Off the Ground Blog
The making of a 'Green Business'
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?
Beyond 'just an idea' - what stops Canadians?
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.
Social Media for Small Business (Part 3 of 3): The Visuals
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:
Social Media for Small Business (Part 2 of 3): Networking Sites
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.
Social Media for Small Business (Part 1 of 3): You Are What You Blog
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?
Changes to EI for Self-Employed in 2010/2011
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.
Get to Know the Canada Small Business Financing Act
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.
Financing Your Business
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.
Researching Library Resources From Home
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!
Tips for Using Google for Market Research
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".