defeating manner or seeing it as an opportunity for a bigger, more creative response than you thought you had?

It takes courage. Everything in life that has value and is worth doing does. It isn’t a matter of wishfully thinking, ‘yes I can,’ but rather recalling that you are bigger than you see yourself and that you already ARE what you wanted to be.

So get going. Get your work out there!

Now that you’re here: Want to step up your game or are in transition and could use a fresh pair of eyes? Would you like me to speak to your group? Text/call 416.450.8867 or email drew@drewsimmie.com. Follow me on Twitter.

Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything. George Bernard Shaw.

In our world of constant change, there is a growing community of accomplished men and women who, regardless of where they currently are on their journey or their life situation, are not content to sit back on their laurels.

They continue to reach out, looking for a new vision, something more, something else to engage both their mind and their heart.

Always up for a new challenge, determined to stay relevant, they want to maximize their potential and get to the very top of themselves.

For some, that might mean sharpening their skills and  stepping up their current game. For others, it could well involve re-imagining themselves and striking out in a totally different direction.

The work place is no longer the way it used to be. The very idea of work is changing. In today’s world, you’re either falling behind or going ahead. There is no middle ground.

Life can be complicated. Living well doesn’t just happen. Moving forward takes courage, curiosity, the willingness to expect the unexpected and continually adapt to change. And that’s  just for openers.

How many boxes can you check off?

Now that you’re here: Want to step up your game or are in transition and could use a fresh pair of eyes? Would you like me to speak to your group? Text/call 416.450.8867 or email drew@drewsimmie.com. Follow me on Twitter.