Doug Wagner, Author at Sunwapta Solutions

30 Mar 2009

Long Winter – Spring on It’s Way

By Doug Wagner|2017-04-03T12:32:07-06:00March 30th, 2009|Categories: Doug's Blog, Mindset and Motivation|

It has been a long winter here in Calgary… lots of lingering snow, recent snow and below average temperatures. The trees and plants are showing little sign of rebirth, though there are small signs that nature is waking up if you take the time to look.

On a personal note my business partner and I recently received recent news of deaths in our extended families. Families and friends are gathering from far and wide to pay their respects and show support for the living.

My uncle ran a small business doing survey work out near Brooks for the oil and gas companies, etc. […]

26 Mar 2009

The Show Must Go On

By Doug Wagner|2017-04-03T12:32:12-06:00March 26th, 2009|Categories: Doug's Blog, Leadership, Mindset and Motivation|

I think I've mentioned that I like to play Celtic and Maritime music as well as do Canadian step-dancing.

Well recently the band I am in (Get Reel) had two gigs scheduled, one at a church hall on Saturday and one Wednesday evening at a senior's residence with our step dancing class as well. We currently have three members in our band (Greg Black, Deborah Mandzuk and myself).

We worked up a really nice set with all of us playing our multiple roles.

Just before the weekend, Greg called up and told us that because of a tear in his retina and his laser […]

25 Mar 2009

Caught a Worm, Gone Phishing?

By Doug Wagner|2017-04-03T12:32:28-06:00March 25th, 2009|Categories: Business Strategy, Doug's Blog, Technology|

I was watching the news this evening and lo and behold, Stuart Crawford from BulletproofIT is talking about a worm that is set to wreak havoc worldwide.

Shows you the importance of keeping on top of patches and security best practices.

The three founders of Sunwapta Solutions (Doug, Al and Glen) all came from an enterprise technical support background at a big information technology (IT) consulting firm (that just got bought by HP).

From day one we have tried to run our own IT like we are a big company. We take it seriously. That doesn't guarantee anything, but it does […]

24 Mar 2009

UI Design – The Hard Part

By Doug Wagner|2017-04-03T12:32:35-06:00March 24th, 2009|Categories: Doug's Blog, Software Development|

I finally understand something that has been nagging me for years.

It's the answer to "Why do the majority of software developers shun user interface design."

The user interface is the part the customer usually sees. It should be the glamorous or satisfying part of software development.

It is like building a car without caring what the interior, dashboard or exterior look like. Sure the motor and wheels are important, but who wants to drive or buy a chassis with motor on it? Judging by what I see on the road, very few people.

The reality is that the user interface design is:

Part art […]

20 Mar 2009

Spring is for Growth

By Doug Wagner|2017-04-04T16:37:58-06:00March 20th, 2009|Categories: Business Strategy, Current Events, Doug's Blog, Mindset and Motivation|

Tomorrow is the first day of spring. For some it is also the first day of a new calendar year.

Here in Canada, where the winter is long, spring is a time of renewal and the beginning of a period of growth.

There is a tradition of New Year’s resolutions as we move into the beginning of January. However, with the longer days and renewed energy of spring, perhaps more people should be seeing this time of the year as one of personal commitment and growth.

This year in particular has been a colder than normal winter, both in terms of weather and in terms of […]

17 Mar 2009

Evolution of Self

By Doug Wagner|2017-04-03T12:32:42-06:00March 17th, 2009|Categories: Business Strategy, Doug's Blog, Mindset and Motivation|

We start off life focused on self. We have basic needs and as long as they are met we are relatively happy.

As we get a little older, we become aware of others. Not just as things we interact with, but as individuals with their own sense of self. We develop some sense of sharing and a sense of competition.

The high-end of athletics is a prime example self and competition taken to its extreme conclusion. The goal is to prove you are the best, or are at least on the best team, and have the world acknowledge your worth.

As some people […]

13 Mar 2009

The Biggest Sale Ever

By Doug Wagner|2017-04-03T12:32:47-06:00March 13th, 2009|Categories: Business Strategy, Doug's Blog, Marketing, Sales|

What if you had something really big to sell? What if you only have one of them and could never sell it again? What if you had worked on making this thing for a good portion of your life? You only have one chance to maximize the selling price.

How would you sell it?

Would you create a detailed brochure and mail it to 10-20 prospective clients?

Would you put an advertisement in a classified listing (online or traditional) and sell it like a house?

Probably not.

The Biggest Sale Ever Is…

Your business. Yet most privately held businesses do not treat the sale of the […]

12 Mar 2009

Blogging Update

By Doug Wagner|2017-04-03T12:33:01-06:00March 12th, 2009|Categories: Doug's Blog, Marketing|

Now heading over 90 posts across a diverse number of subjects… I am realizing that some categories need further refinement to make it easier for the reader to find articles of interest in the archives.

Business will be split into:

Sales and Marketing – Posts focused on sales and marketing related discussions.
Business Strategy – Working on your business… posts focused on business planning and strategy, the stuff of entrepreneurs.
Business Management – Working in your business… posts focused on the day to day aspects of running a business.
Business – General – Prior posts and new posts not fitting one of the above.
Employment – Self-explanatory.

I […]

11 Mar 2009

Coke – Mercury Edition

By Doug Wagner|2017-04-03T12:33:05-06:00March 11th, 2009|Categories: Business Strategy, Current Events, Doug's Blog|

First there was Coke, then New Coke and then Coke Classic. Well according to the news program I was watching this morning, Coke now contains mercury (in many instances).

Apparently, the sweetener of choice for Coke is corn syrup (or fructose-glucose in Canadian labels). They switched a number of years back from table sugar to reduce costs. In the process of extracting the sugars from corn they use a chemical with Mercury in it. Sometimes, they don't get all the mercury out… mercury in your body is bad. And by the way, this is a problem for all foods with corn […]

10 Mar 2009

Vision and Leadership Required

By Doug Wagner|2017-04-03T12:33:10-06:00March 10th, 2009|Categories: Business Strategy, Current Events, Doug's Blog|

Is it my imagination or did Alberta squander another boom?

During the Klein years, the focus was on slaying provincial debt and creating the Alberta Advantage, which near as I can tell was really about creating an environment for business investment (a good thing normally) in the province (low taxes, etc.), and not necessarily for having better quality of life, hospitals or educational systems. This led to a runaway provincial economy where costs were skyrocketing (too much of a good thing).

If you weren't in the Oil business, it was actually getting hard to compete outside of Alberta because of excessive rent […]

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