From Laundries to Algorithms: What Displaced Workers Build Next
Christopher Green, a local storyteller, blogger, and retired lawyer, recently recounted a grim but revealing episode from the late 19th century: a disgruntled customer shot the owner of a Chinese laundry after claiming he’d received the wrong clothes. The violence was shocking, but what lingered was the broader context behind it—the economic trap Chinese immigrants […]
Success Is an Obligation—Not a Luxury
Years ago, walking downtown Vancouver with my young son, we passed Hastings Street—raw, uncomfortable, unavoidable. He noticed the number of people living on the street and asked the question every honest child asks: Why are they here? Why don’t they have a place to live? I told him the truth. There are many reasons. Some […]
Canada’s Answer to Big Tech Social Media
Last week, I was introduced to a new social media platform called Northsocial.ca. It has been in development for over a year on a shoestring budget, but it has some potential in the social landscape dominated by US-based tech giants. Northsocial.ca is a 100% Canadian-owned and operated social media platform built by Zynim Media Inc., […]
The Future of Work: Why AI Won’t Replace Us—But It Will Redefine Who Thrives
AI is marching into the global economy like an over-caffeinated intern: fast, tireless, and ready to take over every repetitive task it can get its digital hands on. But despite the fear-mongering headlines, AI isn’t here to erase humanity—it’s here to delete drudgery. What remains are the timeless human essentials: connection, creativity, trust, and initiative. […]
The Real Startup Killer Isn’t Competition—It’s the Devil in Your Head
How to Break Free From Drift, Fear, and Misalignment in Business I just finished reviewing Outwitting the Devil, one of Napoleon Hill’s most provocative works—written in 1938 but unpublished until 2011 because of its controversial style and message. The book is framed as an extended interview between Hill and the “Devil,” who represents fear, negativity, […]
Why Most Small Businesses Fail—and How WRN Turns the Odds Around
Roughly 50% of small businesses fail within five years, and nearly two-thirds don’t survive a full decade, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The reasons are painfully consistent: weak planning, poor marketing, and lack of expert guidance. Ironically, most founders know they need help—but early-stage businesses rarely have the cash to afford qualified […]
How Market-Focused Planning Helps Businesses Win Where It Counts
When a small software company named HealthSpace struggled to stay afloat, its leadership was at a crossroads. They had an innovative concept, but reality painted a different picture: undercapitalized, no coherent marketing plan, and customers drifting toward competitors. The question wasn’t whether they were working hard—it was whether they were working on the right things. […]
The Origin of Market Focused Planning: Why Narrowing Your Focus Expands Your Impact
In the early 1990s, a strategic shift was born out of necessity. While working with the International Centre for Agriculture and Science, alongside Dr. Roger Moore, we coined the term Market Focused Planning—a deliberate move away from “navel-gazing” strategies and toward a discipline grounded in how the market sees you, not how you see yourself. […]
Pivot to Profit: Leveraging Market Focused Planning in Times of Market Disruption
In an unpredictable business environment, relying solely on traditional strategic planning often leaves companies ill-prepared for sudden market shifts. Conventional planning methods typically begin from within, driven by internal biases, assumptions, and objectives that create a misleading sense of control. When unexpected changes arise, these internal blind spots quickly become evident, making established strategies obsolete […]