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Welcome To BriskAir Furnace and Air Conditioning

Professional HVAC Services in Oshawa, Burlington & St. Catharines

BriskAir Furnace and Air Conditioning ,  the preferred HVAC specialists in Burlington, Oshawa, and St. Catharines.  Whether you need air conditioner or furnace repair, we’ve got you covered around the clock.  We specialize in all facets of the HVAC industry including installation, maintenance, and repair.  We have provided customers throughout these areas with the highest-quality service at the most competitive rates in our industry.  No matter what the problem you are facing with your HVAC system, our team of certified and licensed technicians are always prepared to diagnose what is wrong and recommend the proper repair solution.

We pride ourselves on exceeding the customer’s expectations and like to think that we offer the best HVAC installation, maintenance, and repair services anywhere in the Greater Toronto Area.  No matter who you deal with when contacting our company, you will always be treated courteously and professionally.  Furthermore, our technicians will show you and your family the utmost respect when working on the HVAC system in your Ontario home.

As your HVAC services provider, you can rest assured that installations, maintenance, and repairs will always be completed in a timely manner.  We don’t want to see you suffer during the icy winters or temperate summers any more than we would want our families to.  Unlike our competitors who charge you by the hour, we’ll provide flat-rate, up-front pricing so you will automatically know how much the job will cost before we ever start working on your HVAC system components.

We also guarantee all replacement parts and the quality of our workmanship.  We can’t be satisfied until we know you are and we won’t leave a job until you have approved the work we’ve done for you.  Additionally, we understand that most households today see both parents working and so do their teenage children on occasion.  Their schedules are filled with responsibilities both at home and work.  With flexible appointment setting, BriskAir Furnace and Air Conditioning technicians can accommodate your busy schedule and be there when you need us to be.

BriskAir Furnace and Air Conditioning specializes in commercial and residential air conditioner repair, maintenance, and installation, no matter what brand of equipment it is.  With many years of combined experience and expertise, and seeing nearly everything there is to see, we can easily say that no job is ever too big or too small.  Our highly skilled, knowledgeable, and experienced technicians can quickly diagnose your problem and restore your indoor comfort in no time at all.

Our teams of certified and licensed HVAC specialists are always available and prepared to respond to your call for help.  We can solve whatever problems you are, no matter how big or how small.  The last thing you want to experience during the frigid Canadian winter is a furnace or heating system breakdown or malfunction.  Whenever you need heating system and furnace repair in Burlington, or St. Catharines, BriskAir Furnace and Air Conditioning is only an e-mail message or phone call away.

Are you having issues with your water heater and need trustworthy service that you can always rely on? Our water heater repair technicians can have you enjoying hot showers once again.  Whether you have a standard tank-in water heater or the tankless version, just give us a call and we will be quick to have it operating as efficiently as we can.  In addition to our repair services, we also specialize in water heater installation and can develop a customizable maintenance plan that will keep it working the way it should.

One of the most common causes of air conditioner repair, furnace repair, and water heater repair is a lack of preventative maintenance.  Preventative maintenance on your HVAC system components and your water heater can save you money three different ways:

  • You can extend the lifespan of your appliance and delay premature replacement costs which save you money.
  • You can prevent up to 90% of all future repairs and the costs attributed to them which save you money.
  • You can see lower monthly utility costs because of these plans can increase operational efficiency by up to 20% which saves you money.

Whether you live in Oshawa, or St. Catharines, BriskAir Furnace and Air Conditioning can develop a customizable preventative maintenance plan that’s tailored to the specific needs of your household.

Whether your goal is enhanced indoor comfort, increased efficiency, or a total system upgrade, we can restore your indoor environment to a more comfortable and healthier place.  If you need emergency services, we’re available 24/7.  For information about HVAC system and water heater installation, maintenance, and repair services, contact BriskAir Furnace and Air Conditioning today and speak with a representative.

CALL (289) 312-6684

CALL (289) 812-2790

St. Catharines

CALL (289) 273-1840


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A Look Back At 2015 + My 2016 Goals!

Champagne Bottle Balloon

Hey All!

I’ve been looking over my recap of last year and my 2015 goals and it’s amazing how much I have accomplished in the last year. I couldn’t have done it with out the amazing support of my fabulous community of readers and followers that I built here and on my social channels in the past 7 years. Thank you all for sticking with me as we transitioned to BriteandBubbly.com last year. It was such a scary time and I’m so glad almost everyone who has followed me all these years has embraced our Brite & Bubbly re-brand. This site has honestly always been Brite & Bubbly and it was just about time our site name and brand matched our content.

We accomplished a lot and grown so much this year. I can’t even describe what a whirl wind 2015 was. It was filled with lots of amazing accomplishments and lots of bumpy roads along the way. I learned so much last year and like they say, with more money comes more problems. In this case the more success you have the more stuff you have to take on and deal with. I thought I would recap what’s gone on in the last year here on the blog, with our brand, with us personally, and share what we have planned for 2016. I warn you this is a very long and not typical post that you’ll find here normally on the blog. I thought I would get a little personal with you all today. It’s taken me all day to write this honestly. I apologize in advance because it’s so long!

I’ll start with the positives, achievements and goals we accomplished in 2015. We were published in our first book this year. Our Hazelnut Twinkie S’mores recipe was chosen out of thousands of recipes to be published in the New Hostess The Twinkies Cookbook. My recipe was such a favorite it’s featured on the back of the book as well. Every time I see it in a store, I shed a little tear since I’m so proud to see one piece of my work made it on to the shelves of stores and into to homes all over the world.

Twinkie Cookbook

I got my own donuts and wine designed thanks to California Donuts and Windsor Vineyards!

Brite & Bubbly Windsor Vineyards Rose

I was featured and published in a CB2 print catalog and on their website. This catalog was probably seen by hundreds of thousands of people! I also got to collaborate with CB2 for the holidays, which was another dream come true moment. I’ve loved this brand for some time and it was always a dream of mine to work with them.

I was featured in a Cricut Email mailing that went out to half a million people and I got to work with Cricut. Another dream come true brand collaboration. This one actually made my mother extremely proud since we’ve been using Cricut to make our crafts for years.

I made it into the LA Times for being a nerd and loving Star Wars.

One of my favorite shows the CW’s Supernatural shared the cake I came up with and had made for my hubby and it’s been liked over 50,000 times on their social channel alone and over 1,000 times on my social channel.

We met almost every celebrity we’ve ever dreamed of meeting in 2015! We met everyone from the one and only George Lucas to Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrel, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, J.J Abrams, Meryl Streep, Tracey Ullman, Robert Downey Jr., Anna Paquin, Brad Bird, Paul Rudd on the set of Ant-Man, Bill Hader, Joey Lawrence, and even the voice of Aladdin Scott Weinger!

That’s just to name a few and doesn’t count the numerous other amazing people and experience we had. It was an incredible year of movies and dream come true moments. Visiting Skywalker Ranch (I died and went to nerd heaven)…

Visiting Pixar for the second time…

And the set of Marvel’s Ant-Man where we got to put on Ant-Man’s helmet were also bucket list moments…

Vanessa 5

We are very proud to have stuck to our goal of producing original new content along with our brand collaborations. We wanted to make sure all our brand collaborations fit in with our brand and we are very happy accomplished this last year. It challenged us to take our original and brand collaboration content to a whole new creative level in 2015 and I’m proud of what I did. These are some of the top food posts of 2015.

Mini Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches, BB-8 No Bake Cookies, Pineapple Mimosas, Italian Easter Breads, Twinkies Stockings, Alize’ Summer Cocktails, Mini Melted Ice Cream Cone Ice Cream Cakes, and Emoji Rice Krispies.

Another thing we took to a whole new level was our DIY/Crafts posts last year. We did a whole slew of DIY costumes for Halloween (which I’m so happy you all loved) and we did a bunch of party and home decor DIY’s as well. Here are the top DIY posts of 2015!

The Emoji Ladies and Dog Costumee, Pixel PacMan Coasters, Our Disco Advent Calendar Wreath, The Sprinkles DIY Step Stool, The Pineapple Dole Whip Couples Costume, The Disco Themed Holiday Dinner Tablescape, The DIY Minions Party, The Ornament Place Card, and the Rainbow Cotton Candy Costume.

It’s funny how some of these top posts came at the end of the year during the holidays!

We got to tour the new Disney Animation Studios, Tour the HP Headquarters, and meet so many amazing brands this year.

We also got to cover some amazing travel locations like Hearst Castle

And we got invited to check out some amazing restaurants all around Los Angeles like the Fords Filling Station

And Dinette!

There were honestly more highs than there were lows in 2015 and I’m beyond grateful for the year we had. Last year took Brite & Bubbly to new heights and it was both successful on a personal accomplishment level and on a business level. I’m very proud of myself for all I accomplished running this one woman show here on my little piece of prime internet realty.

Now on to the lows and resolutions I sadly didn’t achieve last year.

First, I didn’t get healthy like I vowed to and I didn’t lose all the weight I wanted. In fact I was in the hospital and doctors office with everything from bowel issues and kidney stones. I didn’t focus on my health and I was ridiculously stressed out from work and the drama that comes along with working non-stop. I eat my feelings, so I gained the weight I lost. I’m seriously upset with myself, as I had lost over 15 pounds at the beginning 0f 2015 and I was on track to getting to my goal weight. I was on Weight Watchers, exercising, and doing good. I was trying to lose weight and get super healthy in order to have a new baby. Since I didn’t stay on track, I let myself go and paid the price because of it. No baby came since the doctors said I had to lose weight and get healthy before I should start trying to have a new baby. It was a devastating blow, because the hubby and I want a baby badly and we wanted to have one shortly after our wedding. It’s my own fault and I’m working hard to rectify it in 2016. Getting healthy is a priority in 2016!

I lost focus on my health as a result of the stress I put on myself. I was letting stress really get best of me.  A lot of this stress came from the fact that I was taking on too much, not managing my calendar and time, and trying to do more than I could handle and as a result the work would pile up. I would then get extremely stressed out because of this and then have to work double time to catch up. I still do everything myself and I love it with a passion, but it’s beyond hard. The hubby helps as best as he can. He helps me take some pics, cover entertainment/movies and some food content, but everything else is all me.  I come up with all the content, make, style, cook, photograph, edit, and write everything. I do that on top of any outside events or projects I do. This is something I said I was going to do better in 2015 and I failed. I said I was going to get help and I didn’t.

I also let the stress and drama of the blogging world get to me. As a result, I didn’t collaborate as much with other bloggers and creatives in 2015 (which I love to do) and I didn’t grow my brand team or my blog squad/tribe as I had hoped to do. That was one of the saddest things for me to fail in last year and I think that added to my stress because I love to collaborate with other like minded people.

I also didn’t stick with the weekly blog series and I didn’t travel as much as I had hoped to either.

I plan to turn all that around in 2016 in order to make this site/brand bigger and better than ever before and to make my personal life better and healthier. Here are my goals for 2016!!!

1. I’m going to focus on Happiness and living a truly Brite & Bubbly lifestyle: This year, I’m letting go of the stress and focusing on happiness and truly practicing what I preach. I got myself a planner called “The Happiness Planner” that will help me focus on bringing happiness into my daily life and everything I do. I want to share what I learn with all of you so you too can focus on finding your happiness in life. I am focusing on finding the joy in every day life and steering clear of negativity. I’m steering clear of blogging drama as well! I’m just going to focus on all the things that make me and my family and my readers happy and just focus on bringing the joy to myself and all those who follow me and are around me. This is the year of the “Sweet 16”, So I’m going to make it as sweet and bubbly as I can.

2. Grow My Brand Team. I plan to hire my first part time assistant this year. I have trust issues and it’s hard for me to seek out help. I’m going to learn to let that go and find someone I can rely and trust. This person will help me with administrative duties and organization. They will also help me with organizing the content schedule for BriteandBubbly.com and keeping me on schedule. I also want to hire someone who will help me with making my DIY posts. This will be who shares my same style and tastes in DIY. For those food/recipe posts, I’d like to hire someone with culinary experience to come in and work on our food tutorials with me. I’d also love to hire someone to come in and help me shoot video and photography on some of our posts as well. I’ll be posting on the blog and on our social channels when we’re ready to start hiring. It’s one goal I’m making a point to accomplish this year because I will need help if a new baby is coming. With plans to grow the blog/brand even more this year and in the future, I need to have a team in place to support me. I also know when I get some help, I’ll be less stressed out and overwhelmed during the busy times of year for this site like the holidays.

3. I’m going to get healthy and grow our family. I said last year I wanted to have a baby and I’m making it a point to keep that goal this year. I’ve already made it a point to cut back on sugar and bread to get healthy. They are my two main addictions. I drink soda rarely and I don’t eat many junk foods like chips etc., so all my weight is coming from those two things. I love my cookies, candy, donuts, and pastries and it’s hard to let them go. I had to learn the hard way that I can’t eat those every other day and not gain weight. I used to be able to do that, but not any more! Since I don’t exercise like I used to, I’m not burning the calories like I used to. I’m making it a point to go back to the gym and not spend all my day on my butt and on the computer working. I’m going to put my health first above everything this year and focusing on being healthy enough to have a baby. I know my little Brite & Bubbly baby is on the way this year!

4. I want to grow my Instagram, Snapchat, Vine, Periscope and Pinterest social channels. I’m legit obsessed with Instagram and I’m hoping to grow it substantially this year. It’s where I love to share and capture all our daily activities that happen off the site and all that we experience. If you don’t follow me there yet, please do! I’m going to be doing a weekly series of special photos on Instagram to spread the joy and positive vibes each week called my #MarqueeMantra series. I’m sharing my first one today that you see below. Life is short so make everyday magical!

marquee mantra

I’m also going to be sharing daily on Snapchat since it’s just so fun to just jump on and chat with you all on. Be sure to follow me by adding BRITEANDBUBBLY. I’ll continue to pin and repin our content and all the amazing content we find. On Vine I’ll be sharing some DIY short videos! I’ll lastly be doing more Periscopes to check in and to give you an inside look at all we’re doing. Be sure to follow on Periscope @BriteandBubbly as we have a tone of fun events coming up in the next week that you don’t want to miss! Celebs will be involved.

5. I will get back to my blog series and bring you more awesome content. For a while I was sharing my Fab Friday Finds, Wedding Wednesdays, etc. You all seemed to enjoy them and I stopped doing that each week because I just didn’t make time to do them. This year I’m bringing back my Fab Friday Finds #FabFridayFinds showcasing all my favorite links from my site and sites around the internet that I find. I’m also starting a few new series of posts this year that will include BriteandBubbly’s Favorite Eateries #BANDBEateries which will cover all our favorite places to eat out in Los Angeles and NYC for breakfast, brunch and dinner. We’re from NYC, but live in LA, so we have favorites on both coasts! In BriteandBubbly’s Favorites Shops #BANDBShops, we’ll be covering and sharing all the small business shops we love to shop in around LA and NYC. For BriteandBubbly Travels #BriteandBubblyTravels, we’ll be sharing all the amazing places we either travel to or the places that are on our bucket list to visit in 2016. I hope you enjoy these new series of posts on the blog.

I’m also focusing on making my content some of the most original around and distinctly me. I want my content and my voice to stand out in the sea of colorful lifestyle blogs. I don’t want to be compared to anyone else and I want to be know for the great original work I’ve done. Whether it’s geek chic or just plain chic, I’m going to push myself to go even bigger and better than last year! Get ready because “UNIQUE” is the one word I’m focusing on making all my content this year. I will also continue to bring you more awesome Entertainment, Movie, and Celebrity Interview coverage as I went to NYU for Film and TV and it’s something I will always love and do!

6. Improve our photography! I went to NYU for film and TV, so I’m ashamed my photos aren’t as perfect as I’d like them to be. I want to learn the in’s and outs of my camera this year so I can be a photo rockstar in 2016. I want the photography you see in anything on this blog and on my social channels to be incredible in 2016.

7. Be more organized: I’m planning my entire year and all the content I will be doing in advance. I’m going to have everything done well in advance and make sure I’m staying on a magazine content like schedule. I’ve missed so many holiday content deadlines or have been late in the game for the holidays and it’s not going to happen this year. Get ready for Valentine’s Day content coming in the next week!

I’m also searching for an outside office space to get the Brite & Bubbly studio out of our home. Having it in our home is a bit chaotic and causing a lot of clutter. There are photo props, lights, and just stuff every where! It’s madness! I organize it and clean house, but then a big project comes and the house looks like a tornado hit it once again. I’m done with living in chaos and clutter. I’m cleaning out stuff I don’t need and I’m looking for a real Brite & Bubbly studio/office space to take my work outside of the home. I also feel like this will make me more productive since I’ll have a place to go for work with less distractions. No more family, dogs, or the couch and TV to distract me from getting work done!

8. Grow My Blog and My Brand: I’m working hard to get my work more notoriety and attention this year. I don’t want Brite & Bubbly to solely be a blog forever. I want to grow this blog into a brand that transcends into products, events, books, and more. I’ve started to do this in 2015 and I have big plans to make this brand grow in 2016. I can’t wait to share them soon.

9. Take Vacations and Travel! I know it’s a scary time to travel with everything going on in the world, but I’m not going to let fear deter me from traveling. I want to go to London, France, Italy, Greece, My home lands Puerto Rico and Cuba, Jamaica and the Bahamas. Those are my bucket lists of places to visit this year and we’ll see how many I can get to! If I get to go to one or two this year, I’ll be happy with that! Even if I don’t get to travel to any of those places, I want to schedule and take more vacations and time off. Even if they are staycations or driving up and down the west coast. I’m going to schedule more breaks through out the year.

10. Find My Blog Tribe, Collaborate, and Make More Friends! I’ve lived in Los Angeles for almost a decade and I’ve been blogging for almost a decade and it saddens me that I don’t have a ton of friends or a group of bloggers who I can call my tribe. When I was in NYC, I had tons of friends and I still do, but I don’t see them often since I live on the west coast. I want to make more girl friends and make some long lasting relationships and friends. I don’t know why it’s been so hard for me to do that here in Los Angeles, but I’m going to do my darnedest to get out more and meet new people. I also want to have a great small group of blogger friends I can confide in and who I can collaborate with and support. I have a few thus far, but we don’t have the same style of blogs or interests so we can’t really collaborate on much. I’d love a group that all knows each others, has similar interests and blogs, and that we all get each other. I see so many people have this already and it’s hard to break into groups that are already formed, so I’m on the hunt to make my own blog tribe at all the blog conferences I attend this year. So if you’re looking to connect and join my Brite & Bubbly tribe of blogging besties feel free to connect with me if we cross paths this year!

11. Pamper Myself, Write, and Read! I haven’t done a lot for myself in some time. I haven’t gotten a hair cut at an actual salon in over a year. I haven’t gotten my nails done in over a year. I haven’t gotten a massage in over a year. I haven’t been to a new museum in Los Angeles in a year. I haven’t gone dancing in over a year. I basically stopped having any free time fun for myself or with my family and I stopped taking care of myself and pampering myself. I kept making the excuse that I had no time or money to do so.  I’m turning that around in 2016 and I’m not making any more excuses. I also have stacks, YES STACKS of books to read that I bought all year last year. For example, I’ve had the #GirlBoss book for god knows how long and I’ve read a few chapters and have not finished it. Sacrilege I know! Everyone has read and finished that book but me. I’m getting through these books this year! I want to take more time to relax and read and send out letters to my good friends. I have so many cards and stationary to use and this year I’m going to use it! I’m getting 300 stamps to make it happen!

12. Last but not least, I want to trust my instincts and gut. I can’t tell you how many times my gut told me to do something or to not to do something and I went against my gut instinct and payed the price. I’m going to go with my gut in 2016 and I’m not going to second guess myself or go against it. I’m learning to trust myself and that’s a big focus for me in 2016! It’s something I realized I needed to do more last year.

I know this is a lot I want to accomplish in 2016, but I feel it’s possible with focus, dedication, hard work, and all your incredible support! I also have to thank all the amazing brands and collaborators that believe in me and Brite & Bubbly each year! They allow us to continue to keep this brand and business going each year. I’m so thankful for everything we get to work on each year.

Thanks so much for being brave and patient enough to read through this extra long and extra honest rare post. I hope you enjoyed this reflection of 2015 and I hope you are excited as I am for what’s in store for 2016!

I can’t say thank you enough for all your support of this blog and all that I do and I can’t wait to share all the amazing content we have in store for 2016 and all the exciting things to come from our brand!

Get ready for Valentine’s Day coming soon! It’s going to be one for the Gals if you know what I mean!

Thanks again for the continuing support and for being part of my Brite & Bubbly squad!

All Rights Reserved © Brite & Bubbly 2019
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Peter and the Wolf – School trip

Senior Infants and First class Ms. Doyle’s(Room 2) had a great day out on Tuesday April 4th, when they travelled to the Civic Theatre in Tallaght, to see the production of “The Wolf and Peter” performed by CoisCeim Dance group.  “Fascinating”, “emotional”, “interesting”, with “amazing talented dancers”, were some of the words used by the children to describe the performance. They particularly enjoyed the “slick cat”,  “sneaky wolf”, “mean hunters” and “happy-go-lucky Peter”!


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Some Show or Other

A quick recap on the ADDY Show:

Emily almost broke her ankle on the steps outside of the show. Tiny almost punched some jerk during the show. Timmy almost got stabbed by some crazy guy after the show. And, oh yeah, our agency almost won our 9th straight Best of Show. Yeah, overall it was a pretty fun show. Thanks to all of our clients, partners, and employees who encouraged us to get back in this year. And a special thanks to our Cleveland Institute of Art client for joining us. (Hope we didn’t embarrass you too much, Maria.)
Click here for more details on the show, and here to learn why we re-entered it after a three-year hiatus. (Like anyone cares.)
Why anyone should care about awards:
According to a recent study done by Leo Burnett, 82% of all work that won the most awards at advertising award shows like C.A., the One Show, and the national ADDYs “exceeded business objectives.” Truth is, most shows recognize work that is fresh, original, and relevant. Which is exactly the kind of work needed to rise above today’s blah blah, media-cluttered, TiVo-zapping world to increase brand value. It’s a simple equation, really: Better, simpler, smarter, more original-er work = better results.
p.s. – Don’t forget to spring forward this weekend, and stop in your nearest White Castle for some free Slyders. Mmmmmmm . . . Slyders!

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In Broken Shovel News

Broken Shovels Farm will be taking applications for Spring/Summer/Fall Interns and Volunteers!

Want to learn about animal husbandry, food production, small-scale farming? Or just wanting to be behind-the-scenes as we make cheese, deliver babies, and care for the many wonderful critters who call our farm home? Learn to manage a small market garden? Assist with building projects using alternative and up-cycled materials? Be involved in projects that benefit animals lives? Help with our sanctuary, rehabilitating pet and farm animals with love and attention?

These are unpaid, educational positions, though do carry a stipend of farm products. If you:

-Have 10-16 hours per week to devote to farm time,

-Have the ability to commit to regular weekly hours, and for at least 6 months,

-are not afraid of hard work, extreme weather, and getting dirty, and able to lift 50 pounds,

-have a great love of animals,

-have the capacity for quick learning and applying new knowledge to new situations,

…then this may be a perfect opportunity for you.

We will also have live-in positions which require more hours, for those out of state or wanting to gain a more intensive farm experience. We offer a fun, exciting, high-charisma environment and love to share this experience with intelligent, easy-going, responsible, fun people with a vision for a better world and more responsible agriculture.

If interested, please email brokenshovels@gmail.com and tell us a bit about yourself, your regular available hours and your goals for participation. If you have applied before and we were not able to fit you into our program, PLEASE feel encouraged to apply again.

As always, please share and distribute our posts!

Contact Us

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February 2019

  • Let’s Talk- Brexit; Property and Liability

    With Brexit’s imminent arrival businesses are starting to stockpile with some taking on additional premises to store this stock whilst others are relocating products and services. So, the question is how is this affecting their insurance and how are your clients’ sums insured keeping up?

  • Broker Barometer – Brexit Looms

    Despite the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, brokers are still planning for growth and expansion in 2019. Aviva’s latest Broker Barometer survey highlights that even though the landscape may be complex for brokers, many are taking future-proofing strides.

  • Business built on partnerships

    Supporting the growth ambitions of mid-market businesses by working with you as a trusted partner, can provide real value to the running of their business.

  • £1,000 awards announced to brokers building stronger communities

    Since 2010 hundreds of brokers have secured funding for local causes in their community through the Aviva Community Fund. Last month we announced another wave of broker winners and the causes they’re championing to build stronger communities.

  • Introducing our new Claims guide

    We’ve recently developed a comprehensive Claims Guide with everything you and your clients need to know about Aviva’s SME claims services, all in one place.

  • Space filling up fast for the Broker Roadshows

    Our 2019 Broker Roadshows kicked off in last week in Glasgow and we opened the doors to welcome brokers from across Scotland to hear more about our support to them and their business in 2019.

  • The 6 marketing resolutions you need to keep this year

    A tendency to look on the bright side is never more evident than at the start of the year when New Year resolutions are made. Within days, sometimes within hours, most will have been quietly forgotten.

  • How can Club 110 help you grow?

    Why is Club 110 good for you? There are lots of member benefits that are great for you that are all about helping you to grow and develop in your role as well as trading solutions to help you every day. Now is your time to explore the full Club 110 offering.

  • Is your digital data secure?

    Following the introduction of the new Data Protection Regulations last year, all businesses are now subject to fines and penalties for failing to secure digital data.

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Giving your motor Aviva Private Clients more

When your clients have more, they expect a level of cover to match - it’s only natural. We’ve taken the opportunity to upgrade our Aviva Private Clients motor product. So, what changes have we made?

  1. Personal Belongings: Limit increase from £1500 to £2500 –recognising the likelihood that your clients may have higher levels of personal belongings in their vehicle.
  2. Continental use: Increased trip limit from 3 months to 6 months - clients can now take their car abroad for up to 6 months without letting us know.
  3. Child seat cover:  We now provide unlimited cover – this provides your clients with comfort that their child seats are fully covered.
  4. Pairs and sets: If your client’s alloy wheels or upholstery is damaged in an incident and those specific items are no longer available, we’ll pay for the whole set to be replaced so they match.
  5. Cover whilst on display at exhibitions: We understand that Aviva Private Clients may have their vehicles on display at exhibitions or museums and as such will provide cover and pay for repairs, should the vehicles get damaged.
  6. Cover whilst in transit: We’ll pay for repairs to your car if it’s damaged whilst in transit.
  7. Pet cover: Up to £2500 for emergency veterinary treatment - we recognise that pets often go on journeys, as well as horses being transported in trailers/horse boxes, giving your clients peace of mind that their precious pet will be looked after.

Also from the 23 July, we’ll be upgrading cover for weddings, school proms and funerals:  We’ll now cover use for the carriage of passengers for hire or reward solely in connection with a wedding, school prom or funeral so your Aviva Private Client can use their car at special events.

Set the highest standard of protection

Give your clients the assurance that the belongings they treasure, their vehicles and holidays are protected with the same care and precision with which they chose them. See what Aviva Private Clients can offer your clients today and discover more of the good thinking behind our enhanced high net worth offering.

For more information on Aviva Private Clients have a look at our Aviva Private Clients Prospectus or contact your Aviva sales manager.

Don’t forget…

You can access Broker Create to give you access our high net worth marketing templates that you can personalise and brand as your own to prospect new clients and achieve cross-sales with existing ones.

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Reviewed by Lee Shepherd
It took Scheherazade 1001 nights to enchant her listeners, while the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra accomplished the same feat in one evening at the opening concert of the 2018-19 season.

Saturday (Sept. 29) at The Forum in Binghamton, Maestro Daniel Hege showcased the virtuosity of the entire orchestra – as well as Rimsky-Korsakov’s orchestral mastery – with a performance of Scheherazade.

The four-movement work was inspired by the Arabic folk tales of One Thousand and One Nights. To say it’s a challenging piece of music is a vast understatement.

What began as a sensuous, way-up-in-the-stratosphere violin solo by concertmaster Uli Speth continued as a gorgeous duet with principal cellist Hakan Tayga. Harp joined in, then a bevy of brass and woodwind soloists and, finally, the whole ensemble creating a rainbow of dazzling musical color.

The fourth movement, in particular, was a tour de force, with trumpeters tonguing as fast as humanly possible accompanied by a frenzy of fast bowing and fingering by the strings, perfectly synchronized and executed.

As Hege pointed out, though listeners might not recognize the titles of all the pieces on the concert program, (which also included Smetana’s The Moldau and a contemporary work by Christopher Theofanidis, Rainbow Body) within a few notes, they would recognize familiar tunes they’d been humming their whole lives.

Such was the case in Scheherazade with its recognizable melodies depicting the storyteller herself, the ruthless Sultan, sweet romance, cruel treachery, redemption and other wondrous themes from fairy tales. Hats off to Hege for programming a delightful and enjoyable selection of works.

The BPO’s performance of the orchestral warhorse The Moldau was fresh and original. Close your eyes, and you were drifting down the river through woods and meadows, under looming castles and palaces and, finally, slowing as the river widened and vanished.

A word about Hege’s conducting, as seen from the audience side: His beat is concise and strong, his cues are clear and he evokes the finest from the musicians with his elegant arm movements, head gestures and body motion, all without being distracting or overly dramatic. And the BPO’s new music director certainly has the “gift of gab,” addressing the audience with witty and informative comments.

The 13-minute piece by the Houston-based Theofanidis was the real surprise of the evening. With good reason, Hege said, concert-goers are frightened when they hear a work was written in the year 2000, not 1700 or 1800. Fears were allayed, however, with the BPO’s presentation of the lyrical and listenable Rainbow Body, based on a chant, “Hail Mary, Source of Life,” by medieval composer Hildegard of Bingen.

Cellist Tayga introduced the evocative melody. The composer then presented the chant as if heard in a huge, reverberating cathedral, with various instruments blurring the sound. Throughout the piece, Theofanidis interspersed the chant with his original music and ended with a triumphant finale played by the whole orchestra, based on the Zen Buddhist idea that at the moment of death, the body changes into light that is absorbed by the universe.

Rainbow Body is a beautiful and exquisitely crafted piece of music, a real treat for a Binghamton audience, or any audience.

I can’t say this often enough: We’re so lucky to have an orchestra the caliber of the BPO contributing to Binghamton’s wealth of culture. The opening concert was a splendid start to the new season.

COMING UP: The next concert sponsored by the BPO is “An Evening of Bluegrass with Tessa Lark and Michael Thurber,” 7:30 p.m. Oct. 5 at the Doubletree by Hilton Binghamton. Visit for ticket information.


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Archives for December 2017

2017 Wrap Up

It is that time of year. Once again we reach that arbitrary point in space in which we reset our calendar, drink too much and reminisce about the birth of an idealistic, Iron- Age, itinerant carpenter. As is traditional, I would like to spend a moment reflecting on the events that have occurred during this […]

Clinical Case 143: a Perfect Airway Storm

This episode I reflect upon a really tough airway case. I have asked a number of airway gurus from the FOAMed community to comment on the logistics and plan to manage this case.  Thanks to Tim Leeuwenburg, Rich Levitan, Roger Harris and Dr Richard Lewis of their contributions. The patient 50 year old woman with […]


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Create A Board

Boards are where projects get organized, information is shared, and great work happens. They give everyone a shared perspective on the work getting done and what still needs to get done. Boards are made up of lists and cards. Lists often represent a workflow or process. Cards, which often represent tasks, move across these lists to completion.

Creating a great board is easy! Let’s break it down:

Create A Board

  1. From the team’s Boards tab, click “Create new board” or click the plus button (+) in the Bugcutter header directly to the left of your name, and select “Create Board.”
  2. Name the board for whatever you are working on. (Remember: It can be anything from organizing an event or managing a blog, to tracking sales leads or planning that much needed vacation.)
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From Scratch…

My name is Ian and I’m attempting to build a house for my family. This blog will chronicle our journey for better or for worse.  I will also be sharing helpful lessons I’ve picked up in the TMYK section. Our project is ambitious and nuanced, but promises to be well worth the effort. Today we have our builder, plans, and a lot under contract. We have completed initial feasibility and our loan is pre-approved and working its way through the financing stage on a 45 day close. Our next hurdles include finalizing the build spec, and paying the architect, preliminary permit fees, builder’s down payment, and appraisal.

The biggest variable in this project stems from the size of the lot.  At just under a half acre, it is a mammoth for flat, build-ready property near Seattle. We hope to sub-plat half of it off at some point to bring in some fresh neighbors and more new construction. This lot division may well be underway while we are building the house. Check back for regular updates as our project progresses.

Update: added contextual links to other posts

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Revolution era Assault Weapons

Revolution era Assault Weapons

We are hearing a lot of talk from those who seek to control the American people and limit their liberty, questioning why anyone would need a so called “assault weapon”.  While it is humorously ironic when British blowhard Piers Morgan spouts off criticizing our 2nd Amendment, it is a little more disturbing when American politicians follow suit.

Since many politicians choose to ignore history and walk all over the Constitution, it is good to talk a look back and see where these radical notions of an armed society and liberty came from.

As I have long pointed out on this blog, the 2nd Amendment isn’t about shooting deer, it’s about shooting tyrants.  Our nation was FOUNDED on such a notion.  The only people who would throw off the chains of tyranny and then undercut the ability for future generations to do so would be tyrants themselves.  I do not view George Washington, Ben Franklin or Thomas Paine in this light and I wonder how today’s gun control zealots can twist the history of our founding so cockeyed that they would make tyrants of our founding fathers.

The Colonists during this time had petitioned the King, wrote to Parliament, and took all the peaceful avenues of redress that they could.  Finally, when their grievances were ignored, their property seized, taxes crippled them and they were denied the rights that their English cousins enjoyed they said ‘enough’.

Now, the gun control zealots like to mock American gun owners today by trying and marginalize the 2nd Amendment saying that when it was written they were talking about muskets and that muskets are the only thing that the 2nd Amendment protects.

Of course, that is like saying the 1st Amendment only protects a hand cranked, single page printing press.  But I digress.

The founding fathers were talking about muskets and early rifles.  Why?  Because those were the most advanced weapons of the day and with those weapons a nation was founded.

The colonists had equal, and in many cases,  superior firearms than that of the British.

The British standard issue rifle of the day was the Brown Bess

The Brown Bess was in production for almost 55 years before the start of the Revolution.  It, or one of its derivations  was in the hands of nearly every British redcoat during the war.  And talk about an “assault” weapon, the Brown Bess came with a bayonet 17 inches long, used when the British lines would literally assault the enemy position.

While the Americans where made up of militias and were less uniformed in their selection of firearms than those of their enemy, in some senses that gave the American the advantage.  The Colonists, by and large, brought their own firearms to the fight.  While many used derivatives of the Brown Bess, the Americans excelled at precision shooting with the Pennsylvania/Kentucky Long Rifle.  The reason for the accuracy of up to 400 yards was due to the rifling of the bore which made the round fly straighter.

If gun control advocates had their way, the Colonists would have needed to use bow and arrows against the British because using their rhetoric, “who needs to shoot something 400 yards away”.

While revolution should never be the first response, the opportunity to cast of chains of tyranny should be a viable option in order to preserve liberty.  As such, weapons are needed that are on par with those carried by said tyrants army.

If the Colonists were denied the use of arms equal or superior to that of the army of King George, then we might very well still be bending the knee to the Crown.

To limit the 2nd Amendment to something smaller than its intent (such as hunting or personal defense) is to limit the essence of American liberty and freedom.  The 2nd Amendment is the line in the sand, and if it is allowed to be brushed away then the freedom that we enjoy today will exist only by the whims of those in charge.

Let us stand resolute to ensure that the leaders of America serve and never rule.

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Save Your Marriage After You Wrecked It Following Our Marriage Advice

March 11, 2019 by , featured in Spiritual Wellness
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We get it: The last thing you want is more marriage advice from us. Following our marriage advice is what got you here in the first place. But trust us, we know how to fix this. We can make things right again if you just listen to us and blindly do what we tell you. What have you got to lose? I mean, in addition to what you’ve lost already.

Communicate Openly With Your Spouse

The most important part of a relationship is honest and open communication—just not the way we told you to be honest and open. Hold some things back, but let other things out. We know that’s kind of vague advice, but the last time we were specific, you ended up throwing your wedding ring into four lanes of oncoming traffic. Forgive us for wanting to play it safe here.

Be Faithful

It’s not okay to go on vacation and have an affair. We should have known that. That’s on us, but you should have known not to take that advice, so it’s on you, too. If you really want to make this marriage work, you’re going to have to break things off with Rodrigo. Yes, we know about his rock-hard abs. Yes, we know Rodrigo can ride you like a dime store pony for hours. But if you wanted to leave your spouse for your Latin lover, you wouldn’t be reading this article. You’d be reading How to Leave Your Spouse for Your Latin Lover, Rodrigo.

Spice Things Up In The Bedroom

Alright, we know we recommended that you do some pretty abnormal (and possibly illegal) sex stuff and it weirded out your spouse. We should have stressed the importance of balance. Go crazy with your sex life, but not so crazy it drives the other person further away. Do what we said, but don’t. Got it?

Cut Down On Screen Time by Mad Dogging Strangers!

Be Yourself

Yes, this contradicts the advice we gave you to reinvent yourself, but that didn’t work out, did it? Your marriage was going fine before we gave you advice, so it’s probably our fault. We know we broke something, but we don’t know how to fix it. Maybe do the exact opposite of what we told you before? Seems simple. Might work.

I Told Everyone I Was Armie Hammer For A Month: Here's My Story

Don’t Play Games

All we know are games. We gave you a full article on how to play them, but the only thing we can tell you about not doing them is the general sentiment that you shouldn’t. Maybe see what Oprah has to say about it? Admittedly, we’re shit at this. I’ve personally been divorced twice and have no intention of ever getting married again. Relationships are bullshit. Don’t listen to me.

Ignore All Of This Advice

It hasn’t worked out well for you when you’ve listened to us. Why would you do it again? If you take just one word of our advice, we hope it’s this one: don’t.

If this article ends up making things enormously worse, just like it did the last time you followed our advice, you can always check out our divorce advice. We promise we’re better with breakups.

Images: Pixabay, Pixabay, Pexels, Pexels

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No? Nor did I until I attended a talk last week on Pain by Julian Baker, Head of the College of Bowen Studies and a Functional Anatomist.  Not only that, but science (and common sense) has proved that pain isn’t actually a good indicator of damage. So how and why do we feel pain, and what does this all mean for complementary therapy treatments like Bowen and Reflexology?

The pain we experience is actually created after the brain has translated a series of sensory signals, inputs if you like.  Let’s take a paper cut as an example – I can already see you wincing. We see the piece of paper next to our skin, we feel the change in texture as the paper edge slides across our skin, we see the blood, our brain takes those sensory inputs and then outputs a pain signal. Contrast this against getting ready for a shower after an afternoon clearing the garden, noticing dried blood on our leg and realising we must have scratched ourselves.  It’s only when we see the blood that our brain might alert us to the damage with a stinging session, a stinging session we did not feel at the time the damage occurred.

Sometimes the pain signals we receive are a signal that there is damage in that area, but this is not always the case. If you think about it right now, can you feel your little finger? Your shoulder? Your tummy?  Yes – you have a really good sense of them and ‘how’ they feel. But now try and think about your liver. Can you feel where it is in your body, can you feel it’s movement as it filters blood and secretes bile? No.  So if there is something wrong with your liver, how is the body going to make you feel it if you can’t feel it?  Simple. It will send the pain signal to somewhere you can feel it – often to your abdomen or your right shoulder.  This is called ‘referred pain’. Another example is the impact of long-term stress. Where do you feel it – often as acute or chronic pain in one or more areas of the body.

Back pain is a great example of how sometimes the pain signals we receive are not an indicator of actual damage.  How many times have you heard people mention their back pain in the same breath as they mention their bulging disc?  Scientific research has demonstrated time and time again that there is no direct or reliable correlation between bulging discs and back pain.  In one study [1], and there have been many, 100 people who had never had any back pain were given an MRI. Of those 50 had a bulging disc, yet they had no pain and 20 of those were severe cases.  So why do people who have bulging discs attribute the cause of their back pain to their bulging disc? Because we have, over the years, incorporated into our belief system that a bulging disc means that we will experience pain; and when we believe it, when we adjust our behaviour and our thought patterns to expect it, our brain responds to those signals and delivers exactly what we are asking for.

This doesn’t mean to say that pain is only in our head.  Far from it. The pain that each of us feels, whether physical or emotional, is very real and very personal.  All it does mean is that we have to be careful in how we translate pain when it comes to treating someone ‘in pain’.  As therapists we view pain as a symptom, a signal that something is not quite right somewhere in the body, so we treat the whole body in order to get to the root cause of that symptom – not just the symptom itself. Underpinning this is our belief that we are not attempting to diagnose or cure, but to provide the body with the right signals and the right space to enable it to work out what is going on and make the necessary changes for itself:

“Given the right place, the right time, the right conditions, your body begins to talk, to work out what is going on, and to have an opportunity to make a change.”

[Julian Baker, Head of the College of Bowen Studies]

This is why I believe that complementary therapies like Bowen are often so successful in supporting those in pain where conventional treatment pathways haven’t always been able to.  We work on creating the right place, the right time and the right conditions; a safe environment where people are able to vocalise their pain as well as receiving a gentle treatment. Allowing the body to feel safe and relaxed, providing the space for it to work out what is going on and make the necessary changes itself.  In the case of Bowen pauses are even incorporated into the treatment for precisely this reason.

Of course there is no hard scientific evidence for any of this.  But given that we know the body is able to heal a paper cut, a bruise, to fuse broken bones together, surely it is biologically plausible to assume that it can do a lot more than that? That given the space to realise that there is no actual damage to a frozen shoulder, there is then no reason to protect it so it can reduce the inflammation that’s causing the stiffness and pain?  That given the space to work out for itself what isn’t working properly in the body it might be able to put it right? And just like that healed bruise, those fused bones, surely it follows that the changes the body chooses to make can take place not only quickly, but can be long-term, or even permanent?

It’s an intriguing thought and one that I suspect will eventually be proven.  But, in the meantime if you would like more information about how a complementary therapy treatment like Bowen might be able to provide your body with the right conditions it needs to support your health and well-being, then why not get in touch with your local Bowen Therapist? You can check out therapists in East Anglia on the Therapists page, or got to either the College of Bowen Studies or the Bowen Therapy Professional Association to find a practitioner near you.

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5 Cryptocurrency Hedge Funds Considerations To Make Money

Investors can profit off of cryptocurrency hedge funds. As an investor considering getting involved in hedge funds, understand that they are different from other cryptocurrencies. Teams of investors manage hedge funds. Such investors profit from the various marketing techniques. Along with their profits, constant analysis occurs. Hedge funds may not always be what they seem. By reading on, you will discover cryptocurrency hedge funds considerations to save money.

Must Be An Accredited Investor

Firstly, acknowledge that you must be an accredited investor to invest in cryptocurrency hedge funds. An accredited investor is defined as someone who has permission to participate in securities that financial authorities are not involved in. In order to earn such permission, you must meet requirements. Your income is taken into consideration. Furthermore, your net worth and amount of assets will also be examined. You are required to be an accredited investor to invest in hedge funds for good reason. Since the cryptocurrency is not monitored by financial authorities, you must prove that you have great financial knowledge. Otherwise, you could lose money rather than profit. Before seriously looking into cryptocurrency hedge funds, you must become an accredited investor.

Managers Are Persuasive

prior to investing in the cryptocurrency, consider how persuasive hedge fund managers are. Since they make millions of dollars, it is likely that they are sophisticated individuals. With that being said, they have the ability to convince you to work with them. By being well-informed about hedge funds yourself, you can benefit from this persuasion. If you are not, you could dig yourself a financial hole. That hole can be difficult to get out of. Stay on your toes and pay attention to your market timing tactics. Keep yourself aware of how convincing managers are when considering investing cryptocurrency hedge funds.

Redemption Restrictions

The managers of cryptocurrency hedge funds can put restrictions on the amount of redemptions investors get. Consider this possible money-losing factor when contemplating investing. Managers place restrictions for their own personal benefit. They desire more compensation on securities that are more difficult to trade. They need to save such securities to meet investor redemptions. To save them, managers place restrictions on investors redemptions. Understand how much power managers have before becoming an investor.

Numerous Trading Strategies

Another tip for investing in cryptocurrency hedge funds is that there are multiple trading strategies. More so, there are various trading strategy types. Research success rates of popular types to end any bad investing habits. Consider the “market neutral strategies” for hedge funds. These strategies involve the exploitation of relative values throughout securities. Another strategy type is tactical trading. This type of strategy includes involvement in numerous markets. If you choose to become a hedge fund investor, you will want to already have these strategies in the palm of your hand. They can act as great tools to make a profit.

Lack Of Regulation

Lastly, contemplate the lack of regulation within cryptocurrency hedge funds. Perhaps you have had experience with mutual funds. That type of funding varies greatly from hedge funds when it comes to regulation. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is not involved in cryptocurrency hedge funds. Therefore, investors’ earnings are not acknowledged by the SEC. Due to this, you will have more of a risk when investing in hedge funds. Consider this major risk before investing. You could save yourself money by choosing to pass on the investment.

If you are looking to make a profit by investing in cryptocurrency hedge funds, you must consider a few elements first. Understand that you must be an accredited investor. Be aware of how persuasive managers are. Know the redemption restrictions managers can create. Learn various trading strategies to prepare yourself. Finally, be cautious of the lack of regulation. It is possible to use hedge funds to raise capital for your business. However, keep these cryptocurrency hedge funds considerations to save money in mind.

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  • Cooking Gas – Free Delivery In Kisumu

Price : Price On Call
Type : Selling
Date : July 11, 2019
Condition : New
Warranty : Yes
Location : Migosi

Cooking Gas Refill, Cylinders, Burners, Regulators, Pipes, Grills, Clips. FREE DELIVERY to your home in Kisumu!

Mention Buy&Sell Kenya when calling seller to get a good deal

Post your rating

  1. Use a safe location to meet seller
  2. Avoid cash transactions
  3. Beware of unrealistic offers


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Why People Think Houses Are A Good Idea

Factors to Consider when Finding the Perfect Real Estate Firms

When you are making plans on how to acquire a home, the option of going to a real estate company will be the best. These companies will be dependable as they will take you through legal procedures as you are making a purchase. You should ensure that you get a lot of insight regarding the real estate as this will help you in knowing the various aspects which are necessary. The gathering of insight regarding the real estate firms will be essential in identifying the outstanding real estate firms. Going to buy a home through the real estate will be much resourceful if at all you have specific targets which you are looking for.

Consider your tastes and preferences as a customer when it comes to buying a house as this will influence the level of contentment as a customer which you will have. The selection of the real estate company will have an impact on the kind of satisfaction which you will have as a customer. In this article, you will find elaborated points on the aspects to consider when finding the perfect real estate company. Go for the real estate company which have a good reputation in the sales of houses. The outspoken agencies will have the ability to provide you with the houses which will be in the locality which will be desirable to you. You will stand a good chance to arrive at such reputable agencies when you take time and listen around to what previous clients give.

Secondly, choose the real estate company which will provide you with various designs of properties in which you can base your selection. Nowadays, there is diversity when it comes to the models of homes, and it is for a suitable company in real estate to avail a wide variety of such. You will have an easy time choosing the house model which will fit your financial capability when you have various properties to chose from.

You should consider the duration which the real estate agency has in the delivery of services. The long-serving companies will stand a good chance of knowing what most of the customers look for when purchasing the properties. It will, therefore, be easy to spot that property which will suit you in the best way.

Finally, choose the real estate companies which will have a license. An accredited firm will be keen on the transferring the ownership rights to you as the buyer by giving you the relevant forms. You should check the possession of the work permit as this will assure you that the company is legitimate.

5 Key Takeaways on the Road to Dominating Sales

What Research About Resources Can Teach You


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BigData Archives - c3centricity | c3centricity

+41 79 93 39 789

You’ve Got Data? Well Don’t Start There!

Did the title about data make you curious? Great!

Of course, in today’s data-rich environment I’m not really suggesting that you actually ignore it! However, in working with clients around the world and in numerous industries, I have found that many are lost by the wealth of information that is available to them. In fact it seems to drown out their reasoning of what to do and they remain frozen in indecision. Is this your case? If so, then just follow the steps I detail below and you will soon be doubling, quadrupling, if not 10x the ROI of your data.

The Current Situation with Data

Data is everywhere and most organisations are drowning in it! Technology is being blamed for disrupting businesses, but most have simply not adapted to this new data-rich world.

I admit, a lot has changed. Consumers are adapting their behaviours to the trading of their personal information. Companies are changing business models as their value shifts from products to services, or even to the sale of the information they gather.

Some organisations are reinventing themselves to take advantage of these changes. Others are ignoring them – at their peril, since they are risking to become the next Kodak, Borders or Blockbusters. If you’re interested in reading more about the US Retail Apocalypse and the 23 big retailers closing stores then I highly recommend this post on Fox Business.

So what should you do, whether you are in manufacturing or retail? Well, I believe that you should start by renovating your business model to take advantage of the countless new opportunities open to you. And in my opinion, you had better do it sooner rather than later, because your competition almost certainly will!

The Opportunity

Yes you have data and information, but if you’re a regular reader of my blog, you will know that you have to turn these into knowledge and understanding, and then into actionable insights. And this can only be done by asking the right questions of your data and information.

If you are struggling to take needed action despite a wealth of information, then this is certainly where you should start making changes – fast!

A 2015 Capgemini and EMC study called “Big & Fast Data: The rise of Insight-Driven Business” showed that:

  • 56% of the 1,000 senior decision makers surveyed claim that their investment in big data over the next three years will exceed past investment in information management.
  • 65% admit they risk becoming irrelevant and uncompetitive if they do not leverage data. This is especially true given that non-traditional providers, like startups thriving on big data processing, are moving into their industries.
  • Although companies realize they desperately need to dig into data analytics to maintain their business position, 45% surveyed think their current internal IT development cycles are not sufficient for new analytics and don’t fulfill their business requirements.
  • Making matters worse, over half (52%) of those surveyed see the speed of their organization’s insight generation from data analytics as constrained by its existing IT infrastructure.

So what has happened in the past couple of years? Not a lot in terms of usage, but a lot in terms of data gathering; just check out the graph below from Kleiner Perkins for current and estimated growth of data volume.

Big data trends Kleiner Perkins 2017

Of course big data has been big news for years, thanks to its 5Vs (volume, velocity, variety, variability, value). These were the driving forces behind the need and finally the computing upgrades which made it possible to adopt a new way of analysing it all.

This article by Olivia Ryan sums up the “6 ways big data expansion can significantly damage our privacy.” These are the major points which the GDPR is hoping to address, and about time too in my opinion.

Today it’s the EU’s GDPR or General Data Protection Regulation, with its stricter rules coming into play later this year, which has everyone concerned. It is definitely worth checking out the details here if you are not sure what you need to change by when.

Interestingly, there is no equivalent federal law in the US (for now), but that doesn’t mean you can ignore it if your business is based there. Find out more in this excellent article on Forbes.

It’s true that companies do recognise all the threats detailed in the earlier mentioned study, and while startups flourish in every industry, the mastodons of commerce are slow to change, hence the need for GDPR. (see below for an alternative approach to individualised data utilisation)

An Alternative Approach

Data comes into its own when used for personalised engagements. However, there is an alternative or complementary approach that some organisations are now using. This is to address global issues such as resource management, water usage or pollution, which certain customers feel passionately about.

One example is Nestle whose relatively new CEO Mark Schneider is finally bringing some fresh air to the dark and dusty halls of their Vevey offices. However, cutting costs, selling less attractive business units (such as US candy to Ferrero) to upgrade their image will not bring sufficient change that consumers demand of large corporations today.

Compare this to the efforts Unilever’s CEO Paul Polman, who has made his organisation one to be admired by consumers and shareholders alike. As they say in their website

“We aim to use our scale and influence to help bring about transformational change in four key areas where we believe we can make the biggest difference:

  • Taking action on climate change and halting deforestation
  • Improving livelihoods and creating more opportunities for women
  • Improving health and well-being
  • Championing sustainable agriculture and food security.”
Bold words indeed! And they can only do it with the help of data and metrics to measure and follow their progress. Given these very different approaches to preparing for the future, I know which one I am betting on – and you? Let me know in the comments.
The appeal of this alternative approach is confirmed by the results of SalesForce’s recent research findings reported in the “State of the Connected Consumer.” To summarise their six conclusions:

  1. Information-Savvy Customers Now Control the Marketplace. 70% of consumers agree technology has made it easier than ever to take their business elsewhere.
  2. The Culture of Immediacy Drives Mobile-First Expectations. 64% of consumers expect companies to respond and interact with them in real time.
  3. Customers Still Value Human Connections in a Tech-Driven World. Two-thirds of consumers say they’re likely to switch brands if they’re treated like a number instead of an individual.
  4. New Data-Sharing Attitudes Spark Next Era of Marketing Personalization. 63% of millennial consumers agree they’re
    willing to share data with companies that send personalized offers and discounts.
  5. Smarter Use of Customer Information Expands Opportunities for Sales.More than three-quarters of consumers say it’s absolutely critical or very important to work with a salesperson who is focused on achieving customer needs instead of making a quick sale.
  6. Fast, Personal Service Is Directly Linked to Customer Loyalty. 71% of consumers say that customer service provided on any day at any time has an influence on loyalty, and almost as many (69%) say the same about personalized customer care.

Looking at these findings, it gives me hope for a more human approach to customer connections by manufacturers and retailers alike. I believe that those which fail to take this informed customer into account is unlikely to survive the next decade.

Making Data Analysis the Beginning and Not the End

I mentioned above and also dedicated a whole post to the topic of technology being an enabler not a disruptor of businesses. (Check out “Technology is the Enabler not the Disruptor (So Stop Using it as an Excuse)” for more on this) Many organisations think that their problems with data will end when they get the latest technology platform installed or start using the newest system for analysing it. Nothing could be further from the truth. Technology enables improved analysis perhaps, but as previously mentioned, data is only as good as the questions you ask of it. That’s why data is the beginning of your business solution, not the end.

Data is only as good as the questions you ask of it. #BigData #Analysis #Information #CEX Click To Tweet

In addition, in “The Impact Of Changing Consumer Expectations On Manufacturers” Steve Smith spells out the situation very clearly for manufacturers:

“With new consumer expectations being set by companies that disrupted their respective markets — Uber, Amazon, Netflix — the previously accepted levels of customer service are no longer good enough.”

What these three companies demonstrate perfectly is that technology has merely enabled the consumer to get more of what they want, whether that is travel, retail or entertainment. Although these are three very different industries, they have attracted a growing number of customers because what they offer is a trustworthy service. No, rather they offer few surprises, and when there is disillusion, they sort it out quickly, and usually far above and beyond the customers’ expectations. Surprise and delight are the table stakes of today’s world of customer service.

Surprise and delight are the table stakes of today's world of customer service. #CEX #CRM #CustomerSatisfaction Click To Tweet

In Conclusion

Coming back to the title of this post, as you can see there is a lot to do before analysing all the data you have. And probably it’s a lot more than you even know about at present, at least from my experience!

You can’t go wrong if you start with the customer and identify what you need to know and understand in order to go beyond their expectations.

You can't go wrong if you start with the customer & identify what you need to know & understand. #CEX #CRM #Customer Click To Tweet

Make a list of all the things you want to know and then see if you have the information to answer them. In many cases you do, it just hasn’t been analysed in a way that makes the solution obvious. That’s when you should review and eventually update your platform and systems.

Doing this any earlier will be like buying a fancy new hammer to crack a nut! What you need to understand is the best way to crack the nut; often times the hammer is fine for cracking if you use it correctly.

If you’re drowning in data and thirsting for insights then we should talk. Book a free advisory session and I’ll give you some ideas on how to crack your own nut!

Marketing Information Lost in Translation: How to Save yourself & Rise above the Competition

A recent report I came across this week shows that 76% of marketers do not use behavioral information in either segmentation analysis or targeting. They have the data, they’re just not taking advantage of it to better identify and then satisfy their consumers. This shocked me, so I went looking for more information to clarify the situation.

The study was conducted in late 2013 by Razorfish and Adobe amongst marketing and technology executives in the US, Canada, Germany, France and the UK. According to Pete Stein, CEO of Razorfish, the two main reasons for this lack of usage are firstly that today’s marketers are driving consumer segmentation with outdated technology, processes and tools, and secondly that there is an exponential growth in the availability of behavioral data.

In another study called “From Stretched to Strengthened” IBM reports that 71% of CMOs feel unprepared to h andle today’s “data explosion”. A third study, Domo‘s “2013 Data-driven marketing survey” found that two-thirds of marketers feel unable to h andle the volume of marketing data that’s available for analysis without feeling overwhelmed, and  concluded that there were five reasons why this is the case:

  • 69% don’t have the time to analyse it
  • 66% can’t see it integrated
  • 44% don’t have the time to collect it
  • 40% don’t have access across devices
  • 40% can’t see it in real time

These statistics suggest some interesting, no vital, changes that business intelligence / planning / market research / insight (BI) departments should make to address these needs of marketers. Once made, they would increase their perceived value and recognition, as well as that of the marketing department as well. Now that can’t be bad can it?

Here are my thoughts on each of them:

No time to analyse the data

I personally believe that if the support function (BI) was doing its job properly, marketing wouldn’t have to analyse the data. In fact I don’t think it is, nor should it be, their responsibility. Of course, this does mean that BI should be attributed with the appropriate levels of resources in both time and personnel to run the analyses and generate actionable insights.

Studies conducted every couple of years by the market research arm of the Corporate Executive Board (MREB), consistently show that world-class businesses have BI departments that have progressed from methodological experts to insight consultants, and then to knowledge synthesizers. Therefore unless you allow your team to develop in this direction, the onus for analysis will remain a challenge.

Can’t see the data integrated

Even before Big Data became a buzz word, companies have struggled to break down the internal silos of information ownership. The ever-increasing flow of data into organisations has just made the matter worse, so that it can no longer be ignored. Information integration may dem and a significant investment in both time and money, but the rewards are huge.

For example, from my own experience with clients, I have witnessed a grocery retailer increase sales by 15% whilst decreasing its promotional & discount allowances by 13%. This was achieved by simply making better use of the information they already had, and enabled them to make more relevant suggestions and offers to their customers. Airlines too are realising increased buy-in of their vacation and flight promotions, through more timely and relevant mailings to precisely segmented customer groups. That was only possible because they integrated the information from their different departments.

Don’t have time to collect the data

For me the problem is actually no longer simply not having the time to collect the data, but a rather subtle adaptation of our expectations to near real-time data availability today. We have all become less patient and this as true for the CEO, as it is for the CMO and on downwards.

Marketing must become more agile and flexible to be able to react to the latest data and adjust their actions and communications accordingly. Why continue to reward retailers with promotional pricing for items that are not flying off their shelves? The money could be better spent elsewhere, whether at a different retailer more aligned to the targeted segment, or even to another type of action.

Don’t have access across devices

Tablets set to outsell PCs in 2015It amazes me that so many people are still struggling to acknowledge that the PC is rapidly losing out to tablets. In fact, according to the International Data Corp. tablets will outsell PCs within the next year or so. IDC also says that while global smartphone sales in 2013 were up by 39% over 2012, they’re expected to grow by only around 19% this year.

However, as more smartphones get connected to cars as presented at the recent Geneva Car Show, marketers will be expecting to review their latest audience data or sales during their drive into work. It therefore makes sense to enable cross-device accessibility.

As an aside, I hope marketers also underst and what this trend means to their communication plans and how they connect with and engage their consumers.

Can’t see data in real time

With the never-ending flow of information into organisations it makes sense that marketers dem and to be able to look at the latest data in real time. Retail or audience data that is a month or even a few weeks out of date is of little use in this fast-paced world in which we live. Marketers will also expect market research to provide direct access to consumers and become less and less patient of studies that take weeks if not months to complete.

My conclusion from all of this is that the C-Suite needs to invest even more in data management for marketers and not only for the financial results to which they have become accustomed. They should not dem and the ROI of marketing without empowering marketers to be able to analyse the data available to them. What do you think?

C³Centricity used images from Microsoft and Mashable in this post.

Improving Customer Centricity in Hospitality

The title of this week’s post might surprise you. After all, the hospitality industry should be customer centric as it relies on satisfying its guests, no?

However, it has a lot it can learn from consumer packaged goods (CPG), as I shared recently with industry experts at a Faculty Day of one of the leading hospitality schools in Switzerl and. If you would like to learn what I revealed, then read on.

Both the hospitality and CPG industries have their customers at their heart. They both are founded on pleasing and hopefully delighting their clientele in the quality of the products and services they offer. However, as the world changes, customer dem ands increase and companies need to stay current if not ahead of these dem ands in order to ensure continued growth.

During my short presentation earlier this week, these are some of the points that I covered:

#1. From ROI / ROR to ROE

There has been a lot of talk recently on moving from a return on investment to a return on relationships. Whilst I agree with the importance of relationships, I believe that what we should be talking about is engagement, since honestly, who wants to have a relationship with a br and?! Br ands that have a high following and loyalty have found a way to consistently engage their fans and keep them coming back; to the br and, the product, their website, their communications. Coca Cola and Red Bull are great examples of this.

#2. Build Relationships with Strangers

Customer centricity means building relationships with strangersWhilst the hospitality industry has been based on serving and satisfying its guests, in todays connected world it also needs to consider people who are currently strangers – but could potentially become guests. These might be the friends of current guest, which for example the Rosewood Mayakoba resort in Mexico tries to attract. This wonderful hotel encourages its guests to photograph their experiences during their stay at the resort and then to post them on Facebook. This not only provides free publicity for the hotel, but also enables it to start engaging these friends, whom one might assume are potential clients since they are probably similar to their current guests.

#3. Value is more Important than Price

Having additional control in their lives today means that customers are re-evaluating what they are offered. They have higher expectations and are more discerning in their choices. They expect recognition at every touchpoint, even if in reality their peers influence their decisions more than does traditional marketing. The internet enables them to compare offers, so they are less interested in bundled propositions,preferring to decide what is best value for them personally for each element.

#4. Renovation is more than Buildings

Most CPG companies have annual targets for Innovation & Renovation, sometimes 30% or more of annual revenue. They also have mid-term innovation pipelines which can include partnerships in joint ventures with what were previously only competitors. These help each partner by building on their individual talents and enable them to develop better products and services. For hospitality, innovation can no longer be purely physical or rational; we need to consider more emotional and relational ways to satisfy. The Rosewood Mayakoba resort, already mentioned above, is one good example of this; the Art Series Hotels are another. Check out the latter’s recent ad to underst and better how they excel at underst anding their guests: Art Series Overstay Checkout, or why not review the picture posted on MayaKoba Facebook page?

#5. Loyalty is never really Won

One of the reasons that I believe we need to work on building engagement and in all industries, not just hospitality, is because customer dem ands are constantly evolving. What satisfied them yesterday can bore or even disappoint today. To acquire and retain our customers, we need to be constantly upgrading our products and services, so that they will be surprised and delighted. This means that loyalty is much less long-term than in the past and lifetime value is now measured in months or a few years, rather than in decades.

#6. Dialogue don’t just Communicate

In today’s connected world, customers want a say in not only what they consume, but also where, when and how they are marketed to. They want a say in what they buy and expect a rapid resolution to any queries or complaints. According to a recent Edison Research, 20% expect a company to answer to their social media post within 15 minutes, 42% within the hour! That means 24/7 monitoring for all organisations if we are not to disappoint are most engaged customers.

These are just six of the many ideas I shared during my presentation. If you are interested in seeing the full talk, you can find it on SlideShare here.

Are you struggling to improve your own customer centricity? Whatever people-facing industry you are in, we would welcome the chance to support and catalyse your efforts. Please check out our website for more information and contact us here.

C³Centricity uses images from  and

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Commemorative Air Force - Missouri Wing Commemorative Air Force - Missouri Wing Commemorative Air Force - Missouri Wing "Education through Living History" Gallery Flights Account Login
Missouri Wing - Commemorative Air Force
Missouri Wing - Commemorative Air Force
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L3 "Lil' Show Me"

In October 1941, the L-3 you see to the right came off the production lines of Aeronca Aircraft Corporation in Glendale, California.

For the next 40 years our L-3 found itself bouncing around Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and finally in Missouri all while having changed owners 28 times.

In October 1981, the Missouri Wing of the Commemorative Air Force took ownership and she has stayed in our care ever since.

Over the last few years a complete restoration has been underway. We are all looking forward to the first flight in the Spring of 2011. The return to the skies for this little piece of history will be a sight for all to see.

The U.S. Army Air Corps had been slow to appreciate the value of light aircraft for employment in an observation / liaison role, but information received from Europe in late 1940, where World War II was already more than a year old, highlighted their usefulness. Consequently, in 1941 the U.S. Army began its own evaluation of this category of aircraft, obtaining four commercial light planes from each of three established manufacturers (Aeronca, Piper, and Taylorcraft).

The Army experimented with using small organic aircraft for artillery fire adjustment and other functions in maneuvers at Camp Beauregard, Louisiana in August 1940, and again on a larger scale in the Army maneuvers in Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas, and elsewhere in 1941.

An amusing incident occurred in the course of the 1941 Desert Maneuvers, when Henry Wann, one of the Piper pilots reported to the First Calvalry Brigade headquarters of Major General Innis P. Swift. General Swift was watching as he landed near headquarters and seemed quite impressed. He said "You looked just like a damn grasshopper when you landed that thing out there in the boondocks and bounced around." Thus "Grasshopper" became the proud title of the early Army aviators.

These airplanes proved to be much more effective than the larger Air Corps planes used for the same purposes. The Secretary Of War ordered the establishment of organic air observation for field artillery units on June 6, 1942. Hence the birth of modern Army Aviation.

As American ground forces went into combat around the world during World War II, the Army Air Force found the unarmed L-Birds to be invaluable for spotting enemy troop and supply concentrations and directing artillery fire on them. They were also used for other liaison and transport duties and short-range reconnaissance which required airplanes that could land and take off in short distances from unprepared landing strips. By the time the United States had committed substantial forces to the war, the Aeronca L-3 (and sister ship Taylorcraft L-2) were declared Operationally Obsolete, and few found their way to a foreign front as newer and more capable aircraft were already being pressed into service. Instead, they were assigned to training fields to serve as trainers. Liaison pilots would train in an L-3 and then be moved on to the standard front-line aircraft like the Piper L-4 or the Stinson L-5.

This airplane was manufactured as an Aeronca civilian Model 65TAC Defender in October 1941. It spent the war time years at Meacham Field in Fort Worth, Texas likely serving as a primary trainer. The Army designation was L-3E.

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Calligrapher | Book Artist

Book Swaps / Book Swap 2

Brenda de la Mora

Brenda de la Mora

The papers used in the entire book were miscellaneous card stock and text papers purchased from the Hallmark outlet at the Children's Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. The idea of the dressed book was from a class instructed by Shereen LaPlantaz; however, the design was based on my travels to various towns, states and countries.

Book 5¼″ x 6″ (13.3cm x 15.2cm).


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Best Universities In Nigeria

Nigeria University News

NUC Approves Four New Private Universities

Prof. Abubakar Rasheed. Photo: Guardian Nigeria
Prof. Abubakar Rasheed. Photo: Guardian Nigeria

The National Universities Commission (NUC), has given provisional approval to four new private universities which are to commence academic programmes.

The Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, who was at the presentation of the licences to the universities in Abuja on Tuesday, said that the universities had been under scrutiny since 2006.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the universities are: Greenfield University, Kaduna; Dominion University, Ibadan; Trinity University, Ogun state and Westland University in Iwo, Osun state.

With the approvals, Nigeria can now boast of seventy-nine (79) private universities and a total of 173 universities (private and public).

The NUC Secretary underscored the need to increase the number of universities across the country, taking into consideration the country’s 200m population. He added by saying that only about 2m students have access to university education.

“Only less than six per cent students’ enrolment is in private universities. We hope the NUC work closely with you to ensure we introduce courses that are more attractive to prospective students and more appropriate to our current move to reposition the education system in Nigeria.

“All over the world, private initiatives are welcome. Proper education cannot be handled by government alone. The NUC is not ready to sacrifice quality on the alter of access; we must ensure adherence to quality; we do not want to encourage you to run the university with impunity,” he stated.

The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, who was represented by the Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), said the emergence of private universities had provided an environment for heavy competition that stimulates improvement in quality service delivery.

He stressed the fact that private universities in the country had contributed immensely to the opening up of access to education over the past twenty years.

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