List of Fact Sheets

Following is an alphabetical list of "fact sheets" available from the Canada/New Brunswick Business Service Centre.  Click on the links below for more information or call toll-free 1-800-668-1010 for printed copies of the fact sheets.

Summary

Advertising Do's and Don'ts
Describes the do's and don’ts of advertising.
Advertising Guidelines for Small Retailer Firms
Offers guidelines to help you plan your advertising budget, select media, use cooperative advertising, and prepare the ad itself.
Articles and Bylaws Regarding Cooperatives
Guide for directors, members, and managers of existing and developing cooperatives.
Attacking Business Decision Problems With Breakeven Analysis
Illustrates ways in which breakeven analysis can be applied to sales, profits, and costs.
Bad Cheque Control
Proposes some tips on how to prevent small businesses from receiving bad cheques.
Basic Bookkeeping
Describes a simple, single entry bookkeeping system suitable for a small business that has a limited number of transactions.
Basic Proposal for Tender
Lists a number of areas you should be aware of when pursuing a contract for service.
Bonding
Discusses bonding and the three most common types.
Business Plan for Retailers
Designed to help an owner-manager work up a sound business plan.
Business Plan for Small Construction Firms
Designed to help an owner-manager or prospective owner-manager of a small construction firm in drawing up a business plan.
Business Plan for Small Manufacturers
Designed to help an owner-manager or prospective owner-manager of a small manufacturing firm in drawing up a business plan.
Business Plan for Small Service Firms
Designed to help an owner-manager or prospective owner-manager of a small service firm in drawing up a business plan.
Business Plan Guide
Intended to assist an entrepreneur in writing a business plan for the establishment, the purchase or the expansion of an existing business.
Buying a Business
Describes the pros and cons of buying a business and gives a list of questions to help you make an informed decision.
Can You Make Money With Your Idea or Invention
Aimed at idea people, inventors, and innovative owner-managers of small companies, describes the tests every idea must pass before it makes money.
Checklist for Developing a Training Program
Designed to help owner-managers of small manufacturing firms set up a systematic program for training their employees.
Checklist for Profit Watching
Will help you analyze your profits, the contribution of each of your product lines or services to them, and will help you determine if you have the kind of record system you need.
Checklists for Franchisees
Offers a checklist of questions to assist you in making a decision about acquiring a franchise.
Checklists for Going Into Business
Offers some questions to help you think through what you need to know and do before you go into business.
Co-operative - Business Structure
Outlines the options members of a co-operative have when choosing a business structure.
Cooperative Glossary
Assists individuals and groups involved in developing and/or operating cooperatives and explains various terms and processes that are common in cooperative and general business practice.
Cooperative Governance
Addresses generally the roles and responsibilities of the Board of Directors collectively, of the officers of the Board and of committees, and their respective responsibilities to members, to the organization and to one another.
Cooperative Structure
Gives an overview of the process and benefits to forming a co-operative.
Conducting Effective Meetings
Discusses five components that are essential to conducting effective meetings.
Core Functions and Processes of Cooperative Governance
Reviews the core operating functions necessary to maintain a cooperative governance structure, and to provide guidance in complying with cooperative legislation and regulations.
Credit and Collections
Shows the owner-manager how to plan for the movement of cash through the business and thus plan for future requirements.
Critical Assessment Factors for New Products
Provides a list of factors to consider if you are either inventing a new product or considering developing a new product to add to your existing product lines.
Dealing With Your Banker & Other Lenders
Offers suggestions on how to develop good relationships with your banker and other lenders.
Departmentalizing and Inventory Management in a Retail Store
Provides general information and the basic steps that could be followed in organizing a retail store by departments.
Developing New Accounts
Presents a systematic approach to finding, getting and keeping customers whose sales volume produces profit for you.
Do You Know the Results of Your Advertising
Gives pointers on planning ads and discusses several ways you can compare advertising and sales.
Doing Business in the Government Procurement Marketplace
Provides information on doing business in the government procurement marketplace. Some definitions of terms related to government procurement are also offered.
Doing Business on the Internet
Provides information on the Internet as a research tool, a networking tool and an advertising medium. Some definitions of terms related to the Internet are also offered.
E-Commerce - Exploring Your Options
Offers the various options that are available to you on electronic commerce. Some definitions on the subject are also included.
Expansion of Your Home-Based Business
Briefly identifies some of the issues that you should be considering on both the upside and the downside if you are considering expanding your home-based business.
Feasibility Checklist for Starting a Small Business
Checklist for the owner-manager of a small business enterprise or for one contemplating going into business for the first time.
Financing and Financial Management for Cooperatives
Provides an introductory explanation of the basic financial structure and operation of a co-operative.
Forms of Business Organization
Provides a brief description of the four types of businesses and the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Guide to Market Research and Analysis
Provides information on market research and analysis.
Guidelines for Developing a Company Brochure
Lists guidelines for developing a company brochure.
Home-Based Business
Will give you some idea of the types of businesses which can be operated from the home and will provide some tips on start-up, pros and cons, and available resources.
How to Have a Positive Image
Offers a few pointers on how to have a positive image.
Improving Personal Selling in Small Retailer Firms
Discusses basic elements for developing a program to improve personal selling in small retailer firms.
International Co-operative Alliance - Statement on the Co-operative Identity
Provides a brief definition, as well as outlines the values and principles of the co-operative identity.
Invite Your Trade Show Prospects
Lists ideas on how to invite your trade show prospects.
Joint Venture Agreement Checklist
Guide to putting a Joint Venture Agreement together.
Labelling Fact Sheet
Provides information in regards to labelling.
Legal Issues in Starting a Business
Deals with legal issues in starting a business.
Lending - The Basic Criteria
Provides facts to consider and tips for the presentation of your proposal when borrowing money.
Making Presentations
Offers a few tips that can aid you in making an effective presentation.
Market Analysis
Provides a list of questions to help you prepare a market analysis.
Marketing Checklist for Small Retailers
Marketing checklist for the owner-manager of a small retail business.
Marketing Plan Outline
Provides a marketing plan outline which is designed to direct company activities towards the satisfaction of customer needs.
Measuring Sales Force Performance
Discusses the development of benchmarks that will allow a sales representative's performance to be measured in numbers that are profit-oriented.
Merchandise for Profit
Provides information on how to prepare an effective merchandising plan.
Naming Your Business
Gives a list of items to consider when naming your business.
New Generation Co-operatives for Agricultural Processing and Value Added Projects
Offers information to individuals and groups on the procedure to follow when assessing and developing a New Generation Co-operative.
Plan Your Advertising Budget
Describes various methods for intelligently establishing an advertising budget and suggests ways of applying budget amounts to get the effect you want.
Points to Consider When Starting Your Own Business
Provides general information and points to consider when starting your own business.
Preventing Theft
Provides steps to prevent employee embezzlement and pilferage, shoplifting, burglary and robbery loss.
Problems in Managing a Family-Owned Business
Discusses problems in managing a family-owned business from the viewpoint of the family member who is the company's manager.
Product Licensing
Provides information on product licensing.
Profit by Your Wholesaler's Services
Discusses services offered by wholesalers pointing out that the range of assistance varies according to the individual wholesaler and the line of merchandise.
Profit Pricing for a Manufacturer
Includes many suggestions for pricing your product, whether you are a manufacturer, broker, wholesaler or retailer.
Profit Pricing for the Costing of a Service
Intended to provide a guide and an understanding of the main factors to consider when establishing your costs, your prices, and your profits.
Questions to Ask Before You Sign a Lease
Lists ten points to help those unfamiliar with commercial leases.
Registration of a Cooperative
Explains the process and requirements for incorporating a cooperative.
Selecting Professional Services
Describes how professional services can contribute to the success of a small business.
Selecting Your Supplier
Lists points that should be noted before making contact with a potential supplier.
Selling a Business
Offers guidelines to help you plan the selling of your business and the 10 steps to the business sale.
Selling Products on Consignment
Provides a discussion of the advantages/disadvantages of consignment as an effective selling tool for the small business operation.
Setting the Right Price
Highlights issues to be considered when establishing the markup on a product.
Setting Up a Pay System
Provides time-tested concepts for determining competitive pay levels and for maintaining fair pay relationships among the jobs comprising a small company.
Signs and Your Business
Discusses signs, what they can do for your business, and how they can be used to your advantage. As well as a checklist for ordering a business sign.
Standard Outline for a Partnership or Shareholder Agreement
Describes a standard outline for a partnership or shareholder agreement.
Store Location - "Little Things" Mean a Lot
Takes up site selection criteria and offers questions the retailer must ask before making the choice of store location.
Techno-Watch and Strategic Alert
Provides information on the concept of techno-watch, strategic alert, competitive intelligence and others.
Trade Shows
Offers tips on exhibiting or buying at trade shows.
Understanding and Developing Your Sales Force
How you can train yourself and your employees to become creative sales people.
Venture Checklists
Checklists to assist you in assessing each point against your business plan.
Ways to Promote Your Product or Service
Describes brief examples of ways to promote your product or service from the various print and electronic media.