BizLaunch blog on the move

We are moving the BizLaunch Blog to a new and improved home.

You can now find us at http://blog.bizlaunch.ca

Best regards

The BizLaunch Team

10 Things You Should Do If You Plan To Buy An Existing Business

1. Get professional advice from a business advisor, accountant and lawyer
2. Check that you are paying a fair price. Sellers often over-value a business. If possible, try to get the seller to finance part of the selling price
3. Find out what lease is available on the premises
4. Try to find out the "real" reason the owner is selling the business
5. Check out the financials. If the figures look to good to be true, they probably are
6. Do proper research on your competitors, location etc.
7. Don't believe everything the seller or business broker says. Remember, they are in it to make as much money as possible
8. Run the business with the owner at least 1 month before you take over to confirm sales, profits etc.
9. Don't get to emotional about a business. Think with your head not your heart
10. Ask yourself the question. Will i still be happy in this business in 5 years?

How to Manage & Grow Your Business Online

Registration now open to Seating limited to first 100 people - register now!
Free Learn & Launch Event with Microsoft ® & BizLaunch

The business world is moving to the clouds as large and small companies put everything online. Can your business do more on the web?

In this seminar, you'll learn about the latest online tools to manage and market your growing small business. Explore cloud computing to see how your business can use it to increase sales, reduce costs, boost productivity and improve team communications. Plus, you'll learn how to build online communities of your customers, colleagues and suppliers with popular social media applications such as Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Flickr, Plaxo, Twitter and search engines.
Event highlights:

* Hear from the President of Microsoft ® Canada.
* Networking with local small business owners.
* Microsoft ® product demo. You will be one of the first small business owners in Canada to see a new product from Microsoft ®.
* Expert advice for your small business. After the seminar, connect with experts from Microsoft and BizLaunch to get answers to your small business questions.
* Complimentary breakfast will be served at 8 a.m.
* A free trial offer for a new Microsoft ® product.
* One lucky guest will win a Microsoft ® Zune™ Digital Media Player!
* Gift from Microsoft ®. You'll receive a beautiful leather card holder for your business cards or credit cards.

Breakfast at 8:00 a.m., Seminar from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m., Networking Reception & Microsoft Demonstrations from 10:00 to 11:15 a.m.

(Auditorium, Lower Concourse Level)

Sponsor: Microsoft
Venue:
Address: MaRS Centre, South Tower, 101 College Street, Toronto, ON

Click here to register: http://www.bizlaunch.ca/events.php?id=828

10 Important Personal Characteristics of Entrepreneurs

1. They are goal-orientated

2. They are committed to their business and work really hard to get the business up and running

3. They thrive on uncertainty

4. They continuously look for opportunities to improve

5. They are willing to take risks

6. They are willing to listen and learn

7. They have good people skills

8. They are creative and innovative

9. They have a positive attitude and approach

10. They never give up

By Andrew Patricio, www.BizLaunch.ca

10 Ways to Market Your Business

1. Project the right image by looking like a professional business. Have your logo, business cards, letter head, signage designed by an expert
2. Identify 10 benefits of doing business with you and use these in all your marketing material
3. Attend networking events regularly. Conferences, tradeshows, seminars
4. Develop a database of important contacts you regularly communicate with
5. Always treat customers like they are worth a million dollars to your business
6. Develop your own newsletter and send it out regularly
7. Create professional adverts ,brochures and fliers that attract your customers attention
8. Develop a simple easy to navigate website that helps you attract customers online and offline. Ensure it is properly marketed and optimized
9. Present free seminars for current and potential customers to show your expertise and market your services. Give to get
10. Use free social media to market your products and services. Facebook, Myspace, Youtube, Blogs, Twitter, Kijiji and Craigslist

Books Every Small Business Owner Should Read

1. Good to Great by Jim Collins Amazon Link
2. Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson Amazon Link
3. Duct Tape Marketing by John Jantsch Amazon Link
4. Guerrilla Marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson Amazon Link
5. A Passion for Excellence by Tom Peters, Thomas J Peters, Nancy Austin Amazon Link
6. E Myth by Michael Gerber Amazon Link
7. The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki Amazon Link
8. eBoot-Camp-Internet-Marketing-Techniques by Corey Perlman Amazon Link
9. How to Become a Rainmaker by Jeffrey Fox (I like all his books) Amazon Link
   
10. Get Everything You Can Out Of All You've Got by Jay Abraham Amazon Link
11. Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples Amazon Link
12. Getting Business to Come to You by Paul Edwards Amazon Link
13. 167 Tax Tips for Canadian Small Business by Stephen Thompson Amazon Link
14. 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferris Amazon Link
15. How to Get Rich by Felix Denis Amazon Link
16. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie Amazon Link
17. The Big Idea by Donny Deutsch Amazon Link
18. The Knack by Norm Brodsky and Bo Burlingham Amazon Link
19. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (I like Outliers too) Amazon Link
20. The 100 Best Business Books of All time Amazon Link
21. The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott Amazon Link
22. Everything I Need to Know About Business I Learned From a Canadian by Leonard Brody and David Raffa Amazon Link
23. Success Principles by Jack Canfield and Janet Switzer Amazon Link
24. Visionary Business by Marc Allen Amazon Link
25. Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath Amazon Link
    

Boot Camps for Technology Start-Ups

The Canadian Trade Commissioner is coordinating Boot camps for Technology Start-Ups featuring Silicon Valley experts and investors Thursday, March 19, Mars, Toronto http://www.tradecommissioner.gc.ca/eng/document.jsp?did=88783

Women's Business Networking Event

WHO: Creative Women's Entrepreneurial Alliance of Toronto

WHAT: Women's Business Networking Event

WHERE: Northern District Library, 40 Orchard View Blvd.(Yonge/Eglinton)

WHEN: Sunday, March 1, 2009, 2pm to 4:30pm

COST: $10 in advance ($12 at the door)

RSVP: www.torontocreatives.ca

FORMAT: 2-2:45 pm, mingling and registration; 2:45-3:45pm, Keynote and Q&A. 3:45pm-4:00pm, Thirty Seconds at the Mic; 4pm to 4:30pm, networking

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Along with providing a venue for women entrepreneurs to network with one another, this event is designed to educate small business owners about money-saving tax tips. Our keynote Sunny Widerman of Personal Tax Advisors not only makes taxes fun and easy to understand, she has a great story to tell about how she left precarious employment to start her own tax business for small business owners, and the success she has enjoyed ever since. Visit www.torontocreatives.ca to register online.

2009 DELL SMALL BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARD OFFERS SMALL BUSINESSES CHANCE TO WIN USD $50,000 IN TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

• Global USD $50,000 award offered by Dell in 13 countries
  
  
• Canadian national award offers chance to win CDN $25,000 in Dell solutions
  
  
• Dell, Endeavor, ICSB to Recognize Innovative Technology Use by Entrepreneurs Around the World
  

TORONTO, Feb. 4, 2009 -- Dell today called for entries for its global 2009 Dell Small Business Excellence Award* (www.dell.ca/ceaward). In its fifth year in Canada and second year globally, the award gives small businesses applying technology in innovative ways to better serve customers a chance at up to USD $50,000 in Dell solutions and a meeting with Dell Chairman and CEO Michael Dell.

The News:

• Dell today called for entries for the global 2009 Dell Small Business Excellence Award (www.dell.ca/ceaward). Small businesses that apply technology in innovative ways have a chance to win up to USD $50,000 in Dell solutions and a meeting with Michael Dell.
  
• Global award partners include the International Council for Small Business (ICSB), whose mission is to advance entrepreneurship through global knowledge sharing and networking, and Endeavor, a global non-profit supporting emerging market entrepreneurs.
  
• Call for entries for the fifth annual Canadian Dell Small Business Excellence Award start today with the first round of submissions due by Friday, April 3, 2009. Ten Canadian finalists will be announced in mid June and the Canadian national winner will be announced in September 2009.
  
• Countries participating in the Dell Small Business Excellence Award include Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, the
  United Kingdom, and the United States. For a description of the award criteria, rules, award levels, partners and judges and to complete an application, visit www.dell.ca/ceaward.
  
• Chosen from the 13 national winners, the global 2009 Small Business Excellence Award winner can receive:
  
  • USD $50,000 in technology and services from Dell, global recognition, lifetime membership to ICSB, and engagement with Endeavor's network of business leaders and high-impact entrepreneurs in emerging markets worldwide.
    
  • The Canadian national winner receives CDN $25,000 in Dell products and services; and a day of best-practice sharing with Dell executives, including Michael Dell.
    
  • Nine Canadian finalists receive a Dell business-class laptop.
    
    
• Entrants must be businesses with 100 or fewer employees, and each must show how it represents the spirit of innovation in applying IT in its business practices to improve the customer experience. Applications are accepted online and due by April 3, 2009. No purchase or entry fee is required.
  

Quotes:

• "We are grateful to Dell Canada for recognizing our business model and strategic use of technology, and for placing us on the global map with its prestigious Small Business Excellence Award," said Michael Mattalo, President, Fifth P Solutions, the 2008 Canadian Dell Small Business Excellence Award winner.
  

*No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Open to small businesses based in Canada with 100 or fewer employees. Additional entry restrictions apply in Canada. Please refer to the official rules at www.dell.ca/ceaward for additional terms and a full description of prizes. Entry period begins February 2 and ends April 3, 2009. Sponsored by Dell Inc., Endeavor and ICSB.

Additional Information:

http://www.dell.ca/ceaward

This year, expect to sell a little to a lot

With so many customers cutting back during this recession, small business owners must alter their sales strategies. There’s still plenty of money to be made during these tough times, but getting it will require a different approach.

To keep your sales climbing, follow these suggestions:

• Sell in smaller amounts. Nervous about big purchases, your customers will more likely say yes to lower-dollar commitments. That means you’ll be selling smaller deals to a larger number of customers, so free up your time to see as many prospects as possible.
• Sell more frequently. Because your customers are buying smaller amounts of what you sell, you’ll have to sell to them more often. Stay on top of their needs and schedule your next pitch sooner rather than later.
• Encourage trial. Help prospects to become customers by making it easy to try you out. Offer a free trial, hands-on demonstration or risk-free sample of what you sell. Create a really affordable taste of your business. Once they buy something, you can work to increase the amount of money each new customer spends with you.
• Be flexible with payments. Consumers and businesses alike are worried about cash flow this year. You’ll close more sales by presenting flexible payment terms and options such as delayed billing, installment payments or by accepting credit cards.

Small Business Expert Roger Pierce advises thousands of Canadian entrepreneurs in his company’s popular how-to seminars, found at www.BizLaunch.ca