Jan 13, 2022 the night after the storm

I'm so greatful that I made it home safely in that Strom last night. Poor Raven and her son were not so lucky. Her poor baby has started his travels to the spirit world. I send my prayers to both mom and her son, she will need her angels to surround her heart and mend her body. Her baby boy will be one of her Angels🙏💕

It all started crazy where I was going to take the small car and it wouldn't start, then I tried the white truck, out of gas then I took my silver truck which I felt very safe in driving home in the storm 

I am greatful for today, I pray the Lord looks after me and makes my angels work hard to protect me. I am greatful dear Lord, I hear you and feel you 💕🙏.

Sept 22 Blog

I think this will be a great way to teach Math!!!!

ABRG 1412 New Blog

Ok so I jotted down the instructions...

Go to Blogger Home Page
http://www.blogger.com/
Login to your account
Click on the SETTINGS link
Go to the PERMISSIONS link
Click on the radio button -> only People I know
Then students need to put your email (In the allow text box abelczew@unb.ca )
Press the INVITE button

Learning Journal (Blog) - Dec 9

What appeals to me about entrepreneurship?

For sure this is in my blood, I see my FN culture as entrepreneurs. My father started his own oyster farm, sold clams, started a small family farm. My Grander father would travel all over NB is make and sell the best axe handles. (He had a good customer base - because of his perfect craftsmanship - and they wouldn't buy from anyone else except him).

I believe that entrepreneurship is in my family (my blood). As I have shared in previous blogs, I can recall always seeing opportunities, and seeing if I was skilled enough to fill that need. I enjoy knowing whats happening, all the new things. But mostly, my two greatest strengths are teaching and technology. (They are also my two passions) I also realized that my passion for teaching / mentoring goes all over the place and not only in technology. I also volunteer working with the church, and truly enjoying seeing those little kids light bulbs turn on, because they understand a new concept. I enjoy working with kids a lot. But mostly I really enjoy being my own boss.

Learning Journal (Blog - Dec 4

Talk to someone (perhaps your spouse, sibling, friend, teenager, etc) and tell them about business plans. Write about your experience. The goal of this exercise is to inform about business plans. Perhaps you know of someone who has a business or wants to start a business that wants to learn a little more about business plans, you can take this opportunity to assist them and perhaps answer some questions.

I decided to interview my daughter who is in a business program under NBCC, (She has great entrepreneurial traits, just like mom) I watched her as a young girl, who has great interpersonal skills. I remember watching her grow up and be able to sell items at markets, Yard sales, etc. Savannah has a selling spirit. She is very great with people, and she has a dream to someday open up a hotel or something under tourism.

We talked a lot about her dreams, and her strengths, and her weaknesses. (She hates accounting) At the end of the interview, we concluded that we would love to open up a business together. Because of the variety of skills we would bring into the business. I could be back end - she would be front end. I am a more serious person and she is mostly interpersonal. I am great with numbers and she is great with people. I also discussed where I failed as an owner - and what types of business are nto good to get into. (More like why kind of Business scams to watch out for!)

We talked about opening up a combination hotel / restaurant. I shared with her about a hotel I stayed in once. (During one of my many travels in Toronto.) It was a suite style, with multi floors, swimming pool, and a small gym where people could work out.

We both love to work out & talked about having a real healthy restaurant (Maybe a Swiss chalet style - our favorite) and The Gym to be open to the Public 24 hours (Gym, Sauna, Hot tub, etc) I use to go to 24 hour gyms in Toronto and there is a big lack of inconsideration for people who works shifts (as do entrepreneurs)

We both feel that a form of physical exercise is an important part of an entrepreneurs life; Some days to just blow off your stressful day, you go skating, swimming, running, etc) But to be balanced you need to be physically active as well.

Learning Journal (Blog) - Nov 24

What did you learn from our guest speaker? Pick something and discuss it. If you missed the class, use business plans instead.

I didn't catch this guest speakers name, but I wrote like crazy, as she seems to be a source of a lot of information. The one thing I never knew before, or had never thought of was, "Having a back up plan." I never recall during my journey as an Entrepreneur, ever being asked if I had back up plan, or to even incorporate this into my Business plan.

When I started my own business and I worked with ABC & Adel-Kent-Leda, we never discussed a back up plan. My Business was about providing a service as a computer consulting company, so maybe services vs purchase of a building require more sophisticated planning. I am sure, it has to do with the fact that the bank has to do a big investment in this business and they required a a back up plan. (It only makes sense) My Business was really low start-up costs , I need approx $10,000. (this was just to outfit my office with all the electronic equipment to function as a computer consultant) computer, copier, Scanner, various office supplies, desk, etc. The Start-up costs were not high and part of these costs were covered under a grant. In the end I ended up pay back a $5000 loan.

But I thought, what could have been my back up plan. Maybe training (as I do have a teaching degree and I truly enjoy teaching / mentoring) I think I would have fallen back on this.

Learning Journal (blog) - Nov 17

Pick a topic from our 'Current Business Live Feed' and respond to it.

One of the latest activities on the Live Feed is our economy, and how we are being affected with the World economy. The devastation of job losses, the closing of plants, the Canadian Dollar on a big decline (I'm really sad about this - I love to shop in the states.) But the biggest thing on most Canadian minds is: Will I have a job tomorrow? To be frank, this is on my mind as well. As FN working in a FN community, we are solely dependant on Federal Government Funding for our annual contracts. I am a floater, and I rely on 6 - 12 month contracts for the technology services I provide. The uncertainty in the economy causes the Federal Government to become very nervous, and they tend to start cutting costs on various projects, or to stop funding all together. The last time I felt this was approx 2003, when the Federal Government got nervous and stop hiring, closed all contracts that were under negotiation, etc.. I got affected, as I was one of these clients with a sub-contract under Health Canada.

Learning Journal (Blog) - Nov 4

Pick a First Nations woman in business and write about the barriers that she has faced. How has she overcome them? Use the barriers identified in my lecture last night. Pick at least three of the seven.

The Woman I would like to do this blog on my own experiences as a FN Woman Entrepreneur.

I have been an entrepreneur since I could remember. I started my own delivery service at the age of 10. (I saw a need and decided to fill it.) In our community, when I was younger, Giving Christmas Cards to everyone was really a big deal. Money was hard to come by, but you were rich with friends when you had a lot of Christmas cards. So the community was very giving with Christmas Cards. My mom use to hand write 200 Christmas Cards & have to deliver them, then my married sister would, and the family next door, etc. So I saw an opportunity and grabbed at the chance to start my own seasonal business. "Heidi's Christmas Card Delivery Business". I made poster and put signs up. Soon our door was ringing with boxes of Christmas Cards ready to be delivered, I would deliver approx. every 4 days so I would have a stack of Cards (like a mail women) when I went to houses. I got so busy that I had to hire my dad to drive me around. He enjoyed how I earned my money that year. Through out my life I had parents who believed in me and supported me (emotionally and morally). This was where I got my drive to move forward as an Entrepreneur.

Later on in life, as I tested some more small seasonal business ventures I knew I was hooked - I was an Entrepreneur. In 1999, I finally decided to sit down and work out a plan - a real business plan. That was the year I decided to open up :"Simon Computer Consulting"- I had many difficulties, and much enjoyment. The difficulties were similar to the various case studies we read about in, the class text. Mostly mine were finances and budgeting. I learned that when you start a small business - you should be debt free, as there was too much financial stress of wondering how you are going to pay for all your bills. (Not enough income coming in and having too many bills to pay out.) I guess this is why I am back in school, to learn to do it right. I know I will be back in the game again. As for now - I will continue to work towards my FN Business Certificate - learn more time management, budgeting and accounting skills - to use in my next endeavour.

Learning Journal - Oct 28

Learning Journal: What does it mean to be a professional? Are students in training to be professionals?

Defination according to Wikipedia: A professional is a person in a profession that requires certain types of skilled work requiring formal training or education.

I believe the biggest aspect about a person level of professionalism is about attitude. A person can have all the training and education, but with the proper attitude - they are not professionals. I think that this lacks highly in my community, where the code of conduct is over looked. There seems to be too much water cooler talk happening in our work areas, and this degrades our level of professionalism that we should have towards work and towards our clients (the community members).

I think most of the business courses, whether its at the College level or at the University level are preparing students to play up to the professional level. I am very impressed, especially at the NBCC Business Degree Program. My daughter is currently enrolled at NBCC, and the level of expectancy is high, her appearance is expected to bring a level of business professional with her to all the classes. Not all education programs impress upon the students the same level of business/professional expectancies.

Learning Journal - Oct 21

Read the article titled "Taboo". What are your reactions to it?

First of all I looked at this personally (because I am native, but then I was able to step away and look at this from a business point of view) then as a International point of view.

Personally I was offended with the frankness of this man from Harvard University. I felt his cultural and historical understanding of First Nation people, historically was very ignorant. Internationally, if you try to do business with other cultures in other countries, you need to understand where the people come historically, their struggles and their values. These values are the bases of how these cultures / countries make business decisions; (Their individual business decisions models). Take for instance the German culture. You must understand their history in order to understand how to deal and make business transactions with them. Without understanding any of their history and their struggles, I would clearly insult them if I choose to do a formal business transaction, wearing flimsy, cheap shoes (or is my shoes are too casual, this would insult them) Because shoes historically in their culture has a deep meaning and the struggles they had to endure. Historically people in general could not afford shoes in Germany, if you had shoes made of leather you were considered well off, or a person of importance. As time has gone on, this value of importance and respect to the type of shoe you wear in business transactions weighs heavy on international business deals.

With this in mind, I feel this man, has not begun to understand our struggles or our values making the statements he did on this article. I feel he was unable to see our people and our country with the proper vision from an International business point of view. I was truly dissapointed in this mans narrow vision, and ignorance of cultures in his own country.