So it’s once again been almost two weeks but I can still hear wind rushing around me and still feel the moment of panic as I let myself fall out of an airplane that was 9000 feet above the ground.

For many years I’ve wanted to do this and on a fine, sunny Saturday I was strapped into a harness and climbed into a plane big enough for the pilot and perhaps 5 others, if we were sitting on top of one another. The plane had a roll top door in the side, something like a garage door and was noisy as we sped along the runway, finally leaving the ground. There was a moment of rush as we did that, as I thought to myself ‘crap, no getting back out now’… of course, getting out of the plane was exactly what I was there to do! through a 25 minute flight we circled higher and higher, the views of the Gananoque region stunning below us. I saw the Rideau lakes, the St. Lawrence and the airport below in tiny little detail. The ride itself was really quite beautiful and then the question came “Are you ready to skydive??!!” what else was there to do but scream “YEAH!”…

The roll top door opens easily and myself and the instructor I’m attached to shuffle across the small floorspace to the door. I look out and down. Clouds surround us, above and below. As I swing my legs out the door I’m told to grab my harness and a moment of panic sets in. Here I am, 9000 feet in the air, holding on to nothing, feet dangling in the air, no parachute on myself and leaning out the door of an airplane! what the heck am I doing??!!

And then we were out. Falling through the clouds and I lost track of everything. It was the most free I’d ever felt. The screams I had joked about coming out of my mouth before leaving the ground came out as “WOOOHOOO”. 30 seconds of freefall, hurtling toward the ground with arms and legs fluttering wildly. We traveled over a mile in 30 seconds. That’s about 200 km/h… Then suddenly the chute popped and we were floating, everything safe, still so high up I could see the curvature of the earth. My instructor said behind me “ok good, the chute worked”… Isn’t that nice? . I saw the airport as it grew and my family’s camping trailer, over 40 feet long, looking about the size of a pencil eraser on the ground far below. As we floated down, we did a few stunts, wild turns and circles, each one an amazing rush. We floated down the rest of the way, as people become the right size again and I took pictures of the scenery around us. We landed right on target, safe and sound (and laughing like an idiot).

Sometimes, when you want something, scary as it might sometimes seem.. you’ve just gotta jump.

P.S. My great thanks to everyone at Skydive Gananoque (http://www.skydivegan.com), and to Will, the guy I knew for little more than an hour before I trusted him with my life. I appreciate getting back to the ground alive and can’t wait to try it again!

A couple of weeks ago now (I’ve been busy) I had the opportunity to go sailing with a good friend and client of mine and another gentleman who owns a beautiful 44 foot Beneteau sailboat. Though I may have gotten some ribbing from staff and friends about ‘how hard I was working’, I have long since learned how valuable new contacts can be.

Whether you’re taking the opportunity to meet people at a business event such as a Chamber of Commerce mixer, a trade show or even through electronic methods, these contacts help build your business in many ways. I’ve met a number of people that say networking doesn’t help them or that it’s too time consuming but the reality is, for each person you can give a good impression to, you’ve just added another person to your sales force! and they’re FREE!

When you own your own business, it’s just a reality that you’re selling it pretty much all the time. I’ve made some of my best contacts when I’m on vacation! (Considering I’ve only really had one since starting this company, that’s not bad!). Take a chance to look up some of the networking possibilities that are available to you (or ask me), and remember to exercise them. It’s easy and cheap, and when you’ve got others selling your company for you, there’s no guilt at all about a good day on the lake!

So the decision to create a blog actually came from a few places. We’ve had clients ask us to keep them a bit more up to date on some of the new things we’ve been doing and had some new people ask if there was a way they could learn about some tips and ideas… We also thought having our blog would finally make us cool so we said why not? You’ll be able to come in here and see posts from different members of our team, and we invite you to browse through them and hopefully you’ll be entertained or maybe even learn something!

Welcome aboard! Come on in! please keep your arms and legs in the vehicle at all times as it’s gonna be a fun ride!

~ Tony