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FREE! |
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Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12 noon to 1 pm at The Business Link |
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Bring your lunch and join us for these fast-paced, informative presentations |
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No registration required |
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Limited seating available |
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Province-wide Participation via Video Conference. Click here for locations.
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Currently, we have Brown Bags relating to the following topics:
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So…You Want to Be an Entrepreneur? |
| Thursday, September 21 |
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| Making the transition to be your own boss is about investing time, energy and resources to start and manage your business. Deciding if you have what it takes to be your own boss begins with a close assessment of your skills, values, interests (past and present) and personal motivation . This highly interactive session will explore your personality traits as it pertains to characteristics of the successful entrepreneur. |
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| Presented by: Robert Manolson, Certified Career Development Professional |
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Help Wanted |
| Thursday, October 26 |
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| Do you see the Help Wanted signs everywhere? In this informative session, find out what Alberta’s labour shortage means to small and medium-sized companies and what they are doing to cope. |
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| Presented by: Janine Halbesma, Canadian Federation of Independent Business |
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Hiring in Today’s Marketplace |
| Thursday, November 9 |
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| This session will highlight the challenges of attracting and retaining employees in today’s hot job market. A few of the areas that will be highlighted will include: today’s hot economy; not relying on what occurred in the past; the need to be creative; new methods of attracting candidates; interviewing; and making the decisions. |
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| Presented by: Richard Stoppler, Executrade |
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Will The Business Legacy You Leave Be a Mess or a Masterpiece? |
| Thursday, November 30 |
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| Eighty percent of private enterprises are family owned businesses; of these businesses, over half of these owners want to exit their business in less than 5 years and don’t have a formal exit strategy. Will you leave your legacy a mess by not having the proper planning in place? Or will you leave the legacy of a business masterpiece that lasts for generations? Learn how to avoid the common pitfalls of succession planning. |
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| Presented by: Erin Rayner, Predictable Futures Inc. |
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Work ON your business, not IN it! |
| Thursday, December 14 |
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| Are you the type of business owner that is too busy working in your business instead of looking for ways to build it? You are not alone! Come learn the keys to working less, and getting more out of your business. |
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| Presented by: Randy Boissonnault, Xennex Inc. |
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4 Steps to Building a Small Business |
| Tuesday, September 5 |
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| Setting a strong business goal and then accomplishing it, is often a challenge for overworked and underpaid entrepreneurs. This session will guide you through the process of setting attainable business objectives and then putting strategic and inexpensive communication strategies into effect so that you can reach your target market and attain your goals. |
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| Presented by: Carissa Reigner, Silver Lining Ltd. |
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Networking and the Ancient Chinese Art of Building Relationships |
| Tuesday, September 26 |
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| In China, people call it "guanxi"—the powerful term for relationships. We've all heard it before: it's not what you know, it's who you know! As your network of solid relationships expands, so too will your success in business and in life. Incorporate 10 easy-to-learn networking secrets into your daily behaviour during this fast-paced, action-oriented session. |
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| Presented by: Jared Smith, Incite Solutions Inc. |
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Shoestring Marketing Strategies for Small Business |
| Thursday, October 5 |
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You want to promote your business but you have a limited budget…
Discover how you can create cost effective, high impact marketing that will attract new customers. Learn to: use publicity to gain media attention, develop compelling advertising, leverage the advantages of the Internet and improve results on your sales calls. |
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| Presented by: David Saxby, Spark Communications Inc. |
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Marketing Genius or Deceptive Practices? |
| Tuesday, November 7 |
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| There is sometimes a fine line between marketing genius and potentially criminal activity. This presentation will provide background on Canada’s Competition Bureau and a discussion of the various criminal and civil provisions of the Competition Act which apply in everyday business. Is your advertisement misleading? Do you make the proper disclosures in your contest? Are your sale prices properly advertised? How much can you speak to competitors? |
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| Presented by: Competition Bureau, Government of Canada |
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Sales Proposal Writing |
| Tuesday, December 12 |
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| Do you find writing sales proposals to be a time-wasting chore? Have you ever offered to write a proposal, even though the prospect has not asked for one? This unique workshop teaches busy entrepreneurs and salespeople when and how to write a sales proposal for top results! |
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| Presented by: David Donnelly, Iconic Interactive Group Inc. |
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Partnership and Shareholder Agreements |
| Thursday, September 28 |
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| This session closely examines the important elements of a partnership agreement and a shareholder agreement—namely financing, decision-making, compensation, non-competition, withdrawal & buy-outs, valuation and dissolution. Hear the pros and cons of operating your business through a partnership vs. a corporation. Compare and contrast the distinctions between a regular partnership, limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, and corporations. |
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| Presented by: Dave Singleton, The Legal Ease Library Inc. |
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Intellectual Property Law in a Nutshell |
| Tuesday, October 31 |
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| This session covers the basics on Intellectual Property (IP) for small and medium-sized businesses and offers tips on: copyright, trademarks, domain names, licensing; IP on the Internet; protecting the IP assets of your business; managing IP ownership issues with employees and contractors; patents and confidential information. |
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| Presented by: Richard Stobbe, Lawyer, Brownlee LLP |
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Buying a Business… Do it Right! |
| Tuesday, November 21 |
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| Entrepreneurs often have many questions when buying an existing business. Do I buy the business’ assets or the company shares? Am I assuming any liabilities of that company? What should be included in the buy and sell agreement? Am I getting all the necessary information to protect my investment? Come get the answers to these questions and others, at this must-see presentation. |
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| Presented by: Larry P. Carr, Q.C., Carr & Company, Lawyers |
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Business Insurance |
| Thursday, November 23 |
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| Why do you need business insurance? This presentation will look at automobile, property, liability and other classes of insurance. Risk management, how to assess your exposures, and how to look for appropriate coverage will be discussed. |
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| Presented by: Frits Wortman, Insurance Bureau of Canada |
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Exporting 101 |
| Tuesday, September 12 |
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| Like any business venture, exporting presents both opportunities and challenges. Before you ship your goods, take on international contracts or respond to unsolicited orders, learn the basics about what’s required to export and where to start. |
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| Presented by: Erin Wilkinson, The Business Link’s Export Link. |
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Shipping Your Goods to the U.S. |
| Thursday, September 14 |
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| You have the contract—now you need to deliver. Timely delivery is the true test for today’s exporter, and shipping your goods these days involves much more than just moving goods from point A to point B. Topics covered include packaging, customs, shipping, North American UCC codes and more. |
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| Presented by: Johnathan Finlayson, Cole International |
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Importing 101 |
| Tuesday, October 17 |
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| What do you need to know in order to import goods into Canada? This session will take you step-by-step through the importing process, and will demonstrate how to complete Form B3 when importing commercial goods into Canada. |
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| Presented by: Therese Bourdon, Canada Border Services Agency. |
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Barriers to Trade with the U.S. |
| Thursday, October 19 |
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| There are many barriers affecting trade with our most important export market, the U.S. This session will provide you with an overview of some of these issues and how they can affect small business, as well as some solutions you can implement to effectively deal with them. |
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| Presented by: Sue MacDonald, KPMG |
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E-Exporting Panel |
| Tuesday, November 14 |
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| Your company’s website, online auctions such as e-Bay, and the Internet in general are increasingly critical for doing business globally. Learn how to sell online and ship commercial goods. Find out about the potential taxes and legal implications involved in selling your goods or services over the Internet. |
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| Presented by: Carole Hunt, Bennett Jones LLP; Erin Wilkinson, The Business Link’s Export Link; and John Beauchamp, The Business Link’s Alberta E-Future Centre |
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Preparing a Budget for Your Business |
| Thursday, September 7 |
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| Whether you’re starting a business or expanding, the hidden costs of achieving success can make or break the bank. This informative session will provide you with advice on effectively managing your money, and budgeting for high and low periods. It will include discussions on managing credit, credit ratings, and devising and following a realistic budget. We will also discuss the warning signs of dangerous debt load and the resources available when in need of assistance. |
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| Presented by: Suzanne Tessier, PwCDebtSolutions. |
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What’s “New” About the GST? |
| Tuesday, September 19 |
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| What does the July 1st GST reduction mean for your business? In this session, you will receive information on how the GST rate reduction to 6% affects you, and will provide you with information on the credits you claim. Know how to manage the transition from 7% to 6%. |
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| Presented by: Canada Revenue Agency |
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Understanding Your Financial Statements |
| Thursday, October 12 |
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| Do you know the difference between your balance sheets and your bed sheets? This session will provide an introduction to understanding and analyzing financial statements. You will learn what a financial statement is, where the numbers come from, and some standard ratios that will provide you with important information about your business. |
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| Presented by: Lorn B. Stanners Professional Corporation Certified Management Accountant |
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What’s Tax Deductible for Entrepreneurs? |
| Thursday, November 16 |
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| “What can I write-off as a business expense?” is always a common question that entrepreneurs have. By attending this session, you will learn the types of expenses that can be claimed by proprietorships and corporations as well as gain an understanding of Canada Revenue Agency’s limits. |
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| Presented by: Wendy Seet, Meyers Norris Penny LLP |
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Computerizing Your Bookkeeping |
| Tuesday, November 28 |
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| Are all of your receipts in a shoebox? Do you know if you are getting credit for all your GST? Maybe you should switch your manual bookkeeping to a computer-based one. Learn how to get started on accounting software. This demonstration will be in QuickBooks but the principles apply to all accounting software. |
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| Presented by: Lloyd Spencer and Matthew Peterson, SolvingDigits.com |
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E-Business Basics |
| Tuesday, October 3 |
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| “How do I use computers and the Internet to help my business?” E-business is more then just selling online, or having a website. This session answers how e-business can be used to increase sales, reduce costs, increase market exposure and improve customer service. This is a general overview of e-business and its benefits. Whether you are adding an “e” component to an existing business or starting a new small business, this session is for you! |
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| Presented by: John Beauchamp, Alberta E-Future Centre Coordinator, The Business Link |
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Creating Buzz Online: Internet Marketing for Small Business |
| Tuesday, October 24 |
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| “How do I market my small business on the Internet?” Explore popular topics such as search engine optimization, e-mail marketing, blogs, online advertising and other Internet marketing strategies. You will benefit from practical examples, clear definitions and plenty of Internet marketing tips. Come early for this must-see presentation! |
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| Presented by: Aldo Zanoni, CEO and Managing Director, Omni Technology |
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What Users Want from Your Website |
| Thursday, November 2 |
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| Ever wonder why so many people come to your site but leave without ordering or contacting you? Unsure where to set priorities for spending limited website funds? This session will help you assess different ways of judging your website’s effectiveness, so you can get the most from your web investment. |
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| Presented by: Tema Frank, President and Founder, Web Mystery Shoppers |
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E-mail Marketing for Small Business |
| Tuesday, December 5 |
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| E-mail marketing can be an effective and inexpensive way to promote your products, services or website. During this session, you will learn about electronic newsletters, the required tools and how to ensure that your message will not be blocked by spam filters. All this information will help your small business get the most out of e-mail marketing. |
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| Presented by: Jon Larson, Mymailout.com |
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