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Access Free Professional Advice Until December 2!

The Business Link's Guest Advisor Program is an excellent resource for new or seasoned entrepreneurs.

From 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. every weekday until December 2nd, you can speak with a volunteer
guest advisor, whether on the phone, or in person.

Here is the Guest Advisor Schedule:

Mondays: management consultants

Tuesdays: lawyers

Wednesdays: accountants

Thursdays: financial representatives

Fridays: e-business experts

You have three options to access this program: drop into The Business Link, call at 1-800-272-9675 or use our online e-mail form to get your questions answered.

Alberta's 2005-06
VenturePrize
Business Plan Competition

This year's VenturePrize Business Plan Competition is now offered across Alberta!

The competition is designed for individuals, companies, faculty and students of post-secondary
institutions who have high-growth business ideas.

Through seminars (hosted in Edmonton and video-conferenced to several sites across Alberta),
tools, templates, mentorship (where available) and business plan feedback, VenturePrize will
help transform your idea into a solid plan for growth!

Create the ultimate business plan and you can win in one of two award categories: the Fast-Growth Enterprise category offering over $155,000 in award prizes and the Entrepreneurial
KickStart category with $19,000 in cash and in-kind services.

For more details, visit www.ventureprize.com.

Alberta Business Awards of Distinction

The Alberta Business Awards of Distinction are the most prestigious business awards presented in Alberta each year.

Recognizing excellence in Alberta's business community, the Awards are presented at a gala banquet featuring all of the glamour and glitz of the Academy Awards. Each category is also eligible for the prestigious Premier's Award of Distinction. The deadline for application in November 16. Apply on the award website today!

Small Business Week in Alberta, a Big Success!

Small Business Week in Alberta this year officially took place from October 16-22, although some communities held their events during the last week of October.

The Business Link in cooperation with the Alberta Chambers of Commerce was pleased
to host this site for the 4th consecutive year.

We hope you had the opportunity to visit our site and participate in a learning or networking event.

Over 160 events which took place around the province were highlighted on our site.

In addition, over 12,319 visited the site to discover exciting events and valuable business information.

Thank-you to all the organizations that registered their events on the site.

We look forward to once again to hosting the Small Business Week in Alberta website next year.

Quality Council of Alberta Brown Bag Sessions

The Quality Council of Alberta (QCA) invites you to attend their Brown Bag Sessions at The Business Link in Edmonton. This year’s theme will be “Following the Roadmap to Excellence”.

Facilitated by Certified Excellence Professionals with the National Quality Institute, these
free information sessions will be held live at The Business Link in Edmonton, with video link
to other sites throughout Alberta.

The sessions are
free to members of the Quality Council of Alberta and non-members.

"Leadership" will be held at The Business Link in Edmonton on Friday,
November 18.

The sessions are held 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 these sessions, contact Ann Beaque at the Quality Council of Alberta at 780-436-5609, 1-800-224-0848 or by e-mail at: abeaque
@telusplanet.net.

New Resources Available on The Business Link's Website

As a small business owner, do you sometimes feel that you excel in the work you do but are less confident in your management skills?

With direct support from the Alberta Economic Development, The Business Link has developed a series of information guides to assist you. We are pleased to officially launch the Small Business Success Series.

In addition to a Start-up guide, the series includes material that addresses the concerns of an existing business.

For an introduction to marketing concepts and how to develop an effective marketing plan, be sure to read "Promote for Success - Marketing Your Small Business in Alberta".

The Managing Guide has been designed to address common warning signals your company may experience. It also covers healthy ways to grow your business.

What about Cash Flow? Do those two words send shivers down your spine? No need to worry. The 10 page bulletin, "Developing Your Financial Forecasts" will walk you through cash flow forecasting and break even analysis with ease and simplicity.

There is even more valuable information in the series, including ways to finance your venture, how to manage assets and how to incorporate e-business options.

Be sure to check out all the guides here .

Meet the Link

Dave Olsen is an E-Business Advisor at the Alberta E-Future Centre, a specialized initiative of The Business Link.

Dave is a recent graduate of the School of Business at the University of Alberta, where he majored in International Business, with a French language component, and minored in entrepreneurial business.

His business skills have been honed through ownership and involvement in small business ventures over the past 4 years.

Dave is responsible for the dissemination of accurate and helpful e-business information by means of the Alberta E-Future Centre website, email communication, and walk in visits.

He is also responsible for the French content translation of the Pan-Western E-Business Team website as well as the development of the E-Business Alberta blog.

Dave has gained the majority of his technical ability, which focuses on web standards and accessibility, through self-education and personal study.

You can reach Dave at 1-800-272-9675, at (780) 644-5496, or by e-mail at olsen.david
@cbsc.ic.gc.ca.

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

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

Your Feedback is Important to us

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.

Welcome to a new issue of E-News! from The Business Link.

Whether this is your first time receiving 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.

Need a quick-to-learn, quick-to-use experience?

Attend a Seminar or Brown Bag presentation from The Business Link!

Our economically-priced Small Business Seminars and FREE Brown Bag Presentations feature a variety of interesting business subjects: start-up, marketing, sales, exporting, importing, legal, taxation and e-business.

How do I register?

You can register on-line for seminars on our website Seminar page at www.cbsc.org/alberta/tbl.cfm?fn=infosess. You can also register by calling 1-800-272-9675. There is no registration required for our Brown Bag sessions as they are FREE, but limited seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Where do the sessions take place?

All 'brown baggers' and seminars are held at The Business Link at 100 - 10237 104 Street in Edmonton. We recommend that you arrive approximately 10 minutes early for sessions.

What if I live outside of Edmonton? Can I attend?

Through video conferencing technology (see events marked with a "V"), this fall our Thursday Brown Bag sessions as well as a number of our seminars are accessible in locations across the province. Call 1-800-272-9675 for Entrepreneurship Learning Centre (ELC) Video Conference location options or visit www.elcnetwork.ca .

November Schedule
Date	Time		Topic	Cost
1	12 noon to 1 p.m.		E-Exporting Answers	FREE
2	1 p.m. to 4 p.m.		Preparing a Business Plan	$32.10
3	12 noon to 1 p.m.		Introduction to Trademarks	FREE
8	12 noon to 1 p.m.		What is Your Lender Looking for?	FREE
9	1 p.m. to 4 p.m.		Importing Basics	FREE
10	12 noon to 1 p.m.		Secrets of Successful Site Selection	FREE
15	12 noon to 1 p.m.		Being Hired as a Contractor	FREE
17	12 noon to 1 p.m.		Delivering Sales Presentations with PUNCH!	FREE
17	6 p.m. to 9 p.m.		Promoting Yourself and Your Business	$32.10
22	12 noon to 1 p.m.		When Should I Incorporate? Keeping the Jingle in Your Jeans	FREE
22	1 p.m. to 4 p.m.		Export Controls and Permits	FREE
24	12 noon to 1 p.m.		Partnership and Shareholder Agreeements	FREE
24	6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.		Do-It Yourself Incorporation	$58.85
29	12 noon to 1 p.m.		Understanding Alberta Corporate Tax	FREE

Four Exciting Exporting Events this month from the Export Link!

E-Exporting Answers (Tuesday, November 1, 12 noon - 1 p.m.)
Ever wanted to know how to sell online, ship commercial goods, and about potential tax and legal implications involved in selling your goods or services over the web?

Importing Basics (Wednesday, November 9, 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.)
What do you need to know in order to import goods into Canada? This 3 hour session will take you step-by-step through the importing process.

Export Controls & Permits (Tuesday, November 22, 1 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.)
Whether you're a new or seasoned exporter, this seminar will give you an overview of what to consider in terms of controlled exports such as dual-uses technology and goods manufactured in the US, exports to nations on Canada's area controls list, and embargos. Find out whether your goods are controlled!

Going Global 2 day Workshop (November 16 & 17, 2005)
For the first time, all 6 accredited Forum for International Trade Training (FITT) Going Global sessions are being offered in a 2 day workshop. It is designed to help you make that critical decision and get you off to a good start on your journey towards foreign markets, in an environment that is conducive to both learning and networking.

For information and to register for these exciting events, call The Business Link's Export Link at 1-888-811-1119 or visit the Export Calendar of Events at www.exportlink.ca.

Monthly Networking Opportunities at The Business Link - November Networking Event

At our Special Small Business Week Networking Event on October 19th, we had 23 attendees, 3 speakers and lots of networking time. We also enjoyed refreshments, played a get-to-know you game, and exchanged business cards. A number of prizes were awarded, such as one for bringing a friend to the event.

How would you like to join in the fun at The Business Link's FREE Monthly Networking Events?

You are invited to attend our November Networking Event. There will be an educational presentation, entrepreneur sharing time, and time to meet and greet other entrepreneurs. In addition, there will be a unique themed focus on E-Business.

There will also be a special prize draw for all participants who 'bring a friend with them'.

Please join us on Wednesday, November 23 from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m.

For more information, contact Lisa Iwanyk by phone at
780-422-7738, 1-800-272-9675 or by e-mail at
iwanyk.lisa@cbsc.ic.gc.ca.

HR News for Employers
By Rosemary Pon, RJP Ventures Inc.

Minimum Wage
Alberta's new minimum wage of $7.00 per hour, effective September 1, 2005, also applies to students and youths.

Work Transportation
Transportation to and from work is the responsibility of the employee, even if they are youths (between 15 - 17 years old) who are required to work in the evening, or graveyard shift. Parents are responsible for the safe transportation of their children under 18 years old. Employment Standards and Occupational Health and Safety legislations do not govern transportation of workers. Thus, employers are not obliged to provide transportation for employees.

Employment of Youths
Parent of youths between ages 15 - 17 must provide the employer written consent to work. Young people are permitted to work between midnight and 6 a.m., as long as the employer has another individual over 18 years old present and the place of employment does not sell food or beverage or is not a retail store, retail gas station, or hotel/motel.

Dress Code
Employers can implement a policy governing the appearance, grooming and dress standards at the workplace for purpose of safety or effective business conduct. Although an employer can establish reasonable appearance and grooming standards, these standards must not interfere with an employee's religious practice or physical well-being.

General Holidays
Easter Monday, Boxing Day and Alberta Heritage Day are not classified as general holidays. However, employers may elect to designate these additional days as general holidays for their Employees. Technically, in accordance to Alberta Employment Standards, we have only 9 general holidays, which include:

- New Year's Day (January 1)
- Family Day (3rd Monday in February),
- Good Friday (Friday before Easter)
- Victoria Day (3rd Monday in May)
- Canada Day (July 1)
- Labour Day (1st Monday in September)
- Thanksgiving Day (2nd Monday in October)
- Remembrance Day (November 11)
- Christmas Day (December 25)

In addition, with agreement and reasonable written notice to employees, an employer can substitute a general holiday with another day.

Vacation
An employee is entitled to take an unbroken vacation period that is mutually agreeable with the employer. If the vacation period can not be agreed upon, the employer can decide on the time by providing a 2-week written notice to the employee and the employee will be obligated to take vacation during that specified period.

Employers and employees should always check various legislations in their province as it may vary across Canada.

In Alberta, contact the following for more information:
- Employment Standards
- Workplace Health and Safety
- Human Rights & Citizenship Commission

Canadexport
w01.international.gc.ca/canadaexport/default.asp?language=E

Canada Export is a bi-weekly Government of Canada trade and investment publication that provides news on a range of export related topics. "Trade News" , "Canadian Trade Commissioner Service", "Business Opportunities", "Conferences", "A Roadmap to China and Hong Kong" and "U.S. Connection" are just a few of the interesting menu choices on the Canada Export website.

There is also a menu choice titled "supplements", which are special reports so to speak. The most recent supplement provides information about business opportunities in the Andean region while the supplement prior to that is about women entrepreneurs in international markets.

So if you want up to date information and leads regarding foreign markets, check out Canadexport.

The Business Link works in partnership with 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/tbl.cfm?fn=regional .

The Yellowhead East Business Development Centre (YEBDC) is located in Sangudo and is offering various computer and business related courses throughout the month of November. These courses will be taking place in different locations such as Whitecourt, Barrhead, Mayerthorpe, and Sangudo.

Here are some of the courses being offered:

November 10 - Business Plan Writing (Barrhead)

November 15 & 17 - Small Business Bookkeeping (Mayerthorpe)

November 23 & 24 - Successful Business Management (Whitecourt)

November 29 and Dec. 1 - Marketing, Promotions & Sales (Sangudo)

For more detailed information on these, and other courses taking place through the YEBDC, please contact the Sangudo office directly at (780)785-2900 or 1-800-556-0328.