Welcome to a new issue of E-News! from The Business Link. Whether this is your first time to receive E-News!, or you've been with us from the first issue, we hope you enjoy this quick monthly e-newsletter. Our goal is to keep you informed of upcoming events and services at The Business Link and other items of interest to Alberta's small business community.

Your feedback is welcome at any time to help us improve and enhance our services for Alberta entrepreneurs. Simply use the "Feedback" function located on the toolbar at the top of E-News! to send us your views.

The Business Link's Spring 2003
Seminars and Brown Bag Presentations

A new season of information-packed sessions is about to begin!

Our economically-priced Small Business Seminars and FREE Brown Bag Presentations feature the basics of business from start-up to marketing to e-business...and more! All sessions are held at The Business Link at 100 - 10237 104 Street in Edmonton. Pre-registration is required for the seminars; no registration required for the “brown baggers”, however there is limited seating on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information on our Small Business Seminars and to register on-line, visit our web site at: http://www.cbsc.org/alberta/seminars.cfm. Details on the "Brown Baggers" are available at: http://www.cbsc.org/alberta/brownbag.cfm.

Alberta Innovation and Science - Innovative Leadership Seminar
From Challenger to Champion

In response to industry demand, the "Innovative Leadership Seminar" is being offered as part of an “Innovation Series” of seminars that facilitate increased commercialization and reception to new technology by Alberta technology firms. Led by Dr. Don Carmont, this seminar will follow an interactive and pragmatic approach to help team leaders, managers, and company executives develop and enhance the leadership skills needed to develop their people and to create and sustain extremely effective and innovative organizations.

This seminar will be held in Calgary on February 6, 2003 and in Edmonton on February 7, 2003 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Cost: $50 plus GST)

For more information, please visit: http://www.innovation.gov.ab.ca/inno-series/index.cfm

Quality Council of Alberta Brown Bag Sessions

The Quality Council of Alberta (QCA) invites you to attend their FREE monthly Brown Bag Sessions, held at noon every third Friday of the month until June 2003. Bring your lunch and take in this series on "Performance". Attendees will examine and learn what organizational performance is, approaches to improve it, and challenges to maintain it.

This month's session on "Knowledge & Information Management - Performance Liability or Asset?" will be held at The Business Link on Friday, February 21, 2003, from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m., and presented by Bruce Acton from Acton Consulting. Seating is limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

In February, the Quality Council of Alberta is also offering a "Boosting Team Performance Workshop" on February 14, 2003 in Edmonton and on February 19, 2003 in Calgary. Presented by Robert Gaudet from FOCUS Management Development, this workshop provides valuable insights and will fundamentally change the way you look at achieving performance, profitability, and employee satisfaction.

For more information and to register for these events, contact Ann Beaque at the Quality Council of Alberta at 780-423-6878 or 1-800-224-0848, or by e-mail at: abeaque@telusplanet.net.

Common Sense Tips for Wage Subsidy Application (excerpt)

If you are an employer, you may have heard that there is funding support for creating employment, subsidizing wages and training…but where can you find more information? Some employers are frustrated applying for a subsidy; others have become cynical about the existence of such financial support. For employers who wish to apply for employment subsidies, the following are some practical, common sense tips that are helpful when applying for subsidies:

• Understand the current economic situation in your region - Subsidies are more readily available to employers in certain regions of Canada, depending upon the economic situation in those specific areas.
• Understand the key purpose for the subsidy - All subsidies are developed with a specific purpose in mind.
• Review the funding criteria thoroughly - Carefully reviewing these criteria and abiding by these terms will save you time and eliminate frustrations.
• Note the subsidy deadline date - Money allotted by the Government for employment subsidies is limited and the window of opportunity may be brief.
• Complete your application fully and accurately - Your attentiveness to the details of the subsidy application and your accuracy in completing the form will be representative of you.
• Create a job opportunity that increases your staff count - Subsidy reviewers view displacement of any current staff member to be negative and creation of permanent employment as very positive.
• Prepare and attach a well-written, concise job description that is career related - More often than not, opportunities that are career-related will be viewed more favorably.
• Prepare and attach a clearly written training outline - For some subsidies, there may be a requirement for an employer to supply a training outline for the participant.
• Nurture and establish a specific contact - Take the time to network, nurture and establish a professional relationship with the individual who evaluates your application.

To access the full version of this article and links to additional sources of information on provincial and federal wage subsidy programs, visit The Business Link's web site at: www.cbsc.org/alberta/tbl.cfm?fn=tip1.

Your business plan is your statement in words and numbers of what you want to do and what you need to get there. It is a detailed summary of your mission, products/services, market(s), operations and finances; a road map for your business. You need one in order to make your start-up decisions and your day-to-day operating decisions, to get the financing you need, and to keep yourself and your business on track. Without it, you will waste time, energy and money. You may also lose sight of your objective.

To help you write a business plan, the Canada Business Service Centre (CBSC) network, developed the Interactive Business Planner (IBP), a free computer software program that uses the capabilities of the Internet to assist you in preparing a 3 year business plan for a new or existing business. The IBP links entrepreneurs to applicable resources and provides them with a framework to guide them in expressing their business idea. As a tool accessible through the World Wide Web, the Interactive Business Planner also meets the needs of individuals in communities which do not have easy access to the resources needed to produce a business plan.

The Business Link works in partnership with 34 Regional Access Sites located throughout the province, plus the Calgary Business Information Centre (CBIC), to provide information and resources to Alberta entrepreneurs. To find the closest Regional Access Site in your area, visit our web site at: www.cbsc.org/alberta/regional.cfm.

One of these Regional Access Sites is the Yellowhead East Business Development Corporation (YEBDC).

YEBDC is committed to doing everything possible to put the odds in your favour and help you build your business. The organization offers services to potential and existing entrepreneurs, including: business advice and consulting on starting or operating a small business; professional market research projects including market surveys, questionnaire development and statistical information; objective customer evaluations of your business through the Phantom Shopper Program; business and office services; and a number of youth and community programs. The Yellowhead East Business Development Corporation also serves as an alternate-lending source for new and expanding small businesses within the Yellowhead East Region. Interested loan applicants can access funding through the General Investment and Entrepreneurs with Disabilities lending programs, and will receive one-on-one consulting and small business training.

For more information, contact the Yellowhead East Business Development Corporation at:

5028 - 50 Avenue
P.O. Box 249
Sangudo, Alberta, T0E 2A0
Phone: (780) 785-2900
Fax: (780) 785-3337
E-Mail: yebdc@yebdc.ab.ca
Web site: http://www.yebdc.ab.ca

February 2003
Issue 9

In this Issue... Upcoming Events Business Tip Feature Web Site Regional Access Site in the Spotlight

Our Guest Advisors
are back!

Have you ever wondered what professional expertise in a specific field could do to help your business succeed?

The Business Link's Guest Advisor Program provides you with the opportunity to speak with professionals who volunteer their time to discuss your business concerns in confidence, either in person or over the phone. A representative is available at The Business Link from Monday to Friday, 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m.:

Mondays:
management consultants
Tuesdays:
lawyers
Wednesdays:
accountants
Thursdays:
financial representatives
Fridays:
e-business experts

There is no cost or obligation, and no appointment is needed. Take advantage of this service by calling toll-free 1-800-272-9675. Enquiries can now be sent via e-mail as well. For more information, visit the Guest Advisor page on our web site.

The Internet is Shaping the Way in Which Canadians Do Business

Ipsos-Reid, the well-known market research company, reports (on their web site, of course) that the average Internet-using Canadian family spends over 32 hours on-line every week, and over 1,600 hours on-line per year. They also noted that 59% of Canadian adults with a home Internet connection have purchased an item directly on-line.

What does this tell us? It confirms that businesses cannot discount the fact that doing business on-line is working its way to be more matter-of-fact than “let’s wait and see”. The needs of today’s and tomorrow’s customers are changing, and businesses must adapt their products and services to address those changing needs. We’re probably the last generation to question the use of technology in our daily lives…it will most likely be integrated in everything we do in the not-too-distant future.

With the evolution of the province-wide SuperNet initiative, more and more Albertans will have improved access to the Internet in the next few years. This further reinforces the need for Alberta’s small business community to consider using technology - or to better utilize technology - to gain a competitive edge in the marketplace.

If you need to better understand what e-business means and the role it can play in your operations, contact The Business Link's E-Future Centre at www.e-future.ca or call 1-800-272-9675.

New Library Fees

The Business Link's Library has recently changed its fees. The Library membership will now cost $12 per year instead of $10, and the charge for overdue items has been reduced to $0.25 per item and per day from $1 per item and per day.

The numerous resources of our Library are available for loan, on a "walk-in" basis, with purchase of a library membership. If you reside outside of the Edmonton area, you can also access our resources through the Regional Lending Library.

Our library staff is at your service! They can help you locate the business related information, industry statistics, company information or products you require in our collection, or refer you to an appropriate source of information.

Contact The Business Link's Library directly at 780-422-7780 or through our toll-free number at 1-800-272-9675.