small business Archives – Sunwapta Solutions

7 Oct 2024

Planning Tips to Avoid the eCommerce Iceberg

By Doug Wagner|2024-10-07T17:26:07-06:00October 7th, 2024|Categories: Business Strategy, eCommerce, Sales, Working on the Business|Tags: business advice, business growth, Business Planning, business strategy, business success, Clients, Creating Value, eCommerce, Inventory, marketing, Marketing Strategy, sales, small business, success, Working on the Business|

Implementing eCommerce at scale is not for the faint of heart. Yet, with some good eCommerce planning it can be done in phases and reduce both stress and risk.

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Once you attempt to scale any part of the business, you must make that part of the process more efficient. Once you do, you will inevitably find that some other part of your business becomes the limiting factor.

This moving bottleneck problem is true for eCommerce as well.

eCommerce Bottlenecks

Suppose you have a decent retail component […]

16 May 2021

Lessons in Business – Communicating 21 Years of Quiet Success

By Doug Wagner|2021-05-16T19:35:54-06:00May 16th, 2021|Categories: Business Strategy, Manifast, Marketing, Sales|Tags: adding value, advice, Brand Strategy, business, business advice, business growth, business strategy, business success, Clients, Creating Value, entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, marketing, Marketing Strategy, sales, small business, success, Working on the Business|

What do you say when someone says, “So, what does your business do?” Communicating what success looks like for your customers is key.

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We don’t sell anything popular like pizza or chocolate. We aren’t spies or secret agents. Or superheroes who wear capes.

For almost 21 years, we’ve run a software and business consulting company that quietly serves other businesses.

This line of business is not as glamourous and sexy as it sounds. Really.

It is complex.

How Communicating Usually Works

Unlike financial planners, real estate […]

16 Sep 2020

How To Profit From Your Business Safety Needs

By Doug Wagner|2020-09-16T23:34:10-06:00September 16th, 2020|Categories: Business Strategy, Manifast, Sales, Working on the Business|Tags: adding value, advice, business, business advice, Business Culture, business growth, Business Safety, business strategy, business success, Creating Value, entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, Generate Cash, Maslow's Hierarchy, profit, small business, small business owner, strategy, Working on the Business|

Entrepreneurs are risk-takers by nature. Often that means putting aside safety but, it doesn’t have to. Thinking a little more like an investor can mitigate risk and build some security into your business.

In my last article, I talked about Maslow’s hierarchy and its impacts on consumers (or overall market), your customers, and the people inside your business.

A business also has a hierarchy of needs distinct from the people in it.

For example, human physiological needs correspond to the parts […]

19 Aug 2020

How to Rescue Your Business with a Little Maslow’s Cat

By Doug Wagner|2020-08-20T23:46:02-06:00August 19th, 2020|Categories: Business Strategy, Leadership, Mindset and Motivation|Tags: business, business advice, business growth, business strategy, entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, leadership, Maslow's Cat, Maslow's Hierarchy, Rescue your business, small business, small business owner|

Maslow’s hierarchy is often expressed as a pyramid and frequently used to explain the basics of human nature based on five levels of needs.

According to established historical lore, ancient Egyptians revered cats. Perhaps pyramids were built to house ancient kings, but that would not have stopped a cat from sitting on the top of one and looking down to watch everyone else.

Cats see things a little differently.

Maslow’s cat can help us better understand those needs […]

23 Jul 2020

How to Fight the Right Fight – Pick a Rising Trend

By Doug Wagner|2020-07-23T00:08:39-06:00July 23rd, 2020|Categories: Business Strategy, Leadership, Mindset and Motivation|Tags: advice, business, business advice, business growth, business strategy, business success, Creating Value, Entrepreneurship, Marketing Strategy, Pandemic, Rising Tide, Rising Trends, small business, small business owner, strategy, success|

“A rising tide raises all ships.” ~ John F. Kennedy

The tide is a metaphor for the overall economy. The theory is that if the overall economy is rising, everyone benefits. Conversely, if the tide is falling, everyone suffers.

Yet, is any of this consistently accurate? Does the tide affect every business the same?

Looking Closer at the Trends

To see the overall economy, you have to zoom way out. When you are at this level, you can’t easily see any details.

To find meaning – cause and effect – you […]

2 Jul 2020

Is Honest Communication a Lost Leadership Value?

By Doug Wagner|2020-07-02T21:38:02-06:00July 2nd, 2020|Categories: Business Strategy, Leadership|Tags: business, business advice, Business Culture, business success, communication, entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, Ethics, leadership, small business, strategy, Values|

More and more, we see examples of leadership that are less than stellar – including less than honest communication.

Part of this seems to be a win at all costs mentality where “at all costs” means any way you can – even if that includes lying, bullying, cheating, and changing the rules so you can win.

As someone who spent many years as a leader in the military and 20 years leading a business, I find this disheartening. Crony capitalism and other forms of cheating are not good […]

24 Jun 2020

Sunwapta: What Is Up With All Of The Water?

By Doug Wagner|2020-06-24T16:08:33-06:00June 24th, 2020|Categories: Business Strategy, Marketing, Working on the Business|Tags: business, business advice, business growth, business strategy, business success, entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, leadership, marketing, profit, small business, success, sunwapta, Sunwapta Solutions, Working on the Business|

As we pass our 20^th business anniversary for Sunwapta Solutions, I spent some time reflecting on some of the most popular questions we’ve received over the years.

How did you come up with your company name?
What’s up with all of the water?

It All Started When

Like all business owners, we spent a lot of time trying to come up with a name that was: interesting, meant something to us, and wasn’t already taken.

After much discussion, I searched a map of Alberta and landed on Sunwapta as a […]

10 Jun 2020

Surviving in a Crisis Requires Facing the Truth

By Doug Wagner|2020-06-11T01:41:12-06:00June 10th, 2020|Categories: Business Strategy, Current Events, Leadership|Tags: business, business advice, business strategy, business success, Clients, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Crisis, Disaster, Disaster Planning, Economic Crisis, entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, Pandemic, small business, Working on the Business|

Hiding from the truth will not serve you well, especially during a health and economic crisis like a pandemic.

Your business is always at risk. Maybe the threat is not immediate.

However, markets change. Products become obsolete. Often, a new competitor emerges. Tastes change. Often change is gradual. Sometimes it is relatively sudden. At times it is local in nature, and sometimes it is a global phenomenon.

Surprises happen. A squirrel shorts […]

2 Jul 2019

19 Years – Our Big Mistakes Are Your Powerful Lessons

By Doug Wagner|2020-05-28T18:45:40-06:00July 2nd, 2019|Categories: Business Strategy, Current Events, Doug's Blog, Dream Teams, Leadership, Mindset and Motivation|Tags: business, business advice, Business Culture, Business Performance, Business Planning, business strategy, Corporate Culture, entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship lessons, sales, sales process, small business, small business owner, strategy|

A little over 19 years ago, my two business partners and I set off on the entrepreneurial journey that became Sunwapta Solutions. Over the years, we’ve had some successes, made some (costly) mistakes, and sometimes learned a few things.

People typically don’t learn much from easy success, aside from a false sense of security and overconfidence. Nor do they believe they will make the same mistakes you did – until they do.

I can’t prevent you from making any mistakes. Nor […]

3 Jan 2018

The 5 Big Problems with Social Media Automation

By Doug Wagner|2018-01-03T19:05:21-07:00January 3rd, 2018|Categories: Business Strategy, Doug's Blog, Marketing|Tags: Audience, Automated Responses, business advice, business strategy, content, Ideal Client, Ideal Clients, Inbound Prospecting, marketing, Marketing Strategy, problems, Scheduling Posts, Scheduling Social Media, small business, small business owner, Social Engagement, Social Marketing, social media, social media automation, Social Media Engagement, Traditional Marketing|

Don’t get me wrong. The promise of social media automation is both alluring and useful.

Unless you have a dedicated social media team – a luxury few SMBs have – you have other tasks and responsibilities during your workday. As well, you might need the illusion of a 24/7 presence to address the different time zones and locations of your prospects, clients, and fans.

Scheduling posts is essential for most marketing teams, and we are not talking […]