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Innovative Manufacturing Week

Local Alberta firms and their innovative technologies, processes and products will be showcased during Innovative Manufacturing Week in Alberta, September 22-26. Various activities will also provide information and tools to regional manufacturers and to entrepreneurs, inventors and innovators who are interested in getting involved in manufacturing.

The Business Link will participate in the half-day Manufacturing Innovation Fair to be held on September 25, 2003 from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton. Attendees will be able to visit booths and meet with agencies that may be involved in taking a product or idea from conception to export market.

For more information on the events being held in various Alberta cities for Innovative Manufacturing Week, contact the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters at 1-800-642-3871 or visit www.cme-mec.ca (go to "Alberta" division, and look under "Events").

The Entrepreneur Show

On September 25, join us at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton for the Entrepreneur Show, offering information, opportunities, on-site services and networking to those who want to start or grow a business.

Running from 10 am to 6 pm, the show features a Breakfast Seminar with Sales Diva Kim Duke, an Exhibitor Fair featuring small business service providers (come visit our booth!), a "Lunch & Learn" session with Business Hall of Fame inductee, Eveline Charles, and a free Workshop and Lecture series.

Tickets can be purchased in advance or on the day of the show. If you're interested in receiving a complimentary ticket, you can pick one up at The Business Link, or call 1-800-272-9675 to have one mailed to you. For further details, visit the show's web site at www.entrepreneur-show.com.

Tax seminars

Each month, Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) offers a workshop for new GST registrants and a seminar providing tax information to small businesses.

These seminars held in Calgary, Edmonton and Lethbridge are free and focus on tax topics that interest entrepreneurs.

The GST/HST New Registrant Workshop is a three-hour seminar explaining what is the GST/HST and how it works. You will learn how to report GST/HST,
what needs to be put on your invoices, what you can claim and where to get help.

The Small Business Information Seminar is a full-day session divided into three or four modules: a payroll module, an income tax module, a GST module and an import/export module. You can attend all the seminars or just the modules that interest you.

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

Meet the Link

Shannon Armitage, a Cree, has been involved in Aboriginal economic development for more than 14 years. In December 2000, he joigned The Business Link's team to coordinate the Alberta Aboriginal Business Service Network (Alberta ABSN).

Alberta ABSN is an enhanced service within The Business Link, which provides business information, advice and referral services to meet the needs of potential and existing Aboriginal business people in Alberta. As a coordinator, Shannon is responsible for planning business events and workshops, providing information and resources and facilitating networking among Aboriginal businesses and sevice providers within the province.

Shannon can be reached at (780) 422-1260 or by e-mail at: armitage.
shannon@cbsc.ic.gc.ca.

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

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: http://www.cbsc.org/alberta/seminars. cfm. Details on the "Brown Baggers" are available at: http://www.cbsc.org/alberta/brownbag.cfm.

Business-To-Business Technology Marketing

Alberta Innovation and Science will be delivering a seminar on "Business-To-Business Technology Marketing" in Calgary and Edmonton. This seminar is part of the Innovation Series of Seminars organized by the Ministry, that are designed to help Alberta companies adopt, commercialize and market promising technologies.

Dates: September 23, 2003 in Calgary
September 25, 2003 in Edmonton
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.(Registration starts at 8:15 a.m.)
Cost: $75 + GST (Includes light lunch and course materials)

For more information, visit Alberta Innovation and Science's web site at: www.innovation.gov.ab.ca/inno-series/index3.cfm.

How a Web presence can benefit your business...
Business tip provided by TELUS
www.telus.com

As a small or home-based business, your resources are limited but your ambition is not! An effective presence on the Internet will help you improve customer relations and service, enhance your marketing and sales reach, and position your business for increased sales and profits.

It's easy to leverage the power of the Internet. The ingredients are simple: your company's Web site with a unique domain name - www.mybusiness.com - and an email address. Now you can start capitalizing on the business benefits of a Web presence:

• Avoid expensive printing costs by posting product catalogues or brochures on your Web site.
• Do you get a lot of questions about the same things day after day? A Frequently Asked Questions page on your Web site saves you and your customer's time by quickly answering basic questions.

• In today's competitive business environment, your company - no matter what its size - must work around the clock to serve customers. Your Web site is available whenever your customers want - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Satisfied and happy customers generate positive word-of-mouth advertising and repeat purchases.

• Don't let geographical borders limit your market reach. Use your Web site to reach customers who are not in your traditional serving areas - even if they're around the world.

• Compared to the cost of a magazine ad or printed catalogues, Web sites are very inexpensive. You can advertise your business to a large number or prospects for as little as $20 per month.
• Post event schedules or promote up-coming events.
• Collect customer information and generate leads by offering a 'free trial' or 'free evaluation' in exchange for contact information.

• Web sites are a perfect venue to showcase past work and accomplishments.

• On the Internet, there is no difference between a large, multinational corporation and a sole-proprietor working out of his or her home. The Internet is the 'great equalizer'. Businesses with domain names look the same on the Internet, regardless of size.

For more information on how TELUS can help you build a Web presence, call TELUS Home Business Consultants toll-free at 310-4422.

Copyright © 2003 TELUS Corporation

It is often said that it is twice as difficult to find new customers than it is to retain them. To help you better serve your customers to maintain their loyalty, visit Customers First, the Office of Consumer Affairs' on-line customer service diagnosis tool.

The Office of Consumer Affairs is Industry Canada's window to consumers in the marketplace. It is also an excellent source of information on customer service for businesses. On Customers First you will find: some "how to" guides to help you secure customer loyalty and address the needs of dissatisfied customers, self-evaluation tools to find out how your existing consumer policies rate, a guide to responsible business practices for managing consumer complaints, useful links and more.

For more operations web links and other 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

SMEDA Business Development Corporation provides numerous services for new and existing small businesses in in the Grande Prairie region through its two Centres, located in Beaverlodge and Grande Prairie. Entrepreneurs and business people may access a number of services and resources at the Centre, including: office support services (Internet access, incubator office space, meeting room rental, photocopying and faxing services), business-planning services, information and resources for market research, assistance with the development and preparation of marketing material, as well as an extensive Resource Library which offers a wealth of information to help you plan, start and manage your business.

SMEDA Business Development Corporation provides financing to entrepreneurs and existing business owners who are unable to obtain conventional financing. Its Regular Loan Fund is available for investing in new and existing small businesses to a maximum of $125,000. For persons with disabilities seeking entrepreneurial opportunities, SMEDA offers a Person with Disabilities Loan Fund with flexible terms and a lower interest rate. A Youth Loan Fund is also available for entrepreneurs from the age of 18 to 29, to finance projects up to $25,000.

SMEDA offers a wide range of courses tailor made for the entrepreneur. It also runs the Self-Employment Program, a 26-week program which provides business counselling assistance and Employment Insurance (EI) protection to eligible individuals, and offers training workshops directed at small business owners and entrepreneurs. Topics include business plan development, market research, sales and promotion, basic accounting and finance, and customer service.

For more information, contact SMEDA Business Development Corporation at:

1036 - 1 Avenue
P.O. Box 27
Beaverlodge, Alberta T0H 0C0
Phone: (780) 354-8747
Fax: (780) 354-3541
E-mail: smeda@smeda.com
Web site: www.smeda.com