Employers with questions about Labour Standards in Saskatchewan can find answers with the click of a mouse. Wonder about your requirements related to holiday pay, hours of work, dismissals and overtime pay? Check out the Labour Standards webinar listing and get the facts: http://www.lrws.gov.sk.ca/labour-standards-webinars
Help Clients Find Your Company. . . Online
Ever wonder how effective your company website really is? Have your website graded using a free on-line tool. “Webgrader” delivers a short, informative report identifying what’s working great on your website, as well as improvements that can enhance your website’s effectiveness. How to incorporating social media into your site, a list of top pages that link to you, and suggestions on structuring page content are all covered. Take a look: www.webgrader.com .
For more info on marketing your small business, email CF Sunrise: v.oneill.sunrise@sasktel.net
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Give your Business a Boost in 2012
New Year’s resolutions often find us promising to nix bad habits and replace them with good ones. Why not apply this to business? Give your management skills (and your company) a boost by reading through our online business resources. It may be what you need to get inspired and make changes that affect your bottom line in 2012!www.sunrisecommunityfutures.com/workshops
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Looking for Workers in Your Business??
Take in the Successful Staffing workshop – two sessions still coming up: November 24th in Carnduff and December 7 in Estevan. You’ll find out about effective job advertising, interviewing techniques, immigration resources and much more. Call to register: 1.877.851.9997
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Build A Banking Relationship
When times are good, a lender can be your best proponent and ally. They can help to ensure your cash flow meets demands and you can access new equipment or inventory when needed. But when times are rough the first instinct shouldn’t be to shelter your lenders from the news. An open line of communication will keep your lender on side, and their belief in your business success strong. Giving your lender a ‘heads up’ when a loan payment needs to be pushed back or additional financing is necessary. By developing that banking relationship in good times and in bad, your character can shine through and your lender will have the opportunity to work with you. The alternative is never good! Remember, just like on the playground, honesty is always the best policy.
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Encourage the ‘above and beyond’ attitude in your staff
Attitude makes or breaks a customer experience. Customers make or break a business.
Not really profound, but a good concept to continually come back to when dealing with clients. I recently had the opportunity to speak to a small group about Customer Service. I’m sure they wondered what I could possibly say that they hadn’t heard before! Actually, my entire talk centered around how a small shift in attitude can create a welcoming and comfortable customer experience. And that always translates to the bottom line!
CF Sunrise has some short, humorous and very insightful DVDs that can be borrowed for staff training. They can provide you with a jumping point to start the conversation at your next staff meeting: www.sunrisecommunityfutures.com/dvd_resources
Posted in Business Training, Marketing
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Biz Game for Kids
Here’s a fun way to get kids thinking about entrepreneurship: Disney’s Hot Shot Business Game. This online game is a great way for kids to discover basic business concepts. They can operate a virtual landscaping business, comic book shop, pet spa, candy store or skateboard factory. Loads of fun, and a Parent/Mentor Guide is available on the website as well. Give it a try: http://www.disney.go.com/hotshot/hsb3/index.html
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Old enough to start a business?
When your kids ask if they can set up a lemonade stand in the driveway, say ‘Yes!!’
Giving young people this bit of encouragement can cultivate the creative entrepreneur within. Whether it’s a micro-business like a lemonade stand or a multi-million dollar venture, the basics are the same: identify something your customer needs, give them the best quality and service possible at a reasonable price, and they’ll keep coming back for more.
Learning these lessons early in life can help young entrepreneurs uncover opportunities right here at home. They may grow a successful business, all because you said ‘Yes!!’ to that lemonade stand . . .
Take a few minutes to inspire your kids – watch these online videos that profile successful young entrepreneurs (and what they’ve learned along the way): http://www.bizkids.com/show.aspx
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Being ‘Agile’
There’s a lot of buzz about being ‘agile’ in business. I attended a Mobile and Social Conference recently where a session was devoted to being ‘agile’. What does it really mean? Well, I think there are a lot of similarities to being lean and efficient in business – just with a more client focused mindset.
So how do we get to this ‘agile’ state? It seems there are three common ways to encourage agility. Simple and common sense:
1. Ask your customers for feedback. What do they really want? Get the specifics, you’d be surprised how happy they are to share their opinions with you. You can then respond with exactly what they ask for.
2. Deliver quality products/services, and stay in contact frequently (for additional feedback).
3. Stay in close contact with your work team members to get the job done. Understand everyone’s ability and expectations. If team members are on the same page and have the same goals, response time to clients improves.
So there you have it. Ask – Talk – Team. Pretty simple, but could make a big difference to operations and your bottom line!
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Examining social media . . .
Heard about the MoSo Conference in Saskatoon? It’s a two-day, intensive mobile and social media conference being held at the U of S. Lots of great speakers and topics are being covered. Even though the tickets are sold out for this event, you can follow the sessions via social media (surprise, surprise!). Check out the conference website to find out more: www.mosoconf.com
Marketing plug:
Featuring two days of engaging presentations, from the world’s most prolific social media and mobile companies, MoSo offers a line up unheard of this far from ‘the valley’.
Should be worth your while to check it out.
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