My daughter has recently become involved with Me to We – part of the Free the Children charity. I have followed the works of Craig Kielburger for years and have always been impressed with his enthusiasm for his work.

This week my wife and I attended We Day in Toronto. Basically a Pep Rally to motivate the 18,000 volunteers for this charity. And they do it three more times so everyone has a chance to attend…..

Think about it…..one man has the power to motivate tens of thousands of TEENAGERS to help others. I was absolutely dumbfounded when I heard these kids talk, heard some ambassadors speak about the charity and then heard Craig and his brother Mark speak about how it all started when Craig was 12 speaking to his class about unjust work conditions in a carpet factory.

It was one of those “tingling” moments when you know you are watching someone affect change. I want to be a part of this movement…..I want my company to be a part of this movement. When economies for sliding, people are struggling to keep afloat, general outlooks are not great – wouldn’t it be a great to be a part of something that helps others and makes you feel good??

I have said this before and I will say it again……give back. Times are tight, we are all feeling the pressure. But we get to drive our luxury car back to our comfortable house and enjoy a peaceful dinner. So many around the world AND in Canada can’t do that. Find a way to help.

Cheers

Bet you only ever hear this when consumers are talking about the price gap between Canadian products and US products at retail….

I see our esteemed Finance Minister is weighing in on this subject now as well….read about it here.

Yes there are the differences in duty, economies of scale, transportation and costs of sales. BUT there is one little phrase regarding US products that most Canadians don’t know about….

MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) pricing. When I work with a retailer in Canada, we work on a minimum 50 margin for the retailer (for those of you not in the biz – 50 margin is basically taking the wholesale price of a product and doubling it to get the suggested retail.

When working with US retailers, we start at 50 percent margin as well -  BUT they also have a little thing called MAP pricing which is what they are allowed to sell product for…usually about 10 to 15 percent below suggested retail – meaning they take a shorter margin. We are not allowed to do this in Canada – we can set only one retail and we naturally choose the highest.

I can understand the average consumer not knowing this little trick. When I get retailers asking me to price match to similar product in the US – I always reply that I can do this IF they are also willing to match the lesser margin their US counterparts take…….

Do you think Mr. Flaherty knows about the intricacies of US pricing? Or is he just saying what we Canadians want to hear???

Jack Layton – a charismatic and enspiring leader and great Canadian passed away this weekend. Sorry to see him go – even in passing he left us a great gift. Read his letter to Canada to be truly inspired at grace in adversity.

I am just back from the Outdoor Retailer in Salt Lake City, Utah - which is the biggest outdoor show in North America.

This week was an interesting time to be in the US…the financial system has taken a big hit with their credit rating being downgraded – and I was trying to get people to spend more money….. Even with this hanging over our heads the mood at the show was quite good! I am going to spare everyong the burden of hearing my thoughts on the US political system……but I DO think life for everyone would be easier if agendas were put aside and the phrase “for the people” was taken more seriously….

So, my thoughts on OR…..

It seems like this is the time to tighten the purse strings on some things…yet spend on others. Retailers did not have a great spring in Canada. The weather was horrible and as a result the attendance of Canadians was down. Wisely, some retailers decided the money spent at OR was better left in the till and did not attend at all or sent a smaller team to attend the show. Good thinking. While tradeshows like this are crucial I think they are sometimes seen as a paid vacation. Trade shows are made for the sold purpose of allowing retailers the chance to see many brands in one arena. Buying, business planning, marketing and  building relationships are what Outdoor Retailer is all about. It was  refreshing to see lots of business taking place.

It was great to see new brands as well.

I met this great lady – Sharon Blumberg – founder of Chooze Shoes. What a great brand! It was heartening to see that even though she was tucked in a corner behind a wall that people were coming to see her product.

The abundance of SUP’s (Stand Up Paddleboards) was amazing – obviously this is the new trend – it has exploded this year! (can anyone need this many SUP brands??) HMMM what about a SUP shoe.  Although I guess that is where my other favourite - Zems comes into play. Great minimalist shoes for many uses.

I always feel better about my industry after spending a week at this show. The outdoor world is so close knit and supportive – it is like a family reunion every six months!

This week I have worked future budgets, product development, key accounts, travelled with reps, customer service and phone enquiries.
The great thing about running a small company is that there are always things to do. Keeping in touch with customers with face to face visits and the surprise of answering the phone when they call in is pricelss. I have been in the situation of running big companies and getting cut off from what the business is all about…..selling. This is better.
A responsible CEO has to be able to offer opinions, input and solutions based on experience..that is why they are hired. The thing with experience is that learning is ongoing….evolving…. How can one offer opinions and input if they are not out there seeing their customers and their competition??

I think sometimes we get caught up in the hippest lingo or the newest catch phrase and we forget that what our customers really want to hear is a simple, honest answer.
http://blog.strategicedge.co.uk/pdfs/brilliant_at_the_basics_of_business_1-100.pdf
Nicholas Bates has it right….it is a quick read – enjoy

Things have changed drastically in the last few months…..

I have taken on the role of CEO of Hi-Tec Canada.  I am so excited to be working with the van Wesel family to grow their business in Canada and make it a f orce to be reckoned with in the outdoor market. I mean here is the second largest outdoor footwear company in the world, and the outdoor business in Canada has barely been touched! Lets just say I have lists (and lots of them) of how I want this company to grow in the next five years. As I blog more in the future I will bring you up to speed on changes, growth plans and how we are going to acheive it all.

You may be asking about Guelph Brand Strategies…..lots of blood, sweat and tears went into building this company in the last two years. Trust me I am not abandoning it – rather moving into the nurturing hands of my wife,Wendy. Next summer my son Evan will also come on board as a tech rep.   With this switch  has come some  more changes. Timbuk2, Mad Bomber and BMC bikes will no longer be associated with GBS. Wendy has kept the two brands that she feels most strongly about, Golite and Native Eyewear. Both of these brands are smaller outdoor brands and are working so hard to establish a presence that it would be foolish to part ways now. Both are on the cusp of major breakthroughs north of the border. The retailers are amazed at sell throughs and customer acceptance of these two brands.

There is one more deal being finalized that will take Guelph Brand Strategies to a new level and make it one of the most powerful distributors in Canada. Stay tuned…..

It has been a lot of scurrying to follow the trail of cheese…but it seems like it has all paid off. I am running an amazing company, and GBS is becoming a true family business – just as I had hoped.

I will keep in touch

I have often mentioned how great old friends have been in my last year and a half of business. I am still thrilled by the constant positive reinforcement I receive from people I used to work with.

I am currently in California for a day looking at a new business opportunity with an old friend. This could definitely change the shape and future of my company – while working with one of the most recognized brands in the outdoor industry.

I will keep everyone up on how things turn out.

Cheers

Hi All

god I really love being busy….living off of my lists….

I have been having a great run with Golite. I decided to attack the brand a little differently this season – instead of showing everything I have culled the product offering to show what they are doing in the travel business. Good idea! It seems everyone gets it! Orders are (slowly) coming in – buyers love the look and appeal of this new brand.

Native Eyewear has been a pleasant surprise. I walk into shops and tell the warantee story and show the great product and I am getting lots of buyers signing on!  Timbuk2 keeps gaining momentum as well – the big Toronto bike show is next weekend and am planning to gain some new customers while I am there. Madbomber is on trend right now - the fur lined bomber hat is the rage. Our cool new colours and style applications along with the fact that the company owns their own factory in Manchuria makes the product a good value compared to similar products right nowl

On another note, I have been getting a lot of people reaching out to talk about my company representing their brands in Canada. (Is this blog working?????) I am truly flattered by the interest in my company. It is so good to see the work I have put into the company in the last year and a half are paying off!

I AM looking at a cool new brand, Crazeeheads. Super cool covers for ski helmets! Looks like a fun line that fits in with my other products. I am getting some samples up to show ski resorts in the next month….

Hope everyone has a great weekend. I am attending the annual Waterloo Region Down Syndrome Society fundraiser dance on Saturday. A great cause with amazing people.

Chat soon

Dave

The Canadian Sporting Goods Association offers a great weekly newsletter that keeps me up to date on the Sporting Goods business in Canada – and the rest of the world.

This week amid all the Olympic articles was an interesting article on 2009 retail sales and projections for 2010 put out by the Retail Council of Quebec. After 14 consecutive years of growth, Canada saw its first decline in retail sales for 2009. Sales were down 3.6 percent in Canada. While it didn’t have numbers for Canada, the sporting goods subsector in Quebec saw an increase in sales during the same time. If history can tell us anything it tells us that the two follow each other, meaning Sporting Goods in Canada hasn’t been as hard hit as other sectors (cars, homes)

The projections for 2010 are showing slight increases for retail  - pegged at approx 2%. 

Responsible spending……that should be our mantra.

On another note: Who is going to watch the Olympic Opening Ceremonies tonight? Our house will be captivated – seeing who will light the cauldron and carry the flags. The next two weeks will be totally devoted to the Olympics at the Battler household. My wife heads out to Vancouver for the last 5 days – she is counting the days.

Have a great week.