Off the Ground Blog

Women's Entrepreneurship Day 2014

Nov 11, 2014

November 19th is the inaugural celebration of Women’s Entrepreneurship Day! Part of Global Entrepreneurship Week (November 17-23), Women's Entrepreneurship Day will be celebrated in 144 countries in recognition of the contribution that women make to local, national, and global economies. Some statistics about women entrepreneurs:

SBA Infographic Update 2014

Nov 11, 2014

We're excited to present an updated version of our infographic and showcase some of our key accomplishments over the last three years of the SBA program! We have created this to reach out to our diverse audience of prospective entrepreneurs, small businesses, librarians working in public and academic libraries, colleagues in business support organizations, educators and students at UBC and beyond.  

Celebrating YOU!: Vital Wellness Kitsilano

Nov 11, 2014

The Celebrating YOU! small business profile series continues with Vital Health Kitsilano's founder Heidi Henderson sharing her experiences with the start-up process. Vital Health is a bright, welcoming, state-of-the-art socially conscious integrated medical clinic and wellness centre in the heart of Kitsilano, Vancouver. Learn more at www.vitalwellnessgroup.com.

Four Tips for Bootstrapping Your Small Business - Video Content Roundup

Nov 11, 2014

Venture capital is often seen as the holy grail of small business financing, but it isn't for everyone. As most seasoned entrepreneurs will tell you, seeking out venture funding can be a long, expensive process, with some unexpected legal and accounting costs along the way. If you do eventually secure venture capital, you will have to give up part of your control over your own business, which means increased accountability on your part.

Celebrating YOU!: mediAm digital distribution

Nov 11, 2014

To start off our Celebrating YOU! small business profile series, Leslie Marsh of mediAm shares the experience of the start-up process and mediAm's contributions to a sustainable film production industry. At mediAm, our mission is to foster the growth of all types of media production by engaging audiences in a new form of distribution. Learn more at mediAm.ca.

Small Business Profile 2014

Oct 10, 2014

Every year British Columbia’s provincial government publishes a profile of the health of small business in the province to educate us on how BC fits into the greater Canadian context of small business development. The Small Business Profile 2014 report was recently released, so we compiled some highlights of the report as we reflect and wrap-up a fantastic Small Business Month celebrated throughout Canada during the month of October.

Open Access Week October 2014

Oct 10, 2014

Open Access Week, now entering its 8th year, is a chance to learn, share, and spread the word about the benefits of open access to information. 

Give Your Startup an Edge with Our Top 5 Streaming Video Channels—Video Content Roundup

Oct 10, 2014

Staying current with entrepreneurship trends can be tricky. As new resources and strategies develop popularity, it’s important for small business owners to know what’s out there so they give their startup a competitive edge in the market. In this post, we’ll focus on streaming video channels you can follow for a constant stream of news and other information from the world of business. Since the rise of streaming video, individuals and organizations from around the world have been using this platform to share their knowledge and experience with audiences looking for business guidance.

5 Tools To Keep Up-To-Date On Industry News

Oct 10, 2014

If you are an aspiring small business owner or entrepreneur, you probably are diving in head first into secondary market research. The time you spend finding quality resources is very valuable, but with all of the resources consulted and the time devoted to the research, it is easy for keeping up-to-date to fall off the radar once you have a business plan in place.