Calvin's Corner

January Birthday Babies

2012-01-24T15:51:00.000-08:00

A tradition at Costless is our monthly birthday lunch with all the staff who are born in that month. I personally host each monthly lunch as it is a way to connect with staff in small groups. After a full year I have sat once with each and every staff member celebrating in a social setting, a feat that could otherwise become more challenging as our head count grows.

At lunch we chatted about all sorts of things from "best birthdays ever" to the pain in the rear of doing laundry. It was even suggested ( by me) that what if we could install laundry machines at work? Everyone loved the idea. You heard it here first.

After lunch "Uncle Calvin" gives everyone cash to gamble at the casino next door.

Awesome is: opening a birthday card and cash falls out.

Cheers
Calvin

Costless Themes

2012-01-17T11:45:00.000-08:00

If you were to ask one of Team Costless what our focus is for this next quarter - they would tell you "It's our SESAME STREET Theme and it's all about LEARNING!!!!"

What is a THEME you may ask? Instead of running our business year to year or quarter to quarter with a random list of 300 things to do, we pick one over-arching focus around which all our team focuses activities and results.

This year (August to July) our over arching focus is "BUILDING FOR GROWTH." Then we break the year into 3-4 THEMES. Themes are an energizing way to rally the troops and get everyone focused on the same page by reducing our strategic plan to a single-minded focus. It starts with a simple question, "What is the biggest opportunity or challenge facing our business, and how are we going to address it?"

A typical Costless theme consists of:
1. A fun THEME
2. A core focus based off our Current Year Strategic Plan
3. Decorations, Score Boards and Key Performance Indicators KPI's
4. Celebration and FUN at the end.

Here is our current theme 01/12-03/12 :
1. Theme - SESAME STREET
2. Core Focus - It's all about LEARNING
3. Score Boards in each department showcasing the top 3 most important KPI's we want to improve + lots of Sesame Street decorations and even an Elmo waffle maker for the kitchen!!
4. Celebrate with a Beer, Pizza and LASER TAG party!!

Ernie crashed our Theme Roll Out Meeting. He gave everyone rubber duckies.

Even Cookie Monster is involved in our theme and has taken a permanent position in our front office as the new Director of First Impressions.

A tradition at our TROM - "Theme Roll Out Meetings" is our Banner Brain Storming. The question was "what things do you want to learn during this theme? It is an incredibly valuable exercise during each TROM that has uncovered some really great ideas. Our staff holds the keys to our success with all their experience and wisdom - they have fun writing down their ideas.

Hope you enjoy seeing a bit about our THEMES.

Cheers,
Calvin

"Dunn Dunn Daahhh"

2012-01-13T09:17:00.001-08:00

WHEW - Is it getting hot in here, or is it just me?

Whether you think Global Warming is real or some sky is falling fallacy - watch this 30 second video from NASA and make up your own mind. Watch it here.

Don't worry - the video only shows the 9th warmest year on record.

Can you guess what year was the SECOND warmest in history? See here.

Want some ice in that drink?
Cheers,

Calvin

STOP - And watch Walk Off The Earth.

2012-01-07T09:11:00.001-08:00

I have a feeling 2012 is going to be an incredible year for video and social media.

Never before has the world allowed seemingly ordinary people to become over night sensations. Let's just hope quality reigns supreme and no more "Friday" songs. Here is an incredible video of 5 people singing and playing the same guitar. Watch it here:

Let's hope we see more of this kind of quality in 2012.

Cheers,

Calvin

12 Most Viral YouTube Videos

2011-12-31T09:10:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year!

How many hours (days) did you spend in 2011 watching YouTube? For some people, watching it has eclipsed TV watching. I can tell you my kids prefer watching Americas Funniest Videos over TV and have a ball laughing till they fall out of their chair. What I find interesting is that they will sit side by side on two chairs in the kitchen - bringing laughter and energy to the whole house instead of huddled mindlessly watching TV in the other room. Does the computer and YouTube change how your household consumes entertainment?

Well - in case you missed it - Here are the 12 most Viral YouTube Videos of 2011!

Special thanks to Sam Fiorella and one of my favorite blogs, www.12most.com, for the list.

Cheers

Calvin

Product Reviews on YouTube

2011-12-29T14:04:00.001-08:00

We installed new desktop computers a few weeks ago and they have built in cameras.

Here is what the staff decided to use the cameras for. Product reviews.

I love seeing staff embrace the new and create art! LOVE IT!!!!

We are ordering lighting and microphones to make the reviews look even better.

Cheers,

Calvin

Sneak peek!

2011-12-24T14:23:00.001-08:00

My Christmas present came today as we all had a sneak peek at our new Costless web site (99% complete).

It looks incredible! The functionality and tools will make customers grin from ear to ear, compared to our current and out-dated site.

I don't have an absolute launch date, but you'll all hear soon about the roll out.

Cheers,

Calvin

Thank You!

2011-12-22T14:25:00.001-08:00

Sometimes giving a gift to someone who never expects it can be the most rewarding.
This year we discussed amongst our managers, who are the staff at our suppliers that we could recognize?
These are the people who are behind the scenes and the unsung heroes that make all the magic happen for Costless. I'm talking about the people who pick our orders perfect every time, the delivery drivers who show up on time, the staff who take back and process our return merchandise, the receivables departments that make our invoices perfect every time.
These are the staff at our suppliers that are in the trenches and never hear a thank you or a gift from customers. Gifts from customers to suppliers is rare at the management level, and I'm sure non-existent to these staff in the trenches.
A BIG thank you to all our suppliers for helping us have an incredible year, we couldn't have done it without you, and you, and you. Please know we recognize everyone's efforts!
Cheers,
Calvin

Giving Back

2011-12-20T14:34:00.001-08:00

Tonight is a night to give back.
Police Chief, Jim Chu, spoke at our “We Care” event tonight.
The Vancouver City Chief of Police heard about our efforts on this event and insisted on participating. He addressed the group about the challenges facing the Downtown East Side and how he leads his team in addressing the myriad of issues in Canada’s poorest neighbourhood.
We are carrying the torch of a great event EO alumni Nigel Bennett and entrepreneur coach Kevin Lawrence started 7 years ago, and are proud to be involved in the efforts by donating food, socks, candy and the use of one of our delivery trucks. Our staff and friends had a chance to get engaged with the community. Other EO members brought their staff, spouses and children to make a group of over 180 strong.

We headed to the streets as small groups to hand out specially prepared care packages. This was a chance to see how grateful a fellow human being can be for something as simple as a dry pair of socks, a holiday treat, spare clothes or even a plastic bag they can use to keep their few possessions dry. This was a unique opportunity for our key staff to directly interact with the most challenged neighbourhood in Canada. We were not there to change lives but are hopeful to simply brighten a day during a difficult season for many in this community.
This year over 1500 packages where given out. A new record!
Unfortunately I was out of town and truly saddened I could not be a part of the event but thanks to other Costless staff, we really made our presence known. Thank you to Shawn, Todd, Nabil, Chris, Michelle, Cindy and others on our team. Merry Christmas!!
Cheers
Calvin

Christmas Party at the Giggle Dam!

2011-12-10T21:00:00.001-08:00

After some fun at the Costless offices playing Minute To Win It, we all headed over to the Giggle Dam. The staff was totally excited!
Getting 30 staff into the Giggle Dam on the hottest corporate party Saturday night in December took a small miracle and booking 4 months ago, but here we are!!
Here is how awesome my staff is: At the Giggle Dam, it's the boss who usually gets picked on and dragged on stage to be humiliated in a fun way in front of other guests and your staff. This time when the Giggle Dam staff asked who was in charge, they singled out Todd our Call Centre Manager.
Have a look at what ensued when they dragged him on stage (instead of me!!)

Atta boy Todd.

If you haven't been to the Giggle Dam, it is a must party place for your staff. Ask for my new friend Patrick von Pander, Director of Marketing & Operations at The Giggle Dam Dinner Theatre, and tell him I sent you.

Cheers and Merry Christmas!
Calvin

Christmas Pre-Party!

2011-12-10T15:45:00.001-08:00

Check out a few videos from our Pre-Party here at Costless, before we took off later to our Christmas party.
We set up a open bar, food, prizes and played the game Minute To Win It.

I had a great time building all the challenges my self and playing MC for the event. The challenges were harder that they look on the internet, but we did have a few outstanding moments like Sandy balancing 3 golf balls in about 20 seconds and Terry blowing several of the Christmas cards perfectly while other teams had trouble getting one.

An interesting thing happened when we drew for some of the top prizes like Canuck Tickets, Front row Prince tickets, Helijet sightseeing flights and Pacific Coastal tickets. It was a random blind draw where the first place teams picked first - and the last team went last. You would think being the last team to pick - all the best prizes would be gone. BUT, when the last team came to pick and there were only 4 choices left, the top prizes were still available. What amazing odds!!

Cheers and Merry Christmas!

Calvin

Christmas came early for Nabil!

2011-12-07T14:54:00.001-08:00

Christmas came early for Nabil!

He has been working on replacing our entire computer hardware systems from top to bottom.

Our shipment arrived early - over 50 boxes in total for the project!!

I've never seen a grown man hug and kiss boxes before ;-)

We are excited to gut our system over the Christmas break and hit 2012 ready to take on more growth.

Sales growth has been 15-20% per year for several years and we really got maximum value out of our old hardware, but it's time to bite the bullet and invest in the future. I can't wait to see the faces of the staff when they see their new desk top computers with a giant 27" screen with the computer built inside.

Cheers,

Calvin

Awesome is...

2011-12-01T14:49:00.001-08:00

Awesome is...

Christmas decorations in the office :-)

Cheers,

Calvin

Dinner with Malcolm Gladwell, how could I refuse?

2011-11-28T14:17:00.001-08:00

Tonight was a chance to attend a very small event at the Vancouver Club with the Bon Mot Book Club.

Malcolm Gladwell poses a provocative question: Why do some people succeed,living remarkably productive and impactful lives, while so many more never reachtheir full potential?

The night was a gathering of about 20 EO members and started with a cocktail reception before we moved to a beautiful room with a majestic and massive old wood table where Malcolm sat at the head of the table, silhouetted by the grand fireplace burning behind him.

The setting was very informal, and moved along with a series of Q&A style dialogue. Malcolm was generous with his answers and insight into a host of different topics. I was impressed at "hearing" how complex his mind thinks aboutwhat can seem to be trivial topics.

One topic was on overcrowding in class rooms and the effect on education. He argued teachers should be paid like any other professional based on the quality of their product, in this case how well their students learned and were engaged. "If we added more teachers and lowered the amount of children per classroom, we are only allowing more teachers who are on the bottom of thebarrel into the system. Do you want your child to be in a smaller classroom with a bad teacher or being taught by a great teacher and forget about the size of the class?"

To our amazement, Malcolm began talking about his yet-to-be-published next book. It was so interesting to hear that he has some of the ideas and chapters fleshed out, but the remainder of the book has yet to appear for him. He is living in LA and doing research and waiting for the results to appear.

If you are not familiar with Malcolm Gladwell's work - have a look here.

Steve Jobs' Biography

2011-11-22T14:43:00.001-08:00

Whew, just finished 627 pages of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson.

I couldn't put it down. From how chance and strategic decicions set history for how the Macintosh was created, to Pixar, to the iPhone, to creating the most valuable company on the planet - it was all quite an amazing story. Sadly, it seems Steve Jobs possibly set other decisions in place that may have cost him his early death.

Here are some challenging questions I am working on right now based off the readitfor.me work books.

I'm loving the tools readitfor.me offers to help boil down over 600 pages of tidbits and lessons into one easy presentation. Click here to learn more.

Focus:

How many priorities are you working on right now? List them. Next, starting with the least important

priorities, start crossing them off until you only have 2 or 3 left. Are your best people (or all of your

effort) on those 2 or 3?

Ignore Reality:

What goals have you set for yourself based on “reality”? What might those goals look like if you suspended your understanding of “what’s possible”? As Jobs knew well, creativity shines when you try to do the “impossible”. Set unrealistic goals, and then try and find ways (different ways) to accomplish them. You can always fall back on the “realistic” goal if it doesn’t work out.

Inspiration:

List 5 industries besides your own where you could get inspiration from. Now, go looking for what makes people in those other industries successful. How can that apply to your business?

Experience:

Map out your entire customer experience chain. Then, on either end, map out the things your customer does right before and right after they use your product or service. Have you done everything you can to make sure that the experience (including things not currently in your control) is a great one?

This book is well worth the investment in your time.

Cheers,

Calvin

Visiting 1-800 GOT JUNK

2011-11-17T12:13:00.001-08:00

Today I went for a tour at 1-800 GOT JUNK.

Brian Scudamore has been a member of EO for many years and, like most of Vancouver's business community, we have watched his company blossom.

Today was a peek behind the curtain on how Brian runs his business, with a chance to hear and see confidential information on sales, service and profit numbers. Even Jon Wolske, the Lead Culture Evangelist from Zappos, flew up for the tour.

The 1-800 offices were decorated in WOW fashion. I definitely going to use the "Can you imagine?" wall idea, and the Wall Of Wow.

Thanks Brian for the tour!!!

Cheers,

Calvin

Seattle

2011-11-11T12:00:00.001-08:00

Today I'm in Seattle for an MBA style Finance course held on the edge of the University of Washington.

As an entrepreneur my strengths have been Sales and Marketing, so a goal I set for myself was to strengthen my finance background. I now have 3 companies in two countries, and the finance side gets more complex each year.

While in Seattle I wanted to visit a good friend of mine, Robin Ross, Senior Director, Corporate Marketing Costco Wholesale.

Robin was kind enough to give a tour of the Costco campus in Issaquah, Washington.

The highlight for me was swinging by the desk of Jim Sinegal, the co-founder and CEO of Costco Wholesale. A real mentor and driving force for me in how I shape my business.

Of course, I was star struck and didn't get a picture. Jim's office and style are well known in corporate America. He answers his own phone, has a no door policy and only gets paid $350k per year to run a $83 billion dollar monster of a company.

I did get a picture of Jim's favorite saying, "You've got to take the shit with the sugar"

Cheers,

Calvin

Memphis Day 4

2011-11-05T11:48:00.001-07:00

A trip to a new city wouldn't be complete without checking out the sights.

Gotta do the best BBQ! Rendezvous BBQ! (See in their website how it is full of FedEx pictures)

Gotta check out some of the best Blues in the world on Beale Street.

And some bars you just want to walk by...

Gotta check out the Ducks at the Peabody Hotel

Funny story here it that our group had the very rare honor of assisting in escorting the ducks up the elevator. Our buddy Mike did the honors and for the first time in 20 years two of the ducks escaped! Watch it happen here.

YOU GOTTA check out the Civil Rights Museum.

It was truly humbling and inspiring. I went in with barely an understanding of the civil rights movement and came out a better person.

What I found incredible was a chance to stand in the Lorrane Motel on the balcony next to the spot where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated. The museum was quite empty and I found myself fixated on that spot for 10 minutes just soaking in the history.

And you gotta love the street performers with a cool version of the EcoYIKE!

And Memphis isn't complete without a visit to Graceland and The Gibson Guitar Factory.

Cheers,

Calvin

Memphis Day 3 - FedEx WOC

2011-11-04T09:59:00.001-07:00

Today we were given a private tour of the FedEx World Operation & Tech Centre.

Let me sum up what happens here with this cool video that showed up called "The Ant Hill"

It's all the air traffic within the FedEx fleet over a 24hr period. I like watching Memphis and Vancouver.

Here at the WOC, they showed us how all the magic really happens. Here are some highlights from the tons of info and limited notes I could reel off.

FexEx Pilots are the only NON Unionised pilots in aviation and make multiples more than commercial pilots.
Very soon planes will not even have a pilot!
One of the main jobs at the center is to worry about the worst events that can happen to the company so customers can sleep easy. They constantly think about research black swan events such as 911 - they already had a plan in place years before it happened and were the last planes out of the sky and the first planes back up when the FAA shut down air travel.
FedEx captures more data than any airline (fuel consumption, repairs).

One question I asked their VP of Marketing was about the movie Castaway, that was basically a 2 hour FedEx commercial. Can you believe it cost FedEx nothing to be in the movie! Actually they charged fees to have filming done on site.

How the story goes is that Fred Smith, the founder of FedEx, and Tom Hanks were at a charity function together and chatting about Tom's new movie. The character of the movie was time obsessed in his job, and then gets stranded in the island, but they had not decided what the character's job was going to be. Fred chimed in and said there is nobody more time obsessed on the planet than a FedEx employee. The rest is history.

Here is a funny spoof commercial on the Castaway movie.

Cheers
Calvin

Memphis Day 2 - FedEx

2011-11-03T09:42:00.001-07:00

Tonight, we were taken on a private tour of FedEx at the Memphis World Hub.

Check out what we saw in this 2 min video:

We arrived at 10pm in order to see all the action, because that's when all the packages from North America start arriving to be sorted.

The FedEx facility is like a small city, with up to 35,000 employees working in Memphis (1 in 5 homes in Memphis has a FedEx employee).

I'm sure I can only scratch the surface of what we saw on our night tour, but here goes a few highlights.

As we entered the facility, it is part of the Memphis Airport, so thousands of employees were being screened (they kept their shoes on) just like we do when we go thru an airport. What was amazing is the main shifts started about 10pm and workers are not allowed thru security more than an hour before their shift. Imagine starting and finishing every shift at your company that way?
How FedEx works is all packages picked up that day in North America are shipped to a hub like Memphis where the planes are unloaded, the packages resorted to their new destinations and loaded back on the new plane bound for delivery. All this is accomplished overnight in 4-5 hours while sorting over 800,000-2.5 million packages.
We were taken to a air control tower to watch planes landing. Off in the night sky, you could see a dozen or more lights in the sky as planes approached at a rate of one landing every 90 seconds!
We toured inside their small package sorting facilities where over 42 miles of conveyor belts directed packages at incredible speed.
Errors on 800,000 packages sorted are said to be on average 12 ERRORS per day!

Here is a 7 minute video showing the building and the complete HOW TO of FedEx.

Cheers,

Calvin

Memphis Day 1: Sun Records

2011-11-02T09:26:00.001-07:00

This week I'm in Memphis with my EO Forum Group to tour FED EX. It's a yearly adventure to visit new cities and tour the world's best companies.

Last year was Cisco Systems. See my VIP Tour of Cisco Systems on October 13th, 2010.

Memphis Day 1 - was a private reception at Sun Records, the label where Elvis, Conway and Johnny Cash all got their start. It was beyond words to be in what many call the "Birth Place" of Rock and Roll.

For me it was extra special, I think, because it was an audio engineering degree that I was taking in college before I left to start my first company.

What amazed me most was that the studio actually sat empty for over 20 years before it was brought back to life as a museum and working studio. Imagine how this jewel of history could have easily been turned into a Subway sandwich shop, but some how was never rented out as retail space during those dark years.

Just over 20 years ago, U2 came to Sun Studio to record "Angel of Harlem", "When Love Comes To Town" and "Love Rescue Me" for their Rattle and Hum album. Bono says they came to Sun Studio to experience "the chill" you get from the room's history. To add some additional chill to the experience, the band enlisted "Cowboy" Jack Clement to co-produce the tracks. Clement had produced tracks by Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins in the early days at Sun Studio. The session allowed U2 to add their own magic to our history as Angel of Harlem became one of the biggest selling singles recorded here at Sun Studio.

At the studio they even had some of the original microphones used by such greats as Elvis and Jerry Lee.

Here's a bit more about this great music location.

The Sun Sound began when Sam Phillips launched his record company in February of 1952. He named it Sun Records as a sign of his perpetual optimism: a new day and a new beginning. Sam rented a small space at 706 Union Avenue for his own all-purpose studio. The label was launched amid a growing number of independent labels. In a short while Sun gained the reputation throughout Memphis as a label that treated local artists with respect and honesty. Sam provided a non-critical, spontaneous environment that invited creativity and vision.

As a businessman, Phillips was patient and willing to listen to almost anyone who came in off the street to record. Memphis was a happy home to a diverse musical scene: gospel, blues, hillbilly, country, boogie, and western swing. Taking advantage of this range of talent, there were no style limitations at the label. In one form or another Sun recorded them all.
Then in 1954 Sam found Elvis Presley, an artist who could perform with the excitement, unpredictability and energy of a blues artist but could reach across regional, musical and racial barriers.

Movember!

2011-11-01T09:02:00.001-07:00

It's MOvember time again.

Calvin

Shawn

Gord

This year at Costless Express the ladies got involved.

Sandy

Brynn

Hailey

"Hey, I heard your radio ad"

2011-10-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

We just launched a month of radio advertising here in Vancouver. Let me know what you think of the ads.

Chime in on our Facebook page and tell me your favorite from these two (or any other comments).

Our goal is to let customers know how easy it can be to order all your office and breakroom supplies from one site, and save the stress and aggravation of running out or "running out".

Cheers,
Calvin

Verne Harnish

2011-10-21T10:00:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Nabil, Shawn and I were in Victoria to meet one of my business heroes, Verne Harnish.

Verne is one of the founders of EO - a global network of 8000 business owners in 38 countries. I've been a member for 11 years and this is the first time I've been able to see Verne live.

The three of us spent a few days in Victoria on other business, and a full day with Verne courtesy of my friends in the EO Victoria chapter. We have used many of Verne's ideas over the years and read his books, so it was great to see him in action and to expose my two top VP's at the same time.

The day was a fire hose of ideas, concepts, best case stories, lots of book recommendations and exercises. With over 100 entrepreneurs and top level people in the room, ideas were flowing fast. A highlight for me was addressing the room about how we offer free breakfast, lunch and dinner to our staff - something Verne picked up in an earlier conversation we were having together and called me out to share the success we have had with the added benefit.

Last night we came in late from Victoria and I am in Richmond this morning to see Verne - again.

Nurse Next Door

I was given a special invite by my uber successful friends Ken Sim and John DeHeart, the founders of Nurse Next Door, to sit in on their Franchise Summit today. Our warehouse, purchasing and call center managers came with me so they too could be exposed to the ideas and concepts Verne teaches. Within the last 48 hours we have aligned our management team to row in unison. Something you can never be doing enough of in business.

Steve Jobs

2011-10-17T13:34:00.001-07:00

Steve Jobs death really hit me. Much more than I thought it would.

When you think of mentors, I used to think of someone I had a personal relationship with and we sit down every month to discuss the business at hand.

I have and have had several mentors - but what about a mentor you have never met? Living or dead? Someone you can look up to and when decisions are hard to make and you could say “ what would so and so do?”

In my eyes, I see Steve Jobs as one of my mentors. Thanks Steve for inspiring me to be great, to stay hungry and stay foolish.

If you have not seen Steve Job’s 2005 Commencement speech at Stanford please be inspired and watch what is considered the best commencement speechs ever given and reflections on life.

If you would like to read the speech, here you go:

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it's likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the world’s first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.

This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope it's the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.

Ohhh Nooooo MR. BILL!

2011-10-10T13:33:00.001-07:00

I changed my title years ago to Chief Energizing Officer and personally I make a concious effort to add a bit of joy and laughter to at least a few people I work with every day. My thoughts on how you build a strong company culture is to make every day have a little bit of fun in it when you come to work. My theory is that if I set the tone, others will follow.

At Costless you'll see theme days, celebration, lots of crazy hats, decorations and cool little toys on peoples desks. Most of these things are gifts staff give each other in an effort to bring a bit of fun and happiness into the office. So when I saw this MR BILL doll - I had to surprise Bill in accounting.

Glad to see MR BILL made Mr. Bill smile.

Cheers,

Calvin

I Have The Power to Make Me Happy!

2011-10-04T16:02:00.001-07:00

Posted in my office is this saying:

Let me tell you the story where I saw this saying.

I was picking up some supplies at a local pharmacy near my house one day and saw this sign posted next to the check out till. It was located in the Peoples Pharmacy (12005 - 208B Street, in Maple Ridge BC) and Sayed Atthari is the manager of the store.

Every time I have entered Sayed's store I'm treated with a great big smile and he has a way of making me and all his customers feel special - just like a friend. Old fashioned hospitality is how I can best describe it. He is just a truly happy guy.

While paying for my purchase I commented on the sign and how I could really relate. Sayed did something next that blew me away - he reached below the counter and pulled out a printed copy of the saying and handed it to me. He said he gets comments on the sign all the time so he decided to make copies and "spread the good words".

Thank you Sayed, I read that saying now almost every day and have spread copies to many other people I know. Your small sign has made a huge positive ripple in the world.

Cheers,

Calvin

Thanks Karoline for the KUDOS letter!

2011-09-28T11:57:00.001-07:00

Today Sidney from our sales department emailed me asking if I could write a note to a customer. He wanted to really WOW Karoline, his customer, and put her mind at ease that she has chosen a supplier who is passionate about the environment. Here is my email to Karoline and her lovely response..

ps - Standing ovation for Sidney!!!

Hi Calvin,

Thank you ever so kindly for such an informative e-mail regarding Costless' green initiatives. Your overview definitely provided much greater insight as to how important this is to you as a company, its employees, customers, and more importantly, the city itself. Although I never doubted it, I think it's safe to say that I feel at ease knowing that my office supplier cares about the environment just as much, if not more, than I do.

I probably have at least one of your competitors come in for a sales pitch on a monthly basis and I always feel confident declining their offers knowing that Costless provides the best customer service, product selection, prices, etc... This is another great addition to the list of why I'm so happy to be your customer.

On that note, I want to take this opportunity to let you know what a pleasure it's been working with your company. Sidney always handles any tasks or requests, no matter how large or small, with such accuracy, thoroughness and professionalism. His upbeat personality and his attention to detail (even in personal matters) have made this working relationship an added bonus to my job. In an age where we're constantly faced with automated responses/answering machines, e-mail templates, etc... I have to applaud the extra mile Sidney goes every single time. Additionally, the contact made with the delivery guys is always a delight. Coupled with such a prompt and detailed email from the CEO himself, I have to say congratulations on the culture you have built within your company! I look forward to a long and enjoyable relationship with Costless Express.

Warmest regards,

Karoline

Calvin on the EcoYike

Hello Karoline,

thanks for giving your feedback to Sidney and not switching your business.

Looks like we need to toot our own horn a bit more so all customers understand how passionate we are about the environment.

To put your mind at ease, Costless Express is an excellent choice as your office supplies supplier since you too are passionate about reducing environmental impact.

As the owner and Chief Energizing Officer I have been leading the environmental charge in our company but also as an innovator for other companies in our industry to follow as an example. Here are some of the exciting initiatives we are most proud of.

The first Carbon Neutral Office Supplier in Canada and one of the first to graduate the ECO Trust/Pembina Institute 3 month Carbon Neutral Class

Reusable Totes

7 years ago we replaced over 80% of our cardboard boxes with plastic totes for order deliveries
2 years ago we purchased FROGFILE OFFICE PRODUCTS to become a force in the eco supplies business
Our EcoYIKE electric delivery trike was a first in our industry and a first in Canada. We have been delivering with our ECOYike for almost a year now.
Costless Express offers the largest selection of environmentally friendly products of any supplier in Canada
Our unique selection of Office Supplies, Breakroom and Janitorial Supplies offers our customers the ability to significantly reduce their carbon footprint by consolidating business supply orders. This is the #1 way a business can help reduce CO2 emissions - ( each time a business orders supplies, a truck is delivering those supplies - so less deliveries from less suppliers = happy planet) Only Costless offers such a wide selection in one delivery from soup to nuts, fruit to file cabinets :-)
Karoline, you mentioned an electric truck and personally I'm not convinced there is much of a win to the environment for the cost. How we view our delivery fleet is actually our proudest part of our business. We do not use computers to sort and route our daily orders (we used to 5 years ago) but instead we manually route each order by hand. How this is important is we maximize each route our trucks drive so as to minimize distance travelled and idling time. We also concentrate our customers to a very dense route territory and strongly avoid delivering (single orders) to addresses far outside our territory. (See this infographic to learn more)

How this is significant compared to our competition is that our competition also has mainly gas and diesel powered vehicles and their policy is not as ridged as ours and as such they can be found delivering a single box 75km outside the city and this contribute significant amounts of excess CO2. Costless Express has made a conscious decision not to sell to Government Agencies such as school districts for this reason, as they would want service to all locations no matter how far away and how small the order. It would only take a few long distance deliveries to Abbotsford to negate any wins an electric truck could deliver.

How about I call it a day for now or I'll keep typing pages :-)

I'm very happy to chat with you to set your mind at ease that you have chosen a great supplier who is passionate about the environment and our city.

If you would like to follow more about our initiatives and fun stuff we do here - please check out my blog http://costlessexpress.blogspot.com/

We are so happy to have you as a customer!

Cheers,

Calvin Johnson

Keep your milk fresh!

2011-09-28T11:20:00.000-07:00

Did you know it only takes a half an hour for a jug of milk on your counter to reach the temperature where bacterial damage starts?

Download our Fresh Milk tip sheet here. Print a copy for your breakroom fridge! (It might be a good reminder for those co-workers who leave those jugs out by the coffee machine...)

Staff Picture Time!

2011-09-08T12:12:00.001-07:00

What does a gold picture frame and staff pictures have in common? Well, see below.

I was cleaning out my garage at home and came accross this cool gold picture frame and the lightbulb went off.

Time for new staff pictures. What I liked even more was how staff loved the idea and made their pictures unique and personal.

Cheers,

Calvin

Summer Staff Fun!

2011-08-30T19:08:00.001-07:00

As our company grows and we add more staff, it's important to allow us all time to connect and build relationships with each other outside the daily work. My role as Chief Energizing Officer is something I'm enjoying more and more, now that we have a very capable senior management team in place.

A few of my favorite times with staff this summer has been "Boating Fridays". The long hot August evenings allowed us time to boat up Indian Arm with a handful of staff. Once we stopped in Deep Cove for Sushi and a free open air Jazz Fest.

I am so happy to see how staff from all departments and ages have bonded. It makes work fun when you are creating a business with friends.

Cheers,

Calvin

Todd's The Man

2011-08-19T13:23:00.001-07:00

Culture is everything at Costless Express. We strive to build relationships across all staff and departments but that can be a very difficult thing to actually achieve.

We have several departments from sales to drivers and warehouse night shifts. So it was awesome to see Todd our call center manager receive this note from Malcolm one of our night order processors. They only see each other a few times a year at company parties yet the bond is there.

It really goes back to the book Tribal Leadership and the mantra "It's all about WE." Something everyone at Costless Express understands.

Cheers
Calvin

Hell Yeah or No

2011-08-07T09:07:00.001-07:00

I subscribe to over 200 blogs and news letters, thinking till now "I need to be in touch with what's happening".

Today I read an article by Derek Sivers, or actually it was a short animated video called Hell Ya - or NO!

It really got me thinking about how I plan my day and my projects. People would say I am always leaning way out into the future and starting the first 10% of projects. Some are fantastic, like our new website build, being the first carbon neutral office supply company in Canada or the ecoYIKE, while other projects were just a bit trivial and didn't really get me jazzed. And most important, if there is nobody behind me to carry to project forward, it can just die.

Sometimes it's best to say no and make room for the "Hell Ya, I love it!" projects.

Have a look at some of Derek's videos: Hell Ya is #92. I also really like A Real Person - A Lot Like You (#93)

Cheers

Calvin

Does all your STUFF really make you happy?

2011-08-01T09:11:00.001-07:00

I have been a long time fan of Annie Leonard and The Story of STUFF Project.

Annie has spent nearly two decades investigating and organizing on environmental health and justice issues. She has traveled to 40 countries, visiting literally hundreds of factories where our stuff is made and dumps where our stuff is dumped. Witnessing first hand the horrendous impacts of both over- and under- consumption around the world, Annie is fiercely dedicated to reclaiming and transforming our industrial and economic systems so they serve, rather than undermine, ecological sustainability and social equity.

Watch this video and give some thought to her claims facts and data. It really made me think about all the stuff (most of it crap - I call it) that I purchase each year. Where is it a year later? Annie is right, most of it is in the trash. From this point forward I have made a new policy (first of many I hope) that if I do need to purchase hard goods like a stapler or a shovel - I will purchase the best quality I can find. Yes, it will cost more, BUT it will last many many years, I hope, instead of choosing the cheap "toss away" version.

At Costless we sell staplers for $5.00 and ones for $40.00, and I can tell you the $5.00 staplers are made to throw away. Investing is the word to think of when spending $40.00 on a stapler. Investing in quality, useability and the environment.

Have a look at the video and make your own judgements.

Cheers,

Calvin

10 Travel Tips for Protecting your Privacy

2011-07-28T09:13:00.001-07:00

This year in 2011 I have logged half a dozen or more trips for business of personal and not given much thought to WiFi security in the hotels.

Now with Starbucks and McDonalds offering free WiFi, it seems it won't be long before you can find a hot spot almost anywhere in a major populated area.

So what are some tips to protecting your privacy? Check out this article from Mashable (one of my favorite sites/blogs)

Cheers,

Calvin

I'm sure we can beat that Office Depot Price on Paper ;-)

2011-07-18T09:22:00.001-07:00

Here is a screenshot a customer shared with us about copy paper being sold at Officedepot.ca.

Save a negative 47% off the list price. Hummmmm, not such a great deal.

The great news is Costless Express sells paper at about half that price.

Tell you what, for reading my blog - I'll sell you a box of paper for $24.99! Add #273199 - 8.5x11 white 92 brite paper with your order when you call in and tell your account manager you saw "Calvin's Corner Paper Deal". Let's run the offer as one box per order till July 22, 2011.

Thanks so much for buying local, and keeping your money here in our community. Did you know 70% of all dollars spent with the American-owned big box retailers like Office Depot leave our community?

Hello Happy Hour, and Buh-Bye Grand and Toy.

2011-07-15T14:08:00.001-07:00

Tonight is HAPPY HOUR for all the staff at the pub!

Reasons to celebrate include new staff additions Shawn, Hailey, Alysha, Lucas and Nabil.

Oh, and celebration that we stole a nice, six-figure-per-year-in-sales customer away from Grand & Toy!

Grand and Toy is owned by an American company, OfficeMax, so we don't feel as bad as if it was a Canadian company. Seems we have been picking up lots of new customers that were once G&T customers, and the main reason why they tell us is service. With the announcement yesterday that G&T let go 100 small business account managers, I only see the service getting worse. I'm not sure what their long term plans are for Small Business customers, without any account managers to support them.

Here is an interesting article about the G&T retail stores: Von Hahn: Image is everything, so Grand & Toy sells nothing

If you want to hear what the Grand & Toy employees are talking about their company: http://www.ratemyemployer.ca/employer/employer.aspx?l=en&empID=2726

Here is Staples’ employees: http://www.ratemyemployer.ca/employer/employer.aspx?l=en&empID=739

All good news for Costless Express - thanks so much to our awesome customers!

Amazing Calendar Stats!

2011-07-13T10:26:00.001-07:00

I think I saw some sunshine the past few days. July looks to be nice and look at all the weekend time we have lined up!

This year, July has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays. This happens once every 823 years.

This is the only time we will see and live this event!

Calendar for July 2011

July

Kinda interesting - read on!!!

This year we're going to experience four unusual dates.

1/1/11, 1/11/11, 11/1/11, 11/11/11 and that's not all...

Take the last two digits of the year in which you were born - now add the age you will be this year.

The results will be 111 for everyone in whole world.

New to the clan at Costless Express

2011-07-08T14:55:00.001-07:00

Lucas

We have been growing like weeds at Costless Express, and with growth comes new people.

Today was an awesome day as I walked around the office.

First I ran into Lucas, a new addition to our warehouse team. I asked him how things were going and he said "I'm Happy". What a great answer. He said he loved being able to jump in and make a difference using his skills immediately. He said the things he as doing at Costless in his job would have taken years to move up to in responsibility at his last job at a large company.

It's is also a special day because we hired our first ever VP of Finance - Nabil. This high level position will allow us to expand and manage growth at an even faster pace. Nabil comes with a long list of successes in our area of business.

In searching for Nabil, we focused first on a culture fit - looks like Nabil fits right in.

Nabil

Also watch a video of our management team breaking the news that Nabil got the job.

We have have several more new people that are new to the Costless family and I'll write a second blog post soon.

Cheers,

Calvin

Costless Express at the Coquitlam Teddy Bear Parade!

2011-06-20T14:34:00.000-07:00

June 12th was Coquitlam’s 22nd annual Teddy Bear Parade, and our EcoYike ran as one of the floats! City Councillor Selina Robinson rode our EcoYike, accompanied by Gumby (actually Calvin in a not-so-secret disguise)

Calvin suits up

City Coun. Selina Robinson and Gumby strike a pose right before the parade

We even made it into the Coquitlam Now: Coquitlam’s Teddy Bear Parade delights the crowd

A cop's story from the front lines of the Vancouver Riots.

2011-06-17T12:03:00.001-07:00

I'm here at a conference in San Diego and have tried to follow the stories about the riots in Vancouver. Thankfully I have not seen much news about this embarrassing and sad event down here.

This week I met so many people who commented that they loved Vancouver and what a lovely city we have. I was humbled and so proud to be from Vancouver and made sure when I introduced myself I mentioned where I was from. But today I held back mentioning I was from Vancouver. I am just so saddened.

Read this amazing post that was emailed to me about a VPD cop and his riot story.

Cheers,
Calvin

Amazing things happened all night. Normal Citizens jumping in to help us.

Without being ordered to, many VPD members (the few that weren't working) came to work, geared up, and went looking for work.

We had cops with no helmets, no special gear of any kind, standing just behind us, and guarding our flanks, really putting their asses on the line.

Abbotsford PD sent a convoy of 15 police vehicles (dog handlers, gang squad, ERT, patrol) it took them 35 minutes door to door.

Delta, New West, tonnes of Mounties, including the lower mainland tac troop for the mounties all played their role.

I have a great memory of being at about Robson and Hornby Street, feeling exhausted and not knowing how much longer I could keep going then looking behind me and seeing a wall of RCMP tac troop members stepping past us to take up the advance.

Our ERT members deployed on foot, with all their gear on their backs, and walked the lanes, flushing looters out of the Bay even as the building was on fire.

Our mounted squad did an amazing job, as with our dog handlers and mountain bike guys.

Our medics from the BC Ambulance never backed down, and stood by with us through the whole night. Vancouver Fire probably put out more fires that night than in the previous year.

The interservice camaraderie was awesome, all night our guys were pumping each other up, encouraging each other, slapping each other on the back, a well timed word of encouragement here and there kept guys going when they wanted to quit. Shouts of "VPD!" coming from the mounties and munies as we dragged our sorry asses to the rally point at Nelson and Granville brought tears to my eyes.

As were were all standing down at about 02:00, downtown Vancouver was being policed by a hodge-podge of mounties, Abbottsford, Port Moody, and West Vancouver.

The total losses look like the 10 to 20 stores looted, 20 police cars destroyed, about 10 police officers injured. Dozens of fires, dozens of privately owned vehicle destroyed too.

So there it is. The 2011 Stanley Cup Riot.

The Subway Violinist

2011-06-07T16:38:00.000-07:00

Here is a story that really made me think. Do we just cruise thru life on auto pilot? Why don't we stop an appreciate the little things in life more?

I know personally that my life has become so complicated and fast paced over the years. I do try to live in the moment and am sensitive to not flying on auto pilot... but... I don't know if I would have stopped in that subway either.

I promise to live in the moment and look for beauty "keeping my radar on high".
Would you have stopped to listen in that subway?

Check out where I'll be during the Hockey Game on Saturday!

2011-06-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

This town has gone crazy for the Canucks, and Saturday will be a day to remember as we win game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals. But did you know the Canucks are also one of the BC Children's Hospital's biggest supporters? And did you know what else is happening on Saturday during the hockey game?

It's the 24th annual BC Children's Hospital Miracle Weekend (June 4-5, 2011), a celebration of hope, courage and remarkable people (aka Superheroes) making a difference. I have joined in this year, and will be sitting on the Miracle Maker Panel, raising money to provide the best possible care to children across the province. Please donate now and help sick children in BC.

This year I am honoured to be the Chair of the Retail & Wholesale Committee. Please tune in to Global TV on Saturday at 7pm to see the kick off of the BCCH Miracle Weekend when we announce the amount our committee raised this year - our goal was $4.9 million. Did we beat it?

Please visit my Superhero Page and place a donation to help make this Miracle Weekend the biggest in history, as we charge towards our goal of building a new hospital and helping even more sick children.

BREAKING NEWS!
CALL ME ON AIR AFTER THE HOCKEY GAME AND MAKE A DONATION!
Or click here now to donate.
Amounts over $20 will automatically generate a downloadable tax receipt.
Date: Saturday, June 4, 2011
Time: 9:30 PM - 11:00 PM

TV Channel: Global BC (cable 11)

On-air phone number: (604) 333-5447 direct to my phone

Please join me in making a difference.
Thank you so much,
Calvin Johnson
2010/2011 Chair - BC Children's Hospital Foundation Retail & Wholesale Committee

What (people) want

2011-05-20T16:01:00.000-07:00

What do customers, friends, the socially networked, users, neighbors, classmates, servers, administrators, employees... maybe even brands... want?
notice me
like me
touch me
do what I say
miss me if I'm gone

Check us out at the EPIC show today!

2011-05-13T15:15:00.000-07:00

We'll be hanging out today at the EPIC Vancouver Sustainable Living Expo! Come on by, say hi and check out the EcoYIKE!

"We didn't have the green thing back in my day"

2011-05-09T08:44:00.000-07:00

Hope you all had a great Mothers Day on the weekend. My mom was part of a green movement long before we started. Have a read of this great story.

Cheers

Calvin

It’s All About the Green Thing

By Jim Knowles

In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that plastic bags weren’t good for the environment. The woman apologized to her and explained, “We didn’t have the green thing back in my day.”

That’s right, they didn’t have the green thing in her day. Back then, they returned their milk bottles, Coke bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, using the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But they didn’t have the green thing back her day.

In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks. But she’s right. They didn’t have the green thing in her day.

Back then, they washed the baby’s diapers because they didn’t have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts – wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that old lady is right, they didn’t have the green thing back in her day.

Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the house – not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a pizza dish, not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn’t have electric machines to do everything for you. When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used wadded up newspaper to cushion it, not styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, they didn’t fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by working so they didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she’s right, they didn’t have the green thing back then.

They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty, instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled pens with ink, instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But they didn’t have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar and kids rode their bikes to school or rode the school bus, instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But that old lady is right. They didn’t have the green thing back in her day.

Photos from the Jeans Day 2011 BBQ!

2011-04-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

Things were pretty quiet as we set up

Cal and Fin!

Hey, it's Cindy!

Canucks mascot Fin takes a ride on the EcoYike!

Support BC Children's Hospital this April!

2011-04-13T09:38:00.000-07:00

This month is a big fundraising month for Costless Express and BC Children's Hospital.

As Chair of the Retail/Wholesale Council, our committee goal is to raise $5,000,000 this year ($4.6 last year) and April events go a long way towards the total.

This week is AuctionMart - the largest online auction in North America and is put on by the Vancouver Sun and Province newspapers. The great part is 10% of all net proceeds go to the BC Children's Hospital Foundation. This is the first year for the partnership between the papers and the hospital, and we are cautiously optimistic that we will raise in excess of $300,000. Have a look at Aaron Sanderson, the hardest working fellow in fundraising, on Breakfast Television today.

Also this Saturday April 16th is the very popular Sunglass Sale and Fundraiser by Suntech Optics & Bugaboos Eyewear at 758 Harbourside Drive North Vancouver.

Print off this exclusive Costless Express coupon (with a map) and receive a FREE pair of sunglasses with your sunglass purchase. Get there early for an incredible selection. It really gets quite exciting seeing some people buying 10-20 pairs - who can blame them when all sunglasses are $5-$25!

Finally, April 28th is Jeans Day. Order your buttons $5 and pins $20 from Costless Express and we will deliver with your order. Look for us on the 28th as we help host a huge BBQ in front of the Art Gallery downtown at lunch time. Last year we had over 2500 people stop by for a hot dog, drink and chips and to buy a button.

Help support the hospital, and get your buttons and pins early before they are all gone. The great news about buying a pin is the $20 is tax deductible and you get to wear your jeans to work for 4 weeks instead of just 1 with the button.

Thanks to all our great staff and customers for supporting such a wonderful organization like the BC Childrens Hospital Foundation.

Cheers,
Calvin

A bike powered band!

2011-04-05T08:41:00.002-07:00

Now that we have the ecoYIKE making deliveries this spring, we are getting lots of fans from far and wide from the electric bike community.

Here is an article sent to me about a band that powers its instruments with human power!

Check it out, sustainable electric guitars!

I wish they were in Vancouver so we could have them at our ecoYIKE launch party.

Cheers,

Calvin

Express Copy is back!

2011-03-31T13:30:00.000-07:00

It's Baaaaack!

Our Express Copy Paper is back after a short hiatus. This is our 4th version of our popular house brand paper as we increase the brightness to 96 Brite.

Over the years, the brightness of our Express Copy has increased from 84 Brite - 88 Brite - 92 Brite and now 96 Brite.

Skids of Express Copy in the warehouse

Our Express Copy Paper is a premium everyday sheet for use in all machines. We are excited to offer Express Copy at $39.96 per case - (The comparable paper would be Staples Brand Red Box Paper at $46.96.)

Express Copy is a Smile project item!

We are also happy to announce that partial proceeds from the sale of Express Copy will be donated to BC Children's Hospital through our charity The Smile Project.

Cheers,

Calvin

Say Hello To Our New EcoYIKE!

2011-03-25T09:49:00.000-07:00

What's an ecoYIKE? It's our new hybrid human-electric-solar powered delivery vehicle that you'll soon see in the bike lanes in Downtown Vancouver!

We've even been written about in The Province!

Read our full press release below!

It's not a Bike - It's an EcoYIKE.

The Costless Express EcoYIKE is Canada's first human-solar-electric hybrid delivery vehicle, offering an eco-friendly solution for last mile micro-trip deliveries in urban areas such as downtown Vancouver - where Costless Express has over 1000 office supply customers.

It's such a handy vehicle, you can almost go anywhere.
Because our EcoYIKE is electric (no noise, no pollution, no CO₂ emissions) we have been granted access to Vancouver's new bike lanes. As a result, we're able to make fast efficient deliveries even quicker than a car or truck...it's the ultimate urban delivery vehicle!
Thanks to this mode of clean parcel transportation, Costless Express is also improving its day-to-day business efficiency by 20-50% higher per delivery compared to current fleet of vehicles. End-customers are even more closely connected to the Costless Express brand and core values on the environment once they see our EcoYIKE in action. So, it's an advantage in terms of visibility and client communications, and in terms of finance and productivity. Everyone loves the EcoYIKE!
The solar recharging panel in action!

About our EcoYIKE

We started the EcoYIKE project September 2010 and spent several months refining the reliability and length of service on a charge. Our recent break thru solution has been to add 3 high efficiency solar panels, making the EcoYIKE fully autonomous (never needs to be plugged in- even on a cloudy day).
Our EcoYIKE is started manually and then an electric motor kicks in. The motor is quiet and powerful and allows us to reach a comfortable speed. The capacity of the EcoYIKE cargo box to carry our signature red Costless Express plastic delivery totes (no cardboard here!) is impressive. Our emissions-free EcoYIKE works in all weather but our drivers are happiest on one of our trademark sunny Vancouver days of course!
That whole stack fits in the EcoYIKE's trailer!
The EcoYIKE represent a new class of vehicle, between a 40 lb. bike and a full size delivery truck. This EcoYIKE design weighs only 215 lbs., yet can carry an unprecedented payload of 600+ lbs (227Kg), leading to very high efficiency ratio. This means that the majority of energy is spent moving the payload, and not the vehicle.
There is a "golden ratio" for vehicular efficiency, that is, vehicle weight / cargo weight. A typical truck that weighs 8000 lbs., and often carries 2000 lbs. of cargo around town, comes in at "4″. That's obese! One wants to get the ratio below "1″, where the cargo weighs MORE than the vehicle.

Who's the king of the golden ratio? The EcoYIKE at a slim and trim 0.35%!

EcoYIKE Statistics:

Authorized in Vancouver cycle lanes
Whisper Quiet Electric Motor
CO2 emissions: 0 (Zip, Nada, ZERO)
Length: 249cm (98 in)
Height: 142cm (56 in)
Width: 94cm (37 in)
Weight: 97Kg (215lb)
Payload: 227Kg (600lb) +
Max Speed: 15 km/h
Range: 40km or 6 hours per charge (unlimited on Solar Power)
Volume: 2.5 m³
Cost: $7000 - $10,000

"Costless Express Loves Earth Like a Mother"

As a locally owned business and like most Vancouverites, we consider the environment to be a major concern -all the more reason for Costless Express to continue its environmental impact reduction policy. Costless Express is the first carbon neutral office supplier in Canada and our main strategy is to cut off 20% of our CO2 emissions and the EcoYIKE is a crucial element in order to achieve this goal.
Based on the early success and positive customer feedback over the past few months, Costless Express aims to raise the number of ecoYIKE's to five before the end of the summer. Each delivery with an EcoYIKE represents a carbon reduction of 5.33 pounds of CO2 compared to our current delivery trucks.

"It's Easy Being Green"™

Costless Express is the first carbon neutral office supplier and the largest supplier of eco friendly B2B office products in Canada. For over 20 years Costless Express has developed innovative strategies and industry firsts including our famous 365 returns, free no minimum order next business day delivery and the most unique product selection available for business delivery.
Costless Express is the market leader in B2B office consumables and the innovator of the highly efficient single source supplier concept. Costless Express offers 40,000 products including a diverse line of environmentally friendly paper, cleaning products, Fair-Trade Organic Coffee, recycled toners and inks, milk, fresh fruit and even Birthday Cakes - all delivered to offices.
Another delivery on its way!
For further information please contact:
Calvin Johnson
CEO - Chief Energizing Officer
Costless Express
Cell - 604-830-4474
Desk - 604-444-4467 x301
Email - calvinj@costlessexpress.com
Linkedin - http://ca.linkedin.com/in/1calvinjohnson1/oView%20public%20profile

Pepsi Unveils 100 Percent Plant-Based Bottle!

2011-03-21T09:39:00.000-07:00

Pepsi has been a great partner of Costless Express for 21 years. We are very excited to be the first supplier in Vancouver to offer the new Plant Based Bottle when it hits our market. This innovative packaging completely fits with the core values of our company to offer sustainable products to our customers.

Pepsi isn't just making a killing off of the past — it's also banking on the technology of the future with a new plastic bottle made completely out of plant material.

The company claims it has "cracked the code" on a first-of-its-kind bottle made from switch grass, pine bark, corn husks, and other materials, and it purportedly looks, feels, and protects the drink in exactly the same way as traditional plastic packaging. It beats out the carbon footprint of competitor Coca-Cola's PlantBottle, which is only 30 percent plant-based.

Pepsi is even thinking further ahead: in the future, it plans to use orange peels, potato scraps, and other leftovers from its food enterprises in its new plastic bottles.

PepsiCo says it is the world's first bottle of a common type of plastic called PET made entirely of plant materials. Coca-Cola Co. currently produces a bottle using 30 percent plant-based materials and recently estimated it would be several years before it has a 100 percent plant bottle that's commercially viable.

PepsiCo announced the discovery Tuesday and said it plans to test the product in 2012 in a few hundred thousand bottles. Once the company is sure it can successfully produce the bottle at that scale, it will begin converting all its products over.

That could mean a switch of billions of bottles sold each year. Of Pepsi's 19 biggest brands, those that generate more than $1 billion in revenue, 11 are beverage brands that use PET.

Scientists said the technology is important innovation in packaging.

"This is the beginning of the end of petroleum-based plastics," said Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council and director of its waste management project. "When you have a company of this size making a commitment to a plant-based plastic, the market is going to respond."

Coca-Cola said it welcomed other advances in packaging, but noted that it has scaled up use of its own plant-based bottle since introducing it in 2009. It also says it has demonstrated a 100 percent plant bottle in the lab and is still working to ensure it is commercially viable.

There are other plant-based plastics available or in development, but Herskowitz said these are not environmentally preferred because they typically use plants grown solely for that purpose rather than using the estimated 2 billion tons of agricultural waste produced each year. And these alternative plastics cannot be recycled.

PET plastic is a go-to material for packaging because it's lightweight and shatter-resistant, its safety is well-researched and it doesn't affect flavors. It is not biodegradable or compostable but it is recyclable.

A completely plant-based PET could change the industry standard for plastic packaging. PET is used in beverage bottles, food pouches, coatings and other common products.

Traditional PET plastic is made using fossil fuels, including petroleum, a limited resource that's rising in price. By using plant material instead, companies reduce their environmental impact.

Pepsi, based in Purchase, N.Y., said it has had dozens of people working on the process for years. While PepsiCo wouldn't specify the cost to research and design the new bottle, Papalia said it is in the millions of dollars.

PEAK Leadership

2011-03-09T11:48:00.000-08:00

Recently we had a tour of our offices by the CEO and COO of Suntech Optics & Bugaboos Eyewear to see our culture at Costless Express.

We host tours for companies who what to learn more about what has worked for us at Costless Express (and what hasn't worked). It's a highlight for me to be able to share and learn from others who are passionate about creating great cultures and businesses. Readers of my blog will know about how we enjoy the concepts of Tribal Leadership, but there is another book and author we equally gravitate to. Chip Conley - PEAK.

Here is an upcoming webinar with Chip hosted by our good friends at Rypple (great software) so please sign up to hear Chip if you are interested in adding some MOJO to your companies culture.

Cheers,
Calvin

Thursday, March 15th at 2:30 p.m. EST

How to Grow into a PEAK Leader

Chip will tell the story of Joie de Vivre's remarkable success and share other real world examples of companies that apply his theory, from Apple to Whole Foods Market. You'll learn:

leadership tips from San Francisco's "Most Innovative CEO"

what it means to create peak experiences at work

how to build lifelong relationships that will drive your success

how great companies get their mojo

Better living through... electrolysis?

2011-03-03T14:52:00.000-08:00

Good news... our new 2011 catalogues will be arriving soon! And one of the exciting new products we're introducing with our new 2011 catalogue is the Ionator EXP.

It cleans and sanitizes using nothing more than electricity and ordinary tap water! Well, it's a bit more complicated than that, so perhaps Bill Nye the Science Guy can explain it for us:

The Ionator can replace dozens of cleaning compounds, many of which can be bad for your health or for the environment, with something that's safe, non-toxic and renewable. And because you're not buying bottle after bottle of chemical cleaners, it can represent a huge long-term savings!

Looking for more science? The Toxics Use Reduction Institute at the University of Massachusetts Lowell included the Ionator in its guide Cleaning for Healthier Schools. There's also more at the ActiveIon website, including reports from their sanitizing studies.

We've got tons more new products arriving soon, so stay tuned!

Staples invents online "Chat on Hold"

2011-02-16T13:20:00.000-08:00

Today we were doing a bit of price checking on Staples. We were put on Chat Hold!

So we picked up the phone and... were placed on "Phone Hold"!

If I were in a Staples store waiting for service while on my phone and online with my iPhone, I could have had a never before seen Trifecta of Hold!

What is service coming to!

Cheers,
Calvin

Dragons' Den

2011-02-15T13:17:00.000-08:00

Dragons' Den is in Vancouver.

Tonight I attended a special event hosted by the hit show Dragons' Den. They are in Vancouver for the next few weeks taking auditions for the upcoming 6th season.

Small Business BC hosted the event at the very impressive Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (Woodwards Bldg) downtown. The evening has moderated by Dragons' Den Executive Producer Tracie Tighe, with guest speakers and Dragon Jim Treliving, surprise Dragon Guest Brett Wilson and past pitchers Brian & Corin Mullins of Holy Crap breakfast cereal and Doug Burgoyne of FROGBOX.

The event focused on demistifying the journey of auditioning, preparing, pitching and post deal on the Dragons' Den. The panel offered lots of tips and stories of their experiences from past seasons. The last hour of the three hour event was open mic, and the audience had a chance to pepper the panel with some great questions such as how the Dragons measure valuation or what happens during post deal due dillegence. Auditioning for Dragons' Den is something my business partner and I are researching for a new business venture we are building at the moment, and we feel much more prepared now.

Auditions wrap up in March, so we are planning to give it a try in time if we can get our product ready in time. The business we are going to pitch is an eco business, and not part of Costless Express.

Stay Tuned!

Calvin

Just back from an internet conference in LA.

2011-02-11T17:58:00.000-08:00

First, the weather was a gorgeous 26 degrees. Hummm... dreams of a SOCAL lifestyle. But I have to say that I received so many compliments on Vancouver from people at the conference. As we know, they thought it was one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Still nice to hear while travelling.

The conference was filled with speakers who highlighted the best in current and future technology innovation but there was a standout from all speakers.

Blake Nordstrom - President of Nordstrom.

Blake is an extremely sought after speaker, yet only gets on stage once or twice a year. He noted that more important that talking about customer service was actually doing it, so he feels his time is best spent in the stores. This was the best picture I could snap on my phone from the front row.

His talk was based around the old school notion that offering the best customer service, getting to build life long relationships with customers and offering a unique customer experience will make your business successful. "Who Knew!!" One point that jumped out for me was when he said a customer complaint is the best opportunity - "the customer is saying, I want to love you but I can't right now".

Blake went on to talk about where he sees technology and social media entering the retail environment. Imagine walking into a Nordstrom store, your smart phone beeps with a text saying "Welcome back" and informing you of the latest specials in the sizes and styles you prefer. You click on a few items right on your smart phone, and the items are picked off the floor and placed in a dressing room by a Nordstrom personal shopper. BING - your dressing room is ready - door #3. Now as you try on your choices, you would like to see the matching pants/different color/size, and you tap your smart phone to have these items brought right to your dressing room. Need help deciding on your outfit? How about seeing what your friends think as you send them a "like" email or how about accessing your very own webcam from right in your dressing room. Friends can login and offer live opinions from anywhere in the world. OK, all done? Your personal shopper can check you out right from the dressing room using their smart phone or you can scan your choices yourself with your phone and just walk out of the store. Although much of this scenario does not currently exist, it is just a matter of time.

As you see, innovative retailers are not fearing online selling but instead embracing it. Nordstrom currently does over one billion online, but Blake feels that the sales channels will become more grey, and offline and online will work in harmony to offer great Nordstrom customer experiences.

Cheers,
Calvin

Tribal Leadership BNET video

2011-02-01T13:30:00.000-08:00

When Tribal Leadership was initially released, Dave Logan recorded this brief 6 minute video that effectively explains Tribal Leadership and the "Five Stages of Culture."

If you haven't watch the video yet, this can simplify your view of Tribal Leadership and provide a great resource to send people to when they want a quick overview.

What is Tribal Leadership?

2011-02-01T13:29:00.000-08:00

written by Julian Bergquist, Director
Leadership Programs | CultureSync

Sometimes I get a little stumped trying to effectively explain to someone what is Tribal Leadership? I was recently asked to speak to a group about TL and was prepping up my notes.

There are so many things you could say about people, leadership, tribes, culture, values, greatness, creating results together, and triads.

The past week there has been a lively conversation on LinkedIn, answering the question "What is Tribal Leadership?"

There were 30 answers, all beautifully dancing around the answer. What I learned from the discussion is that Tribal Leadership is one of those rare, great ideas that can't be boxed in and reduced to a single definition.

Soon CultureSync, the creators of Tribal Leadership, will be sending out fresh materials simplifying the view of Tribal Leadership. I highly suggest you sign up for their blog.

In the meantime, I've included below my five favorite answers from the LinkedIn discussion.

Which is your favorite?

Top Answer to "What is Tribal Leadership?"
"Tribal Leadership is the empowerment of a community for a noble cause with the mutual respect for core values." -- Nasar Aboubakare
"Tribal Leadership occurs when a group of people evolve to a point in their communicative/social dynamic where they gel on collective values, share information laterally for the benefit of the group, and work together as a team to inspire, accomplish, strive and create. Tribal Leadership is less about the leader being the star of the show and more about the whole group's ability to perform. Through tribal leadership we can create effective organizations that are based on equality, integrity, competence, function, and joy." -- Kimberly Johnson
"Tribal Leadership is the path that generates the the kind of workplace culture that most people long to be in, yet believe can never happen."-- Robert Cornish
"Tribal Leadership is about surrendering yourself to the tribe. As the tribal will is embraced and carried out throughout the organization, the Tribal Leader fuels the development of the tribe who in turn fuel the development of the leader. Everyone evolves and builds value together, both individually and as a collective business." -- John Sedivy
"Tribal Leadership is playing the game called creating partnership with anyone and everyone wherever they are at, getting good at it, and having a good time while doing it! It's simple and brilliant." --Brian McFadin
Click here to read the other answers or discuss on LinkedIn. http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Question-What-is-Tribal-Leadership-2355813.S.40387041

Official Office Supplies Vendor for the BC Childrens Hospital 2011 Miracle Weekend

2011-01-21T16:33:00.000-08:00

We are very pleased to announce that Costless Express has been selected to be the Official Office Supplies Vendor for the 2011 BC Children's Hospital Miracle Weekend.

Our supplies will assist in helping the thousands of staff and volunteers that are a part of this incredible event. Who knew how important binders, pens and post-it notes could be in raising money for sick kids? We are just so excited to help and be a part of this exciting weekend.

I am the Chair of the Retail & Wholesale Council of the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation. Last year, more than 100 retail and wholesale companies throughout British Columbia participated and raised an astounding $4,621,340 for BC Children’s Hospital. The consistent and outstanding success the Retail and Wholesale division has each year makes them one of the fundraising leaders of Miracle Weekend.

Cheers!
Calvin

Where do good ideas come from?

2011-01-17T09:07:00.000-08:00

Over the past 11 months, I have been involved in a side project along with my regular duties as CEO at Costless Express.

This other project (yet to be released) is being built with an assembly of seasoned entrepreneurs. When we are together "brainstorming," the meetings can become electric with innovation and ideas. We lose ourselves chattering about one idea to the next, and most often get so sidetracked from where we started that we don't accomplish much, if anything at all.

Or Do We?

Where do great ideas really come from? And what are the circumstances and the environment to make the "ah ha" moments happen?

If I were writing my thesis in university - this would have been a perfect topic. But since I wasn't, I wanted to see if someone else had done the research. Sure enough, I came across Steven Johnson (yes, this is my brother's name, but it's not him). His research and speech are full of interesting ideas and stories. How was GPS created, and why were coffee houses so important over the past 600 years?

Have a look at these two videos when you have a few minutes.

This one is 4:07 long and gets you involved in the question - "Where Do Good Ideas Come From"?

This Video is a bit more of a commitment at 17:46 minutes and is Steve Johnson's TED Talk.

Enjoy.

Calvin

More on Office Depot's State Contract Problems

2011-01-11T13:45:00.000-08:00

Recently I spoke to a customer who was kind enough to call me and let me know our prices were fair, even a bit cheaper, but not enough to possibly change suppliers. They were really on the fence as to whether or not to change.

I suggested to let us do the analysis for them and show how we can really save them a ton of money. All we needed was the past few invoices and we would do the analysis ourselves. (At any time we can have dozens of them on the go for customers, and we have software to make the process accurate and quick).

The customer informed me that their finance people would not allow us to see their invoices. I have always wondered what the reason is that customers won't show us what they currently pay. Without the correct information to start with, how do any of the parties know what the best cost of the products is, or who would be the best supplier?

In this month's Independent Dealer - a monthly e-zine publication for the Office Supplies Dealer, there is an update on the Office Depot overcharging problems and lawsuits that are ongoing in each state. It was my friend Rick who helped crack the whole Office Depot overcharging case wide open a few years ago, all because he was supplied real invoices to do an analysis for an independent Office Supplier in the states.

Where I going with this is, let suppliers see your invoices - only two things will happen. Lower Prices, or the bidding company will say they can't compete. Either way, you - the customer - wins.

Over charging is a common practice with the big box office supply companies, and they love it when customers refuse to turn over invoices to the Independent Dealer.

Here are a few issues Office Depot is now having now that each invoice is being audited.

California
San Francisco City Auditors' Report: Office Depot Did Not Comply With Its Contract and Has Overcharged the City at Least $5.75 Million
City Controller's Office finds overcharges, other irregularities on City of Los Angeles' contract with Office Depot for office supplies.
Berkeley Daily Planet: City Says Office Depot Overcharged on Supply Contract
Colorado
CBS4 in Denver reports: Attorney General's office investigating Office Depot for possibly cheating school districts out of money
Florida
Florida Attorney General Reaches $4.5 Million Settlement with Office Depot
Auditor Says Office Depot May Have Overcharged Florida County $1 Million
City Audit finds Office Depot Overcharged Pembroke Pines
Palm Beach Post: Office Depot Inc. overcharged Lee County by almost $60,000, according to a report by that county's internal audit department.
FOX 4 TV: Whistle Blows on Office Depot
Palm Beach Post: State probes Office Depot pricing
Georgia
A CBS Atlanta investigation uncovers a $1.5 million waste of school children's money
A CBS Atlanta reporter looks into claims that Office Depot is charging a local school district more for school supplies than it does the general public.
Atlanta Journal Constitution: State Ends Contract with Office Depot
Missouri
State Attorney General announces judgment in Office Depot case --company pays $320,000 restitution
State AG Putting Office Depot Under Microscope
Nebraska
State Auditor's Press Release: Office Depot Overcharging State of Nebraska
North Carolina
WRAL News: State auditor looking at Office Depot deals again
State Auditors Find Office Depot Overcharged North Carolina Agencies by Over $294,000
State Auditor's Report on Office Depot Contract
Ohio
Office Depot pricing practices now under investigation in six states
Texas
The Dallas Morning News: Office Depot accused of overcharging state agencies, cities, school districts
Washington
State Auditor Finds Nearly $300,000 in Overcharges in Three-Month Period

Two silly questions...

2011-01-10T09:00:00.001-08:00

Do you have a cell phone (silly question #1)? Do you hate telemarketers who call said cell phone (silly question #2)?

Did you know cell phone numbers go public next month in Canada?

Why not save yourself some grief and airtime costs and register on the DO NOT CALL LIST. It only takes 20 seconds so do it and then share with your friends and rid the country of annoying cell phone calls selling you newspapers (who reads papers anymore, anyways??)

Or if you feel like tormenting a telemarketer, watch this video - makes me laugh every time.

Cheers
Calvin

Design your success plan for 2011

2011-01-06T09:00:00.000-08:00

Have you created your 90-day micro strategy for 2011? If not, access these tools to design your success plan for 2011.

Courtesy of my good friends over at CultureSync - the authors of the book Tribal Leadership. Click here to get your free audio copy of the book.

If you have created a micro strategy or are wondering what a micro strategy is, then let's review:

1. Did you clear the cobwebs from your mind? Are you now focused and committed to a great outcome about 90 days out? Great!

2. Did you identify an abundance of resources that will enable you you to achieve it within that time? Great!

3. Did you identify all the key behaviors that must be be completed to deliver that outcome? Great!

Sounds like you have an "unlocked strategy" and are ready for action.

There is now only one thing left to do...

Execute the behaviors on your strategy until your outcome is achieved.

That is it. Period.

One of the primary reasons people don't complete their strategy is that they have fallen into one of their habitual pitfalls, rather than doing the required actions. These are the areas where you " drift ."

There are certain behaviors that support effective leadership, falling into a pitfall is not one of them.

Enjoy the tools and create your 90-day micro strategy.

Cheers,

Calvin

A Remarkable Video

2011-01-05T16:01:00.000-08:00

Here is a remarkable story I wanted to share.

Have a look at this video and it will tell part of the story.

The other side of this story is the unbelievable power of the internet. This video was uploaded 2 days ago and this morning (Jan 5) it was at 4 million views.

Now it's 2:30pm (Jan 5) it's over 6.2 million views and growing. That's remarkable!

Do you think this fellow knows how many people have seen him today? And just a few days ago possibly he rang in the new year with a wish to have a fresh start for 2011.

I don't know, but fate has sure served him a big serving of luck. I like to think this will change his life forever but let's see.

I'm going to try and follow this story for a while and track what happens to him over the following weeks.

What do you think will happen to him?

Comment back on this story to our Facebook page and put in your 2 cents.

Another question - have you ever stopped to talk to a homeless person? It could be amazing to hear their story. 6.2 million people seem to think this fellow has one.

Check out these incredible stats after only 2 days.

Cheers,

Calvin

PS: He has a job!

Ted Williams - Cleveland Cavaliers Offer Ted a House and Full Time Job!!!!

Are You LinkedIn?

2011-01-04T19:00:00.000-08:00

What a great email to get to kick off 2011! My sales hero Brian Tracy is now part of my LinkedIn group.

Are you on LinkedIn?

If you are a business professional it may be something to consider if you are not yet. Here is my page I see LinkedIn as your professional calling card and bio. There is no better way to build your professional network and showcase your talents. And also to see others whom you are doing business with or more important - who you plan to do business with.

Also, its a great place to build your reputation in a positive way. Sure you have to really lay yourself out there for others to view, comment and remark. But why not? We all want to be liked and recognized for having high integrity and to be trusted - so let others comment about you, they are your best promoters.

Cheers,
Calvin Johnson

Maybe next year...

2010-12-31T09:14:00.000-08:00

Maybe next year...
The economy will be going gangbusters
Your knowledge will reach critical mass
Your boss will give you the go ahead (and agree to take the heat if things don't work out)
Your family situation will be stable
The competition will stop innovating
Someone else will drive the carpool, freeing up a few hours a week
There won't be any computer viruses to deal with, and
Your neighbour will return the lawnmower.

Then...
You can ship, you can launch your project, you can make the impact you've been planning on.
Of course, all of these things won't happen. Why not ship anyway?

[While others were hiding last year, new products were launched, new subscriptions were sold and new companies came into being. While they were laying low, websites got new traffic, organizations grew, and contracts were signed. While they were stuck, money was being lent, star employees were hired and trust was built.

Most of all, art got created.

That's okay, though, because it's all going to happen again in 2011. It's not too late, just later than it was.]

My last blog entry for 2010 courtesy of Seth Godin.
2011 is going to be a landmark year at Costless Express - Seth.....we promise to "ship" this year and not wait!

Cheers,
Calvin

Tech's Biggest Surprise of 2010: The Rise of Groupon

2010-12-28T12:07:00.000-08:00

So, did you get a Groupon for Christmas? A spa visit or a dinner for two at the Pan Pacific?

It sure would feel great to have a gift like that under the tree and the best part is knowing your gift giver didn't pay full retail.

Not a Grouponian just yet? Let me fill you in:

In April, Groupon was worth $1 billion. By November, it was worth $6 billion. In other words, the group-buying website's average value is growing by more than $20 million in value per day. That makes it the fastest growing company in history.

Chew on that one.

Groupon now has more than 3,000 employees selling brands on the daily deal business model. And business is booming. Now the company is shooting for greatness after turning down Google's $6 billion offer. The eventual Groupon IPO will be the most anticipated public offering since Google (unless Facebook beats them to the punch).

Nobody could have predicted that Groupon and the group buying business model would explode like it did in 2010, not even Groupon's founders. Local business and advertising has been changed forever by the flood of daily deals that now permeate the web. And remember this: We have yet to see the limits of the Groupon phenomenon.

Cheers,
Calvin

Gingerbread Buddies!

2010-12-23T16:46:00.000-08:00

Today was the first day for 2 more call center staff we just hired - Jen and Brynn.

Our winner - Sharon!

What better way to have them start at Costless Express than with a Gingerbread Man Decorating Contest? The Girls walked around Costless HQ and gathered staff to come to the break room to decorate the yummy little cookies.

Have a look at the MAD artwork and creativity. Vote on your favorite. Can you guess the cookie I decorated?

Special Thanks to KERRS CANDIES for donating their awesome gift basket to the winner as voted by our staff.

Cheers
Calvin

Our Christmas Family

2010-12-16T11:19:00.000-08:00

Today we packed up a truckload of gifts and food to take over and surprise a family we are helping this Christmas. Special thanks to Cindy in our office for introducing this family.

After reading Cindy's email (below) about this family, we rallied our staff and vendors to gather donations to make their Christmas a special one. Have a look at my skills as a movie maker. We aired the video in the offices and people were a bit choked up and a few tears flowed. It was so warming to the heart to see pure joy in a child's face.

As you all may know we are sponsoring my friend and her 3 small kids this year for Christmas.

I have known my friend Chantille for 25 years and she has had some pretty bad luck. From her house being caught on fire and she lost a lot of personal items to moving to Newfoundland and having to sell everything she owned. When she moved back here to BC, the only thing she had to her name was her kitchen table and chairs, 2 suitcases and a smaller suitcase for her 3 year old daughter Summer, which had very few clothes inside. I have taken her to yard sales and thrift stores to get a few things to make her place somewhat livable. She had a used couch given to her and a 19" tv from my mother in law. She is on Welfare at this time, and had a struggle finding a job. She found a part time job the other day, but because it is a new store, they are uncertain when opening day is. So she sits and waits until she gets that phone call. I have helped her get food in her house, had her and kids over for dinners, but there’s only so much I can do as I have to support myself as well. With your help we can provide a very Merry Christmas for them.

Well Cindy - we did our best to help. So proud of you and all our staff!

Cheers and Merry Christmas
Calvin

The Vancouver girl who silenced the world for five minutes

2010-12-13T09:52:00.002-08:00

Take 5 minutes to watch a powerful video from a 12 year girl from Vancouver who presented before the UN Council Earth Summit. She received a standing ovation at the end.

Here is the transcript from her speech.

It was 1992 when she made that speech. Who is she and where is she now?

Her last name might give it away. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severn_Cullis-Suzuki

Cheers,
Calvin

This will make you laugh today...

2010-12-10T11:26:00.002-08:00

Girl Goes Crazy Over Webcam Special Effects

And here's the undistorted version, if you're curious!

Congratulations to Ethical Bean!

2010-11-25T16:25:00.000-08:00

Ethical Bean Coffee is on Oprah Winfrey's Christmas list this year!

Ethical Bean Coffee is featured in the December edition of O Magazine as one of Oprah's Favorite Things gift list. And no wonder - it's great coffee, fair trade and organic, and roasted right here in Vancouver. (You can buy it through CostlessExpress.com in whole bean bags and pre-ground portion packs. You can think of it as a gift to your breakroom!)

The boost won't just help a local company that we're proud to do business with. Partial proceeds from their coffee sales this December will be given to the Ethical Bean Guatemalan Scholarship Fund, which helps Guatemalan children to attend school, and Project Somos Children’s Village, a Vancouver-based charity that helps orphaned and abandoned children in Guatemala.

Read more about it on Ethical Bean's blog here.

Would be bride donates reception to homeless

2010-11-18T09:44:00.002-08:00

I saw this story and had to share about a young woman in Colorado who had her wedding called off days beforehand. With a reception room booked and catered and not enough notice to cancel, she decided to do the most beautiful thing. She contacted the Salvation Army to organize an early holiday meal for a local homeless shelter.

This woman took a heart-breaking life event and turned it around into an amazing and selfless gesture.

When life tosses you lemons, make lemonade is my motto.

Zappos Tour Part 6 - Keeping Culture Alive

2010-11-16T10:17:00.001-08:00

Even the mighty Zappos was not immune from the economic downturn and they laid off 8% of their workforce in October 2008.Since then, they have hired back and increased their head count to almost 1400.

Now in 2010, since Amazon has bought and owned Zappos for about a year, I have heard headcount is being tightened but that could just be due to the synergies with having Amazon as your big brother.

We had stopped in the cafeteria when this was filmed. Here Zappos employees are offered free snacks and drinks as well as basic sandwich fixings. After seeing this I immediately introduced this at Costless Express. We now offer all our staff free breakfast, lunch and dinner. The staff love it and it can save someone several hundred dollars a month.

Cheers,
Calvin

Zappos Tour Part 5 - Blog Bus and the HR of the Tiger

2010-11-16T10:13:00.001-08:00

Donavon tours us past the very cool BLOG BUS. Who decorates this stuff?

Then it gets even more crazy when we walk past the HR department. Now remember there are 4-8 tours a day thru Zappos so imagine hearing Eye Of The Tiger that many times a day, every day, and still have a smile.

The people are genuinely happy and love being a bit weird. It is infused into them.

Have a look.
Calvin

Zappos Tour Part 4 - Heat Map and Monkey Row

2010-11-16T09:46:00.000-08:00

Here is the epicenter of entreprenurialism - Monkey Row.

In true Zappos fashion, the offices are open concept even for the executive team.

Down Monkey Row is where Tony, Alfred and other key executives sit.

I had seen Monkey row in the pages of Fortune Magazine and on CNN business shows so to be here was like a sports fan standing on home plate at Yankee Stadium.

A highlight for me!

Cheers,
Calvin

World Kindness Day!

2010-11-12T09:26:00.000-08:00

Did you know tomorrow (Saturday, November 13th) is World Kindness Day? Do a good deed for someone (Here are a few suggestions) and help spread the word!

We are all here for a reason

2010-11-03T11:23:00.001-07:00

What an amazing set of circumstances. Have a look at this story out of France that happened today.

We have all made an incredible difference in the lives of people around you and people you may not have even met. Take a moment to think about something you did that may have changed the life for someone else. It may have been small for you but HUGE for someone else.

Last summer our family was out boating on Harrison Lake and I saw two people in the water next to a Sea-Doo water craft. I steered the boat closer to just see if everything was alright and as we came up on the couple we could see they were in distress. The man was holding up a girl who couldn't swim and she was in total panic. They went under the water several times and their life jackets were not buoyant to hold them up. We were able to pull them aboard and got them to shore. The man had taken a Japanese exchange student out for a ride and he didn't know she couldn't swim. He said they were in the water for 10 minutes and he was at the point where he had thought of letting her go because she was going to drown them both. She was crying and upset because of the situation but luckily didn't understand what he was telling us. She had no idea her life was that close to ending. I think about those two people often and I know their contributions to the world and other lives would be missed if they were not alive.

Christmas is soon and my favourite movie "It's a Wonderful Life" is a tradition. It really grounds me and gets me thinking about the year and how things in the world would be different if I never existed. Or if my wife, mother, or even staff never existed. We all make a difference every day - positive or negative.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-29T11:16:00.001-07:00

Friday night Halloween dress up bowling was on the docket tonight.
We came out in full support of a charity event for a local soccer team called the Port Coquitlam FC Warriors. One of our staff, Wendy was involved in the fund raising, and we thought it was a great way to have some staff dress up time and support a great cause at the same time. At Costless Express we have been know to dress up and act a bit silly all year anyways, but Halloween is extra special.

The event was held at the Port Coquitlam Bowl. I'm sure the center has been there for over 40 years and it was a blast from the past with the decor. What was really a blast though was all the fun we had. Lots of great costumes (that's me as Gumby), great turn out with all lanes packed, and lots of prizes and food. We helped raise $1800!

The most fun we had was during the second game when were were asked to follow a sheet of different bowling styles and positions like - bowl with your other hand, on one leg, bowl thru someone's legs and the best one, with a long balloon between your legs. The pictures dont do justice to the amount of fun we had.

Thanks to all our staff for the great turn out and support.

Cheers,
Calvin

P.S. On a side note - the .05 drinking law seems to be really working. Most people were not drinking at all because of it. Seems there was so much confusion around how much is too much that is was better to not even risk it. That's fine in my books as it makes a staff event less of a concern for staff that may have a bit too much and we need to intervene. Glad to see people taking responsibility for drinking and driving, it really is a serious issue, especially for employers.

Brian Tracey

2010-10-26T17:00:00.001-07:00

This morning was an early one - up at 4:45am. I was off early to work to pick up 3 of our sales staff and then head downtown for a 7:30 -Noon seminar with the world famous Brian Tracey.

Thru an organization I belong to called EO, we were fortunate to have Brian Tracey spend an incredible 4 hours with our chapter. Mr. Tracey usually works with Fortune 500 companies, or speaks to rooms of hundreds or even thousands at a time, so we were very excited to have him in an intimate setting of just under 100.

A few weeks back, I put an open invitation out to our sales team and asked for a short letter on why they felt they should be invited to attend the event. The three letters I did choose were from Lisa, Michelle and Sidney. They wrote wonderful letters and were very passionate about persuing growth and learning - one of our 10 Core Values. It was great to spend some one-on-one time with them and I know they were excited too. Even before we arrived at the event in the morning, we already had some great discussions and ideas about new initiatives in the car. It was energizing to hear from the front lines on how to improve our company and the customer experience.

Here is a bit of info on what Mr. Tracey covered during our time together. I personally came away with several insights and great ideas I could implement right away.

Cheers,
Calvin

Learn how to out-think, out-market, out-sell and out-compete in any market. Brian Tracy teaches you the SEVEN essentials for business growth and increased profitability. You learn practical, proven strategies and tactics you can apply immediately to get better business results.
Become a GREAT Leader: The seven roles and responsibilities of business leadership that determine success or failure;
Build a GREAT Business: Learn the indispensable elements of planning and execution required for increased sales and profitability;
Offer a GREAT Product or Service: The single factor that determines 90% of your success- how to develop it, measure it, improve it;
Attract GREAT People in Every Position: How to find, interview, hire, manage and motivate a team of top people;
Develop a GREAT Marketing Plan: Attract a continuous flow of qualified prospects who are eager to buy what you sell;
Perfect a GREAT Sales Process: Learn how to prospect, build trust, identify customer needs, present persuasively, overcome objections and close the sale;
Create a GREAT Customer Experience: Learn how to meet expectations, exceed expectations, delight and amaze your customers so they buy again and again, and eagerly refer you to others.

Are you a Stage 4 Tribe?

2010-10-25T14:24:00.000-07:00

Today our shipment of Tribal Leadership books arrived and we were all pretty excited.
Each member of our staff... ahem... TRIBE... gets a free copy. Earlier this year, I gave each member the e-book of Tribal Leadership, and the hard cover is just another way to keep reinforcing the message we live by at Costless Express, "Its all about WE not ME!"

What is Tribal Leadership, you ask? We are so happy to let you know all about it, and hopefully excite you and your company to take the journey to becoming a Stage 4 Tribe. It's not easy, but the rewards and happiness are worth the sacrifice.
Here's some info and a great TED Talk by the author Dave Logan.
http://www.ted.com/talks/david_logan_on_tribal_leadership.html

Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization
Free Audio Book Download - http://www.triballeadership.net/
Logan, King and Fischer-Wright suggest that individuals participate in organizations as members of one or more tribes. A tribe is a basic sociological unit: a group of 20-150 humans. (Like schools of fish, and flocks of birds, we have tribes of people.) The authors used linguistic research methods as well as relationship structures to identify five tribal states that build on one another dimensionally. Each tribal state is more productive and meaningful for its members than the ones below it. Each stage has unique leverage points that nudge people and teams forward in their productivity and expansion, versus an existence of universal principles for teams.

Enjoy!
Calvin

My Mom is our biggest supporter at Costless Express

2010-10-22T15:41:00.000-07:00

Todd Suomu, Nico Human, and Calvin Johnson.
Picture courtesy of BCFPA

Great News!
We have just signed a deal to be the Official Supplier to the BC Food Processors Association!

Funny how things come together. It all started when I met David Eto at a wedding in the summer. It was actually my mom who was chatting with guests, and when she met David she thought he and I should meet since we were both in the food business. So she paired the two of us up on the lawn outside the house where the wedding reception was being held and made introductions. David and I had a great chat and had lots in common, including BC Children's Hospital involvement. From that meeting, David and I agreed to stay in touch and go for lunch.

About a month later, we got together for sushi and decided there was an opportunity to create an affinity program for the BC Food Processors Association, an organization David was closely involved in. From that lunch things moved pretty quick, involving Nico Human the CEO of the Association. We created a program for the association that would offer savings far greater than any individual company could achieve on their own - even it they had the best programs with Grand and Toy or Staples. Association members will see immediate savings on their Office Supplies, Break room, Janitorial, Printing, Toners, Paper and even the little paper booties they wear on their feet in a food plant!!

Last week we signed the deal, and this week it was announced to the 1500 companies that are part of the association. We are all very excited to bring value to the association, especially now that Costless Express is a member of the BC Food Processors Association.

Oh... and THANKS MOM!!!!
Cheers,
Calvin

A Tasty Deal with the BC Food Processors Association!

2010-10-22T10:42:00.000-07:00

We're now an official supplier to the BC Food Processors Association! If you're a BCFPA member, you're entitled to special membership discounts, custom pricing contacts and more. Here's the announcement in the BCFPA newsletter!

Just contact us at 604-444-4467 or clehelp@costlessexpress.com and ask about our Membership Advantage Program for more details!

Cisco Systems Tour in San Francisco

2010-10-13T14:51:00.000-07:00

All this week I was in San Francisco with my forum group from EO. A few times a year we travel on a retreat to visit world class companies and learn best practices.

We stayed at the Fairmont Heritage Place, Ghirardelli Square. This illustrious chocolate factory dates back to the civil war era where they once made everything from uniforms and spices to of course, Chocolate. The Fairmont spent 4 years renovating the factory into a one of a kind destination. It was a place we had to stay and experience and the location didnt disappoint. We lounged on the outdoor patios overlooking the San Francisco bay as we held our meeings.

Several of the suites were 2500 sqare feet in size and had 3 bedrooms. Surprisingly there was real value when sharing a large room like this in comparison to renting several smaller rooms. I highly recommend the Fairmont Heritage and I'll be taking my family back some time soon.

Cheers
Calvin

VIP Tour of Cisco Systems

2010-10-13T14:45:00.000-07:00

Today was a visit to Cisco Systems in San Francisco.

We were honored with the royal treatment for the entire day. About every 90 minutes we were given a new presentation from top managers on emerging and disruptive techlology and innovations. It was truly amazing to be allowed the kind of up front and inside access to the most powerful and innovative tech company on the planet.

Some of what we saw and were told about I cannot repeat due to Non Disclosure Agreements but without giving away too much I have to tell you of one fellow who came to speak to us. He was a top VP in charge of Innovation at Cisco. He reviews hundreds of deals and looks for technology that is truly life changing and disruptive to the market. Here is his criteria and actions he takes when he finds an idea.

The idea must have the ability to be a Billion Dollar business
He will spend $10,000,000 on the start up to fund it
He will hand pick Cisco employees to build it out
The team has 18 months to get it to market

It seems a tall order but he is responsible for launching a half dozen businesses in the last 4-5 years and he has several in the pipeline. Personally I would be happy to look at the deals he tosses in the trash if those are his standards.

Here is one such innovation. Video conferencing, where the operator is located in a data center and they can greet visitors who walk into a lobby of an office building. Kind of like a video concierge but the concierge can manage several building at once. The can give directions, pass people thru security and other functions, all 24/7 and global. This technology is also rolling out to other applications such as boardroom conferencing and even kiosks that can go in shopping malls and you can have visit with a doctor while you are shopping. The applications are limitless. Have a look and you'll see.

And at the end of the video you can watch me walk right behind an operator who is on a conference. So from the guy's view in the lobby, he would see a pair of pants walk on screen behind the operator - - Doh!

Cheers,
Calvin

Doing Both at Cisco

2010-10-13T14:41:00.000-07:00

One more story from Cisco.

Our day wrapped up with a real bang from a one on one talk with Inder Sidhu the Senior Vice President, Strategy Planning, Worldwide Operations at Cisco. Mr Sidhu as you can see from his title is one of the highest level VP's at Cisco.

During our time with Mr. Sidhu we peppered him with questions and the insights and takeaway was like a year of business school packed into an hour. One memorable moment was when I asked him what he thought the next innovation in technology would be. He said, think of the dawn of computers, then the Internet - VIDEO will be the next innovation. We can see it starting already with services like NetFlix http://www.netflix.ca and the bankruptcy of Blockbuster. New methods of watching and delivery of video is going to transform movies, television and advertising in a profound way over the next 5 years.

Mr Sidhu is also the author of the recent best seller book DoingBoth. Please grab a copy of his insightful book.

Here is a quick video that sums up his philosophy.

I was at odds personally with a business decision that had me stumped and this exact recommendation from him when we met allowed me to see a new alternative and act on it.

Cheers,
Calvin

Here Comes The Milkman

2010-10-11T12:30:00.001-07:00

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving Weekend.
I stopped into the office early on the holiday Monday since I will be away in San Francisco all week for a visit to Cisco Systems. I'll write about that adventure later this week.

Funny how I just wrote about the Coke truck in my last post, and here was another truck delivering to us at the crack of dawn with our milk. Here was Island Farms droping off several pallets of milk for deliveries that will be picked tonight and delivered tomorrow. I usually don't see the trucks delivering, so I was amazed at how much milk we sell every day. This truck is here every morning with our order religiously.

It is so interesting to me when I see our whole organization, and all the working people and parts that make up the services we offer our customers. It makes me appreciate other services just a bit more. Like say, an aircraft flight - I can't imagine what goes into getting all the parts in order behind the scenes, so we can stroll up and stick our behinds in the seats.

Cheers,
Calvin

Zappos Tour Part 3: The Buyers Floor

2010-10-08T09:08:00.002-07:00

Donavon takes us for the first time into the call center. It's what I consider the nerve center of Zappos.

I was ready for crazy antics and a loud boisterous environment. But instead... everyone was heads down and working.

At Costless Express we are a pretty crazy and fun bunch at times, but other days you can hear a pin drop.

It was one of my best take-aways from the whole tour - that to have a great culture like Zappos, you don't need to be "Full On" all the time.

Enjoy Part 3.
Calvin

Coke's New Hybrid Truck

2010-10-05T12:23:00.001-07:00

The Coke truck delivers to us twice a week so its nothing new to see it rolling past our office windows on its way to receiving. Except today when I caught an eye of the trailer. Have a look. I ran outside with my camera to catch the driver as he backed in so I could ask him what is was all about.

Here is what I learned from the driver: "Drives like a truck" :-)

Here is what I learned from the internet:

Coca-Cola Enterprises plans to purchased 120 hybrid-electric drivetrain-equipped trucks from Eaton Corp.

The Coca-Cola order represents the largest North American commercial order to date for Eaton's hybrid systems and follows the beverage company's purchase of 20 trucks with Eaton hybrid power systems in 2007.
Testing and evaluations conducted by CocaCola Enterprises found that Baton's hybridelectric drivetrain equipped trucks decreased emissions by roughly 32 percent and fuel consumption by up to 37 percent as compared to conventionally-powered trucks in Coca-Cola's current fleet. Coca-Cola also reported lower maintenance costs on the hybrid-powered trucks.
"We have been working with Coca-Cola Enterprises since 2003 to assess our systems" said Dimitri Kazarinoff, general manager for emerging technologies at Baton's Truck Group, Kalamazoo, Ml. "Coca-Cola is demonstrating its commitment to reducing pollution and greenhouse gases and Eaton is pleased to be a part of this effort. We are looking forward to working with them to deploy the systems into their transportation network."
"In addition to the environmentally friendly advantages that hybrid vehicles deliver, we also report that driver acceptance has been highly favorable, especially in high start-and-stop applications," says Dave Leasure, corporate director of fleet procurement, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Atlanta.
"The hybrid drive units have been performing very well in communicating with the electronic engines, always giving us the necessary torque and horsepower when it is needed."
Eaton employs parallel-type, diesel-electric hybrid architecture with Eaton's Fuller UltraShift automated transmission. It incorporates an electric motor/generator between the output of an automated clutch and input of the transmission.
The system recovers energy normally lost during braking and stores the energy in batteries. When electric torque is blended with engine torque, the stored energy is used to improve fuel economy and vehicle performance for a given speed or used to operate the vehicle with electric power only.
The system can also be designed to provide energy for use during engine-off worksite operations, further reducing noise, emissions and fuel costs.

Great Job Coke!!!

Cheers,
Calvin

Gord's Tie

2010-10-04T09:10:00.001-07:00

Most of the guys in the office wear a tie. It was great to see Gord our warehouse manager show up to show his support. Dude, where did you find that classic tie!

One thing about Gord many people don't know it that he loves wearing crazy hats while he is routing our fleet of trucks each day.

I'll snap a pic soon when he is not looking. (If he sees us coming with a camera, he can get a bit shy)
Great Fun Lovin' Attitude Gord!
Cheers,
Calvin

Outdoor Meetings Rock at Costless Express

2010-09-29T13:48:00.001-07:00

It was great to see some of our staff holding a meeting outside today, taking advantage of the last few days of warm sunshine. What's on that flip chart?

We have spent a lot of time over the past year focusing on growth and learning. It seems there is always more to learn from outside sources and each other. Funny how that is??

One of our 10 Core Values is "Learn, Educate, Innovate" and it's our staff that has really embraced the idea of constantly pursuing new ideas and learning. An example of that are monthly sessions we call the "Sweat Box".

How the Sweat Box Sessions work is like this: We gather all our staff and tell them they are all equal shareholders in a company called Costless Express 2.0. There is no Org Chart, processes or departments. We need to walk thru the entire process from when a customer calls until the order is delivered, every step of the way. What happens in the Sweat Box session (about 4 hours) is we create departments, positions, draw out flow and justify everything. What happens is we uncover current systems and processes that are out of date. When you are in new company design mode, the fresh ideas are limitless as long as you can put aside the evil saying "but that's not how we do it here".

There are times when we looked at an old way we were doing something and just start laughing, because we can't believe how obvious it was that the process was so bad, compared to creating a new 2.0 process.

Our Sweat Box Sessions are moderated by Dr. Dave, our company business and personal success coach. As Dave says, "If there isn't any passion in the meetings, there won't be any change." I will admit, there have been a few fist poundings on the table, raised voices and even a few tears by participants during the exercises, but Dr. Dave has a way of making everyone feel positive and energized by the end of what are very long days.

We have held a few sessions to date, with more to come. The last session I wasn't invited to; change needs to come from within, not from the top down, so Dr. Dave decided I should not be present. I'm proud of our staff, we really have a great group and I love seeing those outdoor meetings.

Cheers,

Calvin

What A Bag!

2010-09-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

Our purchasing department is continually looking for the latest and greatest in products for our customers. I'm always impressed how they introduce a new line that is a little out of the box from what we normally sell. We love to give freebies to our customers from samples to value added gifts with purchase, and I loved the Elle lunch bag line when it was put on my desk. Stylish, functional & eco-friendly! How could we go wrong? It was the perfect thank you to our customers for being the great people that they are.

Michelle with one of the lunch bags

Erin had taken a picture with some goodies in it and I thought, why not add treats too? So with our fabulous suppliers rallying last minute, we were able to add some yummy additions to the bag. All in all, the lunch bag was well received with us being able to give away 120 bags in total! We had completely run out.

We have had some requests from our customers if they could purchase them, and we were able to obtain a few more. So for those that would like to get this fabulous bag, it is now available. The Elle Lunch Bag can be ordered by item # 395083 for $24.99. We were able to get a limited quantity, so when they are sold out, we can't guarantee when they will be available again.

Authorized in Vancouver cycle lanes
Whisper Quiet Electric Motor
CO2 emissions:	0 (Zip, Nada, ZERO)
Length:	249cm (98 in)
Height:	142cm (56 in)
Width:	94cm (37 in)
Weight:	97Kg (215lb)
Payload:	227Kg (600lb) +
Max Speed:	15 km/h
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