About.com Small Business: Canada

Step 1 for Starting a Small Business: Finding a Business Idea

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:08:38 +0000

Whether you want to market a service or invent a product, you have to have an idea first. But coming up with a small business idea can be a real stumbling block.

Starting a Business: Finding Business Ideas will help you discover the small business idea that's perfect for your new venture. Learn the best ways for coming up with your own original small business idea or browse through collections of ideas and see what tweaks your fancy.

The next step: Choose a Winning Name for Your New Business - Once you've decided on a small business idea, what are you going to name your new venture? Here's how to pick the best possible name.

More: Steps to Starting a Business in Canada

Share Your Advice for Starting a Small Business

Image (c) Rochelle Hartman

Step 1 for Starting a Small Business: Finding a Business Idea originally appeared on About.com Small Business: Canada on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at 08:08:38.

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Blooming Gourmet Gift Basket
There are gift baskets especially designed for every occassion and recipient, so you're sure to find something to please.

The key word when you're selecting a gift basket is 'impressive'. You want something that's going to make the recipient feel appreciated and think well of you. Any of the gift baskets in my collection of top gift baskets will do just that.
If you haven't ordered your gift baskets yet, now's the time - the earlier you order the better as supplies can run out.

More ways to say thank you to clients, customers and/or business associates: Top Client Gifts.

Image courtesy PriceGrabber.
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About.com Small Business: Canada on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 08:12:32.
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Cool Tool of the Week: Sustainability Primer

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:37:53 +0000

The Natural Step Sustainability Primers are great tools for anyone interested in sustainability and acting in ways that are less damaging to the environment.

There are both American and Canadian versions of these Sustainability Primers accessible via the link above. The Canadian version is actually four separate toolkits, The Natural Step Sustainability Primer, Planning for Sustainability: A Starter Guide, Sustainability at Home: A Toolkit (Alberta), and Sustainability at Home: A Toolkit (B.C.).

Planning for Sustainability: A Starter Guide is the most useful for small businesses; the guidebook is designed to help organizations develop a strategic plan for sustainability. It's both organized and comprehensive. The downside is to work through the process described in the guide will take two to three months. The upside is you'll really have accomplished something at the end of it, for both your business and the planet.

More on Going Green & Sustainability

Your Say: What Are Your Tips for Going Green in the Office?

Cool Tool of the Week: Sustainability Primer originally appeared on About.com Small Business: Canada on Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 at 08:37:53.

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How Did Your Small Business Survive the Recession?

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:29:01 +0000

There's a lot of talk about how small businesses do better than larger ones during recession because they're so much more nimble and flexible. But we're all aware of small businesses that have failed in this recession period, too. What's your small business success story? How did your small business manage to survive the recession?

Sharing your story may provide some other small business with the tip or solution they've been looking for. And you get a little free advertising for your business too.

Read how other small businesses survived the recession.

More Places to Have Your Say & Share

Here are some more topics where you can share your tips and advice with other small business people:

What Are Your Inexpensive and Free Marketing Ideas?

How Did Your Small Business Survive the Recession? originally appeared on About.com Small Business: Canada on Saturday, November 21st, 2009 at 08:29:01.

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How to Cut Down On Holiday Stress

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:10:33 +0000

The holiday season is supposed to be full of comfort and joy, but for many, it's just plain full of stress.

From gift shopping through gathering together all the trimmings for the traditional turkey dinner, there just seem to be dozens of extra things to do with no extra time to do them.

But there are ways to reduce your holiday stress and you don't have to wait until the holidays officially begin to start doing them. I've found these Strategies for Holiday Stress Relief work well and hopefully you will, too.

Looking for even more ways of lowering your holiday stress level? These articles will also help:

Top 10 Ways to Avoid Holiday Stress by About Exercise Guide Paige Waehner
Stress and The Holiday Season: Understanding and Managing Holiday Stress by About Stress Guide Elizabeth Scott

Image (c) Kai Wiechmann / Getty Images

How to Cut Down On Holiday Stress originally appeared on About.com Small Business: Canada on Friday, November 20th, 2009 at 08:10:33.

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Hooray, Jim Flaherty!

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:29:09 +0000

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's proposed Code of Conduct for the credit and debit card industry is a definite step in the right direction and a step that needed to be taken with Visa and Mastercard about to enter the debit card competition.

The Retail Council of Canada has said credit card processing fees now cost merchants $4.5 billion a year. The council also estimates merchants will pay an extra $300 million to process debit cards if Visa takes 20 per cent of that market away from Interac next year.

The new voluntary Code of Conduct is intended to ensure fair business practices and ensure that merchants are:

aware of the costs associated with accepting plastic payment;
given increased pricing flexibility to allow the lowest-cost payment options for consumers;
allowed to choose the payment options they'll accept.

If you want to actually look at it and see what it says rather than just read about it, here it is: Draft Code of Conduct for the Credit and Debit Card Industry in Canada.

The proposed Code of Conduct is now the subject of a 60-day consultation period.

More: Flaherty threatens card companies on proposed code (The National Post) - Reactions to the proposed Code of Conduct by Visa Canada, The Retail Council of Canada and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

Hooray, Jim Flaherty! originally appeared on About.com Small Business: Canada on Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 17:29:09.

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Tips for Standing Out From the Competition

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:32:30 +0000

The keyword this holiday retail season? Competitive. According to TELUS research*, small business owners have seen an increase in competitors as a result of the economic downturn and being able to differentiate your small business from the competition is more important than ever.

The following tips for differentiating yourself and your business were suggested by small business participants in the focus group events Telus hosted.

Tips for Standing Out From the Competition

Place products that are unique to your market at the forefront of your marketing;
Embrace social responsibility (free services for charities; use of space by charities);
Realize that the product is "you" not necessarily what you do;
Try different approaches in marketing and measure success - ideas include changing the offer, using the right headlines, asking for the sale;
Don't be afraid to let clients know that you have gone the extra mile for them;
Understand the customer's business and apply solutions that actually help them.

I'll add that providing good customer service is another way your small business can stand out from the competition - especially customer service that directly targets a competitor's weakness. 4 Ways To Provide Customer Service That Outshines Your Competitors explains.

Of course, before you can successfully compete, you need to know what the competition is doing. Learn how with 6 Ways to Find Out What Your Competition Is Up To.

* Over the last seven months TELUS conducted a series of focus group events to help facilitate peer-to-peer discussion among 41 small businesses in Canada. These included an online focus group event as well as a pair of focus group events in Toronto and one-on-one conversations with small businesses in Western Canada.

Tips for Standing Out From the Competition originally appeared on About.com Small Business: Canada on Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 08:32:30.

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Business Christmas Card Dos and Don'ts

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:08:32 +0000

What type of Christmas cards should you send? What should you write inside the card? What's the proper way to address your business Christmas cards?

Business Christmas Card Dos and Don'ts answers all these questions.

And what's the deadline for having Christmas cards done and in the mail? For cards that are being sent nationally, December 16th, according to Canada Post.

More: Business Christmas Cards Are Good Business - Tips for sending business Christmas cards from Mark McGregor.

Image courtesy tanakawho

Business Christmas Card Dos and Don'ts originally appeared on About.com Small Business: Canada on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 08:08:32.

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What's the Top Trait of an Entrepreneur?

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:19:53 +0000

Lahle Wolfe's article Do You Have What it Takes to Become a Successful Woman Entrepreneur? (About.com Women in Business) got me thinking about entrepreneurship in general.

I write about entrepreneurship from a research perspective in Thinking of Starting a Small Business?. Perseverance, initiative, competitiveness, and self-reliance all were rated highly by entrepreneurs themselves as the "necessary" qualities for success.

But I wonder if this isn't a blinkered view, similiar to that of people whose houses have magnificent views that they don't see any more because they've gotten used to them. The entrepreneurs being surveyed may have missed the obvious because its always been there, the obvious being their discernment, their ability to spot a business opportunity and translate it into a way to make money. To my thinking, you can have incredible perseverence and competitiveness, for instance, but if you don't have the discernment to pick out or create a potentially profitable business opportunity, you won't get anywhere. So I would put discernment, along with adaptability, the ability to understand and use current circumstances, at the top of my "must-have" characteristics of an entrepreneur.

But what about you? What do you think are the most important characteristics of an entrepreneur? Add your answers to this page offering advice on being a successful entrepreneur.

More on Being an Entrepreneur

What's the Top Trait of an Entrepreneur? originally appeared on About.com Small Business: Canada on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 08:19:53.

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Top Client Gifts

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:23:48 +0000

Speaking as a client, it's great to receive a gift from a business I've patronized. A gift (not a coupon, voucher or other promotional item) really does make a person feel appreciated and recognized.

Replogle Cranbrook Globe

Business gifts can also have a lovely ripple effect. Assuming the client is satisifed (or even happy) with your business's performance, a client who receives a gift is even more likely to pass the good words around about your business and give you referrals.

So why wait to say "thank you"? Here's a selection of Top Client Gifts to make it easier to find something that will help you impress that special client.

Image courtesy PriceGrabber.com.

Top Client Gifts originally appeared on About.com Small Business: Canada on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 08:23:48.

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