Keep Calm and Carry On

Written by Salima Syerah Virani. Syerah is the president of NetIP Toronto and an entrepreneur, mentor and coach. Re-published with permission from http://zentrepreneur.ca/blog/

During World War II, the British Government commissioned a propoganda poster bearing the now famous words, Keep Calm and Carry On.  The poster was intended to be a “last case scenario” delivering a message that would stiffen the people’s resolve in the event that Germany succeeded in invading Britain.

Although the poster was never used, its message is not to be dismissed.  As Entrepreneurs, you will quickly realize that things don’t often go as planned.  Whether it’s a cashflow crunch, a heated argument with an employee or a crisis over a deadline, there will be moments when you may be tempted to give it all up and seek the stability of a paycheque!

At times like this, it will help to remind yourself to “Keep Calm and Carry On“.  Just reading these words or repeating them will have a calming effect on you.  You willfocus on the present (as you should) instead of analysing the “should have” and the “could have” scenarios.  That kind of scrutiny will not serve you at this point. Your focus needs to be on constructing a plan and planning your next steps.

To keep calm and carry on  does not mean that you are ignoring the crisis.  Conversely, you’re acknowledging it in its entirety and validating it and then making a choice to move forward despite the challenges.  This kind of attitude seeks solutions and the sooner you acknowledge the problem the faster you are on your way to resolving it!

Another aspect of remaining calm is to maintain your composure and keep your emotions in check.  You’re more likely to get upset, angry and perhaps even violent when you’re under stress. To  “carry on”  means not giving up the activities that you know bring you joy and relaxation.  Don’t stop going to the gym, do not forsake the evening walks with your family or your dog.  Mantaining your usual patterns of activities that invigorate you will help you find the extra reserves of energy and inspiration you need to manage the crisis.

So whether you’re a civilian or a soldier, a rainmaker or an entrepreneur that’s just starting out..remember to Keep Calm and Carry On!

NetIP unveils new commercial for 2009 National Conference in Toronto

Click here to watch the latest 2009 NetIP National Conference ad!

To view this year’s exceptional host of speakers and the entire programming schedule, and to register for the Conference, visit NetIP’s 18th Annual Conference website at www.netipconference.org. The conference will be held at the luxurious Sheraton Centre Hotel in the heart of downtown Toronto, and will host over 800 attendees from across North America.  This year’s conference will provide three activity-filled days of engaging seminars and workshops, inspirational speakers, social networking opportunities, along with elegant nightly entertainment, culminating in a grand Bollywood-inspired formal gala.  Clearly, this year’s conference will be an event not to be missed!

The Wait Is Over! NetIP Launches Registration For The 18th Annual North America Conference

On June 5, 2009, the LOL Lounge in Toronto was the venue for the official launch of the Network of Indian Professionals of North America’s (NetIP NA) 18th annual three day conference presented by Rogers Communications, scheduled for Labour Day weekend in Toronto. This is the second time in 10 years that the City of Toronto has been selected to host this prestigious, landmark South Asian conference. 
 
A diverse gathering of over 200 professionals from a wide range of business fields attended the evening’s corporate mixer.  The Conference Marketing & Communications Chair, Raj Girn began the evening by welcoming all attendees.  Ms. Girn proceeded to present the NetIP NA Vice President of Events, Ajay Chopra, who introduced the Guest of Honour for the evening, the President of NetIP NA, Aruna Paramasivam.  Ms. Paramasivam flew in from the United States to specifically attend the official conference and simultaneous chapter launch here in Toronto.
 
Addressing the attendees, Ms. Paramasivam expressed her pleasure to be in the city, and how delighted she was that the conference was returning to Toronto following a 10 year hiatus. She went on to state, “I am so excited to be here in person to announce the formation of the new Toronto Chapter of NetIP”, which expands the organization to 24 chapters across North America. Toronto Chapter President, Ms. Syerah Virani announced a special saving of 75% off the regular chapter membership fee in honour of the launch of NetIP NA’s newest chapter in the conference host city.  
 
Looking forward to returning for the three day conference on Labour Day weekend, Sept 4th – 6th, Ms. Paramasivam encouraged people to join the non-profit organization which is experiencing a revitalization of growth based on a number of re-branding initiatives that are increasing its already diverse and active membership base.
 
Conference Director, Ms. Farah Merchant and Mr. Chopra together announced some highlights associated with this year’s conference including the theme, Believe! Create! Achieve! and the venue, the prestigious Sheraton Centre Hotel located in the core of the city of Toronto. Conference attendees can look forward to being surrounded by many of the city’s historical attractions, museums, shopping, and entertainment scene.
 
The Conference promises three days of superior networking with over 800 delegates, plus an exceptional array of guest speakers and entertainers.  Confirmed thus far are:  Rohit Bhargava (Ogilvy & Mather), Ravi Baichwal (ABC News), Ruby Dhalla (MP, Government of Canada), DJ Jiten (Pioneer of the South Asian DJ Scene), Bilaal Rajan (Published Author/Motivational Speaker), Sheniz Janmohamed (Ignite Poets), Sanjay Singhal (Simply Audio Books), and Parminder Singh & Harnarayan Singh (CBC Sports), but to name a few. 
 
In addition to the Platinum Corporate Sponsor, Rogers Communications, this year’s conference is also sponsored in part by Gemma Communications, Atelka, Voysus Group, The Resource Group and SMT Direct.  Platinum Media Sponsors are ANOKHI Magazine, MyBindi.com and Sahara One TV.
 
While this conference has already broken all formerly set sponsorship levels of past years, we continue to seek quality partnerships to propel the organization to new heights this year.  Contact Sponsorship Chair, Mr. Dinu Mukherjee at dinu@netipconference.org for more information.
 
Registration for this exciting conference is now open at: www.netipconference.org. Registration includes: three days of professional networking, engaging seminars, top-notch industry speakers, elegant evening social events, daily meals, and a grand formal gala finale event. 
 
To register, find out more about the conference, and to keep up to date with conference developments, visit www.netipconference.org. The 18th Annual NetIP Conference in Toronto will be a memorable and unique South Asian event that you will not want to miss!

NetIP Welcomes 24th Chapter, NetIP Toronto

June 5th was a milestone day in NetIP history. Not only did registration launch for the18th Annual NetIP Conference, but NetIP officially welcomed its twenty-fourth chapter: NetIP Toronto!
 
One of NetIP’s strategic goals for 2009 has been to expand its presence in Canada to truly make the organization a North American entity.  NetIP is pleased to accomplish this in the culturally rich, diverse and vibrant city of Toronto.  The presence of the Annual Conference over Labor Day in Toronto is also a strategic opportunity to engage members not just in Toronto, but also stir interest in neighboring Canadian provinces, such as Vancouver in British Columbia where there is a large Indo-Canadian population as well.
 
With a strong pilot program in place for the new chapter start-up that requires a full analysis of the area’s demographic alongside a solid leadership team, the organization remains confident in the continued emergence of NetIP chapters both across the US and Canada to support the networking needs of South Asians.

To learn more about NetIP and its 24 chapters across North America, please visit www.NetIP.org.

Registration Opens for NetIP National Conference

On Friday June 5th, registration was successfully launched for the 18th Annual NetIP Conference to be held in Toronto, Canada. This year’s conference theme is Believe! Create! Achieve! and it promises to be an unforgettable weekend filled with opportunities to make professional and personal contacts, to meet and learn from a fabulous line up of speakers, and most importantly to have fun!

The conference will be held at the prestigious Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, located in the heart of the vibrant host city. Considered one of the most ethnically diverse and resource rich cities in the world from Politics, Business, Media, Arts & Entertainment and much more, this city delivers and is the perfect destination for expanding horizons and forging new alliances.

The 2009 Annual Conference is being managed by a team of Toronto-based, top tier professionals. These individuals come from a variety of industries, each bringing with them a versatile pool of skill sets and their combined objective is to create high level networking and outreach opportunities with the aim of expanding the reach of NetIP members and the organization to include external alignments with individuals and corporations across the board. This Conference will prove to be a landmark event, enriching members, participants, partners and supporters both on a professional and personal level which in turn will help to build a far superior quality of life for years to come!

For further details and photographs of the Conference Launch Event, visit www.netipconference.org.