| July
2006 - Issue 50 |
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Canadian companies shipping to the U.S.
may need to develop a supply chain security program
in order to meet the requirements of
C-TPAT (Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism).
Export Development Canada's (EDC) Security Compliance
Loan helps Canadian companies finance their supply chain
upgrades required to meet security standards, and helps
them qualify to become C-TPAT-compliant.
To learn more about the EDC’s Security
Compliance Loan, click here
or call/email The Business Link's
Export Link at 1-888-811-1119 or exportlink@cbsc.ic.gc.ca.
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In the day-to-day running of your business,
you probably send countless emails. Here are some tips
to help you use email more effectively when communicating
with customers, clients or other people in your organization.
Make sure that the subject line, the first thing your
clients see when they first receive your email, is meaningful.
The subject line should summarize the content of the
email.
Email messages should be focused and readable,
providing all the required information. Also, collecting
client information for promotional purposes can have
privacy implications. For more information on Alberta
privacy legislation, go
here.
For more information on the effective use of email,
check out the email section of The Business Link
E-Future Centre's links directory located here.
For more information about Internet marketing, check
out the information-filled Info-Guides
of The Business Link's E-Future Centre.
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Can I advertise my product as the cheapest
in the country? Can I run a promotional contest?
Before you do, you may want to write to
the Competition Bureau to obtain a written opinion (formerly
Opinion Advisory Letter).
This document informs the business owner
of the way in which a particular practice is subject
to the Competition Act and Regulations and how the activity
should be carried out.
The opinion is binding on the Commissioner of the Competition
Bureau so long as the facts are both material and true.
The opinion remains in force where facts have not changed
and the practice is carried out as recommended.
The following website
gives fees and contact information as well as what is
required of a person requesting an opinion.
Multi-level marketing, deceptive advertising
and other practices are subject to the Competition
Act which is enforced by the Competition Bureau.
The Fee and Service Standards Handbook outlines the
various prices and standards that apply to the services
provided.
For additional information on this topic, or other
business topics you may be researching, contact The
Business Link's library at 1-800-272-9675 to
speak with our library staff or access our library catalogue
here.
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Cliquez ici pour accéder, ou vous abonner à
ce bulletin électronique en français. |
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As you have undoubtedly heard,
as of July 1st, 2006, the GST will go down to
6% from 7%. Have you already prepared for the
change, or are you waiting for more information?
Keep in mind that the change will affect various
types of business differently, so you should consider
any information that you read (such as this article)
as a general guideline, and not necessarily the
solution to your GST situation.
Here is a list of areas that
could potentially affect your business:
- Sales equipment (ex: cash registers)
- Automatic payment systems
- Catalogues and price lists
- Website
- Online payment software
- Formulas and spreadsheets
- Invoices
- Cash flow projections
- Automatic bill payments
- Budget calculations
- Accounts payable software
- Tax benefit and tax credit calculations
Canada Revenue Agency's website
is an excellent source of specific information
on the new GST rate implementation process; please
refer here.
For additional information, you can contact The
Business Link at 1-800-272-9675 or refer
to the website of the Canadian Federation of Independent
Businesses (CFIB) at www.cfib.ca.
The Business Link invites you to
tell us your story. For 10 years, we have endeavoured
to provide timely, helpful business information
to Alberta's small business community. Now, we
would love to hear the story of your small business
and how you have been able to use the services
of The Business Link. Did we help
you start up? Did you research your business plan
here? Have you used the Guest Advisor Program?
Maybe you're a regular at our seminars and brown
bag presentations. Let us know if we have contributed
to your success.
Not only is it important for our staff to understand
the significance of the services we provide, but
your story may also be inspirational to others
who are starting or growing their business. If
we are able to use your story for marketing purposes--which
would be an excellent opportunity for your products
and services to be showcased to the business community--we
will be in touch with you and request your permission
to do so.
Click
here to share your story.
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Our new fall session will begin on Tuesday, September
5, 2006!
Upcoming Fall Topics:
- Hiring in Today's Marketplace
- Preparing a Business Plan
- Starting a Business
- Do-It-Yourself Incorporation
- And more…
These are just a few of the many topics that will
help you plan, organize, and successfully execute
and maintain your small business. Don't miss out!
All sessions are held at The Business Link
unless otherwise noted. However, through the Entrepreneurship
Learning Centre Network, many of these sessions will
be available across Alberta via videoconferencing.
Visit www.elcnetwork.ca for the site nearest you.
If you would like to receive the fall season line-up,
please submit your contact information to buslink@cbsc.ic.gc.ca.
We look forward to seeing you in September.
The Business Link will be hosting
its Monthly Networking Event on Wednesday,
July 19th in Edmonton. This is an opportunity
for you to network, attend an educational session,
and make valuable entrepreneurial contacts. For more
information about this FREE event, contact
Ronelo Aromin at aromin.ronelo@cbsc.ic.gc.ca
or 1-800-272-9675.
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Student Connections at the University of Alberta
is pleased to announce its EBiz Bootcamp sessions
scheduled for July 13, July 20, July 27, and
August 3. Showcasing Website design, Internet
Marketing, E-Business basics, and E-Commerce security,
this initiative is aimed at helping Canadian small
and medium-sized businesses use the Internet to
save time, reduce costs, and improve customer relations.
The E-Business Basics session will cover what e-business
is and how it differs from e-commerce and how e-business
can affect internal and external business processes.
The Internet Marketing presentation will discuss,
among other things, strategies that will increase
customer visits to a website (by optimizing search
results with search engines), including information
about online advertising and direct e-marketing.
The E-Commerce Security topic is aimed at making
businesses aware of the security issues around them.
Risk management and risk management strategies are
a central part of this presentation.
Website design and evaluation is a fundamental part
of doing e-business. What does a business need for
a website? How should it look? How can the website
be designed to best meet marketing needs or sales
goals of a business? These are some of the questions
to be answered in the Website Design session.
The EBiz Boot Camp sessions are intended for any
business interested in e-business and will be available
by video teleconferencing throughout Northern Alberta.
For more information, or to signup for these sessions,
please contact The Business Link's
E-Future Centre at 1-800-272-9675. |
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The Business Link’s Aboriginal
Business Service Network will be hosting
a one-day forum for twenty-five Aboriginal
entrepreneurs on August 21, 2006 at The
Coast Edmonton Plaza Hotel.
During the morning, entrepreneurs will have
a unique opportunity to share their experiences
of business development with each other
and learn about the various supports available
to them as they continue to grow their business.
During the afternoon, participants will
work with the other entrepreneurs from their
region to identify the main message(s) that
they would like to share in future public
presentations.
Following the Edmonton forum, each participant
will be involved in one panel presentation
in their region where they will share their
experiences of business development with
the public. These are tentatively scheduled
to occur on the following dates:
Grande Prairie – September 11, 2006
Cold Lake – Date to be determined in
September
Lethbridge – November 22, 2006
Calgary – November 23, 2006
Edmonton – December 4, 2006
To obtain more information on how you can
participate in these sessions, please contact
Tracy Tuesday at The Business Link's
Aboriginal Business Service Network at (780)
644-7985.
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Entrepreneurs often wonder about the appropriate
length of time to retain taxation records,
including receipts, tax returns and other
financial documents. There are a number
of websites available that answer this particular
question.
In terms of provincial information
on this topic, the Alberta government
Finance Department, Tax and Revenue Administration
branch has an information circular for
provincially incorporated businesses which
is available
here.
This website also mentions the types of
records and explains the format (permanent
or non-permanent) differences.
In terms of federal records,
Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has part of
their website dedicated to this topic
here.
This page has links to different aspects
of keeping your records from information
circulars to guides, and GST specific
information. The CRA also has, in their
"Guide to Canadian Small Business",
a section on the general timeframe for
keeping tax records. For other records,
such as notes or other information, check
out another CRA section located
here.
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- Pakistan 300%
- New Zealand 138%
- Russia 106%
- United Arab Emirates 88%
- Greece 87%
- Norway 83%
- Spain 83%
- China 80%
- Saudi Arabia 76%
- Singapore 66%
Source: International Trade Canada
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