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CASL: Canadian Anti Spam Legislatio...
If you’re a small business owner in Canada that sends emails to your customers, you'd better get ready for... More
Challenge Factory Cool Careers: San...
Challenge Factory’s “Cool Careers” interview series looks behind the scenes at uncommon, yet cool, careers. This interview is with... More
Management and marketing strategy t...
Many small business owners in Canada have the impression that doing business with the local, provincial, or federal government... More
Sacha Chua Sketchnotes – Mana...
It can be difficult to get work done in an environment filled with interruptions. Cool Time: A Hands-on Plan for Managing... More
The Honest CEO: Johan Johannesson i...
How is the beer industry doing? The beer industry has been flat to declining for several... More
Keeping Staff trained: Tips from To...
Between rapidly evolving technology and government regulations rewritten at a moment’s notice, some industries have to accept constant change... More
Behind Sketchnotes: Sacha Chua on K...
Eva-Lotta Lamm and a great panel of sketchnote artists are running a challenge to sketch a particular talk. I managed... More
Marc Gordon: High 5 for small busin...
It's been said that every person you meet can be a potential client. The problem is that many business people... More
Selling Expensive Services: Marketi...
When Alison Slight and Candice Chan launched their Toronto luxury event management service in the midst of the recession, few... MoreStartups and small business — Ash Maurya’s “Running Lean”: Sacha Chua ...
If you’re starting a technology business – or other kinds of businesses – you’ll find many tips in Ash Maurya’s... More
Succeeding in online business Part ...
In my previous post I mentioned an insider secret about some of the greatest million-dollar online products and services —... More
Canadian Small Businesses can comba...
It’s a simple reality. If you develop an innovative product or service, it's likely a competitor will knock it... More
Q&A: Canadian Bullion Services...
Gold is, at the moment, big. Trading at nearly $1,600 an ounce (up from only $250 in 2001), the... MoreEleanor Healy: Identify, fulfill your personal, business goals with simple exercise
As 2013 drags on, humdrum routines take over once again. Our fresh enthusiasm for the possibilities of the coming year... More
Diversity marketing as strategy: Ja...
Two weeks ago, we discussed the lucrative Chinese-Canadian market. With over 1.35 million Chinese living in Canada, it is one... More
Scalability – Financing, Visi...
Growing your business is one thing, but building it to scale is another. Scaling a business is all about... MoreMaRSDD Competitive strategies: Marketplace value disciplines for small business
To succeed in the marketplace, companies must embrace a competitive strategy. A framework for designing this type... More
New Brunswick’s greatest Vent...
Gerry Pond is the former CEO of NBTel, chairman of Saint John-based IT provider Mariner Partners and former chairman of... More
4 must-know tips for expanding your...
It’s the stage where most entrepreneurs get stuck: there’s work coming in, but not enough to ramp up a better... MoreSacha Chua Sketchnotes: Seven Steps To Social Media Success
Read more from Sacha Chua at sachachua.com... MoreEstablishing a process for sales success
Small business owners and entrepreneurs have an interesting relationship with sales and selling. They can tell you why things are... More
How-To: Fostering partnerships and ...
Fostering partnerships in the entertainment industry is difficult, especially when you’re a new player. Without preexisting... MoreMarket Strategy Workbook 3: Strategic Marketing Approach
This workbook is part three of a three-part series covering market strategy. It is designed specifically for entrepreneurs in the... MoreHigh 5 for small business: Using QR Codes
QR (Quick Response) codes are those square images filled with what appear to be a random scattering of dots. When... More
How-to: Running a mail-order busine...
In the not-so-distant past, it was common to find your mailbox stuffed with catalogues from national department stores and small... MoreHow-To: Growing your small business past the startup phase
For small businesses, making it through the start up phase, or the “Valley of Death,” as many entrepreneurs call... MoreHow-to – Finding the right price for your product
Once your start-up is ready to commercialize its product, you must determine how much to charge customers to purchase... MoreHow-to – Market segmentation and finding your target customer
Many start-up companies have technologies that are of interest to many different market segments. Given a start-up’s limited resources,... More
How-to: Attract your app’s ni...
Taking on the likes of Google, Amazon, and Apple is a fool’s gambit — unless you’re smart about it.... MoreRevenue models: Overview
Determining your revenue model and deciding how to price your product are a critical part of commercializing new products... More
The business of comedy: Q&A wi...
Chris Hardwick (@nerdist) is a standup comedian, tv host (on AMC's The Talking Dead and formerly on G4’s... More
Turning a niche into cash: “g...
Focusing on one product, especially a product for which there's only a small customer base, isn't easy. But it can... MoreGrowth or expansion stage of company development
STAGE 3: Growth or expansion stage By this point, you’re on your way to building a successful business. You have... MoreLater stages of company development
STAGE 4: Later stages Some VCs or other investors focus on later-stage investing—providing the financing to grow beyond critical mass... More
Can’t Outspend: Taking on big...
For small businesses entering markets monopolized by the big guys, finding the financial backing to compete makes for a daunting... More
Samco saves business with a pivot f...
Sometimes, the business you get into isn’t the business you end up in. Just ask Samco, a Toronto-based machinery house... MoreBootstrapping
“The odds of raising venture capital are equal to the odds of getting struck by lightning while standing on the... MoreWhat financing approach is right for your business?
If you have a great technology idea, you will need financial resources to develop it. An inventor or entrepreneur should... More
Understanding and managing short- a...
Borrowing can help entrepreneurs expand their businesses, but it also carries risk. This article examines debt as a management tool... MoreMaintaining Cash Flow
Most entrepreneurs would agree: running a small business isn't a full-time job, it's an around-the-clock, all-of-the-time job. “I work 12... More
Monetizing the web: Toronto’s...
With Facebook’s IPO, Pinterest’s billion-dollar valuation, and Twitter’s stranglehold on brief online communiqués, it seems easier than ever to make... MoreWinning Investor Presentations
Once you have finalized your business plan, you will have most of the material required to prepare a presentation slide... MoreIdentifying and Engaging Potential Investors
You will need these investor communication tools to raise money and meet with potential investors: The elevator pitch The... MoreBusiness Plans and Executive Summaries
Pulling the background information and strategy together to create a coherent business plan can be very time-consuming, especially if you... MoreDeveloping a Financing Strategy
New unproven ventures are risky and spend more cash than they generate. For that reason alone a new venture will... More
The woes and whoas! of cash flow
Cash flow is the pulse of business. It lets owners know how markets respond to products and services, what... MoreSample funding documents for Ontario entrepreneurs
Angels and micro-venture capital firms play an increasingly important role in the funding landscape for many early-stage technology entrepreneurs, particularly... More
An uncommon clothing success
The wobbly economy hasn't been kind to independent retailers over the last few years--many struggle, others have been snuffed... More
