You may be qualified to run your business, but that doesn’t mean you’re qualified and ready to write your own business plan
You may be qualified and ready to run your business. But that doesn’t mean you’re qualified and ready to write your own business plan. Whether you’re testing the waters on your business idea, looking for funding, or attracting equity investors, the quality of your business plan – and the soundness of your financials – is…
Two simple questions can help you establish the framework of your business and save you headaches down the road
When you’re ready to get going on a new business idea, you need to answer two questions to determine if your business should be a sole proprietorship or a corporation. “Eight out of 10 people who come through my door tell me they don’t know much about business, the CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) or taxes,” says Bill Crysler, an Ontario-based…
You need a clear marketing strategy, prepared staff, the correct giveaways, quick follow-up on leads and plenty of energy
If you aren’t including trade shows in your marketing mix, you may be missing out. Exhibiting at a trade show immediately levels the playing field between you and the other guys, no matter how much bigger, richer or more established they are. Every business pays the same square-footage rate to get in front of people…
If your business isn't delivering top-notch customer or client service today, you’re likely not long for this world
Ensuring you deliver rock-solid client service is key to your future. If your business isn't delivering top-notch customer or client service today, you’re likely not long for this world. In virtually all sectors, competition is fierce and customers can search and switch to the other guy at the drop of a hat. Here are some…
Do you eat failure for breakfast?
Turns out your attitude is the most important factor in your success or failure as an entrepreneur. Not personality. And not character. Oh sure, whether you are outgoing or risk averse, full-to-the-brim with new ideas or resilient – can all make a difference. Vince Fowler is a Calgary-based leadership coach, speaker and owner of Vested…
Operating a business while your brain and body are worn down and in a suppressed state will affect your ability to make sound decisions
Big ideas and small pockets, long to-do lists and short of help. It’s a recipe that can take 12 to 18 hours a day on full-throttle as you juggle the demands of human resources, accounting and budgeting, sales, customer service, webmaster and marketing. If you’re one of those small business entrepreneurs who feels the pressure…
Tips to implementing a growth structure that is consistent with your personality and values of the company you have built
Every new business grows from the seeds of an idea. Some wither at the seedling stage, others remain as saplings, while others strive for the sky. But all growth requires the same up-front fertilization. “For any business, you have to begin with the end in mind,” says Gary Prenevost, who calls himself Canada’s leading franchise matchmaker.…
Clear away the clutter and negative energy that lies in the path of your success
Have you ever had that feeling, when talking with a potential client, that they're going to be trouble? And then you do business anyway? There are many stages for the business owner between the crazy, adrenaline- and hope-fuelled startup and business maturity. But none is as powerful as the shift between accepting any and all business and…
Here are our tips for producing meetings that matter
Meetings are a waste of time, according to a certain sentiment found particularly in the tech startup sector. Respectfully, we call that sentiment BS. Human beings function as a species because of our advanced capacity to interact – like during a meeting. Of course, for the busy small business person, it’s hard enough to squeeze in the time to…
Putting in the effort to document, implement and analyze processes results in fewer headaches, less stress and better results
You started your business with an incredible idea, some initiative, creativity and likely cash. Probably the first thing you did was put together a plan. That’s great. But did your plan envision growth, and the need for systems: the procedures, principles and processes that both describe and dictate how your business actually gets things done?…