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Debbie Elicksen is the author of our new book Business Cyberbullies and How to Fight Back. Her inspiration to write the book came from a personal experience she had with a former client turned cyberbully which she talks about below. Our hope is that through telling her story, she gives those of you dealing with online harassment the courage to fight back. For everyone else, let hers be a lesson to be proactive and learn about the simple steps you can take to protect your reputation online....

1. What ignited the spark in you to start your own business?

I say in the book that at a young age I knew I had a problem with authority! It might be the wrong answer, but it is the honest one. I always felt that my opinions and ideas were never taken seriously because of my age, sex and physical appearance. Being an event planner has been a dream since I was 17 and I always knew I would open my own business. Sometimes tragedy, risk and dreams all come together at the same time to create something beautiful – my beautiful was my business, PEAR.

 2. What three pieces of advice wo...

In the construction industry, tradespeople are selling something that can only be envisioned, specified, drawn, planned or verbally communicated. You can't buy a plumbing job off the shelf for your new house. So how does a business owner offering a service make the sale? According to Jack Borden, there are seven important things to consider:...

1. How does brand building for authors compare to developing a brand for a business?

It depends. Is the brand a product, person, or entity (a persona like the Coca Cola polar bear)? The principles of marketing/publishing in the digital platforms would be similar in that they all follow the same rules of engagement if they want to build a community. All potential readers/clients/viewers... want the same thing: a connection, to be wowed/wined and dined, to be inspired/entertained/appreciated...

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The digital revolution has drastically changed where readers buy books, what books they read and in what format they read them. While these changes initially made engaging with and building loyalty among readers a challenge for authors and publishers, the shift online has come to be seen as an enormous marketing opportunity. Digital platforms offer valuable insight into how characters, plot lines and topics are perceived while presenting an opportunity for publishers and authors to directly engage with readers.

The internet offers authors many ways to market and promote a book. Engaging...

As people live longer, healthier, more active lives these days, it is not at all unusual to see marriages between individuals in their 60s, 70s and beyond. If you are among these happy folks, it is important that you turn your mind to estate planning. Booking the honeymoon in the Bahamas or working on the guest list is a lot more fun than thinking about your eventual demise, but there are plenty of people in your life who are depending on you to get this right, legally and financially...

Although recent numbers out of Statistics Canada reported a drop in the ratio of household debt to personal disposable income, most experts agree that Canadians are still sitting on a dangerously high percentage of consumer debt. The truth is we live in an inflated economy. An excellent example of which can be found in our real estate market where our desire to own a home, despite the all-time-high price tag, is keeping mortgages accountable for 65% of credit market debt...

Blogs are all over the Web. Many businesses maintain a blog on or separate from their business websites. Some of them are written well and worth reading; some of them are written poorly and a waste of time.

Besides keeping your eye on popular and successful blogs to see what others are succeeding (or perhaps failing) at, I believe there are several main things that any business owner should consider before investing time and money into a blog....

Lise Andreana understands that not all young people are properly taught how to handle their finances. Little or no money education usually translates to 20-somethings with low-paying jobs, no insurance, student loans, and a lot of dinners consisting of mac ‘n’ cheese. There are finance basics that every young person should learn, including how to do a proper budget; how to save money and pay off debt; and what “good debt” and “bad debt” are. But how does one find trustworthy, straightforward financial advice on the basics and beyond?`...