RobertBCairnsGeneral | RobertBCairns http://www.robertbcairns.com Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:17:10 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Why I Am So Careful About Doing Business With Family http://www.robertbcairns.com/2012/01/26/why-i-am-so-careful-about-doing-business-with-family/ http://www.robertbcairns.com/2012/01/26/why-i-am-so-careful-about-doing-business-with-family/#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:30:22 +0000 Rob http://www.robertbcairns.com/?p=3604

I frankly chose not to do business with family.  With few exceptions I never break this rule until recently. My brother Gord talks a big line. The reality is he is a salesperson. That is what he does. We for years have had an on again off again relationship. I should have frankly left it off.

Over 4 months ago my brother promised to help me with business. It is a good thing I have not relied on him because he has done nothing for me. To take it even further he asked me to help my cousin with his web site promising me to get me the content my cousin needed. That was over 4 months ago.

The reality is I should have known better. I let my guard and judgement down. I will not again. That is for sure. Frankly at this point I do not think that I should even entertain apologizes.  Some people would say I should for family reasons but at this poinbt after a track record of over 30 years I am not interested.

Two of the biggest reasons I do not do business with family is because they want everything for free and they never keep promises in many cases unless it suits them. It is not worth the family fall out when the deal goes bad. The reality is business is business but most people can not separate the two.

This is why I never do business with family.

]]> http://www.robertbcairns.com/2012/01/26/why-i-am-so-careful-about-doing-business-with-family/feed/ 0 Was The Year 2011 A Good Year? http://www.robertbcairns.com/2012/01/09/was-the-year-2011-a-good-year/ http://www.robertbcairns.com/2012/01/09/was-the-year-2011-a-good-year/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:03:24 +0000 Rob http://www.robertbcairns.com/?p=3558 The question I have asked myself is has the year 2011 really been a good year for me? I will say that is had it’s ups and downs. Sometimes they have been great and at other times it has been hard to cope. The question is has it been a good year? Well the good thing is I am healthy and I am doing well. That is really the key. Now is what happened this year and what have I learned from it all. That is the key.

 

Things That Went Well in 2011

 

1. Using Social Media to generate business.

2. Getting out and doing network events.

3. My business is growing.

4. Spending time being community involved.

5.  Social media in general.

6. My blogging.

 

Things I Need To Do Better.

1. Finding time to comment more on other blogs.

2. Family time – it’s hard at times running your own business.

3. Finding more creative ways to use Google + and Facebook.

4. Business reading – I am already working on it.

5. A fixed time for This Week In Review my weekly video feature.

 

These are a  list of things I am working on. Was it a good year. Of course it was. Fortunately I am someone who normally survives on very little sleep.  This seems to be the case with most entrepreneurs.  We all work this way.

How was your 2011? Please leave a comment and share you thoughts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

]]> http://www.robertbcairns.com/2012/01/09/was-the-year-2011-a-good-year/feed/ 0 More Updates http://www.robertbcairns.com/2012/01/09/more-updates/ http://www.robertbcairns.com/2012/01/09/more-updates/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:22:48 +0000 Rob http://www.robertbcairns.com/?p=3556 The last two weeks has been unreal around here. First one of my best friend’s sister in law had a brain aneurysm  on New Year’s Eve morning. Fortunately two surgeries later she is getting better every day. To add to it, my GF’s Grandmother is in the hospital and they are still running tests to determine what the actual issues are.

This has made for a one tired Rob. I have been running my business and running around to make sure family and friends are taken care off. As a result, my blogging has taken a bit of a hit in the last week. I am hoping to get going on at least a partial schedule this week. One major programming note I have not yet done my Year in Review For 2011 as of yet. At this point this show is scheduled to air live on Ustream at 10am on Thursday Jan 12, 2011.

Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers over the past two weeks. We really do appreciate them!

 

Rob and Kelli

]]> http://www.robertbcairns.com/2012/01/09/more-updates/feed/ 0 Happy New Year and Blog Update http://www.robertbcairns.com/2012/01/04/happy-new-year-and-blog-update/ http://www.robertbcairns.com/2012/01/04/happy-new-year-and-blog-update/#comments Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:02:04 +0000 Rob http://www.robertbcairns.com/?p=3553 Happy New Year Everyone:)

I want to apologize for not much writing during the holiday season. It was a very busy time.  To add to it Kelli was in the ER on Christmas day and my friend’s sister in law has been fighting a brain aneurysm. She was airlifted from Thunder Bay to Hamilton. It has been a long road. Catherine is doing better after surgery yesterday and now it’s time.

I want to thank everyone for your prayers and good wishes.

As a result of everything going on, I will resume posting regularly tomorrow.  Our 2011 This Week In Review segment has been reschedules for Saturday morning at 10am EST on Ustream. Please join us so you can watch it live.

Thanks,

 

Rob

 

]]> http://www.robertbcairns.com/2012/01/04/happy-new-year-and-blog-update/feed/ 0 The Social Media People Of 2011 http://www.robertbcairns.com/2011/12/29/the-social-media-people-of-2011/ http://www.robertbcairns.com/2011/12/29/the-social-media-people-of-2011/#comments Thu, 29 Dec 2011 23:44:25 +0000 Rob http://www.robertbcairns.com/?p=3551 This year I thought we would do something special for New Years Day! On New Years Day my Twitter Feed will be featuring the people that matter to us at RobertBCairns.com. These are the people that matter. They will always matter!

I am truly blessed and lucky to have all the connections that I have on social media. I want to thank each one of you for being part of my social media world and making my life a better place:) You are all truly special.

Thank you again for 2011. All the best and HAPPY New Year.

Rob Cairns, December 29, 2011

]]> http://www.robertbcairns.com/2011/12/29/the-social-media-people-of-2011/feed/ 0 Merry Christmas http://www.robertbcairns.com/2011/12/25/merry-christmas/ http://www.robertbcairns.com/2011/12/25/merry-christmas/#comments Mon, 26 Dec 2011 02:40:37 +0000 Rob http://www.robertbcairns.com/?p=3543 A very Merry Christmas to all of you from the Cairns/Ellis Household. All the best!!!


]]> http://www.robertbcairns.com/2011/12/25/merry-christmas/feed/ 0 Thank You! http://www.robertbcairns.com/2011/12/20/thank-you/ http://www.robertbcairns.com/2011/12/20/thank-you/#comments Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:58:55 +0000 Rob http://www.robertbcairns.com/?p=3536 As we approach Christmas and the end of the year, I want to say Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I also want to say thank you to you the reader. My blog and business has grown all because of social media. Social Media is no longer the future it is the reality and that reality starts now!

I want to say I appreciate each one of your Facebook comments, tweets, blog comments and emails. Everyday I wake up and remind myself how lucky I am to be part of such an amazing community. I am lucky to be able to share and engage with each one of you every day. Thank you for sharing part of your time with me. You all mean a lot to me.

I hope each of you has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 2011 was great but 2012 will be even better:)

]]> http://www.robertbcairns.com/2011/12/20/thank-you/feed/ 2 Update On Email Feed and Rss Feed http://www.robertbcairns.com/2011/12/11/update-on-email-feed-and-rss-feed/ http://www.robertbcairns.com/2011/12/11/update-on-email-feed-and-rss-feed/#comments Sun, 11 Dec 2011 07:54:15 +0000 Rob http://www.robertbcairns.com/?p=3454 I just wanted to bring everyone up to date on our Email feed and our Rss feed. We have worked to resolve a couple of issues this weekend.

Our email feed has been changed from Feedburner to Mailchimp as of tonight. I have manually moved all the email addresses from Feedburner so there will be no interruption of service. By moving to Mailchimp I will be able to offer an RSS feed as well as special weekly tips and tricks email and special by email as well.

On a secondary note, it looks like I broke the Rss feed link for the blog. I have corrected it so you can now click on the Rss icon which will allow you to subscribe to the blog via the Rss feed if you chose to.

If you spot any other issues, please let me know.

Rob

 

]]> http://www.robertbcairns.com/2011/12/11/update-on-email-feed-and-rss-feed/feed/ 0 Getting Out And Network http://www.robertbcairns.com/2011/12/02/getting-out-and-network/ http://www.robertbcairns.com/2011/12/02/getting-out-and-network/#comments Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:26:35 +0000 Rob http://www.robertbcairns.com/?p=3423 A lot of  people think all the networking can be done on social media. They question the value of getting out and networking. There is a lot of value to getting out and networking. Tons of it actually.

The key is to always be ready when you are out. I never leave the house or office without business cards on my wallet. The reason is that you never know. Sometimes some of the best business conversations come up in places you least expect. One of  those places recently for me was the lineup in the grocery store. I was involved in a conversation that lead to some work. The key is to always be ready to do business.

Networking events are great places to meet people. It is a chance to talk and meet like minded people. Generally at networking events people have the same interest.  Get out to one today.

Symposiums and meetup groups are also great places to meet people.   These are more in depth chats about one subject or a group of subjects.  They are a chance to be educated for a day as well as meet some amazing people with the same interests.  A lot of the local ones are very inexpensive.

I also like one on one chats with people I have met to talk about common interests. They are a great personal way to share and get to know people better.

They key is not to hold back and get out there and Just Do it.  You life will be much better by networking.

]]> http://www.robertbcairns.com/2011/12/02/getting-out-and-network/feed/ 0 New Blog Feature To Announce http://www.robertbcairns.com/2011/11/18/new-blog-feature-to-announce/ http://www.robertbcairns.com/2011/11/18/new-blog-feature-to-announce/#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2011 14:51:33 +0000 Rob http://www.robertbcairns.com/?p=3377 RobertBCairns.com is pleased to announce a new feature that will run from time to time. We are please to announced that when time permits I will do a sit down with someone who works in the world of social media, technology or WordPress design and development. This new Feature will not run on any specific days but will appear from time to time.

I really believe that you the reader will be enriched by reading what all these great people have to say. They will share their wisdom, background and great information from the business that they work in.

I hope you like reading the “Sit Down” series.

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