The Fog Win SWO Ball Hockey Championship!

It’s been a busy week. Having spent last week at the Parmasters Conference in Mexico, this week has largely been about recovery and catch-up. I didn’t have email access in Mexico, which meant a massive backlog when I returned. (It also meant I couldn’t blog remotely, which was disappointing.)

Most of my current activity involves attracting capital to the business, be it debt or equity. I’m in meetings most of the time, either presenting or answering a lot of questions. I enjoy the process, but look forward to the time when we transition to building the site and marketing our products and services, rather than simply raising capital.

That transition will happen very soon. We’ve made a lot of progress lately. We’re close to making some announcements, all of which will appear in this blog, of course.

While I was away, on Saturday June 23, my son’s SWO ball hockey team won their league championship! I’m the assistant coach. I felt terrible about missing the final weekend of games, but couldn’t re-arrange the Conference. They won 6-1. My son plays goal, along with another great goalie. Keeping the other team to one goal in the final game is very impressive. A great defensive and goal tending effort!

Congratulations to The Fog on their impressive championship!

Matt Jeffrey

The Parmasters team is in mourning. Matt Jeffrey was the Area Developer for the Canadian Maritimes, my counterpart in the Maritimes. We had a great week together at the Franchise Owners’ Conference before we all flew back to our homes and loved ones this past Sunday. Matt passed away on Monday, at his home.

All of us within Parmasters owe Matt a massive debt of gratitude. He was the first to really prove that we could sign-up hundreds of members prior to opening. Matt made it happen. He was the first Canadian franchise owner. Matt helped me and many others immensely. He was a fantastic business partner and a great man.

Matt is sadly missed by all who knew him.


JEFFREY, Matthew Christopher
JEFFREY, Matthew Christopher - 46. It is with shock and profound sadness we announce that Matt died very suddenly at his Beaver Bank home on June 25, 2007. A son of the late Edward and Bernadette Jeffrey, he is survived by his wife and best friend, Ruth (Copland), as well as Haley and Paige, his much-loved daughters; sisters, Anne Marie (Roger) Morash, Meagher's Grant; Victoria (Michael) Innis, Centreville; brothers, Eddie (Lynda) Jeffrey, Dartmouth, and David (Donna) Jeffrey, Mississauga, Ont.; nieces, Carly, Andrea and Meaghan, and nephew, Paul; his "adopted" family of Orval and Geraldine Browning, in particular, their son, Michael, his "brother from another mother". For 16 years Matt delivered milk for Farmers Dairy in the Dartmouth and Beaver Bank areas. He cared about his customers. Matt then decided it was time for a change. He combined his passion for golf, his work ethic and his inventive creativity in a new project with Parmasters International. At his death, he had been immersed in developing the market in Eastern Canada for two years. Matt was a loyal, kind and generous friend to all. He would be the first to pick up a tool to help and the last to put it down. Matt's enthusiasm for life and capacity for work was boundless. He derived great pleasure fundraising for the Cobequid Health Centre. He said he enjoyed his turn "to give back". Matt's deep, infectious laugh was always heard at a gathering when he was present. Matt loved his family, golf, entrepreneurship, a good time and beer, in that order. He was a good husband, provider and a great dad. He excelled as a party host, in particular, of those for his children. Matt was a bright and very creative guy who was just now reaching his stride. He had recently been named Innovator of The Year at the Parmasters International Conference in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Matt's friendship and generosity will be missed by many in the Metro golf and business community. In a nutshell, Matt was an honorable man, uncomplicated without being simple and incisive without being arrogant. Doing business with Matt was always a pleasure. He was just a prince of a guy. We shall miss you. Cremation has taken place at Cole Harbour Funeral Home. A gathering of family and friends will take place at home in Beaver Bank on Saturday, June 30, from 1-4 p.m. No flowers by request. Donations may be made to the Cobequid Health Centre, Gibson Woods Baptist Church or a charity of your choice.
(From the The Chronicle Herald, Halifax, NS)

The Grand Old Game

I was asked to give a toast during our white-tie closing banquet during the recent Parmasters' Franchise Owners' Conference. The following was well received.

On the first day,
Pastures became areas of play,
Holes and fairways were there and here,
Stones rolled askew, never true.
And as the day faded,
Players looked at what they had made,
And it was good.

On the second day,
Land was crafted and shaped,
The numbers 9 and 18 sprang forth,
On the way out, or in, an addiction was born.
And as the day faded,
Players looked at what they had made,
And it was good.

On the third day,
Tools, implements were crated and shaped,
Feather-ies were made to fly anew,
Bold careers, showmen at times, came to be.
And as the day faded,
Golfers looked at what they had made,
And it was good.

On the fourth day,
Feathers were for birds, Balls for golfers,
Knowledge grew, The game was no longer merely play,
A metaphor for life, lessons taught, relationships created.
And as the day faded,
Golfers looked at what they had made,
And it was good.

On the fifth day,
Amongst so many others, Vardon, Hogan, Snead, Nelson, Jones, Palmer, Nicklaus, Woods,
Addiction becomes epi- and then pan-demic,
And yet for many, fun turns to affliction, frustration, anger, a nice walk spoiled.
And as the day faded,
Golfers looked at what they had made,
And it was not so good.

On the sixth day,
People named Scott, Tom, Andrew, John, Michael begat Parmasters Golf,
Regionals, Area Developers built upon the foundation,
Members, clients, teams, suppliers brought More profits and More life.
And as the day faded,
Golfers looked at what they had made,
And it was good.

On the seventh day,
A day of rest, Straight-Line Golf, Better Golf,
Shoulder to shoulder, tee to green, More Fun,
Pandemic is positive, frustration turns to fulfillment, Guaranteed.
And as the day faded,
Golfers looked at what they had made,
And it was truly, truly good.

Above all else,
Beyond any person, plan, ego or system,
Beyond those here or those that will follow,
Beyond our members, clients and teams,
Beyond and above all else,
We owe our thanks and gratitude to
The Grand Old Game.

So please raise your glasses and help me honour,
The Grand Old Game.

Back From The Franchise Owners' Conference

It’s been a long time and no blogging. I have a fairly air-tight excuse for the past week or more, but must merely point to an overloaded schedule for the period from June 11, my last post, to June 17.

I recently attended Parmasters’ annual Franchise Owners’ Conference in sunny Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. I was there from June 18 through June 24. There were about 40 of us, including a few franchisor staff, many franchise owners and many regional franchise owners, and also a few spouses.

The resort, the Riu Palace, was wonderful. It’s beautiful, spacious and quite modern, with lots of amenities. The staff were extremely helpful and friendly. The pools and fitness areas looked very inviting, but I barely visited.

Our days were quite full. Most of us arrived throughout the day on the Monday. Tuesday through Thursday were full days, starting at 6:45am and finishing up around 9:00pm. Friday was a free day, so I golfed with a few others. Saturday we started with a meeting at 7:30am and then spent the afternoon on the links, followed by an evening white-tie event. And Sunday, of course, most of us flew back home. I made it home around 1:00am Monday.

The Conference was very well run. Lots of great presentations, education, announcements, working sessions, break out sessions and networking opportunities. Parmasters is a young franchise system. The numbers are not huge. But in a few years, the numbers will grow substantially. It’s nice to be in at this stage, and building great relationships with my peers.

I’ll blog more about the Conference in the coming days.

Shareholder Meetings

I didn’t find the fairway on the first hole Sunday morning, as mentioned and hoped for in my previous post. I was in the first cut of rough, about 120 yards out, with wedge in my hands.

However, I did get over the shanks. I practiced late Saturday and hit the ball quite well. So all was well with my approach on number 1.

I didn’t get as much done as hoped on the weekend. I simply wasn’t very productive. I’ve learned over the years to quickly recognize my peak versus non-peak performance periods. This past weekend was mostly non-peak. When that’s the case, I sometimes just plow through the work using various tricks. Other times I’ll adjust my focus and work on tasks that I tend to enjoy a little more. That way, even though I’m maybe not making a lot of progress on my top priority tasks, at least I’m getting something useful accomplished.

We welcomed another shareholder to the company today. That’s always a pleasure. I’m really pleased with the individuals we have involved thus far. I’m certain they’re all “team players” that will bring a lot to the table as our decisions become increasingly complex. I will look to our shareholder team for experience, insight and advice. But they know, and I know, the decisions must rest with me.

I’ll be meeting with some of our shareholders over the coming week. I need their insight and their assistance. I’m sure the meetings will be fruitful. Hopefully they can move a few tasks along while I’m in Mexico the week of June 18 (Franchise Owners’ Conference).

We're Talkin' About The Shanks

There’s been a lot of good progress thus far this week. Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo moved a little closer to opening.

I continue to seek investors. I can’t say much here about that, but it’s going well, and took a good leap forward this week.

We’re also finally moving ahead with some marketing. Our PR firm is working on a press release and we’re finalizing the center’s website.

We also moved forward on many other fronts, all too small and numerous to mention, but cumulatively, very satisfying. And I had many small tasks nagging at me, many of which were completed recently.

And there’s still two days left in the week! Lots to do!

I practiced (golf) on Wednesday evening, as mentioned in my last post. What I failed to mention – or admit – in that post was my battle with the shanks, of all things, during said practice. I was astounded, dumbfounded, and rather exacerbated. The shanks!

For a while there I was doing a version of Allen Iverson’s “practice” speech. You know the one, “I mean, we’re talking about practice man. We're talkin' about practice. Practice. Not a game. Not a game. Practice man. We’re talkin' about practice. …”

And me Wednesday during my practice, “The shanks. Are you kidding me? The shanks. Shanks. Not crisp contact. Not crisp contact. We're talkin' about the shanks. The shanks. The shanks? …”

I eventually straightened things out, but not before my golf psyche was significantly damaged. So Sunday morning, just after 7:40am, when I hopefully find myself in the middle of the first fairway, about 110 yards out, yes, the shanks may just enter my head.

I plan to practice again Saturday, in an effort to excise the demons.

Peter Lonard speaks quite frankly about a battle with the shanks here (halfway down in the article). Misery loves company!

Life As An Entrepreneur

Today was highly productive. Or, I suppose, to be more accurate, I was highly productive today. This is a “good thing”, as Martha Stewart is famous for saying.

I love being an entrepreneur. I love the challenge of building a business, creating something from nothing. I also take the responsibility very seriously. I have shareholders and other stakeholders. There are a lot of people involved, already. And the list is only going to grow.

In addition to the challenge, each day is simply very unique. No two days are the same. I use various systems to ensure that I’m always – or almost always – working on the most important / pressing / high-leverage task for any given moment. The various tasks are so, well, varied, that each day is quite unique. This contributes to my enjoyment, I’m sure.

All of this said, life as an entrepreneur will be far more enjoyable, and exciting, when we finally open the doors to Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo! We’ll open this coming winter.

For now, it’s off to do some reading. Tomorrow will begin with breakfast and an early workout.

Earn Twice As Much With Half The Stress

I recently finished Earn Twice As Much With Half The Stress by Paul Lemberg and Tom Matzen. Tom is President, CEO and Co-founder of Parmasters Golf Training Centers.

Full disclosure, I did not purchase this book. It was a gift, from Tom.

The book is a very quick, light read. The approximately 200 pages, while chalked full of great content, insight and ideas, breeze by very quickly and easily. The book is well organized and indexed. You can jump to a particular area very quickly.

Systems thinking, as well as working ON your business, rather than IN your business, are two strong themes that repeat throughout the book. And rightly so. These two concepts are incredibly powerful!

The focus of the book is primarily value-based retail (or business-to-consumer or B-to-C) businesses. “Value-based” because many of the techniques noted within the book hinge critically on the fact that you’re selling based on value, not based on price. If you’re simply in a price war, buy a different book.

Tom and Paul note “four rules of systems”:
1) “Extraordinary systems, ordinary people. Systems should be designed for people with the lowest appropriate skill levels for the job, not for the experts.”
2) “If it’s difficult, something is wrong. … When it’s easy, you’ve got it right.”
3) “It’s not a system until it’s written down.”
4) “Deliver consistent predictable results every single time.”

The book also deals with scripting, checklists, etc.

Systems take much of the guess work out of running your business, as well as easing training and mentorship of your staff.

Tom and Paul also present the concept of Position Results Descriptions. Instead of the traditional “job description” which simply describes the periodic activities associated with a particular job, a Position Results Description focuses exclusively on the results that the successful candidate must produce. The first rule in hiring is to know what you want. You don’t want someone that will simply enjoy the daily activities that the job encompasses. You do want someone that will eagerly produce the results described, in detail, in your Position Results Description.

I won’t give away anymore of the punch line. I eagerly recommend this book to anyone operating a value-based business, especially such a retail establishment. I believe you can find information here.

Systems Must Evolve

I haven’t had much blog time lately. My reading has also fallen behind schedule.

I am definitely a systems thinker. Systems help me be more efficient and effective. One of my most trusted systems is simply a complete and oft referenced calendar. Anything that must be accomplished on a specific day or at a specific time is noted in my calendar. That includes blogging. But of course, just because an item is noted in the calendar does not mean I actually get to it.

I also use a tickler file. It’s a very basic system of file folders numbered 1 through 31 and others labeled January, February, … through to December. This system allows me to basically mail items to my attention at a later date. It’s all paper based. If a piece of paper comes to my desk and it requires attention at a future date, but not today, it goes into the tickler file on that date. I refer to it daily.

All systems require some level of dedication. If you don’t stick to the system, if you don’t work it, the benefit wanes.

I also took two entire days off earlier this week. I used the time to relax, clear my head and rejuvenate. Of course, as soon as one’s back into the swing of things, the rejuvenation can quickly seem a distant memory.

Things are zipping right along with Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo. I’ll be blogging soon about our location. Shortly thereafter we’ll start marketing and selling memberships.

During that membership-drive period I will be running preview meetings for future members several evenings each week, and at least once each weekend. My systems will have to adjust to a new schedule.

For now, it’s back to work. I have several documents to produce in the coming days and plan to get a good start on them today.

Various Ethics Approaches

I recently read my March 2007 issue of Harvard Business Review, specifically an article titled “The Ethical Mind: A Conversation with Psychologist Howard Gardner.”

Gardner spoke of four different “minds.” They were/are:
- the Disciplined mind, gained “through applying ourselves in a disciplined way”;
- the Synthesizing mind, “which can survey a wide range of sources, decide what is important and worth paying attention to, and weave this information together in a coherent fashion for oneself and others”;
- the Creating mind, which “casts about for new ideas and practices, innovates, takes chances, discovers”, and lastly;
- the Respectful mind, “the kind of open mind that tries to understand and form relationships with other human beings.”

He seems to suggest that an Ethical mind “broadens respect for others into something more abstract … [such that a person may ask] … ‘What kind of a person, worker, and citizen do I want to be?’”

The article focused on ethics in business, and what might lead some business leaders to display poor ethics.

Gardner notes that businesspeople are more prone to poor ethical judgments because business is not a profession. In the professions – medical, legal, accounting, etc. – peer review plays a role. In business, while peer review may exist in a certain sense, it does not exist formally.

He also notes that movement away from a strict ethical code can be “catching”, or contagious. If certain behaviour is the norm in a particular company, despite the ethics, one may be swayed to join in.


We at Parmasters use specific hiring techniques to first identify candidates whose values and beliefs align with the values and beliefs embodied by Parmasters. While not specifically noted in a mission or vision statement, we as a company value ethical behaviour very highly.


This HBR article also reminded me of an ethics course from my MBA days. Part of the course focused on the many different ethical approaches or perspectives. I found this web page that lays them out quite succinctly.

Utilitarian Approach – The ethical course of action provides the greatest good for the greatest number.

Rights Approach – The ethical course of action does not infringe on anyone’s rights. This quickly leads to a debate regarding which, if any, rights are innate.

Fairness/Justice Approach – The ethical course of action treats all people fairly and equally.

Common-Good Approach – This approach focuses on the common good shared by all individuals in society.

Virtue Approach – This approach focuses on what type of person we want to be, how shall we pursue various virtues and make them part of ourselves?

Parmasters Media Release

Parmasters offers golfing franchise opportunities in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec

Attention: Business/Financial Editor, City Editor, Lifestyle Editor, News Editor, Sports EditorTORONTO, ONTARIO, MEDIA RELEASE--(CCNMatthews - May 24, 2007) - Over the next 10 years in the US, aging Baby Boomers alone will drive a 12 per cent increase in the 20 billion dollar golf industry. In response to this trend, Parmasters offers a franchising opportunity that mixes business with pleasure.

Tom Matzen, an international speaker and author, and founder of Entrepreneur Coach Inc., together with Scott Hazledine, a Class A PGA member, recognized the growth in golf and formed Parmasters in 1999.

According to the National Golf Foundation, an average of 2 million new golfers enter the sport each year but as many golfers drop off. The three actions required to reverse this trend are: facilitate finding playing partners; promote couples/family golf; teach, teach, teach. Parmasters Golf Training Centers address each of these concerns and more.

Typically, a Parmasters Golf Training Center is 12,000 to 15,000 square-feet, offering a climate-controlled, indoor golfers haven and an affordable alternative to traditional teaching methods that guarantees a 25 per cent reduction in handicap.

Certified golf coaches develop each part of the swing from impact backwards, teaching the fundamentals using Accelerated Learning Techniques, and the proven sports technology Straight-Line Golf.

"In the fluency bays, the ball gets automatically teed out of the floor, so when you are taking Straight-Line Golf lessons you are not bending over to tee the ball up allowing you to focus on your grip and swing tempo" says André Ferris, of Parmasters Canada.

Eighty-eight franchises have been awarded. The first location, a 25,000 sq. ft. center in Memphis Tennessee opened in June 2006, and the first international center in Guangzhou, China in April, 2007. The opening of 12 additional golf training centers and 20 Links Golf Cafes are planned by April, 2008.

In Canada, 27 franchises have been awarded, with further opportunities in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec.

A Full Day

It’s been a long day, and becoming a bit of a late night. I have an early workout tomorrow morning, so must head to bed to read and sleep soon.

Today started along the same lines as tomorrow will, with a good workout. And then I quickly segued into the usual long string of investor meetings. I also visited a local “travel” clinic to get my immunizations for a pending trip to Mexico (the Franchise Owners’ Conference).

I practiced this evening, golf that is. Straight-Line Golf™ truly is “the simplest, most accurate way to hit a golf ball.”

We’re also in the middle of packaging up quarterly statements for the shareholders. It’s not a lot of work, but it is one of those Important but Non-urgent tasks. It often seems that I have plenty of Important AND Urgent tasks to occupy my day.

I’ve added a tour news feed to this blog. You’ll find it at the top of the column to the right. It also exists at the bottom of this page, but I suspect very few ever scroll to the bottom. The feed is quite handy. Simply click on the tour of interest and the latest news is presented. Enjoy!

Well, off to read and rest up for another full day tomorrow.

Great Lakes Tour

I took the weekend off. Well, by that I mean, I didn’t do very much office or business work. The pleasant weather inspired me to tackle some “backyard” projects. I did some work around the pool, a small reinforcement project on the deck, and also bolstered some of the weather protection around a side shed. While it was quite gratifying to finally cross those to-do items off of my list – they had been on the list for quite some time – I also left myself a little behind on business work.

I’ve spent much of this evening catching up. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll work.

It was with great interest that I read Mark Bryson’s column in The Record way back on May 3. (Yes, I’m a little behind on some of my blogging too!) The article title read “Great Lakes Tour hits pay dirt with amateur series.”

It’s great to hear that the Great Lakes Tour is doing well. These smaller tours, both amateur and professional, offer the up-and-comers a stepping stone while also providing many others with a rare opportunity to compete against some of the best local talent.

According to Bryson, the Great Lakes Tour offers two professional series – “the 10-event Ben Hogan series and the five-event Platinum series” – along with the new amateur series.

Bryson also notes that “the tour started in 2001 with 150 members and $60,000 in purses” while last season it boasted $500,000 in total purses.

I plan to add links to many of these amateur and junior professional tours to my blog sidebar. We all know it’s fun watching Tiger, Ernie, Vijay and Mike tearing it up on the PGA, but why not consider either watching or competing in a local event?

Count Yogi

I stumbled across Count Yogi when a Google Alert came my way. Have you ever heard of the Count?

By some accounts, he was an early Moe Norman. Early, but not all that early. The Count played most of his golf in the early- to mid-20th century, not long before our local Mr. Norman began turning heads.

The Google Alert pointed to this site and a brief article on the Count. This article listed some of the Count’s many exploits. Here’s the list, borrowed from the aforementioned article:


- Shot 26-29 for a 55 at Bunker Hill Golf Course, a regulation course, winning the 1934 Chicago golf championship. Included two back-to-back holes-in-one (187 and 347 yards) while playing with Al Espinosa and Terry McGovern
- Also has shot scores of 55, 57, 58 and 59 in 18-hole rounds.
- Shot a 59 in winning the best ball title at Greenview Country Club, Chicago.
- Shot seven birdies in a row for a world tournament record (held for eighteen years) in the 1941 Chicago Open at Elmhurst Country Club.
- Averaged 67 per round for 203 rounds of 18-hole golf in 1940, playing either right handed or left handed.
- Played a 550-yard hole in two strokes in Corpus Christi, Texas, driving 453 yards and sinking the next shot with a wedge.
- Shot par or under for 267 of 273 successive shows
- Drives of 453, 450, 435 and 425 yards.
- Fifty-five holes-in-one; nine of them on par-4 holes, two in succession (187 and 347 yards); one 416-yard hole-in-one
- Fourteen putts for eighteen holes (score 29-29=58) on par-72 Wilson Golf Course, Griffith Park, Los Angeles, former scene of Los Angeles Open, 1951.
- 645-yard par-6 hole in 3; 59 on par-74 course, 1933.
- Eight birdies and two eagles in succession in a 58 at Paw Paw Lakes Links, Michigan, 1939.
- Played eighteen holes in fifty-seven minutes and 69 shots; fastest round (not cycling, but walking), mid-City Golf Course, Chicago, 1948.
- 31-32=63 course record at Bel Air Country Club, Los Angeles, 1948.
- 34-31=65 par-73 to win Metro Goldwyn Mayer's annual Open, 1949.
- 31-36=67 at Western Avenue Golf Course (Los Angeles) to win Universal International event, while in Hindu suit, 1949.


Turns out there’s a company marketing golf lessons under the banner Count Yogi Golf. Interesting. You can find their site here. I’m not sure where they’re located. Their area code is 805, but I have not looked it up.

A web search revealed little else. The same articles and sites popped up several times, but I found very little else on Count Yogi.

If any readers have any Count related information, I’d welcome more input. He seems like an interesting figure.

Blogging Rut

I’m in a bit of a blogging rut. There are several reasons. No excuses. (I’m rather adamant about not making excuses. I don’t really believe in excuses I suppose.) But yes, there are reasons.

I’ve been very busy. I’m busy mostly with work and business-related activities, but I’m also coaching a ball hockey team (my eldest son) and I volunteer with a few agencies. I’ve also been helping a neighbour that’s struggling through a difficult time.

The busy-ness also puts me behind on my reading. I tend to sacrifice a few of the important but less urgent activities when I get swamped. Reading is one of those. Working out is another. Working on my golf game would also fall into that category.

We teach Straight-Line Golf™, and we guarantee a 25% improvement in your game, or your money back. Iron clad, so to speak.

So, when I’m out golfing at a local club, people expect me to be able to play fairly well. And indeed, I expect the same of myself.

The fact remains though, that I have not yet taken our golf training. That will happen, partially at least, in June, in Mexico. I will become fully certified to teach Straight-Line Golf later this year, as we get closer to opening our doors.

So, for now, I’m doing my best to learn on my own. It’s not easy. I mean, I’m sure it’s easy to pick up if you take our lesson program. I mean, we guarantee results. The franchisor has figured out how to teach the swing and ensure the student achieves success. So, it will be easy for me to pick up once I get some training. But, on my own, it’s a challenge to learn.

And so, I must practice. And I must keep up with my reading. And I must keep up with the many other important but non-urgent tasks that tend to fall by the wayside during very busy times. And this all explains why I’m in a blogging rut. It’s these important but non-urgent tasks that inspire blog entries.

Franchise Owners' Conference

I’ve just returned from a ball hockey practice. Both the coaches and the players were a little tired and slow, so the practice wasn’t as intense as some we run. I think maybe we’re all adjusting to the heat. It’s only early may, but the arenas are starting to get warm.

Unfortunately one of our guys was sick after practice. And we really didn’t run all that hard. We’re obviously hoping it’s something that passes quickly. He’s a great player, and a great young teen. His team will need him tomorrow night.

I was reminded on Wednesday that I must get some immunizations taken care of before late June. Our annual Franchise Owners' Conference takes place in Mexico the week of June 18. I’ll make some calls tomorrow.

The conference agenda is packed. Sessions start at 6:30am and run into the evening for the first few days. The Friday is a free day. I hope to golf, or perhaps snorkel. There’s a wrap-up session on the last day, the Saturday, followed by a round of golf, of course.

I’ll also, finally, take our Straight-Line Golf™ lessons from the man himself, our Chief Golf Professional and Co-Founder, Scott Hazledine. Scott developed Straight-Line Golf after an accident left him with a back that didn’t function very well. I can’t wait to learn the “simplest, most accurate way to hit a golf ball” from the man that developed the simplified swing. Lessons will take place late in the day on the Wednesday and Thursday.

Today started with breakfast and another great workout. The workout was interrupted by a call from a local banker. I had to continually apologize for being out of breath. Since I do fairly intense heavy weight workouts, I also found it very difficult to simply hold the phone up to my ear. But, it was a good meeting.

I spent the bulk of the day communicating with potential/future investors.

For now, off to catch up on some reading, and to catch the highlights of the Players Championship. I may also head to the basement to take some putting practice. Drive for show, and putt for dough!

Does Networking Pay?

It was yet another enjoyable and productive day at Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo. As with most days, I started with a quick review of the newspaper. Then it was off to my weekly breakfast with the good Mr. Bill Waters of We-Create fame. We meet almost weekly, two entrepreneurs commiserating over the previous week’s events. (I’m joking about the “commiserating” part, of course. Mostly. ;))

The bulk of the day was spent communicating with shareholders and future shareholders. That’s the focus right now, finalizing our financing.

Earlier this evening I attended an event put on by the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce. It’s a monthly networking event. I made several new contacts. I often debate the usefulness of attending such events. At this point, as I’m building the business, and searching for certain key suppliers, these events do allow me to meet several candidate suppliers and quickly assess their offering.

As for generating revenue, I don’t believe such networking events are a particularly effective use of my time. We may try a booth at one or two of these events and measure the success. I’m sure we could generate some traffic, and then convert that traffic into revenue. I’m just not sure the revenue will warrant the investment.

We have also volunteered to host one of these networking events early in 2008. This will allow us to showcase our amazing golf training center to all attendees, and provide lots of tours. That means a lot of traffic, and a lot of revenue. And the investment will just be a little more than a booth. So, the return should be justified. We will measure everything, of course, to determine whether or not the event was a success.

I also tidied up my office today. I find that a neat and tidy space is a productive space. While I generally keep my office quite tidy, there are times that it gets away on me. The last couple of weeks were such a time. But now, once again, a place for everything, and everything in its place.

Must Sharpen The Saw

I felt a little burnt out over the weekend. Well, actually that’s not entirely honest. I felt a lot burnt out over the weekend. There are a lot of stressors when one is building a company from the ground up.

I suppose that’s true of any task that to many/most would seem insurmountable or unattainable. There’s only a few of us that are crazy enough – we prefer the term “entrepreneurial”, or even “visionary” works well – to tackle this challenge of building a company.

I spoke about this with a close and trusted friend today. Help was offered, again. It’s been offered in the past.

I have a few tendencies that always seem to get me into trouble. I tend to try to do too much too quickly. I tend to get so busy doing that I fail to “sharpen the saw,” from a previous blog entry. I tend to offer my help to others (individuals, charities, etc.) without considering my capacity. And I tend to keep all stresses bottled up inside, dealing with them “like a man.”

And just so this entry doesn’t come off to bleak, things at Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo are really proceeding quite well. The current focus is capitalization, and capital is flowing in nicely. We’ll start selling memberships soon. We’re making great progress. But still, many stressors remain.

While my weekend certainly wasn’t much fun, I’d like to think that I’ve learned something, or at least been reminded of something.

When the flight attendant demonstrates how to use the oxygen masks, as the flight is preparing for take-off, there’s a reason why he/she urges all those traveling with dependents to help themselves before they help their dependent. One must take care of ones self first, before one can truly care for others, or take care of business, or help others, etc.

“Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.” -Goethe

Emergent Strategies

I thought I would add a brief example of an emergent strategy, as mentioned in a previous post. This example/story is my own creation. I’m not certain Mintzberg would endorse it.

Assume that the senior executives of company XYZ Corp. have just returned from a three-day strategy retreat. The CEO has a new task; he must hire a new VP. The job title is not relevant.

XYZ markets its products throughout Europe and North America, but not beyond those two geographies. During the retreat they considered an offshore foray, but decided to remain focused on North America for at least the next five years.

Over the coming months the CEO leads an effort to find the ideal candidate for the new VP role. The competition comes down to two equally excellent candidates. They each have ideal experience and other credentials within XYZ’s industry. One candidate spent six months, in the past, opening a previous offshore office, for another company, in China. The other spent six months, in the past, opening a previous offshore office, for another company, in Russia.

In the end, the CEO cannot decide which candidate to choose. The competition is a deadlock. He flips a coin, as noted in another previous post, and the candidate that hand opened the Russian office becomes the new VP.

The new VP joins the company and over the coming months comes up to speed and quickly becomes a key player and influencer in the executive team. Throughout many informal chats over lunch/coffee/etc. with other VPs, the new VP tells the story of his six months in Russia. Shortly thereafter, the executives head off for the next annual strategic retreat.

They decide to enter the Russian market.

Did that strategy emerge, or was it created?

A Capital Idea

It seems that days and weeks are flying by right now. It’s already Thursday morning!

My productivity is back up where it should be, and thankfully so. We welcomed another shareholder to the fold earlier this week. That’s always good news. Monday night was a ball hockey practice. I’m assistant coach on my oldest son’s team. My youngest isn’t playing this year. We have another practice tonight.

Wednesday evening was time well spent with 30-40 former SlipStream Data Inc. colleagues. SlipStream was acquired by RIM last summer, just as I was leaving the firm to work on our local Parmasters Golf Training Center locations. One of the former SlipStream team is now leaving RIM to pursue a degree south of the border. It had been a while since I’d seen the many SlipStream faces, and it was nice to catch up on all the news.

My days are currently dedicated to capitalizing our first Parmasters location as well as preparing to hit the ground running when it’s time. It will be “time” when sufficient capital is in place. Likely in a couple of months. Our first foray into the market will involve membership marketing and sales. It will be nice to finally start generating revenue, even in modest sums!

For now, I’m off to several investor meetings. I tend to see the inside of a lot of coffee shops and restaurants, and thus must really watch what I eat. Parmasters is all about Better Golf, More Fun, Guaranteed. Obviously good health is a key component.

Off to eat right …