Like the idea of self-employment but loath the thought of going it alone? Starting (or buying) a franchised business is a popular approach to self-employment, allowing owners to take advantage of a proven business model - for a fee.
A digital tattoo can be viewed in many ways (literally). Used well, it can demonstrate the best aspects of your business to a large online audience. If poorly managed, however, a damaging digital tattoo can become a serious liability. So: what is the digital tattoo of your business, and how can you control it?
Customers expect rewards, cash back or air miles with every purchase they make - merchants, on the other hand, have fought for years to reduce 'payment processing' fees. If your business offers point of sale (POS) payment by Visa, Mastercard, Interac or other credit cards, getting informed on the pros and cons of these payment methods, and how best to handle payments received, makes good business sense.
An organization - it is often said - is only as strong as its weakest member. For small business, this holds especially true, as the potential impact of a single partner (positive or negative) is high. To manage this risk, the first step is to fully understand: who are your partners?
There are literally thousands of incredible web-based tools that have flooded the online marketplace over the past few years. Most of the hype tends to surround the most popular forms of social media, such as Facebook/Twitter/Youtube/Etc. You might be surprised to learn what lies 'beneath' these giants - and how many of these free online tools can play a role in your business.
Statistics Canada is perhaps best known for the national census it produces every 5 years...but did you know that (beyond the census) StatsCan also conducts research into nearly every aspect of Canadian life, with over 350 research surveys currently ongoing?
One of the key resources available to business researchers is Business Source Complete (BSC), an online database of scholarly articles, industry reports, company profiles and much more. If you've never used an online research database before - BSC can be a little intimidating at first. Here are a few steps to get you started, and advice on how to make the most of this key resource.
Recently updated - Suggested Titles for Small Business Collections. This list, jointly created by Vancouver Public Library and the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre (IKBLC), has been put together to help librarians and other business literature collectors across B.C. develop their small-business collections.
Ever found yourself scrambling for pen and paper after being struck by a clever new business idea? It's fair to say that entrepreneurs benefit from a creative mind - and that the greatest success comes to those who are most willing to take risks and go beyond the status quo - but just how innovative does one have to be in order to build a successful business?
At some point we'd all like to retire - and when we do, it's good to know that someone will be there to keep the flame burning brightly for your business. A few weeks ago, Warren Buffet made news by announcing that he had picked his successor, to lead the Berkshire Hathaway empire he worked to build over his lifetime.
We've all heard the bad news: not every small business will succeed. If you listen to various news sources you've probably heard a number of discouraging statistics regarding the long term viability of small business operations. Ever wonder why?
Check out the results of the Small Business Marketing Practices Survey to learn more. Small businesses are feeling optimistic about the economy— so much so that they’re increasing their 2011 marketing budgets. That’s the result of a new survey company, GrowBiz Media, conducted with the help of Zoomerang, a leading provider of online survey and polling tools.
Google much? For many customers, the first stop when looking for retail business, restaurants, professional services or for nearly anything - is a search engine. The second stop? One of the top listed webpages that came back as a result of their search.
Finding the ideal location for your new business can make the difference between a successful start-up with strong traffic, or an agonizing first year of hunting for customers. No - there is no secret to finding the right location to open up shop (though GIS-based location scientists might disagree), but there are a few important questions to consider before making that decision.
Most people, if asked to explain the difference between copyright, trademarks and patents, would have a hard time coming up with a clear answer.As a business owner, however, the importance of these three areas of intellectual property makes it well worth understanding the differences between these three terms, and how each can potentially apply to your business operations.
More and more people are taking strides to reduce their ‘carbon footprint’ by switching to cleaner energy sources, recycling, lowering CO2 emissions and by reducing personal energy usage. How then, can your business go green?
An interesting article came out a few days ago, taking a look at the main reasons why many Canadians who might have a great idea for starting their own business, may never take it to the next level by transforming that idea into a business of their own. The reasons are, in short: money, numbers and confidence.
Looking for alternatives to expensive print and television advertising? In this third and final posting on the use of social media for small business, Youtube, Flickr and a few other media sharing websites will be covered. Before getting started, here are a few essentials you'll be needing:
There are numerous potentially alluring social media tools for the small business owner to try out, in hopes of marketing a new business to their community. Next up, in this three part discussion, we’ll take a look at how Facebook, Twitter and a few other networking sites can be incorporated into your business communication strategy.
There are numerous potentially alluring social media tools for the small business owner to try out, in hopes of reaching out to and connecting with a community. First up in this three part discussion, we’ll take a look at how Blogs can be incorporated into your business communication strategy. What is a blog?
Love the idea of being your own boss, but concerned about losing your regular employment benefits? While some benefits might be lost in the transition to self-employment, thanks to changes made as part of the new 'Fairness for the Self-Employed Act', certain EI benefits previously unavailable to the self-employed will now be made available.
You might have come across the term 'government guaranteed loan' in passing while researching your business financing options, but what does it actually mean? To simplify, think of the first time you applied for a car loan. Was someone (perhaps a parent) willing to co-sign for you? For a business in need of financial support, however, your parents probably aren't the strongest candidates to support your needs.
What good is a million dollar idea without a few thousand dollars of working capital? Finding a source of financing for your new small business shouldn't be such a challenge, but for many potential entrepreneurs, the difficulty of obtaining the financial support to transform dreams into realities can be a source of frustration and angst.
Most people don’t realise that if you have a public library card you can access lots of web (aka electronic) resources and that you can actually do a bunch of research right from your home computer. So, here comes the first tip I will offer – get a public library card!
As a business librarian I am regularly asked what my favourite free market research tool is and the answer can be surprising, but yet it always remains the same - good old Google. Yes, it is more than just a search engine! Firstly you'll need to familiarize yourself with the Google "Advanced Features".
Are you are interested in learning more about the characteristics of Canadian entrepreneurs including those that are self employed, managing micro businesses (1-4 employees) or small businesses (5-100 employees)? If so, check a report published by Industry Canada titled "The State of Entrepreneurship in Canada" (February 2010) because it details how business ownership is changing among Canadians.