Money grows on the tree of persistence.

– Japanese proverb

We anticipate spring so passionately on the prairies! Yet when it arrives – a grayish–brown ugly duckling sort of creature – we wish it gone with even more ferocity. Farewell to window scraping and shoveling; hello to soggy shoes, dirty trousers and gritty floor mats!

Despite the grim vista revealed in winter’s parting wake, the longer days and milder temps DO elicit renewed optimism and energy. Ideally, plans laid out early in the year are inspected, polished and made ready to roll out.

However, 2010 finds many feeling tentative, noncommittal and perhaps a little unsure of their place in the greater scheme of things. When asked by an acquaintance recently, “How’s business?’ I likened my experience to the time when I broke my leg in three places.

Flashing back… I was 32 weeks pregnant with my second child. An improbable “slip and fall” scenario on some exterior stairs inevitably resulted in two surgeries, involving four steel pins and an eight–week stint on crutches. Fortunately, my “little one” cooperated and arrived eleven days past the due date, buying me valuable healing time. This definitely was a period of upheaval for my family, but the day came when I was told my bones had healed – it was time to cut off the cast and put aside my crutches.

I vividly recall my first tentative contact – foot to floor. My leg was atrophied, pale and covered with dark hair – like some transplanted wolf appendage from a B–grade horror flick. With a brave face, I gingerly put my foot down. Low and behold – no pain; it was as good as new!

A post–op appointment with the surgeon was scheduled a few days later. His enthusiastic pronouncement upon seeing me rotate my ankle and point/flex my piggies –– “You are ready for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.” Fast forward a few more months, and all pins were surgically removed, leaving some scars, an occasional twinge on a damp, cold day, but (thankfully) no bells and whistles with airport metal detectors! My surgeon’s parting words: “Walk every day. You will have a slightly larger chance of developing arthritis over the general population. Just keep doing things like you always have; don’t baby it – punish it!“

Foot to the floor, keep doing what you are doing – words worth repeating and sharing! SWJ is marching on and we are here to support you as you also make your way. www.swj.cc

Are you market–ready? You may have the best product or service, but if your message isn’t getting out there, you may be disappointed. A guideline is to allocate a minimum 5% – 10% of your operating budget each year toward advertising and promotion – this may need to increase if you have plans for expansion or other targeted growth or development goals. We can help with all aspects of planning, strategy and execution of tactics. Here are some of the projects completed by our team in the last month:

• IFT – the Forum e–newsletter template was re–designed for the Winter 2010 Issue!

• Mercedes–Benz Winnipeg – a launch event for the new Sprinter van, print advertising, web site upgrades and more – MB Winnipeg is going strong!  www.mbwinnipeg.ca

• Smith’s Quality Meats – has a great new portable display!  www.smithsqualitymeats.ca

• Stonelane Orchard & Market Garden – portable display and support materials. Join their CSA program and enjoy fresh produce for the 2010 growing season!  www.stonelaneorchard.com