• Upcoming Events
• Business Article
• Feature Web Site
• Regional Access Site in the Spotlight

Alberta E-Business Leadership Awards

The Business Link's E-Future Centre was presented with the 2003
E-Leadership Award at the third annual Awards Gala held this January in Calgary.

The Alberta E-Business Leadership Awards
honour companies, not-for-profit groups, educational institutions and government departments that have demonstrated leadership and success in electronic commerce, e-learning, community support and other innovative ways of using the Internet.

The E-Leadership Award recognizes the E-Future Centre's significant contribution to Alberta's business community in terms of e-business awareness, training, and promotion.

Winners in other categories included WestJet, Enmax, and SAIT to name a few. Congratulations to all the finalists and winners! View more about the awards at www.albertaawards.
com.  

Our Guest Advisors are back!

After two months of hiatus, The Business Link's Guest Advisor Program is back.

This innovative feature of The Business Link's service offering provides you with the opportunity to discuss your business concerns in confidence, either in person or over the phone, with professionals who volunteer their time. 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 great service by calling toll-free 1-800-272-9675. Enquiries can also be sent via e-mail as well. For more information, visit the Guest Advisor page on our web site...

Looking for Business Events in Alberta?

If you are considering starting or expanding a business in Alberta, you can benefit from participating in business seminars and networking events.

The Business Link offers a series of sessions each month, but many other organizations organize seminars and events throughout Alberta, including: government departments, chambers of commerce, industry associations, etc.

You can link to various calendars of events directly from The Business Link's web site at: www.cbsc.org/
alberta/tbl.cfm?fn=calender.

The Innovation Network Workshops

Are you an entrepreneur or inventor with a new product or service that you want to sell? Do you want to learn how to get your idea/invention into the marketplace? This series is for you!

Learn that developing a new product is manageable if you know what the key steps are and how to manage them. Obtain knowledge of financial markets to assist your company in acquiring the investment it needs to prosper.

Dates: Feb. 19-20, 2004
Location: Grande Prairie Regional College, Room F309
Cost: $125 - includes lunch and resource workbooks. Discounts available for PREDA members.
Registration: The Innovation Network 780-835-3959 or 1-866-835-5005.

Meet the Link

Darlene Hammond has been working at The Business Link since it opened in 1996 and is presently running its award-winning Library, the largest resource collection for small businesses in Alberta.

Darlene has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alberta and is completing studies in Information Management and Library Technology. She has several years of business experience including starting and managing a successful family-owned trucking company. You can contact Darlene about your business information needs or for training in the use of business information products and resources.

Darlene can be reached at (780) 422-4935 or by e-mail at: hammond.
darlene@cbsc.ic.gc.ca.

Talk to Us!

Need assistance in finding information on our web site? Check out our web/voice support service, "Talk to Us".

Send to a Friend

Please feel free to forward E-News! from The Business Link to a friend or colleague. They can subscribe on-line on our web site.

Cliquez ici pour accéder, ou vous abonner à ce bulletin électronique en français.

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 will 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 click on the "Feedback" icon located at the top of E-News! to send us your views.

The Business Link's Spring 2004
Seminars and Brown Bag Presentations

A new season begins!

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 but not 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: www.cbsc.org/alberta/seminars.cfm. Details on the "Brown Baggers" are available at: www.cbsc.org/alberta/brownbag.cfm.

Canada Customs and Revenue Agency's Small Business Information Seminars

Each month, Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) offers a workshop for new GST registrants, a payroll information seminar for new employers and a seminar providing tax information to small businesses.These free seminars are held in Brooks, Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat and Red Deer and focus on tax topics that interest entrepreneurs.

This month, in addition to these workshops, CCRA is organizing two special sessions:

T4 year-end preparation seminar
This free seminar provides general information to help you meet your year-end T4 reporting requirements. It is suitable for new businesses that are filing a T4 return for the first time.

Customs seminar for new importers/exporters
This free three-hour information session is designed for individuals and small-business entrepreneurs interested in learning about the import and export process.

For more information on these sessions and to register, visit CCRA's web site at: www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca/events/menu-e.html.

Quality Council of Alberta Brown Bag Sessions

The Quality Council of Alberta (QCA) invites you to attend their FREE monthly Brown Bag Sessions, held every third Friday of the month at noon from September to June 2004. Bring your lunch and take in this series on this year's theme "Share, Celebrate, Invigorate". Presenters will share best practices used by high performing organizations throughout the world, celebrate some home grown examples and invigorate participants with "what's going well".

This month's session on "Establishing Successful Working Relationships with Suppliers & Partners" will be held at The Business Link on Friday, February 20, 2004 from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. Seating is limited and allocated on a first come - first served basis.

For more information and to register for this session, 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.

High Performance Workshop Series

The Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, with the support of The Business Link and Alberta Economic Development, presents the "High Performance Workshop Series ". Here's information on the first workshop of the three-part series:

The Art of Negotiation: Persuasion Techniques That Can Work for You
Date: February 26, 2004
Presented by: 360 Solutions LLC, Jim Spiers & Terry Harris
Location: Royal Glenora Club, 11160 River Valley Road, Edmonton
Time: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Cost: $165 Members and Non-Members, plus GST, Includes lunch

Please call 780-426-4620 ext. 230 for more information.
To register on-line, visit: Edmonton Chamber of Commerce.

When it comes to services, Canadian businesses are world-class. It only makes sense that people around the world benefit from our knowledge and expertise. In a knowledge-based economy, knowledge-intensive services represent one of the fastest growing components of world trade. Canada's service sector must become export-ready to take advantage of these opportunities.

The benefits of exporting are clear. There is the opportunity to increase sales and generate higher profits, particularly if all the fixed costs of the company are covered by domestic operations. Foreign markets offer diversification, thereby reducing the company's dependence on traditional markets. When one economy is struggling, another may be booming. This diversification also presents opportunities for growth in new directions, as well as new experiences that can translate into greater domestic competitiveness.

Yet, exporting services can present a number of challenges as well. Services are often intangible. Creating awareness of your company and its services, establishing your credibility and demonstrating your competence outside of your home territory is critical. So, too, is demonstrating a high level of commitment to foreign clients and building relationships. This demands time and effort, as well as willingness to research and respect differences in culture, language, and business practices.

Exporting services is not the sole domain of large businesses. Whether you are a sole proprietorship with expertise in wastewater treatment facility management or an engineering firm with offices across Canada, exporting is a viable option.

If you are uncertain about your ability to export, the Export Readiness Diagnostic from ExportSource (exportsource.ca/diagnostic) is the online tool to help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, as well as your objectives and possible strategies. Coupled with the Interactive Export Planner (exportsource.ca/iep), service firms will have the background they need to identify sources within Team Canada Inc who can help them reach the next stage in the export process.

Whether establishing financial services in Latin America, consulting on mining or forestry projects in Australia, or managing agri-food programs in the Baltic States, Canada's diverse service industries can compete around the globe. To find out more about exporting your services, log on to Take a World View: Export Your Services at (exportsource.ca/worldview or connect with Export Link at 1 888 811-1119.

To access the full version of this article, visit The Business Link's web site at: www.cbsc.org/alberta/tbl.cfm?fn=tip11.

Copyright © 2004 Team Canada Inc

Financial ratios are a way to evaluate the performance of your business and identify potential problems. Ratios can be used to measure your company's capacity to access capital and to meet its financial obligations, its profitability and the effectiveness of its operations. Ratios are often used by financing institutions to analyze the viability of your business plan and to compare your company's results to industry standards for businesses of similar size and activity.

To help you calculate financial ratios and perform this analysis, the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) gives you access to ratio calculators on its web site at: www.bdc.ca/en/business_tools/
calculators/overview.htm. It also provides some information on financial analysis using ratios.

For more useful links to additional sources of business information, visit our web site at: www.cbsc.org/alberta/tbl.cfm?fn=weblinks.

The Business Link works in partnership with over 30 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

Chinook Community Futures Development Corporation offers a variety of services and resources to small business owners in the Municipal District of Taber and part of the County of Warner, Barnwell, Coutts, Cranford, Enchant, Grassy Lake, Hays, Milk River, New Dayton, Purple Springs, Taber, Vauxhall, Warner and Wrentham. Its services include assistance with a business plan, counseling on the operation of the business, or pathfinding information for planning or market research. A Resource Library offering a wealth of information to help you plan, start and manage your business is also available.

Chinook CFDC also provides financing to entrepreneurs and existing business owners who are unable to obtain conventional financing and organizes a Youth Entrepreneurship Camp for youth 13 to 15.

For more information, contact Chinook Community Futures Development Corporation at:

5324 48 Avenue
Taber, Alberta T1G 1S2
Phone: (403) 223-2984
Fax: (403) 223-2096
E-mail: chinook@monarch.net
Web site: www.biz-help.ca