November 23, 2023
Peter Skakum
President
Tangent Strategies
This month, we spoke with Peter Skakum, President of Tangent Strategies.
Tell us about Tangent Strategies and the greatest challenges and opportunities ahead.
Tangent Strategies teaches the principles and the disciplines of selling – the bedrock of modern commerce and yet the oldest profession on earth. Most characterize selling as the traditional struggle between buyer and supplier. As Tangent enters its 31st year in business, its customers will tell you they've learned that selling is not a struggle at all.
Selling is both a challenge and an opportunity. A challenge in that selling has to contend with its generations-old reputation of employing pushy tactics. An opportunity in that selling can be transformed into a profession buyers respect, trust, and welcome, and can say yes to more often. That has been Tangent Strategies' job. Selling has always been the consummate human/business experience.
What do you see as the greatest advantages of operating a business in Halifax?
Advantage 1. Realization as motivation. The realization in 2014, through the Ivany Report, that the Nova Scotia economy had been teetering on the verge of collapse, ignited an energy in private, public, and academic sectors that has turned Halifax into one of the fastest growing and most progressive business destinations in Canada. What better place to operate a business.
Advantage 2. Halifax is an academic hub. Its universities and colleges produce a cavalcade of top-tier graduates anxious to start their careers within world-class Nova Scotia companies many of which have located in Halifax because of this rich graduate resource.
Advantage 3. Finally, Halifax is renowned for the civility of its people. Halifax is known for being one of the safest cities in which to live and do business. One more reason business leaders are choosing Halifax to establish their branch offices and corporate headquarters. And, of late, business leaders and families are seriously considering Halifax as a safe haven to escape the exponential spread of COVID-19 in the United States.
Hiring youth is important to the economic growth of Nova Scotia. How does Tangent Strategies support emerging talent in our province?
Free mentorship. Teaching youth the dynamics of 'dignified selling'.
Tangent Strategies continues to transform selling into one of the most respected and sought after business growth professions, accomplished by systematically eradicating selling's reputation.
A critical part of that process is selling mentorship... preparing Nova Scotia's graduating students to take their place in the business world with a firm understanding of how to sell efficiently, productively, profitably, and with dignity. Furthermore Tangent marries these selling principles and disciplines with an understanding of how, as a buyer, to receive selling professionals with equal dignity, and as an employer how to hire and retain the best selling talent.
Tangent offers this unique mentorship to graduating students free of charge.
What is your organization doing to support COVID-19 efforts?
Tangent Strategies has remained a staunch advocate for a strict COVID-19 safety protocol within all businesses. It has written to and spoken with all levels of government urging legislation for, and enforcement of, the universal wearing of masks upon entry to our province, our country and all public and private sector business establishments. No mask, no entry, no exceptions.
Enforced wearing of masks is not a loss of civil liberty, but a universal sign of human respect for our fellow man. Lives, businesses and our economies literally hang in the balance.
