May 23, 2013 | 6:14 pm
Save Money Producing Content
Getting and Keeping Customers
Follow these tips to get the content you want within your budget
May 22, 2013 | 6:44 pm
Tough Choice: Promoting One Employee over Another
Talent Pool
Decisions about employee advancement are rarely straightforward, and they can be especially difficult if you have multiple worthy candidates. Plus, in smaller organizations, promoting one employee over another can create resentment leading to a negative work environment.
May 16, 2013 | 5:20 pm
Should You Hire Based on Talent or Experience?
Talent Pool
It can be a struggle to attract talented candidates for a job opening. However, if you’ve kept your talent pool filled to the brim then you may run into the opposite problem – having to choose from multiple worthy candidates.
May 13, 2013 | 7:15 pm
Intellectual Property and Your Content
Technology
Content marketing is a great way to promote your business. Whether you’re leveraging the power of social media, producing helpful videos or running a company blog, providing content can help attract attention and is definitely worth including in your sales and marketing plan.
May 09, 2013 | 5:23 pm
Baby Boomer Workplace Exodus: Is It Real?
Talent Pool
Baby boomers are about to retire in droves – or are they?
May 07, 2013 | 10:04 pm
Start Recruiting Before You Need to Hire
Talent Pool
The hiring process can be long and difficult. Establishing a pool of talented potential candidates can make filling a vacant position at your business much less stressful.
May 02, 2013 | 6:07 pm
Ingredients of Great Content: How to create blog posts or videos that people want to consume
Getting and Keeping Customers
If you’ve embarked on a content marketing strategy for your business, then you are likely wondering how exactly to get people to read your blog post or article or watch your informative video.
April 30, 2013 | 10:18 pm
Should You Be a Fan of Facebook Fan Pages?
Getting and Keeping Customers
Everyone likes to be ‘liked’, but is it good for your small business?
April 26, 2013 | 6:29 am
Do You Know About These Changes to the SR&ED Tax Incentive?
Taxes
The Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) Tax Incentive program allows businesses to claim tax credits or refunds on eligible research and development work conducted in Canada. Qualifying for SR&ED can mean a sizeable difference in the amount of tax your company pays.
April 24, 2013 | 6:20 am
Growing Your Business Using Linkedin Groups
Getting and Keeping Customers
LinkedIn Groups provide a place for business people and professionals with shared interests to share content, find answers, secure business contacts and establish themselves as industry experts.
April 19, 2013 | 5:37 am
Finding Management Efficiencies
Daily Operations
Acting as a manager in a small business is never easy. It can also be difficult to know how to self-assess to make improvements to your own managerial activities.
April 17, 2013 | 5:25 am
Control Your Staffing Costs
Talent Pool
In today’s uncertain economic conditions, many small businesses are trying to do more with less. Staffing is one area where business owners struggle to control costs yet maintain output.
April 16, 2013 | 4:02 pm
Don’t Dismiss Social Media
I love social media — and I’m not alone. The number of Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn users is growing every year, let alone the new social media platforms taking the Internet by storm seemingly every week. But so many businesses are consistently falling behind. For every entrepreneur who’s a Twitter aficionado, there are a half-dozen business owners who put their heads in the sand whenever social media is mentioned.
April 11, 2013 | 6:31 pm
Benefit From These Selling Efficiencies
Getting and Keeping Customers
Selling your product, service or concept is integral to the success of your business and without new customers your business will stagnate. Below are some tips on how to sharpen your company’s sales efforts.
April 09, 2013 | 5:54 pm
Are You Blogging for Your Business? If Not You Could Be Missing Out
Getting and Keeping Customers
Most business owners are familiar with traditional forms of marketing. Ads and direct mail campaigns, for example, are well-established ways to increase awareness of your product or service and to direct customers to your company. Social media also presents a means of attracting attention, and while digital marketing is still relatively new, it offers effective methods of garnering interest in your business.
April 04, 2013 | 5:44 pm
Twitter for Business: Put It to Work for You
Getting and Keeping Customers
Famous for its 140 characters-or-less message restriction, Twitter is now a part of our everyday language. While some people can’t live without it, others think it a necessary evil. Regardless, more and more people are coming to rely on the ‘Twitterverse’ for immediate updates on any given topic.
April 02, 2013 | 10:00 pm
What Investors are Looking for from Your Business
Canadian entrepreneurship is going through a growth spurt these days. It’s really exciting and, as an investor, I have the good fortune to hear a lot of potentially excellent business ideas before they take off. Unfortunately, if you’re an entrepreneur looking for investment money, having a good idea isn’t always enough. Its disheartening to see a poorly-executed pitch do a disservice to an otherwise worthwhile project. So the next time you approach an investor, keep the following in mind.
April 02, 2013 | 5:29 pm
3 Online Resources to Make Your Business More Efficient
Daily Operations
Nearly every entrepreneur would like to be more efficient. After all, reducing the time and money spent on daily tasks means more resources to dedicate to improving your business – or the ability to take a little time off. Imagine that!
March 28, 2013 | 7:00 pm
Is Your Business Eligible for the Ontario Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit?
In filing their tax returns, entrepreneurs habitually try to extract maximum value from the previous year’s expenses. Meanwhile, tax credits are an often-overlooked alternative to squeezing out the value in tax deductions, and they can be similarly valuable to small businesses.
March 26, 2013 | 8:13 pm
Make the Most of Your Tax Appointment
Taxes
Entrepreneurs entering tax season have several choices when it comes to preparing tax returns. Those options include completing the tax returns manually, using do-it-yourself tax software or enlisting the help of a qualified tax preparer.
March 21, 2013 | 7:35 pm
Out of Your Pocket and into the Shoebox: Systems for Storing Receipts
Daily Operations
Business owners are used to doing it all. But it’s so difficult to stay on top of every aspect of the business; in fact, some might say it’s impossible.
March 19, 2013 | 5:56 pm
What to Do With Your Tax Refund
Taxes
News that you will be receiving a tax refund – or finding out that you need to pay less tax than you expected – will probably come as a pleasant surprise. Once you receive a cheque from the government, however, the hard part begins: now you’ve got to decide what to do with it.
March 19, 2013 | 5:33 pm
Networking is About Making a Connection
Some business owners get really nervous at the thought of networking. The reason why may be different from person to person, but more often than not the real issue is many entrepreneurs have no idea what they’re even supposed to do at a networking event. You’re supposed to meet people, sure. And you’ll probably give out some business cards. But to what end? To make a sale? To build your list of contacts? What?
March 14, 2013 | 6:43 pm
Managing Remote Teams
Daily Operations
Managing a group of employees is tricky at the best of times, and remote teams present managers and employers with their own unique challenges.
March 12, 2013 | 6:17 pm
The Pros and Cons of Working Mobile
Technology
Whether you’re a freelancer bouncing from one coffee shop to another, or your business requires enough travel that you find yourself working more from your car or an airport lounge than from your desk, you’ve likely experienced the joys – and perils – of working in non-office spaces.
March 07, 2013 | 8:02 pm
Choosing a Tax Preparer? Keep These Tips in Mind
Taxes
You’re not alone if you’re feeling anxious about doing your taxes: it’s a common sentiment among millions of Canadians sitting down to sort through their receipts, invoices and pay slips on a quest to figure out if they’ll owe money or enjoy a refund.
March 05, 2013 | 7:42 pm
4 Technology Sins Your Business Should Avoid
Technology
As the owner of the business you are likely an expert in several areas, but Information Technology may not be one of them. And no wonder.
March 05, 2013 | 7:26 pm
A Different Approach to Your Business Taxes
Tax season is absolutely filled with negative emotions. This is especially true for certain types of business owners. At heart, entrepreneurs are innovators. We’re big thinkers who dream up all sorts of seemingly impossible ideas. And then somehow, we pull them off.
February 28, 2013 | 11:32 pm
How to Turn a Good Idea into a Great One
Your Business Stage
It’s a common sentiment that ideas are a dime a dozen, and that proper execution is what truly makes a small business successful. While there is some truth to this, polishing your idea before putting it into action will make it that much easier to turn your concept into reality.
February 26, 2013 | 11:07 pm
Where to Put Your Money — Business or Savings?
Financing
Crack open almost any business book and you’ll likely find plenty of advice on how to make the most of business opportunities and increase your company’s revenue. One topic that gets less coverage, though, is what to do with profit once you’ve earned it. Do you leave it in the company? Do you put it into an RRSP? It can be difficult to prioritize long-term saving over short-term growth opportunities, and ideally, you’ll want to ensure your financial strategy incorporates a balance of investment options.
February 21, 2013 | 10:11 pm
During the Good Times, Keep an Eye on the Future
Taxes
The phone is ringing off the hook and your sales numbers are acting like they’re filled with helium – they just keep on rising. Your business outlook has never been better.
