“Pursuing Growth: Practical Marketing
Tips for Business Owners”
by Brent Banda
Published by Mile 84 Press
Review by Shelley A. Leedahl
$30.00
ISBN 9-780973-136913
The back cover blurb on Brent Banda’s Pursuing Growth: Practical Marketing Tips for
Business Owners” makes a grand claim: “The insights in this book will help
you increase revenue and profit in your business.” Inside, a dozen business
people also herald Banda’s marketing acumen. Joe Pulizzi says “If you are an
entrepreneur or small business owner, this is the type of blocking and tackling
information you need to stay on top of customer needs and demands.” Christian
L. Braid, president of Braid Flooring & Windows, says “If you have the
slightest of aspirations to improve your business, 10 minutes with this book
will send that feeling into hyper drive.” With commendations like these, I not
only want to read the book, I’m also a smidge inclined to believe I could learn
enough to start my own successful business!
Banda - the Saskatoon-based force
behind Banda Marketing Group - is a marketing strategy consultant who’s helped
“almost two hundred companies” improve their businesses over the last twenty
years. Aside from coaching business owner-managers, he’s also taught
Advertising, Professional Sales, and Marketing Management at St. Frances Xavier
University, and now he’s marketing his own knowledge in this
handsomely–packaged and well-organized softcover.
Anyone who reads a lot will quickly
appreciate the high production values here: snow white paper, adequate line
spacing, a comprehensive Contents page, and ample titles and subtitles. Banda
also provides a diverse collection of motivational quotes from well-known
individuals – including JFK, B.B. King, Warren Buffet, and Einstein - to launch
each of his chapters.
The author\consultant offers
suggestions for many of the challenges faced by owner-managers, ie: where best
to allocate time and money; how to increase profitability through market
penetration; the role of social media in marketing; the importance of customer
dialogue; and the special concerns involved in a family business. His advice is
often supported by relatable examples, ie: regarding “Push Versus Pull
Marketing,” he uses the children’s toy Tickle Me Elmo to illustrate how pull
marketing was used: when the product became unexpectedly popular in 1996,
retailers were able to radically raise its price from the original $28.99 into
the hundreds, and “Some reports suggest that the toy fetched as much as $1500.”
He also points to how technology has changed how consumers now buy cars
(presently they often arrive at a dealership after having already having
completed much internet research), and how this has changed the role of
automobile salespeople.
Banda’s well-written material goes well
beyond common sense, and I expect this is why he’s proven a popular consultant
since 1997. Again regarding social media and marketing, he writes “ … the
relevance of social media is rooted in the human need to build relationships.”
How interesting, and not something I’d considered before. I also learned some
new terms from Banda, ie: “the floor” is “the lowest price you can charge
without losing money.”
Chock-full of clear, valuable,
no-nonsense information from an industry expert, this book’s a good investment
for anyone operating an owner-managed company. See www.pursuinggrowth.com.
THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL
BOOKSTORE OR FROM WWW.SKBOOKS.COM
__________
“And It Was Very Good: Everyday Moments
of Awe”
by Ed Olfert
Published by DriverWorks Ink
Review by Shelley A. Leedahl
$19.95
ISBN 9-781927-570227
I must begin this review with a
disclaimer: I was hesitant to read and review this book, based on the
recognizable Biblical quote in its title. I expected that within Ed Olfert’s
pages I’d be subjected to Christian proselytizing, and I’m not particularly
receptive to preaching of any kind.
The quote, from Genesis 1:31, refers to God observing creation then stating
“And it was very good.” Well, you know what they say about judging a book by
its cover. (And in this case, the cover’s a particularly attractive photograph
of what appears to be a Saskatchewan lake). I’m delighted to share that within
just a few pages, my hesitancy vanished and I realized I was in for a darn good
read.
Firstly, the Laird, SK author comes to
the page rich with life experience. He’s from a “grease under the fingernails”
Mennonite family, and his work experience includes mining, welding, truck
driving, and “ministering a church”. He’s a father, a proud and connected
grandfather, and a volunteer who has worked in Haiti, and he often works with
the homeless and downtrodden locally. As Darryl Mills, managing editor of the
Prince Albert Daily Herald – where these stories first appeared in Olfert’s
column - writes, [Olfert offers] a regular invitation for readers to really
ponder their world a little more fully.” Yes. That’s it exactly. And Olfert’s
rose-coloured glasses are welcome in a world where “a sea of pessimism” seems
to be the norm.
When a writer includes why they’ve written a book, I listen.
Olfert explains that his point was to “identify glimpses [of God]” and “to
savour those moments as powerful gifts.” He adds that there’s “Nothing
earth-shattering, momentous, revolutionary” here, but I’ll argue that
simplicity does not preclude profundity.
The book’s filled with short anecdotes
about people society-in-general might not consider extraordinary, yet Olfert
finds that through their surprising words and deeds, they are indeed awesome,
and can teach us all how to be better humans. Take Bill, a convicted sex
offender, whom Olfert met though his work with Circle of Support and
Accountability. The author’s story illustrates how Bill inspired him, and how
“a hurting spirit rose above its woundedness.”
Evident in story after story, Olfert’s
habitual non-judgement is ultra-inspiring. He recognizes that life can be
difficult (indeed, he confesses that he suffers from depression and takes
anti-depressants), and asks us to consider some challenging questions, ie:
“What are we prepared to do for the grandchildren of our enemies?” He sees
holiness in unusual places: “in sharing a single life jacket,” for example, and
in a vandal with FASD who destroyed the church’s grand piano, and in a “dusty
warehouse”.
What a gift to be able to see the good
in others, rather than the foibles. I’m in awe of Olfert’s gift, and grateful
that he’s shared it in this book … a book that I’d prejudged before I’d read a
single word.
I read these moving stories a handful
at a time, and they were very good.
THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL
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__________
“More Prairie Doctor”
by Lewis Draper
Published by High Hill House Publishers
Review by Shelley A. Leedahl
$23.75
ISBN 978-0-9809669-3-0
Lewis Draper, a medical doctor and one-time
NDP MLA for Assiniboia-Gravelbourg, enjoys telling stories about his colourful
life, and he does not mince words when he picks up the pen. One patient he
refers to in his self-published book, More
Prairie Doctor, puts it succinctly: “‘You
have a reputation for speaking your mind, Doc, and telling folks how many beans
make five.’” It’s true: the man is not meek.
In this new title, which follows
Draper’s three previously-published books,
he anecdotally shares thoughts and experiences on a wide range of subjects,
including his blatant disillusion with the NDP government that closed fifty-one
rural Saskatchewan hospitals; pilot training; pet tales (including raccoons);
his globetrotting eldest daughter’s adventures; the purchase of a Rolls Royce,
carpets, a hotel in Moose Jaw; his involvement in civic and provincial politics;
abortion; and, perhaps most importantly, he introduces us to several of the
prairie people he came to know and help both medically and otherwise during his
twenty years as a dedicated GP living and practicing in Gravelbourg.
One learns much about the author in his
opening “Apology”. He writes: “I believe these narratives are an important
record of what rural, solo physicians working in isolated areas sometimes
hundreds of miles from expert advice can accomplish, even in a blizzard in the
depths of Winter using ‘a bent nail and a sharp penny’”. He also maintains that
“It is equally important to inform a newly nascent generation of city-bred
politicians, bureaucrats, and administrators what their grandparents and
great-grandparents had to face in their efforts to build our New Jerusalem in
Saskatchewan’s Green and Pleasant Land – pace Tommy Douglas.”
After his medical training in Glasgow,
Draper and family settled in Canada and he began his practice at Lafleche Union
Hospital, but that “union” was to be short-lived: the family was ordered to
“get [their] horses out of town immediately,” or leave. The Drapers did the latter
and moved to Gravelbourg, where the bulk of the stories in this book are based.
The doctor – who was sometimes even called upon to treat animals - eventually
became a council member, then the town’s mayor, before being elected to the SK
Legislature.
Draper’s distinctive voice is evident
in the following excerpts. Upon completing his flight-training circuits: “As
with everything, after a successful first time it’s a doddle – even sex!” Words
about “city bureaucrats”: “ … they lead blinkered lives that can only see the
bottom line in a warped system of bookkeeping that treats us all as if we were
factory-made widgets.” After treating a local teen who’d hit a barbed-wire
fence on her snowmobile and required several facial stitches: “Any old fool can
check blood-pressures. This is the roast beef and Yorkshire pudding of medical
practice.”
Draper’s array of topics, political
passion, jocularity, and tendency to leap between wildly diverse subjects call
to mind a spirited Saskatchewan “coffee row”. Whether you agree with him or
not, one thing is certain: you will be entertained by this outspoken prairie
doctor.
THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL
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__________
“Don’t Lick the Flagpole: A Spiritual
Quest for Meaning, Identity & Purpose”
by David Banman
Published by Your Nickel’s Worth
Publishing
Review by Shelley A. Leedahl
$19.95
ISBN 978-1-927756-46-1
David Banman’s inspirational book, Don’t Lick the Flagpole: A Spiritual Quest
for Meaning, Identity & Purpose, delves into the glory and mystery of
God – whom he also refers to as the “Designer/Creator” – and it also fervently delivers
the author’s treatise on why he’s a Christian but remains ardently
anti-religion. The Manitoba-born author and longtime primary school teacher
makes several strong claims regarding God’s purpose and kingdom, humanity’s
purpose, personal beliefs about Jesus, and why the writer’s so wary of “religion”
– aka “the contemporary church” - in his first book.
This is tricky territory, no doubt
about it, and it will not rest easy on all ears. Even Banman’s reference to God
as “Him” and the use of words like “mankind” (rather than “humankind”) will
undoubtedly deter some potential readers, but for those interested in the God
vs. religion debate, the writer – who also possesses a Master’s in philosophy –
presents some interesting ideas, and often uses Biblical passages to support
his arguments.
The book is well-written. The writer’s
style includes the regular use of asking questions, which engages readers and
makes them feel as if they’re in conversation, ie: “Are you content to simply
survive, or are you ready to cast aside religious mediocrity and embrace your
true identity and purpose?”
Banman frequently addresses the
“dichotomy between the kingdom of heaven Jesus came to bring and what religion
can often be seem to promote: personal and corporate agendas hinged on
manipulation and control”. The softcover is peppered with startling convictions,
sometimes succinctly, ie: “Satan loves religion,” “The church has taken a
mistress and her name is religion,” and “Religion is a foreign concept to
Jesus’s mandate,” and sometimes via more detail, ie: “religion is the process
whereby we invite God to abandon His good and perfect will in order to make
real our own wishes and desires” and “The contemporary church has become
extremely proficient at ‘doing church’ to the extent that the presence of God
is no longer required or desired.”
Banman believes that individuals must
repent and establish a personal relationship with God by inviting the Holy
Spirit into their lives. He challenges readers to wholly surrender to God’s
will and “operate with the authority of the Holy Spirit” if he or she is to
experience the true joy (not happiness) that comes with knowing one’s
“God-given identity and purpose.” For Banman, Christianity is not exclusively a
Sunday morning enterprise. “Stop trying to get to heaven; instead invite heaven
into every thought, word, and action,” he writes.
The most compelling section comes in
Banman’s personal testimony, where he shares the tragedy of his son Carl’s
death, and his own premonition that his son was lost to the surging Dead Horse
Creek. How anyone can continue after such a loss is one thing, but to carry on
in “peace and joy” demonstrates that divinity and grace are alive in this man’s
life, and that’s something we should all accept with open hearts and
minds.
For more author information see
www.davidbanman.com.
THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL
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__________
“Revue Historique: Special Bilingual
Edition”
Editor: Laurier Gareau
Published by La Société
historique
Review by Shelley A. Leedahl
$12.50
ISSN 1188-5890
My overview of Revue Historique: Special Bilingual Edition marks three personal firsts
as a longtime reviewer: the first time I’ve reviewed a magazine; the first time
(if memory serves) I’ve reviewed a bilingual French-English publication; and
the first time I’ve reviewed text that was not at least semi-recently
published. This full-colour glossy magazine, published tri-annually by La Société historique de la Saskatchewan, hit
the shelves in 2012 - a significant year, I learned, as it marked the 100-year
anniversary of the gathering of approximately 400 Franco-Canadians in Duck Lake
to create an association that would represent the “French-speaking Catholic
people of the province”. The Saskatchewan government saluted this auspicious centenary
by declaring 2012 to be the Year of the Fransaskois.
In seventy-four pages of text,
photographs, and advertisements (this is a magazine, after all), I received a
fairly thorough education about Saskatchewan’s French-speaking immigrants:
where they arrived from; where they settled to farm; the importance of
French-speaking catholic clergy in recruitment and some of the major players
involved in that pursuit; and how factors like the Dominion Lands Act, radio
stations, schools, the Ku Klux Klan (crosses were burned in some Francophone
communities), Pierre Trudeau, and the arts and culture (with nods to the Conseil culturel Fransaskois) all impacted
on the lives of the Fransaskois. Add a “Fransasquiz,” a book review of Willow
Bunch’s Le géant Beaupré,
and a section of readers’ letters, and what you have is an interesting,
fact-filled, and enjoyable read, with numerous photographs to study.
I enjoyed the large black and white
photo of the Gravelbourg Band in 1921-1922, and imagined the lives of the boys
and men behind those serious expressions. Reading this magazine gave me some valuable
insight into those who came before them, and the thousands of Fransaskois
who’ve followed.
The writers here, including editor
Laurier Gareau and Stéphane
Rémillard,
don’t shy away from the fact that turmoil has existed between the various
groups who – like early Vonda priest Father Bérubé
- desired to ensure the growth and preservation of the French-language, religion,
and traditions. Father Bérubé was a missionary-colonizer and first to conceive
of a provincial organization that would foster protection of Saskatchewan
Francophones’ religious and language rights. Eventually “War broke out between
players in the Fransaskois community,” Laurier writes. Rémillard
explains that this was due in part to the “chronic funding gap between regional
and provincial organizations,” and in 1999 the eighty-seven-year-old Association culturelle franco-canadienne de
la Saskatchewan (ACFC) became l’Assemblée
communautaire fransaskoise (ACF): the “new government of the Fransaskois”.
Growing pains aside, the stories of
Saskatchewan’s many French-speaking communities – including Gravelbourg,
Delmas, Prud’homme, Domremy, Viscount, Duck Lake, Cut Knife, Montmartre, and Zenon
Park, to name just a few – can only be considered successes, perhaps because
they take good care of their own, including their youth and seniors. Contributor
Alexandre Daubisse observes that “not only has the Fransaskois community
survived, not only has it resisted assimilation, but it has succeeded and
prospered in creating and developing its own unique culture.” Fantastique!
THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL
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