Business & Personal Finance

Small Business Network meets May 14th, with Special Guest Hill Peppard of Hill Peppard Photography

The Small Business Network's next meeting is Tuesday, May 14, 2013 from 6 -7 p.m.

Our special guest speaker is prominent Toronto photographer Hill Peppard of Hill Peppard Photography.

Learn about different business resources for the photography business and network with others starting or running a small photography business.

After the speaker's talk, there will be time for questions.

The Small Business Network meets at the Business, Science & Technology Information Desk on the 3rd floor at the Toronto Reference Library.

All are welcome.

Innovation Camp 2013

Are you an innovator?  Or do you own a business and want to inject more energy into your operation?  If so then mark your calendar.

Enterprise Toronto is hosting its annual Innovation Camp this coming Wednesday, May 1, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the North York Civic Centre, Council Chambers located at 5100 Yonge Street. This jam packed day includes a trade show, as well as workshops and panel discussions.

Registrations can be made either on-line www.innovationcamp2013.eventbrite.com or by phoning (416) 395-7416.  This is a free event but you must register to attend.

Stop by and visit the TPL booth hosted by the Business Department of North York Central Library.  The department, located on the fourth floor of the library, steps from the show, offers a wide range of materials including books, magazines, databases, audio books, DVDs, speaker programs on business topics and more. 

Check out just a few recent titles on innovation:

     

Hope to see you there!

 

 

 

Small Business Network with Special Guest Diana Olsen of Balzac's Coffee Roasters

The Small Business Network's next meeting is Tuesday, April 9, 2013 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Business, Science & Technology Dept. at the Toronto Reference Library.

Our special guest is Diana Olsen of Balzac's Coffee Roasters.  After her talk, there will be time for questions.

Learn about different business resources and network with others starting or running a small business.

The Small Business Network meets at the Business, Science & Technology Information Desk on the 3rd floor at the Toronto Reference Library.

See you then!

Generation Next - programs for a new breed of entrepreneur

The North York Central Library's Business Department begins a three part series this week focusing on career and business opportunities for people ages 18 to 25 or Generation Next.  This demographic has been profiled in a recent Pew research report.

And while these programs are geared for this age group, two of the programs in the series would be of interest to any beginning entrepreneur.  The series includes:

April 3, 2013 : Presented by Donovan Dill, entrepreneurship program manager from Youth Employment Services (YES) -  Entrepreneurship 101: Tips on Starting Your Own Small Business 

May 27, 2013: Presented by entrepreneur Mahyar Fotoohi, Chairman & Co-founder of Unified Computer Intelligence Corp -  Secrets of a Technology Start-up.

and for those who want to explore other career options there is:

May 21, 2013: Presented by Cassandra Jowett, content manager from TalentEgg.ca -  How to Hatch Your Career through Networking.

All programs are free.  For more information or to register please phone 416-395-5613.

 

 

Adding Pinterest to your business social media toolkit

By now most people are used to seeing the wide range of logos associated with social media and sharing information.  The most common - Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Tumblr - now have a new member of the club - Pinterest. 

Pinterest, if you are not familiar with it, is a site where members can "pin" images, videos of things that they love or are interested in.  How could this be used by a business, you might ask yourself.  Well, in a number of different ways.

Two new books that we recently added to the collection - Teach Yourself Visually Pinterest by Janet Majure (which by the way is a great introduction to the site and this series uses many screen shots to assist you) and Pinterest Power by Jason Miles and Karen Lacey offer some great insight for using this tool for business use.  Some tips they offer include the following:

Some categories are a natural fit for using Pinterest - the seven most popular categories of pins include:

food and drink, do it yourself and crafts, home decor, women's apparel, weddings and events, hair and beauty, hair and beauty and kids.  If your business addresses any of these, then perhaps you should consider Pinterest in your social media campaigning. 

A few reasons to market your business with Pinterest include:

• Take advantage of potential customers discovering you visually rather than by search engines
• Your content doesn't have to be actively managed - the promotion happens with repins
• Set up is relatively easy and low overhead is required to maintain a Pinterest prescence.

Some strategies to consider:

• Add a "pin it" button to your site, next to images that you would like to have pinned.  
• Add a follow button to your site.  You can encourage visitors to your site to become followers on Pinterest.  This can lead users back to your website or your profile on Pinterest, increasing traffic to your site.
• Even if your website is not visual, you can still use Pinterest by pinning images related to your business and then edit the links to go to your website.  You can search for public domain images using wikimedia or flickr (especially images that are part of its commons collection).
• You could also add a guest board to your Pinterest page - thinking of a topic that your customers might like to contribute to.  Create a board on the topic and invite users to contact you. 
• Conduct a contest.

Check out the two titles listed above as well as a few of the new titles that we have on this social media product:

     

       

And don't forget to have a look at Toronto Public Library's Pinterest page!

 

Women-run Businesses in Canada

Recent data from Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey indicates a noticeable increase in women-run businesses in Canada.  An article entitled Canada sees spike in women-run businesses by the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service states that approximately 950,000 Canadian women were self-employed in 2011.  The number of self-employed women climbed by 23 per cent between 2001 and 2011.  In comparison, the number of self-employed men grew by 14 per cent.

According to TD Economics, forty-seven per cent of small and medium-sized businesses were entirely or partially owned by women in 2012. 

The Canadian Trade Commissioner Service's article highlights the view of two businesswomen about the opportunities and challenges of working in international business.  Both businesswomen suggest the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service can help female entrepreneurs by assisting with international market challenges and developing a network of local contacts. 

If you are a self-employed woman, learn how the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service and its Business Women in International Trade program can help you to grow your business.  Specifically, the program may help to:

• Facilitate access to information specific to women entrepreneurs, including: support networks, government resources, events, and services available to Canadian business women
• Partner for success with key stakeholders to leverage supplier diversity procurement opportunities with Fortune 500 companies through trade missions
• Provide targeted support, market intelligence and key contacts via the Trade Commissioner Service network, available in +150 embassies and consulates world-wide

The Toronto Public Library also has many resources that may help women in starting or running their own businesses. 

Business Inc., an eight-week business program being offered at the Toronto Public Library in partnership with the City of Toronto and the Toronto Business Development Centre, may be able to help you with starting a business as well as boosting your plans.  Please visit the Business Inc. page for details.

It is also recommended that you visit the library's recommended websites for Business, Finance and Economics.  Under the subcategory Small Business and Entrepreneurship, nine websites have been identified for Women and Business.

Here are a few of the numerous titles available at the Toronto Public Library that could be of assistance:  

For more titles, search the Toronto Public Library catalogue with the recommended subjects of businesswomen, self-employed women, and/or women-owned business enterprises.

Small Business Network meets March 12th, with Special Guest Veronique - Owner of Crêpes à GoGo

The Small Business Network's next meeting is Tuesday, March 12, 2013 from 6-7 p.m.

Our special guest is Veronique, owner of Crêpes à GoGo, a French crêperie.  Veronique will talk for fifteen minutes about her experiences on starting and running her business.  Afterwards, you will be able to ask her questions.  Then there will be lots of time to network!

The Small Business Network meets on the 3rd floor of the Toronto Reference Library.  See you then! 

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Are you thinking about starting your own business? The return of Business Inc.

 
Do you have a dream about starting your own business?  Then Business Inc, a program jointly sponsored by the Toronto Public Library, the Toronto Business Development Centre and the City of Toronto may be for you.  Orientation sessions are coming up.  Come and hear about the program and have your questions answered by Business Inc. instructors who will be offering the course at three locations.  Orientation sessions will be held at the following hosting TPL locations. 

• Northern District, orientation session is on Tuesday, March 5, 2013 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• Albion, orientation session is on Wednesday, March 6, 2013 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• Agincourt, orientation session is on Thursday March 7, 2013 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p,m.

Business Inc. is a 9 week business program offered at Toronto Public Library in partnership with the City of Toronto and the Toronto Business Development Centre which is an independent non profit, non government organization dedicated to nurturing the growth of new and emerging businesses. Upon completion of the program you will receive a Business Seminar Series Certificate of Completion and you'll be eligible to apply for a small business loan ranging from $5,000 - $30,000.

Each week different business modules are covered:

• Week 1 - Taking the leap to entrepreneurship
• Week 2 - Market research for your business
• Week 3 - Resources for researching your business
• Week 4 - Developing a powerful marketing strategy
• Week 5 - Creating an operating framework for success
• Week 6 - Building blocks for financial management
• Week 7 - Financing for business growth
• Week 8 - Making your pitch

The program costs $100 + HST per participant ($113), the value of the program is actually $700 - this program is generously supported by the Toronto Public Library Foundation. During the program you will have the opportunity to: prepare/update your business plan, access a business advisor and network with other entrepreneurs.

If you are planning on attending, you can register by e-mailing TBDC at BusInc@tbdc.com.  Questions? Phone TDBC at 416-345-9437.   Enrolment is limited to 20 participants per location and a valid Toronto Public Library card is required to participate.

Here are a few recent titles to get you inspired:

         

Come to the library - we can help!

 

 

If you are a young entrepreneur, read on.

The BDC (Business Development Bank of Canada) recently announced their Young Entrepreneur Award competition for 2013.  If you are an entrepreneur between the ages of 18 and 25 AND have reached a crossroad in your business AND have come up with a solution to put your business on a new track for success, then this competition is for you.  Grand prize is a cool $100,000 with a second prize of $25,000 in consulting services. 

For competition details and information on the application process, visit the BDC Young Entrepreneur Award  section of the website.  Application deadline is April 2, 2013. 

The library has many books that can help you with your start up business.  Check out some of these recent titles:

     

     

Good luck!

Small Business Network with Special Guest Verge - Owner of Dlish Cupcakes

The Small Business Network's next meeting is Tuesday, February 12, 2013 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Business, Science & Technology Dept. at the Toronto Reference Library.

Our special guest is Verge, Owner of Dlish Cupcakes.  He will be joining us to talk about his experiences starting and running his handcrafted gourmet cupcake business.  After his talk, there will be time for questions. 

  
The Small Business Network meets at the Business, Science & Technology Information Desk on the 3rd floor at the Toronto Reference Library.

See you then!