My photographer friend Holly Howe recently took this picture of me and it really sums up how much I am loving my life right now. This is one of my favourite weeks of the year. I love the rush of Small Business Week when I can spend time around so many small business owners. The energy and enthusiasm of entrepreneurs is contagious. I know, because I am one. Constant ideas, planning and connecting. In 2009, Canada saw 37,000 new businesses open their doors, over 730 billion dollars were paid out in wages and benefits and as of today, there are 73 days left in 2010. I though it was interesting the many 3′s and 7′s happening although I have no idea what that would mean in numerology, I just think it is neat. This week I continue speaking about my theme of the year, which is to challenge business owners to Dare to be Different in how they live and work. One of the exciting trends that I see, are more and more companies are experiencing growth and trying to navigate around how to do busines smarter. It warms my heart to see people collaborating and connecting; helping one another move forward so that all may prosper. That is the spirit of the entrepreneurial dream. If you don’t have that type of community around you and you want it, then I encourage you to seek it out. It is right there waiting to be discovered. Live the Dream and wishing you a happy small business week!

What a whirwind of a year for me. My theme for this year was ‘Dare to be Different’ and in stepping out into the unknown, it is amazing the opportunities that have come.

There has been so much travelling and motion since the beginning of summer, I find myself reflecting and sitting here amazed. My company JumpStart 720 has realized fantastic growth and after moving moving to a new location in June, we are finding ourselves cramped for space already.

My family and I spent a much needed break and set off on an adventure to visit family for nearly the whole month of July. I witnessed the strength and resilience of my father who had to have half of his leg amputated and and my mother who kept on going when the going gets tough.

Upon arriving back from all of that, we moved homes in less than 7 days, downsizing and releasing much of the “stuff” we don’t really need. The people I have met, spent time with and have been inspired by this year inspires me to live fully and love fully. I want a life filled with purpose, like this flower – beautiful and full with sun’s rays catching the rays catching those moments that are meant to be remembered.

National Payroll Week

What a fun week celebrating National Payroll Week once again this year with the Canadian Payroll Association. This is my second year speaking to their delegates and this year I was fortunate to tour my home Province of Ontario. 5 cities in 5 days and so many flights. This year’s theme was Communicate, Collaborate and Connect and I love speaking about this topic as communication is the key to everything. There is so much I continually have to refine when communicating with others and being effective is a skill that is never truly mastered. What a great thrill I had to be able to have my family attend in both London and Waterloo, Ontario. Here is a picture of my Aunt Marlene and my cousin Dorothy whom I haven’t seen in six years because we are separated by hundreds of miles. Needless to say, it touched my heart to be able to spend time with them during a simply fantastic week. It was this event in Waterloo that we got a complaint that we were too loud, to which I excitedly replied, “Who said payroll isn’t sexy”.

My team and I are thrilled to announce that JumpStart 720 has been nominated for a 2010 Excellence Award for the Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce.
JumpStart 720 is a national coaching firm focused on business and leadership development. To date our firm has delivered programs and services regionally, nationally and internationally.

Paula at the Adair Wilderness Lodge

Seven phenomenal women entrepreneurs joined me at the Adair Wilderness Resort near Sussex, New Brunswick in late August, where it was my privilege to lead them through another JumpStart 720 Executive Coaching Retreat.
I enjoyed meeting these energetic business women from all walks of life and I loved helping them focus on their business and personal goals. These 2 day events are only the introduction to a challenging and deeply personal journey. Thankfully, the hard work is interspersed with great food and chatter, rugged outdoor activities and plenty of laughter.
The spontaneous moments of life are often the most memorable, and for some of the participants, an impromptu tour of the Fundy coast by helicopter proved to be one of those irresistible opportunities. They raved about the beauty they saw and had a fabulous time. The bird’s eye view is the clearest!
The power of our JumpStart 720 weekend workshops lay in women’s willingness to bond, encourage one another, and to step out of their comfort zones by verbalizing the goals they hold close to their hearts. Visions are validated when we speak them aloud.
Stay tuned! My next weekend workshop is slated for September 27 at the beautiful Maple Lane resort in Richibucto, NB.

Mission Possible: Haiti Day Planned for February 26th

Moncton, NB – Advance Savings Credit Union, JumpStart720, Sun Life Financial, and the Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce have just announced Mission Possible: Haiti, which includes a city-wide sale of Mission Possible: Haiti t-shirts and a benefit concert being held at the Wesleyan Celebration Centre on February 26 at 7:00 p.m. The Mission Possible Haiti benefit concert includes the musical talent of ECMA winners and 2010 nominees for Entertainer of the Year, The Divorcees, ECMA winner and 2010 nominee for Pop Recording of the Year, Stephanie Mainville and ECMA winner, Chris Colepaugh.

“Our community is overwhelmed by the situation in Haiti and many have expressed a deep desire to help,” says Jenn Marr, Community Promotions Officer of Advance Savings Credit Union. “We are amazed at the outstanding support we’ve already experienced as we’ve worked to pull this event together. We know this will be a great show and it’s all because each one of these amazing artists, and every person who buys a ticket, simply want to help the people of Haiti during their darkest hour.”

Tickets for the Mission Possible Haiti benefit concert are $20 each and are available online at TicketWindow.ca, Steve’s Diner and Frank’s Music.

Along with the benefit concert, the group had a stylish “Mission Possible: Haiti” t-shirt designed which they are selling for $10 each.

“We want to see everyone in the Tri-community wearing one of these t-shirts on February 26th,” says Paula Morand, Founder of JumpStart720. “We’ll be sending out letters and order forms to local businesses inviting them to purchase t-shirts for their staff and allowing them to wear the shirts on February 26th to show their support for the situation in Haiti.”

T-shirts will be available for purchase by the general public beginning on February 1 at any of the Moncton or Riverview locations of Advance Savings Credit Union (10 Record St., 141 Weldon St., 960 St. George Blvd. and 620 Coverdale Road), at all Sobeys locations as well as at the Wesleyan Celebration Centre during the concert.

Proceeds from the event and “Mission Possible: Haiti” t-shirt sales will go to the Canadian Red Cross and Samaritan’s Purse, to support their earthquake relief efforts in Haiti.

Samaritan’s Purse Canada has been involved in Haiti for over 15 years and is providing safe drinking water, non-food items, such as hygiene and kitchen kits, medical personnel and construction materials to build temporary shelters during the crisis. Please visit http://www.samaritanspurse.ca/ to learn more about Samaritan’s Purse’s disaster relief work in Haiti.

The Canadian Red Cross is mobilizing to support relief efforts in Haiti—providing medical support, clean water, food and shelter to people who have lost everything. Since the earthquake struck, more than 400 International Red Cross workers have hit the ground in Haiti (including 12 trained emergency response workers), along with 70 tons of food, water and medical supplies. They are sending more aid every day and are looking beyond immediate relief, to the Haitian people’s longer-term needs as they recover from this enormous tragedy and begin to rebuild their communities.

Special thanks to our sponsors: Advance Savings Credit Union, JumpStart720, Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce, Sun Life Financial, C103/XL96, Times & Transcript, Sobeys, The Hardman Group, Fundy Textile & Design, Damascus Coffee, Future Inns, Broken Coast, Sign-A-Rama and Orange Creative & Design.

30 -

For more information about Mission Possible Haiti, contact:

Jennifer Marr, Cert. PR
Community Promotions Officer, Advance Savings Credit Union
Phone: Ext. 134 Email: jmarr@advancesavings.ca
Cell:

For more information on GMCC’s Mission Possible contact:

Paula Morand
GMCC Marketing & Communications
Phone: 506-860-0227 Email: paula@jumpstart720.com

For more information on Mission Possible check out the project’s Facebook group
GMCC Mission Possible – “Community Change Agents @ work”