Is Your Star Rising?

The Rising Star Program: This program is intended to give new CAPS members some stage time, so each year there is an opportunity for new members to vie to be the CAPS Halifax . There are two criteria for taking part in this program. (1) You have been a member of CAPS less than 2 years, or in other words joined in 2008 or 2009, and (2) You will be attending the 2009 convention in Calgary. The Rising Star candidates will be asked to deliver a 4-5-minute presentation/or submit a 4-5-minute presentation on DVD, to be evaluated by a panel of judges at Susan Sweeney’s summertime CAPS party on Sunday, August 9^th.

Interested CAPS members can contact Rising Star chair Lea Brovedani, at lea@leabrovedani.com for registration and evaluation criteria judges will be using to select a candidate to represent CAPS Halifax.

June 2009 Event

Halifax CAPS proudly presents JEFF TOBE:

Professional Speaker, CSP, aka “the Change and Innovation Guru”

Wednesday, June 24^th, 2009: CAPS Halifax monthly meeting, 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm.

Keynote speaker: JEFF TOBE

Coloring Outside the Lines™: Innovation and Creative Problem Solving

Creatively changing the way you do business and look at what you do will open many doors. In cOLOring OuTSidE ThE LiNEs™, Jeff Tobe will unleash your innovative thinking skills and challenge you to step outside of your comfort zone to position what your organization offers more creatively than ever before.

Members and guest free; non-members $40

Thursday, June 25^th, 2009: Full day workshop, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm, Futures Inn, Halifax. Jeff Tobe:

“COLORING OUTSIDE the LINES” Marketing

Jeff Tobe will challenge you to step outside of your comfort zone in positioning your organization, your services or your products to give you maximum exposure and the competitive edge for which we all strive in this crazy marketplace. This high-energy, fast paced, humorous marketing workshop has received outstanding reviews from organizations around the globe. In it Jeff shares how to create a marketing “blueprint” that applies to any sized organization. He then takes participants through a 5-step process of re-evaluating their marketing and advertising techniques. Finally, Tobe will share many of his101 secrets to gaining marketing prowess and increasing your bottom line

Participants will be able to: Agree on what they really do for a living Develop a 6-step ‘filter’ through which every new marketing idea must pass to be viable for their businesses Discuss the benefits to increasing their presence with their market Analyze the difference between sales and marketing Review the advantages of having a written marketing plan Develop the blueprint of a marketing plan for their businesses Discuss on-line marketing; analyze effective strategies for their organization Choose among 25+ creative marketing techniques that get them recognized in the marketplace Look at untraditional ways to market on a shoestring budget · Discuss ways to be more creative in their marketing mix Members $79; Non-Members $179. Lunch not included

February 25, 2009 Wednesday Chapter Meeting

Chapter meetings are designed to provide you time to network, learn and share. Join us for a great program. Networking and registration gets underway at 6:30 PM, and the program starts at 7:00 PM.

Program highlights for this week:

Debi Peverill, CA will provide us with a teaser as a forerunner to her next-day workshop on “Painless Financial Literacy for Small Business”, including ample time for your questions from the floor.

Member Showcase – Lea Brovedani, of Sagacity Consulting, will deliver a presentation for feedback from members..

Location: Future Inns Halifax, 30 Fairfax Drive

Directions: off Lacewood Drive, across from Bayers Lake Home Depot, access is from Hwy 102 and exit 2A

There is no charge to Chapter members for this meeting. Guests can join in for $40 and do not require an invitation.

How to Be More Than Memorable, by Reginald Dane Berringer

While quality presentations and advertising can make you memorable, nothing compares to the creation of the A-HA effect. Our brain is basically a self wiring process creating neural networks based on information coming in. These networks form ideas and memories when association or repetition causes learning to occur. The A-HA effect is caused by information coming in WITH the motivation from you, for the audience to process it in a new way. To see the previously unseen, consider something never considered before to be true. Triggering the A-HA effect literally causes a cascade effect in the brain creating new connections and changing others. From a neurological standpoint the change causes new associations to new ideas that were unknown before. Did you know that 40% of you, is not you? 40% of your cells are other organisms living in you. Do you understand the A-HA effect now? Or do you only 60% understand?

Reginald Dane Berringer, BA, MEd, CD has a background in psychology and education with 15 years of teaching and public speaking. Founder of HelpingU.ca he offers custom training and presentations that utilize the A-HA effect to change people’s paradigms. Currently a sessional professor for UPEI where he teaches mentoring, he lives in NS (how’s that for a drive to work) and is proud to be a new member of the Halifax chapter of CAPS.

Convention Review

by CAPS Halifax member Barry Green

Connections. Confidence. Communications. Charisma. Compassion. Comedy. All were experienced at the 2008 CAPS Convention.

This was only my second Convention and the comparison for me was Halifax 2007. What I have quickly come to realize is that that greatness comes with many faces. Halifax rocked with its Down East flavour. Toronto continued that positive experience. Keynotes were strong on content and spirit. Breakouts were diverse and responsive to a range of needs...and making it very difficult to choose. There were conversations in the hallways, lounge, restaurant and beyond... filled with inspiration and generosity. It is indeed rare to see that many successful and driven people come together in a spirit of true unity and support.... and all held together by the truly amazing and creative comedy of Tim Gard. There were performers that amazed with their flexibility and energy and talent. There was music, dance, humour and much more.

The hotel service was impeccable. And food, what food it was!

All in all, if Halifax 2007 gave birth to my love of CAPS Convention, Toronto nurtured that, fully solidifying my deep affection for CAPS and its members. The leadership was in deed and word. The participation was genuine and dynamic. The bar remains high my friends in CAPS Land, and Calgary has its work cut out... but somehow I sense that this CAPS Convention thing’s greatness is in its diversity and daring. Thanks to all who made this a time of encouragement and excellence. If you were there, you knew it. If you were not... onward to 2009

To learn more about Barry, check out his website at www.barrygreen.ca

Painless Financial Literacy for Small Business

Who: Debi Peverill, CA

What: Full day workshop about finances that will inspire!

When: Thursday, February, 26, 2009 Time: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm.

How much: CAPS members $79; non-members $179. Light lunch included.

What’s that you say? Accounting can be fun and interesting? Absolutely! Debi Peverill, CA, draws on over 20 years of professional experience to explain business finance with humour, and in terms everyone can clearly understand. Whether you are new to business or more established, Debi will demystify financial management and help you create a solid foundation for growing your business.

Topics covered include: when to incorporate; financing; implications of employees; the ROI of good bookkeeping; financial statements; home offices; how to price your services, and so much more.

Designed for professional speakers, this workshop is equally relevant and engaging for all entrepreneurs. Take advantage of the wealth of Debi’s experience - as a chartered accountant, facilitator, trainer, professional speaker and consultant - that has made her a sought after provider of taxation and financial literacy seminars.

Debi Peverill is well known for her ability to explain financial topics in a humourous manner that non-accountants find interesting and easy to understand, as she is for the depth of her financial knowledge.

Debi is the founder of Peverill and Associates, which provides all the services of a public accounting practice. She is the sole instructor for the Certificate of Financial Management program offered by Saint Mary’s University, and also teaches in their Diploma in Management and Executive MBA programs.

To guarantee your seat at this popular and timely event, e-mail our programming chair; the link is on the registration form. If we put it here, she'll be inundated with spam, and we just could not forgive ourselves. Please confirm your intentions no later than Tuesday, February 24. First come, first served! Click here for a registration form.

AIM Conference

The Atlantic Internet Marketing conference is here in Halifax April 22-25, 2009 and it is a terrific opportunity for you to explore the opportunities that await your marketing plan! Check out this link at www.aimconference.com . The Master of Ceremonies for the event is CAPS Halifax's Tyler Hayden. Remembering that Tyler's motto is Livin' Life Large (TM), this promises to be SOME conference!

To see more of Tyler's work, visit his site here.