Have you had your Business 24 Hour Checkup? Book now for 2011

Call Elkhart Bell International to arrange your 2011 Business 24 Hour Checkup: 403.979.1962. We will fix your most pressing business problems in 24 hours and then continue to provide valued consulting advice for the rest of the year. Ask about our great new consulting rates for continuing customers.

What is your Business Problem? We can provide an experienced consultant that will:
Reorganize your company with improved project management,
Develop annual and monthly budgets along with regular reporting,
Delegate responsibilities to managers and show them how to manage their teams,
Develop profitable incentive programs for you and your team,
Set monthly sales and production goals with incentives,
Negotiate with bank or credit union for line of credit, and
Help you search for new staff.

Our relationship with Bob Phillips has become a great asset to our business. The one on one coaching has revitalized our confidence. Seeing Bob create tools from the jumble of numbers and processes that were in the business, but not being used and refined, has been the greatest assistance that I have personally received. The most valuable lesson we have learned is that we can learn to manage the business to the highest degree and that help is just a phone call away. Our relationship with Bob Phillips has become a great asset to our business. He has shown us how to organize our business so that it can grow successfully and personally trained us on each procedure so we have a working understanding of how to manage the business day to day. The one on one coaching has revitalized our confidence to run the business and put us on track to become a successful business.

Construction Industry runs in the Family

W H Phillips & Sons - Regina Contractor
Clients often ask how we got into the business of advising companies on how to manage their teams. I always say that the building and construction business must be in our blood. My grandfather, Whitman (1886 - 1969) was a general contractor in Regina and met his future wife while building the Blue Bird Cafe in Regina Beach. He ran W H Phillips and Sons and even had my Dad, and two uncles working with him for a while. One of those uncles was Wilson C Phillips who became a civil engineer and built many grain elevators, schools and homes throughout Western Canada.

William & Son - Builders in London, England
Going even farther back in our family history, my great grandmother's family were builders in England. The Liddiard builders included her father Joseph (1814-93) who was an architect and surveyer in Kent, his father William (1775 - 1862) who was a bricklayer and builder with his company of William & Son in London, England, and his father and grandfather, both named Jonathon born in 1721 and 1752, were masons and bricklayers in Wiltshire.

Habitat For Humanity Calgary

We enjoyed working with the volunteer crew that is building new homes in Calgary. Habitat for Humanity Calgary

Green Flash on the Big Island

Back for another two weeks with the turtles and the green flashes. Believe it or not you can actually get some excellent work done over in paradise. And twice I saw green flashes as the sun dipped into the ocean.

Bob Phillips photos - The Big Island, Hawai'i

Bootstrapping Your New Company

Have you ever wanted to know what you need to be able to start your own company? Over the years many of our clients have asked us how to duplicate what they already have. They are usually trying to put into place procedures and systems that will give their managers the ability to run their companies. But sometimes we meet someone that has the ability to really start something from an idea. This summary of Seth Godin's book is a great start.
The Bootstrapper's Bible

Elkhart Bell in Hawai'i

With two new clients in Hawai'i, Bob Phillips spent a month in Honolulu, and Kona on the Big Island. Elkhart Bell is now able to offer the same consulting services throughout Hawai'i and the Pacific Islands.

If you are travelling to Hawai'i ask us about our "Friends and Clients Resort Rates" available at several resorts. We have special rates at Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore of Oahu, at the Ilikai Hotel on Waikiki and at the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort on the Big Island. You can swim with the turtles at two of these choice locations.

Starbucks Customer Service

What would you change at Starbucks? John Moore, a former long-time marketer at Starbucks, has some great ideas that you might be able to use at your company. What Must Starbucks Do?

2007 - A great New Year

Reclaim Your Life - The Two Week Challenge

January 1st comes around and we’ve all made a resolution or two. By February 1st, we’ve failed more than we’ve succeeded and are back on last year’s track. Stuart Levine has the antidote. Here are 11 of his 100 rules for changing your life and making more of your work/life balance. If you want to regain time, check out his rules:
Reclaim Your Life.

Elegant Solutions and Innovation

In Elegant Solutions Matthew E. May talks about the one million ideas implemented by Toyota every year. He starts by defining Innovation for the Everyman. Two of the quotes he uses are:

"Innovation is trying to figure out a way to do something better than it's ever been done before." David Neeleman, Founder and CEO of JetBlue, and

Thomas Edison said, "There's a way to do it better - find it."

Going for the Go Point

We all want to make the best possible decisions... Ultimately, every decision comes down to a go-point - that decisive moment when the essential information has been gathered, the pros and cons are weighed, and the time has come to get off the fence.
Michael Useem, professor and director of the leadership center at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania has written about this in his new book, Going for the Go Point.

Call Bob Phillips at 403.680.5960 for help in reaching your go points, and remember Robert Frost:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Why the Most Original Minds in Business Win

Winning Companies don't just sell competitive products. They stand for important ideas - ideas that shape the future of their industry, ideas that reshape the sense of what's possible among customers, employees and investors.
Behind every maverick company we've come to know is a distinctive and disruptive sense of purpose - and the companies with the clearest sense of purpose win.
William C. Taylor and Polly LaBarre have written A Manifesto for Mavericks and they have these principles:
1. Being different makes all the difference.
2. Sharing your values beats selling value.
3. Nobody is as smart as everybody.
4. The people are the company.

Another Winning Client

Anger Managment (yes that is the correct spelling), sponsored by Elkhart Bell International, won the Fastest Reaction Time at Race City in Calgary. If you look through the burning rubber you might be able to see our logo on the fuel tanks.

A Positive Attitude

We can all use a little sunshine. Dan Auito has caught a few rays and written them down so you can take with you wherever you go. He hopes it makes you smile. My favourites are his comments about business.

In business, we could try to:
1) Be professional, follow procedures, don't be lazy.
2) Improve communications skills. Keep people informed.
3) Avoid procrastinating. Maintain control and be effective. Plan and carry out tasks.
4) Improve delegating skills. Give authority and responsibility to others.
5) Maintain orderly forms, applications, desks and files.
6) Have a sense of humor - but not too much.
7) Emphasize long-range relationships.
8) Have wide ranges of conversation topics: don't be narrow-minded.
9) Be able to absorb criticism objectively and constructively.
10) Be on time for all appointments; give honest reasons for being late.
11) Always express appreciation for the time of the people you deal with.
12) Improve reasoning abilities.
13) Increase self-reliance, enthusiasm, initiative, self-control, charm, thinking, and concentration of effort.
14) Master persistence, will power, ambition,and memory.
15) Always act with a definiteness of purpose.
16) Think positive on your jobs. This determines how your subordinates think toward their jobs. Set the example.

For more of these rays of sunshine check out: A Positive Attitude

Team Building with Elkhart Bell

True team building is more than a recreational retreat. Read what Kevin Eikenberry has to say about how to make sure your team building exercise brings you real value. Kevin talks about gaining high levels of commitment which includes people believing in each other, agreements by the team, trust in team members and leaders, and support for your team. True Team Building

RHD (Bob) Phillips - my Dad 1921-2006

Robert Howard Daniel PHILLIPS, C.M., B.A., LL.D., F.A.I.C., P.Ag.

Editor and Publisher of The Western Producer, Second World War Soldier, Journalist,
Research Economist, Social Historian, Community Volunteer and Writer.



"And as I pondered, my mind raced back to other springs in other places across this broad country to recall for a moment the rejoicing of their sights and sounds. The first to mind was boyhood on the Prairies with a springtime trip to the farm behind the barn on an uncle's place near Boharm, Sask. I heard the first call of the meadow lark....it was there I learned to mimic the lark's call which I still remember sounds something like,
I was here a year ago."

Bob Phillips - Canadian Press 1957

Pride, McGregor, Wilson, Halpenny
A good life well lived -
Son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, uncle.

Scottish Highlands Tour in 2007

Our exploratory trip to the Scottish Highlands went off without a hitch. Join us next March for our Annual Scotch and Business Tour of the Scottish Highlands. Business owners will be joining Bob Phillips and an experienced Whisky Trail tour leader, and in between learning about how to create a profitable incentive program for your team we will be sampling some of the best. We will be staying in great accommodations, seeing some incredible castles, and driving Morgan sports cars. You will also have the option of purchasing part or all of an aging cask of Scotch.

Bob Phillips contemplates a building problem in Italy

Maybe if they had the right management consultant at the start...

We had a great Italian tour. Pisa, Florence, Venice and Rome; wine, pasta, olives and pizza. This was a good exploratory trip for our Italian Business Tour of Tuscany, Florence and Venice.

Join us and learn how to include business travel as an incentive for your team and your clients. From your villa in Tuscany we have planned several day trips to explore the Italian countryside and history. Call us for more information and to get on the trip.

Resort Development in Baja California

Bob Phillips has been involved in several resort developments in North America and the Caribbean, and just returned from meeting with a developer in Baja California. They are looking for partners to develop a large marina.

Wave if you pass the Elkhart Bell Buick on the highway

Bob Phillips picked up the first Elkhart Bell Buick Rendezvous. Let us know if you see him on the road this year. Call him at 403.680.5960 and he will bring his proven solutions to your problems.

So far he has been spotted in Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary. Later this month he is off to Mexico City, Baja California, Italy, London and Scotland.

The Elkhart Bell Corporate Adventure Trips - 2006 Offering

Take your pick – join Bob Phillips and meet business owners that have similar goals and challenges. In 2006 we are offering three short business training trips to Scotland, Italy, and the Napa Valley.

March 11-14, 2006 The First Annual Scotch and Business Tour – Scottish Highlands
Business owners will be joining Bob Phillips and an experienced Whisky Trail tour leader, and in between learning about how to create a profitable incentive program for your team we will be sampling some of the best. You will also have the option of purchasing part or all of an aging cask of Scotch.

November 20-24, 2006 Italian Business Tour – Tuscany and Florence
Learn how to include business travel as an incentive for your team and your clients. From your villa in Tuscany we have planned several day trips to explore the Italian countryside and history.

December 1-4, 2006 – Napa Valley Wine and Spa Tour
This is the trip to join if you want a quick fall get away. We will be discussing marketing and sales plans for the next year. In addition to spending two nights in a luxury vineyard villa, we will also have a day and night in San Francisco.

Call Bob Phillips at 403.680.5960 to discuss these business education trips.
We are also taking advance expressions of interest for our February 2007 Caribbean Sailing and Business Trip (on 44 and 50 foot sailboats), our March 2007 BC Salmon Trip and our April 2007 Brazil and Argentina Business Trek.

Bob Phillips started offering adventure tours in 1976 and these business education trips have been specially organized to satisfy your taste for luxury and learning. You will have the opportunity to join other business owners and leaders as we explore an interesting part of the world at the same time as you learn some new business skills. These tours are limited to groups of 12 – 18, and accommodation and transportation can be modified upon request. All trips offer you the option of adding some personal time before or after the business education trip.

Known by our Consulting Customers' Clients and Partners

Our managing consultants have consulted for companies that work with some of the world’s finest organizations.

A partial list of our consulting customers’ clients and partners:
A.G. Ferrari, Bank of America, Bentall Corporation, BMW of America, Brunsonbuilt Construction, California State, Cascade Natural Gas, Chevron Corporation, Cinnabon, City of Black Diamond Fire Department, City of Bremerton, Convention Services Seattle, Costco Wholesale, Discovery Channel, Edmonton Oilers (NHL), Fairmont Hotel, FedEx, General Mills, G L M Construction, GSA, Hawaii State, Homecrafters, Hughes, Intracorp Properties, Kinko’s, Le Boulanger Restaurants, Marriott Corporation, Men’s Wearhouse, Microsoft, Peet’s Coffee, Picture People, Princess Tours, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Reynen & Bardis, Seagrave Fire Trucks, Seattle City, SeaTac International Airport, Shea Homes, Stanford Medical Center, Stanford University, Starbuck’s Coffee Company, Starwood Lodging & Hotels, Sundance Resort, Super Cuts, Tommy Bahama Compounds, United States Federal Government, US Filter, Vail Resorts, “W” Hotels, Waste Management, Williams-Sonoma, Zales Jewelers


Their knowledge and chemistry with our people was excellent and is very difficult to find in a world that sometimes is just about numbers and dates. Shamrock Landscaping – We have grown our company to a 10 million dollar mark and were having some problems with our business focus and direction. Bob and Doug came into our company and immediately went to work – this has been both eye opening and rewarding. They identified problems, reviewed the books, met with employees to get feedback and started to develop an idea of what we were about. Then the results started. To list a few, company policies and procedures were developed, programs revised, and job descriptions were refined. Plus a whole host of ideas and programs were implemented into our company; results were positive and accepted. A new era was being ushered in for us at Shamrock. There needs to be a special recognition included in this letter for both Doug and Bob. They have worked diligently and professionally with Shamrock. Their knowledge and chemistry with our people was excellent and is very difficult to find in a world that sometimes is just about numbers and dates. I found them both to be quality people and would recommend them whole-heartedly to any who would ask. They are both exceptional individuals.
Pat Hunsaker, President

We received a lot of incredible insightful and very specific management techniques for our particular business. Northwest Fire Service – Bob Phillips got down to business without beating around the bush. We received a lot of incredible insightful and very specific management techniques for our particular business. With the knowledge and skills you have provided us with, we can make this company the Cinderella story of the truck repair and fire engine sales industry.
Jack DeLisle, President and Jerry A. Lane, Operations Manager

You have done an excellent job in giving us the tools. M & M Tanks, Inc. – The objective in hiring Bob and Tom’s team was to move our company from a two owner, hands-on $4.6 million unprofitable construction firm to an employee-run, profitable company with monitoring control for the owners. You have evaluated the existing system and personnel and insight into the available employee pool has proved helpful. One of our concerns was how do you hire the right people? Another concern is the organization of the staff to achieve the required information flow to make the whole process work. Bob spent many hours with us setting up the internal network for proper information flow. You have done an excellent job in giving us the tools. Michael Weitzenhoff, President

Bob Phillips has been very professional in helping us achieve our goal of turning our business into a profitable one.
Two Rivers Window Company – Our consulting experience was a very beneficial and eye opening one. The information and analysis materials were presented in a manner that was easy to understand and implement into our organization. I am also very pleased with the organizational and incentive plan changes that have been implemented as well. I believe that all these changes will make our company stronger and enable us to achieve the levels of success we desire as an organization. We feel the systems he has helped us establish give us a better base on which to build our company for the future.
Kevin Sweeters, President and Steve Liebetrau, Chief Financial Officer



The work that your team did for our facility went way beyond anything that I had expected, or hoped for.
Backman Foundry –
At the beginning of our relationship I had very few expectations. I did have quite a few concerns about the health and stability of our company. We needed quite a bit of help sorting out fiscal information. To be frank we were in a lot worse trouble than I ever imagined. Your team went to work helping us understand what was possible. They helped us understand what we needed to do, and most importantly, where we could go. Bob was involved in things that I didn’t even think that were issues. Which probably explains why my company was in such deep trouble. Thank you for the work that you have done and will continue to do.
Alan Backman, President

Looking for a few good Management Consultants

Elkhart Bell is expanding and we are looking for professionals who have experience working with business owners.

Our areas of consulting focus are:

• strategic and business planning
• financial and managerial accounting
• entrepreneurial finance
• marketing and
• project management.

You should have an MBA, an accounting or legal designation or other excellent educational background along with at least five years of senior management experience. You may be a manager now or work in a line position with senior reporting responsibilities. The key attributes that you bring to this career challenge is your desire to help managers learn how to manage, and the ability to instill confidence in your consulting ability.

We will provide you with the opportunity to travel the world and work in a variety of interesting industries. If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity - please call us at 403.680.5960 or send us your email address and we will contact you.

Set Your Goals Higher

Get ready for increased sales and profits. With a well managed company you will have more time to enjoy life.

Bob Phillips giving Breck Glassinger the "thumbs up" for a great year.



Caribou Construction - Always On The Move -


When Bob Phillips and the consulting team arrived, they immediately began seeing the "whole picture". They were able to provide direction for organizing our company, evaluating personnel, improving morale, and helping us move our business onto the next level. They helped us to refocus on what was truly important in the managing and running of our business. The project probably saved our company from a remature auction sale. We feel much better about our business now. Thank you, we enjoyed working with each of you. Breck Glassinger, President

10 Management Rules based on Bob Phillips' Wilderness Whitewater Canoeing Trips

1) Ensure everyone on your team knows where they are going – have a defined destination and goal.

2) Prepare your team for hardships and challenges.

3) Encourage your team to work together.

4) Learn to go with the flow of the river and be flexible - sometimes you must make quick changes on a wilderness river and in management.

5) Create an environment that encourages innovation – reward new ways of doing things.

6) Help your team to identify obstacles and rapids – these are your challenges and opportunities.

7) Make tasks understandable and set timetables.

8) Ask for participation and encourage leadership.

9) Create moments of controlled excitement.

10) Celebrate successes with a defined incentive program – every day.

For more information on how to hire Bob Phillips to work with your team call us at 403.979.1962 or email us for a detailed speaker and consulting package. We have several options including a single day management seminar, an on-river management training experience, or a tailored consulting project. As a bonus we will send you the detailed paper on how to use these management rules with your team.

Make Your Own Luck

Elaine Shapiro has written a new book about leadership and making your own luck.

Leadership Test #1 is to Picture where you want to go.

Leadership Test #2 is my favourite, Organizing - Identify your starting point and begin to reorganize the assets you currently have toward the future you want to create. She says, "It's difficult to bet smart if you don't know how to organize your starting resources."

Leadership Test #3: Predicting - Figure out the bets you want to take that have the biggest potential to get you where you want to go with the least risk.

Leadership Test #4: Acting - Act well enough and fast enough to capture the opportunities while the opportunities are available.

Take a look at more of the book "Make Your Own Luck: 12 Practical Steps to Taking Smarter Risks in Business". Make Your Own Luck

It's not your father's world - Tom Peters

Tom Peters has some interesting ideas for you:

Ed Michaels ran McKinsey's War for Talent project for a half-dozen years. He says that Jack Welch (GE) insisted that every business be "first or second in the marketplace or you're out" (all businesses must be 1st, 2nd, or closed out). Passe, per Michaels. Now it's "Best talent in each industry segment to build Best Proprietary Intangibles." (Or else.) I like it!

Bob Taylor founded Xerox's wildly inventive Palo Alto Research Center/PARC. A colleague spoke to Taylor's chief skill, called him a "Connoisseur of Talent." That Resonates with me: Connoisseur of Talent.

The Professional Service Firm is Everything

25 Ways to Distinguish Yourself

1. Care as if it's your own

2. Do your daily work with passion!

3. Build strong relationships

4. Dream big!

5. Set the right expectations

6. Ask for help

7. Celebrate small victories

For the rest of Rajesh Setty's 25 Ways to Distinguish Yourself click here, 25 Ways.

How to be Creative - Sing in your own voice!

Did you know?: Picasso was a terrible colorist; T.S. Eliot had a full-time day job; and Bob Dylan can't sing or play guitar.

Creative Ideas