E-Biz Seminars 2012

Connect with your Customers via  Website, Emailing, Blogging, Social Media

 The Business Enterprise Centre in Saugeen Shores is pleased to bring back Lynda Chiotti to help business owners effectively use the Internet to promote their business!

Is Your Website Delivering Value? – For website owners who are non-technical and want to learn how to ensure that their website will turn  visitors into  customers, using insider knowledge from a user experience professional.  $35 (includes HST)

Date: Thursday, 4 Oct, 2012  Time:  1:30-4:30    Place: Colonial Motel, Port Elgin

Blogging and Email Marketing  -  We will discuss how blogs relate to websites and social media, and how they relate to your business and your customers. Also, you will learn how to create email marketing campaigns. $35 (includes HST)

 Date: Tuesday, 16 Oct, 2012 Time:  1:30-4:30    Place: Victoria Jubilee Hall, Walkerton

Social Media 101 – This is for beginners. We will guide participants through the steps to set up and populate accounts on social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others. Participants are required to bring laptop. Space is limited as this is a hands on seminar. $35 (includes HST)

Date: Tuesday, 23 Oct, 2012         Time:  9:00-12:00    Place: Paddy Walker House, Kincardine

Social Media 201 – This is for intermediate users who are familiar with social media, but have not yet managed total integration.  Topics include your website and social media specialized channels, feature management, and measurement tools, privacy, problems and protocols. Participants are required to bring laptop.  $35 (includes HST)

Date: Tuesday, 23 Oct, 2012       Time:  1:30-4:30    Place: Paddy Walker House, Kincardine

Lynda Chiotti is a senior information architect and user-centred design specialist, consulting to major Canadian and international corporations on web development and content management over the past 15 years. Based in Owen Sound, she is adept at presenting her information in “layman’s terms” and adapting her presentations to the needs of seminar participants.  She helps to dispel the mystery and confusion of using the Internet to promote your business!

   To register or for more information, call or email:

   Tel:  519-832-2082      Email:  smallbiz@saugeenshores.ca

http://www.saugeenshores.ca/business      http://www.facebook.com/ssbec                  http//twitter.com/ssbec

Look for our “Meet the Mentors of Summer Company in Bruce County” Series

If you are someone who  is thinking about applying to Summer Company in Bruce County, watch for our new blog series “Meet the Mentors”. Over the next few weeks we will post short Bios about the people who really make Summer Company a success.  For students in Bruce County, our mentors are wonderful people, who not only have great business skills, but also have a great time helping young entrepreneurs grow their dream companies. 

The mentoring component of Summer Company is what really what make this Ontario government program such a fantastic way to start a business. Real professionals giving real advice. Successful candidates have this amazing support network to turn to for advice on every aspect of running a business.

So if you are thinking of applying to Summer Company, read our series to learn about who will be there to help you ever step of the way.

Possibility for local towns? Small businesses turning to pedal power…

Entrepreneurs are finding that they can load up cargo bikes with all kinds of goods, race through traffic and even save money

Bicycles carrying heavy loads are becoming increasingly common: as environmental consciousness rises apace with the price of gasoline, entrepreneurs are looking to pedals to power their businesses. In Vancouver, a group of young entrepreneurs are launching SHIFT Urban Cargo Delivery, an enterprise that hopes to fill the gap in the market between the bike courier and the delivery truck by transporting everything from small furniture to office supplies in the downtown core. There are benefits for everyone beyond the dollars, including less air pollution, less oil consumption and fewer cars blocking the road.

Source: 15 June 2011, The Globe and Mail

UNTAPPED POTENTIAL FOR CANADIAN SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES: USING THE DIGITAL ECONOMY TO ACCESS INTERNATIONAL MARKETS

SMEDespite the potential benefits, Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are hesitant to sell online because they lack the knowledge of how to do so effectively, according to a Conference Board of Canada report, Building International Sales in a Digitized Economy: Best Practices for SMEs. The report identifies three main factors that contribute to success in international digital markets: a favourable online reputation, strong online technological capabilities, and an engaged online brand community.

“Although greater internationalization provides growth opportunities, doing business in foreign markets can be difficult and costly for resource-constrained SMEs, and most of them operate solely in the domestic market,” said Eileen Fischer, report co-author. “One particular hurdle for some firms is the investment that’s required in technology to sell effectively online.” A Statistics Canada survey reported in 2008 that only 36% of Canadian private sector organizations believed doing business over the Internet would allow them to reach new customers, and a 2010 Statistics Canada study found that only 7% of small enterprises and 13% of medium size enterprises were selling online in 2007, about the same percentage reported in 2001.

Source: Canada NewsWire, 13 June 2011

Invitation from Health Canada

Information Session for Industry – MANUFACTURERS, IMPORTERS, DISTRIBUTORS AND RETAILERS on the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act

You are invited to attend a FREE half-day information session to learn about this new legislation, which is coming into force on June 20th, 2011. There are new requirements you need to know about including:

- Mandatory Reporting of an Incident
- Preparing and Maintaining Documents

Check out Health Canada’s website for a list of dates and cities nearest you. Visit the website for further information or to register. In order to secure your participation, please note that you are required to register online at least 7 days before the session you would like to attend.

Please share this email with your colleagues (ie. suppliers, consultants, lawyers, labs, etc.).

Register at: www.healthcanada.gc.ca/productsafety

Grow your Business with the Canada Small Business Financing Program

Are you looking for a loan to start or grow your small business? The Canada Small Business Financing Program (CSBFP) can help. By sharing the risk with your financial institution, the program may help you to secure up to $500,000.

Join the Canada Small Business Financing Team, as they explain how the program can work for your business.

The webinar takes place on Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 1:00pm Eastern time in English and 2:30pm Eastern time in French. If you’re interested in attending or for more information, visit www.ic.gc.ca/webinars.

Aboriginal Economic Development Corporations Proudly Investing in the Future of their Communities and Peoples

The Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) has conducted the first comprehensive national survey of CEOs of Aboriginal economic development corporations (EDCs).

Read More…

Office Closed on Monday, May 23, 2011

Our office is closed on Monday, May 23, 2011 for Victoria Day. We’re back in the office and back to regular business hours at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 24, 2011.

Enjoy your long weekend!

Lake Huron Learning Centre holding Small Business Forum

The Lake Huron Learning Centre is holding a Small Business Forum in Kincardine on May 31, 2011.

Saugeen Shores BEC Conducting BR+E

The Saugeen Shores Business Enterprise Centre is gearing up to implement a Business Retention and Expansion project (BR+E). The purpose of this study is to bring individuals, community groups, government and businesses together to create an action plan to help the economic prosperity of the Town of Saugeen Shores. Read more…