SBEC-IAL People

This posting was authored by Brian Baker, Brampton SBEC's new Small Business Assistant

Thirty years ago the government offered grants to entrepreneurs to help start their business. Unfortunately all it did was give businesses the fish and they only ate for a day. In comes the idea of The Small Business Enterprise Centre, small centres located in towns and cities across Ontario with one purpose… to help others help themselves. They cropped up out of the need for small businesses to gain the knowledge to successfully start, strengthen and succeed. According to Statistics Canada’s 2011 Business Register, small businesses under 50 employees account for 95% of businesses across Ontario.


Each Enterprise Centre is filled with knowledgeable, like-minded individuals who are there for the greater good: to support business creation and job growth in our community. My five years of experience in franchising brings with it a vast knowledge of what to expect when opening and running a small business. The two key questions always on my mind are, “What are going to be possible road blocks?” and “What proactive steps can the entrepreneur take now to avoid them in the future?” Industry Canada states that about 49% of new businesses fail within the first 5 years. Throughout my years I’ve seen what barriers have led to this statistic. Fortunately the Brampton SBEC is working with clients to beat the odds and drop that number.

Located in Brampton City Hall, we are part of the City’s Economic Development Office and have links throughout the City to get you the answers you need or connect you with the right people. We all work together to see that aspiring entrepreneurs and local businesses get every advantage possible to succeed. We offer guidance, consultations, business plan reviews, seminars and a referral service to name a few. Best part is… it’s almost all free. Our jobs are to work with you to provide the resources, answer your questions and overall, just to help with removing the training wheels.

So to openly dispel the myth: No, we do not have bags of money available for people, but yes, we are here to help you. So don’t be afraid to come to us with all the fish you want to catch because we’ll teach you how to eat for life.

~ brian.baker@brampton.ca

Brian works with aspiring entrepreneurs in Brampton to help them understand the full scope of business start-up so that they can prepare for a successful launch and early growth.  If you're thinking about launching a business venture, be sure to connect with Brian early in your exploration and planning for a wealth of knowledge and free resources.

Canadians Believe in Small Business

A recent study conducted by a chartered bank during national Small Business Month (October 2011) finds that Canadian consumers are willing to go the extra mile to support small business. From coast-to-coast, Canadians believe it’s important to support local business, and are willing to do so by telling others about favourite local businesses (85%), walking or driving further to purchase from a small business (63%), and, despite a dragging recession, even pay more (43%) in order to buy local.

These are powerful statements of consumer loyalty, and small business owners should make a conscious effort to tap into this power. If you don’t already, ask your customers regularly to tell their friends and neighbours about your business. To make it even easier for your customers to become your sales force, create a promotion centered around referrals, and put it in the hands of your most loyal customers to share, with benefits to them, their friends, or both.

This study also gathered accolades for the small business community. Canadian consumers recognize and appreciate that small businesses offer improved access to products and services, create local employment opportunities and provide leadership in their community. How can you leverage consumers’ admiration for entrepreneurial ventures in these areas? Focus on communicating the unique products and services you offer. Inspire employees to be champions for your business, not just when they are at work. Participate in good works in your community with similar objectives as yours, and take on a leadership role.

Finally, this survey also had some suggestions for small business owners from the general public: personalize your service to differentiate yourself from chains and franchises; increase advertising so consumers are aware of your offerings and special promotions; and offer competitive prices (note, they said “competitive” not “low”, so think value-for-money, not price point.) Take some time in the next week to assess your customer service strategy, marketing strategy and pricing strategy, if you haven’t done so in the last year. This is where customers want you to be the best you can be; this is what is meaningful to them.

Tap into the respect consumers have for entrepreneurs and the small business sector, and make sure you are leveraging it to propel your business forward.