Job Security, New Urbanism and Competing Communities

Welcome back!

If we’ve learned anything from this global economic collapse it’s that the traditional indicators of security that we’ve grown accustomed to in many families-job for life, endless supply of cheap fuel, iron clad home equity values–are fleeting notions, at best.

But is that a bad thing?

If you have to move due to a new job or some life issues, then of course it can be catastrophic to lose equity in your home due to dropping home values in your area.

But outside of those “must move” exceptions, if we approach a home purchase as if it is an investment in a community we see supporting our lifestyles and values, then short-term blips in home values shouldn’t be too problematic – not if we’re there for the long-term.

Is the loss of job security all bad? Well, sure it’s nice to develop your expertise with one employer, but it is likely just as beneficial to develop your expertise in different work environments with different people.  Look at the people that spent half their lives or more at automotive plants only to be let go during this financial meltdown. Most have skills that aren’t transferable to other industries or sectors.  Now that is bad news.

When you are forced to change employers or when you choose to work in different sectors based on opportunity and interest you become more valuable as an employee and especially as an entrepreneur.  Better yet – you become more valuable to your community.

One of the key factors companies consider before deciding to locate in a community is the skill and educational level of the people living there–their potential employee pool.

Hiring locally is a much better proposition for a company than having to recruit staff that have to rely on costly transit options and congested freeways to get to work.  So the more skilled community residents become the more competitive our communities become.  I see nothing wrong with having the mindset that we are competing with neighboring communities to attract companies that will hire locally.

Competition works if everyone is made to feel they have a role to play – young or old; rich or poor – all residents have a stake in the community’s well being and can contribute to making a community better in the eyes of locals and potential investors/new residents.

To give you an idea on how “residents” can take better control (or at least have some effective influence) on developments and on the way the community is marketed, take a look at the website created by the residents and small business owners of Highland Square (near Akron, Ohio).  What I like is that they’ve used new media to share videos from recent town hall type meetings and they also have useful and timely information about commercial opportunities, homes for sale and activities and events in the community.

When the Virtual Connection Goes Local

Well I am pumped in a big way! I just met some wonderful new/old friends and my business focus just got a little sharper.  Let me explain…

For about 2 years I’ve belonged to a pretty active and engaged women’s small business networking group that has among its membership some of the most successful and recognized online business owners like Nicole Dean, Alice Seba, Leesa Barnes and owner Kelly McCausey.  The group is called Mom Masterminds and it’s a pretty unique destination on the net.

After joining this mentorship group in 2007 I learned how to take my daughter’s art business online, set up a website for my own marketing business and establish a blog–this one– for my 15-year passion about new urbanism.

Rarely does a day go by that I don’t check-in to our online discussion forum to see what questions are being asked or to ask one of my own or even just to welcome a new member.  But that’s just the business side of things.  While this group is about business, it’s also a network of women so you know we inevitably talk about “more” than business on our treasured discussion forums.

At any given time of the day someone may be feeling a little unmotivated because of family demands, someone else may have a sick child–whatever the personal need, our discussion forum has become a place to learn, unload and relax with “virtual” colleagues who in many cases have become friends.

That explains why my first experience hosting an in-person “meet-up” this past weekend in Toronto was like a meeting of old friends.  Our virtual connections went “local” when the group’s Michigan based owner Kelly McCausey with partner Lynette Chandler decided to add a local component to our online network of hundreds of women.  By encouraging local “Meet-ups” of members and non-members in cities across the U.S. and Canada we added one more great benefit to this group.

The information and resources offered through MM are targeted at new or established women entrepreneurs who really want to grow their business through best practices in Internet marketing.  In fact, one of the great treats about this recent local “Meet up” is that Kelly McCausey came in person to talk about the group and also shared her newly published book “The Complete Internet Marketing Moms Start Up Guide.”

This guide contains just about everything a new entrepreneur should know in order to plan, successfully launch and operate an Internet based business.  I feel so strongly about this book that I plan on sharing it at other venues in my own local community.  I know a lot of commuters, neighbours and frustrated professional women who would be interested in the options/choices this guide offers for those who want to work for themselves.

I learned so much from the women I met this weekend and I look forward to connecting in the short term with Leesa Barns, Imie Belanger, Lexi Rodrigo and Angela Wills

Some pictures from our meet-up:

Obama Pushes Better Parenting, Education for America’s Future

I’ve just finished listening to President Barack Obama’s address at the NAACP’s 100th anniversary convention in New York. The address was delivered on July 16 and once again I have to thank YouTube for helping so many more of us to get the message from folks who really have something to say.

President Obama’s message, though targeted to African Americans, really spoke to all Americans.  Education, engaged parenting and health care is the key to the U.S.’s journey back to leading nation status.  America use to lead in the world in the number of college educated graduates. I don’t doubt that when that stat was current the U.S. also was the leader in the auto industry and scientific innovation.

For more on the link between education, innovation and the strength of our economic future read my posts on another one of my new urbanism heroes, Richard Florida.

Education needs investment. Period. It will never end because that is the nature of education. As long as we have young people needing to learn, we’ll need to invest in education.  So please will those people who have a BIG problem about the hundreds of millions being poured into education, please stop calling for the cease in investment and instead participate in discussions that will look at ways to utilize the investment effectively.

But it is not not just monetary investment that is needed but creative and intellectual investment to improve the way education in delivered.  President Obama points out the importance of giving our kids a world-class education – they can not compete without it.  I would think offering a world-class education to our children is within the capabilities of the most powerful nation on earth.

Maybe now with this President- a new urbanism advocate if ever there was one – we can take steps to REALLY chip away at the education problem.

For those with no children or those who are more so concerned about business opportunity, I hear you as I’m just as concerned.  But we need smart people to employ in our businesses and good people in our communities to make our corporate initiatives thrive.

Without good schools to prepare our kids for college and a comprehensive health care system to keep us all working, healthy and SOLVENT, our communities and businesses will most definitely suffer – no matter if you live in the country or the city.

Here’s the link to the President’s address – it really is message for ALL of us.

Backyard Garden Could Turn you Into An Eco-Farmer

There’s a new wave of farming out there called SPIN–small plot intensive farming–and according to major newspapers it is growing in cities across North America.

New urbanism has generated a lot of attention around the notions of “buying local” and working locally in order to cut harmful emissions caused by transportation vehicles.  Was it then any wonder that we’d eventually find a way to make farming an urban pursuit as well?

What is making SPIN popular is the relatively low start up cost.  You can reap the benefits of growing your own food for consumption or sale without having to purchase acres of land.  Of course your income will have some relation to the amount of land that you have available to cultivate.

But even so, according to the Toronto Star, urban SPIN movement leader, Wally Satzewich says that on a 1/2 acre of land an urban farmer can earn $50K.  That’s not too shabby.

“The field is wide open because there is so much demand for local, ecologically grown food and so little supply,” explains Satzewich.

Well I’m excited about this SPIN movement because  it’s sustainable, it’s affordable and will not only open up opportunity for more people to generate income from home–that’s good news in this tough economy–but it will also contribute to the supply of locally grown food and slowly but surely edge us further away from our heavy dependency on imported fruits and vegetables.

Time to go take an assessment of my garden tools…

The Community Garden Concept

Our neighborhood has homes situated on lots that are perfectly suitable for decent gardens.  That’s why I was surprised at the popularity of the community garden.

I actually can’t confidently say I knew there was one. But yesterday my son spent his second visit there with a dear friend of our family who kindly invited him to join her.  He LOVES it there.

The community garden in our neighborhood is made possible because of the generosity of a local family who have allowed access to a portion of their private property for this specific use.

The concept is really wonderful. Participants make a donation to the area’s local Food Network and contribute their time and available resources towards the maintenance of the garden and the purchase of supplies.

Relationships develop as participants meet their “plot neighbors” on visits and gradually learn more about each other. According to William a visit there is like witnessing a neighborhood busy about it’s business of socializing and working. Individuals dig about their plots, chatting about their interests and local events.

On William’s previous visit he met an older couple from England who captured his imagination with the brief glimpse of their personal history that they were kind enough to share with him.

I can’t recall if I’ve posted this before or not, but William plans to be a film maker.  His wheels are spinning about the potential story that could come from this community garden with its cast of players – from the intriguing couple from England, to the “neighbours” from Sri Lanka.

William could easily tell from the easy conversations and the sense of complete contentment on the faces of these “gardeners” that the community garden serves more than one purpose; it’s a place for growing food and for nurturing relationships that help to strengthen our larger garden – our town.

What an apt definition for new urbanism.

Supporting New Urbanism and the Question of Moving

So let’s say you live in one of those cul-de-sacs that are such a no-no in the new urbanism movement. Does that mean you have to consider moving to practice what you preach as a new urbanism convert?

Of course not. While a McMansion on a cul-de-sac doesn’t appeal to me anyhow, personally I would love to move to one of the newer new urbanism developments in my community because I love the neighborhood design, the small but stylish homes and I have friends there.

I won’t be moving though because where I live allows me to conserve energy and spend less!

I’m in one of those small, post-war homes that was thankfully built near a nature conservation area, our town’s Main St., amazing libraries and museums and excellent public transportation. Looking at all those benefits helps me to keep a level head about moving.

That’s a good thing since the temptation is always there – after all I put out the Top Ten New Urbanism Communities list every year and the research involved in creating that list has me submersed in the details and attributes of some of the most attractive and affordable new urbanism communities in all the locations we would consider moving to (both in the U.S. and Canada).

Overall I think that’s a good thing. It’s an indication that more and more builders are building quality, affordable homes that regular families like ours can afford.

So keep a level head about new urbanism. Don’t feel you have to move to embrace the ideals of this movement. If you were planning on moving anyhow, then yes this is a great time to consider your options of moving to a city or a new urbanism development that embraces the close knit community feel of traditional neighborhood designs.

But if moving isn’t on your agenda, some of the more important questions to ask are:

• Can I use public transportation more?
• Can I buy more of our food, clothing and housewares from  local vendors and producers?
• Can I lobby or work with community leaders to ensure that there are resources and infrastructures in place to support work-at-home-opportunities and attract more businesses to my town?

Toronto Celebrates Shakespeare in the Park…and Canada Day

It has been over a decade since we last visited the Canadian Stage Company’s “Dream in High Park.”  High Park has long  been a favourite summer location for Torontonians so the combination of a beautiful park setting and outdoor theatre at twilight was the ideal choice for our family’s Canada Day festivities this year.

Normally we take in the fireworks at the conservation park right in our community but after reading CanStage’s news release for this event I felt nostalgic for the days when I’d view performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with my roommates and friends from UofT some twenty-odd years ago.

I wasn’t the only one looking forward to this.  Even the teens and my parents were looking forward to some Shakespeare in the park (that’s a FIRST).

We took our cross generational “caravan” down to the park at about 4 p.m. so that we could participate in the Canada Day festivities planned by CanStage for the day. A quick tour of the back stage area provided some insight into how the actors prepare, get dressed and access their props for each show.

For the younger set a graffiti wall was installed to provide an outlet for those creative juices.

What I enjoyed most was the music provided by a wonderful group called The Roaring Girl Cabaret (www.theroaringgirlcabaret.com). I used my handy Flip camera to take a short video for you:

Finally, kudos to Dora award-winning actress Karen Robinson for a great performance as the fierce and protective sorceress Prospera in The Tempest. If you’re a fan of The Tempest and are a little confused note that in this version of The Tempest the Duke Prospero is not a Duke but instead the Duchess Prospera.

Staycation alert: I highly recommend taking friends and/or family to this wonderful outdoor event. Performances run Tuesday through Sunday at 8 p.m. (gates open at 6 p.m.) until September 6.  A suggested donation of $20 per person (children under 14 free) is requested at the gate.

For more information and for directions to Toronto’s High Park visit the CanStage site : www.canstage.com.

Business Advice: The ONE Thing You Should Focus On

By Lynn Terry

The question is: What are you going to do?

You could:

Write a book or an ebook;  promote affiliate programs via PPC;  sell products on eBay; create & optimize content-rich sites in niche markets; build an empire of mini-sites; become a public speaker; be a web designer, copywriter or VA.

That list could go on and on… and on. What I see all too often is that many people try to do ‘the whole list’. Or at least several at once. And that can be okay if your focus is one and the same in all things that you are doing. Or it can be disastrous. A recipe for failure.

Maybe you can relate to this scenario: You set out to do something, and it takes longer to earn the amount you had hoped for… and then you see another option. You try it out, it does pretty well, so you put some time and energy into it. Something happens – rules change, markets fluctuate, algorithms change – and you’re moved two steps back. You’re introduced with something new, more stable, and you focus on that instead.

This is a familiar story. If you haven’t experienced it yourself – you’ve certainly heard about someone who has. And they’ll tell you that the business idea they started out with originally was a failure, or that there was ‘no m0ney in it’ or ‘too much competition’.

You’ve probably heard that you shouldn’t have all of your eggs in one basket. That you should create 10 micro-niche websites that earn $1,000/month instead of one larger website that will earn you $10,000/month. In less than one hour of surfing the ‘net, you might be told to do this, do that, promote x and build z. All of it sounds good. All of it could work. Try to do all of it at once and you’re going to be in trouble.

The key is to have a FOCUS.

Choose one thing and do it WELL. For example, if you have a content-rich website, you can also offer an ebook on the same topic. You can capitalize on affiliate sales, or Adsense click-through’s. You can build a highly targeted 0pt-in mailing list. You can incorporate an ‘upsell’ and backend sales into your shopping cart. You can set up your own affiliate program.

Basically, you want to build on the foundation you already have – and make it stronger, make it bigger… make it more profitable! Sure you can implement all of these new methods and strategies that you learn. But don’t set out to do something completely NEW when you have already invested the time and energy into a project you haven’t yet completed. Instead, focus on making it the BEST.

Once it is running smooth on its own, and completely automated, you may want to build another – or focus on something entirely different. But if you’re trying to build on 10 things at once, or find yourself working in entirely too many directions… it’s time to take stock, go back to the foundation, and decide how you can best finish building on that original idea of yours.

And that’s it. That’s the ONE thing that YOU should be focusing on right now.

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The author, Lynn Terry, offers a free brainstorming resource for those that want to turn websites that cost money into websites that make money. Join Lynn’s interactive newsletter & discussion forum where you can
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