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| Welcome to E-News! from The Business Link.
We hope you enjoy this quick monthly e-newsletter to
keep you informed of upcoming events and services at
The Business Link and other items of interest
to Alberta's small business community. |
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| 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. |
The Business
Link's Fall 2002
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 10237 - 104 Street in Edmonton. Pre-registration is required
for the seminars; no registration required for the “brown
baggers”, however there is limited seating on a first-come,
first-served basis.
| October
Schedule |
| Date |
Time |
Topic |
Cost |
| 1 |
12 noon - 1 p.m. |
Managing the Legal
Risks Associated with Exporting Your Goods |
FREE |
| 3 |
12 noon - 1 p.m. |
Importing Goods into
Canada |
FREE |
| 3 |
6 - 9 p.m. |
Marketing on a Shoestring
Budget |
$32.10 |
| 8 |
12 noon - 1 p.m. |
Managing and Understanding Your
Cash Flow
|
FREE |
| 10 |
12 noon - 1 p.m. |
Pricing Your Services:
"How to Show the Customer What You're Worth" |
FREE |
| 10 |
6 - 9 p.m. |
Designing an Effective
Market Survey |
$32.10 |
| 15 |
12 noon - 1 p.m. |
What's Tax Deductible
for Business Owners? |
FREE |
| 17 |
12 noon - 1 p.m. |
Director's Liability |
FREE |
| 17 |
6 - 9 p.m. |
Creating an Effective
Business Web Site |
$32.10 |
| 22 |
12 noon - 1 p.m. |
Raising Capital for
Your Business |
FREE |
| 24 |
12 noon - 1 p.m. |
Buying a Franchise |
FREE |
| 24 |
6 - 9 p.m. |
Tips on Saving Tax |
$32.10 |
| 29 |
12 noon - 1 p.m. |
Buying a Business |
FREE |
| 31 |
12 noon
- 1 p.m. |
Internet
Security: Protecting Yourself from a Hack Attack |
FREE |
|
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.
Quality Council
of Alberta Brown Bag Sessions
The Quality Council of Alberta
(QCA) invites you to attend their FREE monthly Brown Bag Sessions,
held every third Friday of the month at noon from September
to June, 2003. Bring your lunch and take in this series on
"Performance". Attendees will examine and learn
what organizational performance is, approaches to improve
it, and challenges to maintain it.
This month's session on "Using Economic Value Add
to Measure Organizational Performance" will be held
at The Business Link on Friday,
October 18, 2002 from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. Seating
is limited and allocated on a first come - first served basis.
To celebrate Small Business Week, the Quality Council of
Alberta will be hosting a special Brown Bag Session at The
Business Link on Wednesday, October 23, 2002 from 12:00
noon to 1:00 p.m. Attend "Excerpts from the Excellence
Files" to learn about the Excellence Framework -
a powerful management system based on research with high performing
organizations. Applicable to any size or type of business.
For more information and to register for these sessions,
contact Ann Beaque at the Quality Council of Alberta at 780-423-6878
or by e-mail at: abeaque@telusplanet.net.
Grande Prairie Small Business Info-Fair
Join us at the Grande Prairie Small Business Info Fair,
held on Friday, October 18 at the Grande Prairie Inn.
The fair will showcase Government of Canada programs and services
for small and medium-sized businesses, as well as other business
service organizations who are part of a service network.
Throughout the day, business seminars will be offered on
various topics, and you'll have the opportunity to hear success
stories from area entrepreneurs. Jim Ewing, one of The Business
Link's knowledgeable business officers, will present a seminar
on "Getting Started and How The Business Link Can Help".
The Info-Fair and business seminars are open to the general
public from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and are free-of-charge!
For more information or to register for a seminar, call SMEDA
Business Development Corporation (780) 354-8747, or Western
Economic Diversification 1-888-338-9378. You can also register
on-line at www.wd.gc.ca/eng/events.
 Small
Business Week is an annual event held across Canada during
the last week of October. It pays tribute to the significant
contribution that small and medium-sized business owners make
to our economy and gives them a forum to network with those
interested in small business and dedicated to its development.
This year, Small Business Week will be held from October
20-26.
The Business Link plays an active role in promoting Small
Business Week in order to bring together entrepreneurs, provide
learning opportunities and enable them to network and share
ideas. This year, The Business Link is taking an innovative
approach by launching a web page called "Small
Business Week in Alberta", to increase awareness
of events across the province and encourage participation
by Alberta businesses.
If you want to attend one of the numerous events organized
in celebration of Small Business Week, visit Small Business
Week in Alberta at www.sbwalberta.ca.
This unique feature is available on-line for the entire month
of October and gives you a quick access to a calendar of events,
links to the organizers, new statistics on Alberta's SMEs
and a list of valuable resources on this year's national theme:
"You Have Genius, Let's Bank On It Now!".
 |
 |
Sources of Financing is a section of Industry Canada's web
site that can help you locate traditional or alternative sources
of financing for your small business.
The site features an extensive directory of Canadian financial
providers, a powerful search engine of private and government
sources of financing, information on different types of financing
and financial providers, a glossary containing over 250 financial
terms with comprehensive definitions, and tips to help you
secure financing. You will also find a Small Business Financial
Service Charges Calculator to help you compare the monthly
cost of most business accounts offered by the major financial
institutions in Canada, and a Lease or Buy Calculator to compare
both the cost of leasing and the cost of buying equipment.
 |
|
The Business Link works in partnership
with 34 Regional Access Sites located throughout the province,
plus the Calgary Business Information Centre (CBIC), to provide
information and resources to Alberta entrepreneurs. One of
these Regional Access Sites is the Tawatinaw Community
Futures Development Corporation (CFDC).
The boundaries of the Tawatinaw CFDC include the following
communities: County of Athabasca, County of Thorhild, County
of Westlock, Sturgeon County and Lower portion MD of 124.
The organization offers services to potential and existing
entrepreneurs, including: business counselling and financial
assistance to individuals starting or expanding a small business,
resources for assistance in researching business ideas, financing
and assistance for entrepreneurs with disabilities through
the Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Program (EDP), a Youth
Entrepreneurship Camp, seminars and workshops, and Employment
Insurance Itinerant Services.
For more information, contact the Tawatinaw Community Futures
Development Corporation at:
#201, 10619 - 100 Avenue
Westlock, AB T7P 2J4
Phone: (780) 349-2903
Fax: (780) 349-6542
E-Mail: info@tcfdc.ab.ca
Web site: http://www.tcfdc.ab.ca
|
October
2002
Issue 5
Ask the Expert
Monday to Friday
from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m., you can discuss your business
concerns in confidence, either in person or over the phone,
with volunteer Guest Advisors:
Mondays:
management
consultants
Tuesdays:
lawyers
Wednesdays:
accountants
Thursdays:
financial representatives
Fridays:
e-business experts
There is no cost
or obligation, and no appointment is needed. Take advantage
of this service by calling toll-free 1-800-272-9675. Enquiries
can now be sent via e-mail as well. For more information,
visit our Guest Advisor page on our web
site.
Smart solutions
for your business
The Internet offers
unlimited possibilities for businesses, but many small companies
do not have the time or resources to fully maximize its
potential. If you are looking to expand into new markets,
find new suppliers, develop more efficient ways of communication,
or learn how to source out business opportunities, resources
and contacts on the Web, the Student Connection Program
(SCP) can show you how.
The Student Connection
Program, an Industry Canada and Youth Employment Strategy
initiative, hires and trains post secondary students to
provide Canadian businesses with customized information
technology assistance. Cost-effective services range from
high-quality, computer and Internet training to actual web
site development.
Since 1996, SCP's
Student Business Advisors have provided IT services to more
than 80,000 small and medium-sized enterprises across Canada.
For more information,
contact Chris Foster, SCP Project Specialist at The Business
Link: (780) 415-0360 or 1-800-272-9675, and by e-mail,
or visit the Student Connection Program Web
site.
2003 Alberta Business
Awards of Distinction
Nominations for the
12th Annual Alberta Business Awards of Distinction are now
being accepted until Monday, November 18, 2002.
The Awards, hosted
by the Alberta Chambers of Commerce (ACC) in association
with numerous corporate sponsors, recognize savvy in areas
from youth employment to exporting and small business to
environmental excellence.
If your business
excels and contributes to the prosperity of Alberta, you
are encouraged to enter in any or all of the categories.
The Awards include 14 individual categories and the prestigious
Premier's Award of Distinction.
For more information
visit the Alberta Business Awards of Distinction's web
site. Tickets may be purchased by contacting the Alberta
Chambers of Commerce at (780) 425-4180, ext. 2.
Talk to Us!
Need assistance in
finding information on our web site? Check out our web/voice
support service, "Talk to Us".
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