Author Archives: Erich Schmidt

About Erich Schmidt

There are remarkable stories in every crevice and chasm. My mission is to find them and capture their essence, with clarity, creativity and compassion. Digital and social media help me convey the tales in interesting and interactive ways. I am a broadcast media veteran with nearly 15 years of professional experience, much of that with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Citytv, both in Toronto. I am also a novelist who relishes the challenge of the blank page and injecting grandiosity into common life.

Those Benevolent Business Owners

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Benevolent business owners, giving, charitable, merchants, shops, boutiques

Small business owners give what they can, in different ways.

They are connected, committed, customer-driven, compassionate and community-oriented.

Having interviewed dozens of business owners in my community and in the community where I grew up, I can honestly say there are many small business owners out there conducting themselves admirably. They are, in fact, benevolent business owners.

In the last few weeks, I have spoken with numerous merchants and have found them all to have the “5 Cs” that I’ve listed above.

They seem eager and happy to give back to their community. Some are actively doing it in large and public ways, while others are doing what they can to contribute.

The owner of a successful clothing store is spearheading efforts to raise funds for a new digital mammogram machine for the local hospital. Most of her staff have been with her for years because they are happy to be there and love making people feel good about the clothes they wear. They could choose to work elsewhere but they stay. I felt their positive energy as I spoke with them. I can’t help but believe they like being part of a charitable business. Continue reading →

The Interview: Conversation over Concentration

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interview: conversation vs. concentration

An interview conversation: I sub an iPhone for the clipboard

Stop it, I scold myself repeatedly.

Before each interview I conduct, I remind myself to keep from straying and stay focused. It’s a tough proposition because I’m the extroverted writer who works from home and doesn’t get to talk to people.

Typically I interview business owners about their story. These people have graciously allowed me to quiz them in exchange for getting their story in print. I shouldn’t waste their time with my opinion on the article I read on the bus on the way over – on the state of digital marketing – or the awesome meal my wife created the night before: baked white fish with grilled pineapple and herb-dusted asparagus spears: yummy. They also probably don’t want to hear me complain about yet another cyclist that I saw who wasn’t wearing a helmet AND had no light or reflective device.

Well, they’re going to get a little of that because I’m only human, and I need something to break the ice: to put them at ease and get the conversation flowing.

There’s the key to the interview: conversation. While it’s okay to think in terms of concentration – staying focused and speedily gathering the relevant information – there has to be a natural flow to the interview. You need to take the time to relate. I believe no one wants to talk to a journalist who can’t relate. Continue reading →

Erich’s Writing Guidelines: Be Yourself, Carefully, with Editing

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writing rules, writing guidelines

The rules for writing begin with ‘keep on writing.’

During my extensive networking efforts of the last several months, an age-old communications reality has once again come into focus: people typically know want they want to say, but they’re not so sure how to write it and make it sound good.

“I can sell you a great bar code management system but don’t ask me to create a resume,” says the curly-headed sales team leader.

“I have a hard enough time writing a post-it note, never mind all this social media muddle” adds the astute accountant.

“Yeah,” agrees the bespectacled logistics analyst. “I’m used to numbers and data, not flowing sentences and fancy descriptions.”

For these people and any interested others, I offer the following writing guidelines.

Coming from a writing and broadcasting background, I’m used to interacting daily with people who have an extraordinary gift for written and verbal communications. They relish playing with words and making them sing. But the truth is that’s just one God-given gift in a world full of God-given gifts. On one hand, it accomplishes a great deal. On the other hand, it doesn’t fix your car’s brakes, it can’t discover a cure for cancer, and it won’t put food on store shelves.
Continue reading →

Psst, You Want Some Willpower?

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New Year's resolutions and willpower

New Year’s Resolutions, willpower and me

Just duck into this alleyway with me and I’ll transpose some of mine over to you.

Seriously, I have willpower to spare and wouldn’t mind if you took a bit of it. With the arrival of the fresh set of 365, I’m sure you have a few resolutions you’d like to start and stick with. So here, have some strength of mind and body and will. While we’re at this exchange, you could take some of my introspection as well. I’m sure you could use some of that too.

I’d be happy to part with some of this incessant need to examine my life at every turn. You, on the other hand – just by merely having stepped into this alleyway with me – you’ve shown yourself to be in dire need of self-analysis, and the aforementioned willpower, which would have given you the inner strength to immediately refuse my abnormal offer.

While we’re here in this seedy back alley, with the light from that apartment Christmas tree up there shining a bit of friendly brightness down on us, allow me to tell you about why I don’t much care for New Year’s Resolutions. Continue reading →

From our home to yours, this is a photo of our Christmas tree and our decoration stand with Christmas cards on it

Our Christmas tree and decoration stand

From our home to yours, I wish you all a gentle and restful Christmas and holiday season full of love, warmth, celebration, togetherness, spirit (spirits!) and adventure.

For some families that I know, all they will be asking for this year is solace. I wish them days of comfort and serenity.

What? They’re Not In It For The Money?

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Come In, We're Open signAll of the small business owners I’ve interviewed in recent weeks have one thing in common: they love what they do and they are dedicated to it. This became evident to me the other day as I was walking from one of the merchants to another. I realized I never heard any of them talk about money.

We might suppose that the primary reason to get into business for yourself is to make money. Well sure, this makes perfect sense. We all need money to live and who doesn’t want more of it? But it turns out this isn’t factor number one when setting up your own shop. It might not even be number two or three.

I’ve spoken to owners and managers of flower shops, massage studios and a spa, a jeweller, an accountant, a chiropractor, a music store owner, a veterinarian and others, and have heard these merchants describe in detail about how passionate they are about their line of work, how much they love their clients and customers, and how they want to make a difference in people’s lives. Continue reading →

Interviewing Tips and Tactics

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Interviewing: a back and forth process

Interviewing: a back and forth process

Two women and me, they one on side of the table at Tim Hortons and me on the other, with my iPhone set down between us. The voice memo app was activated and I pushed “record.” The interview started in a friendly enough way and soon the conversation was flowing easily, with smiles and shared laughs. The women were partners in their own Human Resources firm. The one on the left was bubbly and gregarious; the one on the right was composed and friendly. Time flew by as we talked. Before I knew it, I had nearly forty minutes of good material. That’s twice as much as I’ll ever need to write a 500-word business profile.

Not all interviews are this easy or fun. Somehow I’ve been lucky enough to conduct mostly ones that are. I typically talk to business owners that want to tell their company’s story because chances are it will mean more business for them. Most of the journalists I know conduct similar types of research interviews, where the emotional stakes are low and the interviewee has much to gain by offering information. Continue reading →

Poppies, Papaver rhoeas, in field between Kelling and Weybourne, North Norfolk, England. Photo taken in June 2002, by John Beniston

Poppies, Papaver rhoeas, in field between Kelling and Weybourne, North Norfolk, England. Photo taken in June 2002, by John Beniston

I’ll never forget the valour of the soldiers, the endless emotional burden for the veterans, the vivacious young men that never made it home, the anguish and despair and brotherhood the likes of which I will never realize, and the incredible price of freedom.

A Freelance Writer And Wasted Time

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The time on the wall is important to a freelance writer

The time on the wall is important to a freelance writer

There’s a very simple formula for what ticks off a freelance writer: time wasted = freelancer upset. This formula proved true for me recently, as I dealt with an interview subject who didn’t check his facts with his boss, and wasted my time because of it.

When you are in the business of freelancing, your time is especially valuable because no one is paying you for: 1) not working, 2) your benefits, 3) your vacation time, 4) your sick time, and 5) the extra time you may spend trying to make them look good. Continue reading →

My “About Me” Page Update

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On a fall walk in Parry Sound, Ontario

On a fall walk in Parry Sound, Ontario

There may be things about me that potential clients and other visitors to my site would like to know. So I’m updating my “About Me” page to best reflect who I am and what I do.

My brand of storytelling

Storytelling has become a key to commercial success. That’s pretty cool because I’m a natural born storyteller who is also a trained and experienced writer and online journalist, with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Citytv, both in Toronto. Now I’m an independent service provider who would like to help businesses clean up their word weed patch and make a lasting impression. Continue reading →