Off the Ground Blog
Cool Tools: Managing your Social Media Accounts
We are big fans of social media and its many attributes here at the SBA, but lately we have been reading about the large amounts of time businesses and entrepreneurs are spending to maintain their social presence.As such, we decided to do a survey of some of the tools available that are designed to manage social media and hopefully make the work more efficient and effective. Hootsuite
Overview of the Start-Up Visa Program
There is a new Canadian visa program targeting foreign entrepreneurs that has been in the news frequently in recent weeks. Earlier this year the federal government announced the “Start-Up Visa Program” as part of the Economic Action Plan 2012.
Demographic Information on Aboriginal Entrepreneurs and Businesses
As it is now over halfway through National Aboriginal History Month and today is National Aboriginal Day we felt it was important to write a post about the demographics and statistics of Aboriginal entrepreneurs and small businesses in Canada.
Learning Initiatives for Rural and Northern BC: 2013 - Apply Now!
Learning Initiatives for Rural and Northern BC (LIRN BC) is a collaborative approach to building on the capacities of rural, remote and Northern British Columbian communities. And we are delighted to be partering with this great initiative! The LIRN process encourages local government, provincial, federal, First Nations, non-government organizations (community-based, regional and provincial) and businesses to work together to plan, deliver and evaluate a locally relevant learning initiative.
Funding & Financing for Aboriginal Entrepreneurs
June 1st marked the start of National Aboriginal History Month in Canada. As such, we felt that it was important to put a
Resource Highlight: Presenting to Investors
Does your business or start-up idea require capital to move forward but you don’t have much experience or are not comfortable giving presentations? Don't worry, you are not alone! There are many occasions when you will be called upon to make a pitch to investors, potential partners and customers in order to promote and advance your small business and brand.
Industry Overview: Restaurants
Restaurants are found in both rural and urban communities and are consistently a popular start-up idea. As such, we want to provide you with a current industry overview, trends and challenges as well as provide some research resources for those interested in opening a restaurant.
Resource Highlight: Free or Low Cost Webinars for Small Businesses
There are lots of resources available to entrepreneurs who want to expand their knowledge on topics relating to small and medium sized businesses. However, not everyone has the time, money or desire to register for a traditional class. This week we have compiled a list of online webinars relating to small business that are free or very low cost. While some may be formatted more like a college course and take weeks to complete, many are just an hour in length.
Resource Highlight: Hiring Students and Young People
There are numerous initiatives to encourage Canadian employers to hire students and young people as well as provide mentoring services to young entrepreneurs. These programs have numerous benefits for both BC businesses and BC's young people and students. In this blog, we will highlight three such programs that BC entrepreneurs and businesses can become involved with:
Guest Post: Cut Overhead by Reducing Power Usage
Whether you work alone or have an office full of employees, monthly utility bills can comprise a significant portion of your company's expenditures. But just because your initial budget may have accounted for several hundred dollars a month (or far more) of electricity usage doesn't mean that you're obliged to keep up that quota. By chipping away at your monthly bill through simple measures, you will free up more money for all of your business's other needs.