All Blog Posts (277)

Quinte Women's Show

The Quinte Women’s Show Come and join us for a day of fun and pampering at Capers Brasserie Banquet Rooms, Downtown Belleville, Saturday November 14th 11:00 - 4:00 This is a ticket only event and tickets are going fast - so buy yours now to avoid disappointment ★ Mini-treatments ★ Demonstrations ★ Shopping ★ Guest Speakers ★ Lunch ★ Goodie Bag ★ Free parking ★ and lots more ★ Exhibitors include: Polish Day Spa & Salon, Live, Love & Laugh, The Leading Lady, Original Creations,… Continue

Added by Jane Toombes on October 31, 2009 at 2:01pm — No Comments

Canadian Small Business Grows in "Hotbed" Communities across Canada

Not only will the great majority of Canada's small businesses survive the recession, but as the recovery continues, many will be stronger than ever, according to a major study released today by BMO's Economics Department. The report, Canada's Small Business Juggernaut, by BMO Chief Economist, Dr. Sherry Cooper, assesses the strength of small business formations in communities across Canada; it identifies the small business Hotbeds among the country's 33 largest cities and measures small busines… Continue

Added by Chris Toombes on October 14, 2009 at 12:00pm — 2 Comments

Canadian private companies have had a reality check and are getting back to business basics

The PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Business Insights® Survey 2009 reveals that the majority of Canadian private companies have fared better over this past recessionary year than one might have expected and are well positioned for the future. Many private companies entered the recession well managed and capitalized, with minimal debt, and were able to weather a market correction. Nationally, 58% of respondents are planning for gr… Continue

Added by Chris Toombes on October 9, 2009 at 9:58am — No Comments

Despite recession, majority of Ontario's small business owners optimistic about 2010

Increased debt. Downsizing. Lost business. The recession took its toll on small business owners in Ontario. Yet, despite the fact that the majority of Ontario's small business owners were negatively affected by the recession, 55% are excited or optimistic about 2010, saying they believe it will be a good year for their business. These are the findings of the second annual TD Canada Trust Small Business Survey which was conducted to better understand the impact of the recession on small businesse… Continue

Added by Chris Toombes on October 8, 2009 at 9:44am — No Comments

13 Minutes

It’s no secret, the longest recession since the Great Depression has hit almost everyone hard. Business, government, individuals and families. Tens of thousands out of work, lost homes and bankruptcies. Where does it all end? Now what? There’s no shortage of blame to go around. Bad banking, speculators, big oil and lousy government just to name a few. The number of proposals on how to get out of this mess is just as staggering. Well, I’m going to suggest that the small business world step up and… Continue

Added by Sean Peacock on October 5, 2009 at 8:35pm — 1 Comment

Tax experts warn small businesses to prepare for the transition from PST to HST

As Small Business Week approaches, tax experts are warning businesses about the dramatic impact harmonized sales tax (HST) could have on them next summer and to start planning now. Stern Cohen LLP partner and 30-year tax veteran, Keith Rosen, has the following advice for all small businesses as Ontario moves from its provincial sales tax (PST) system to a harmonized provincial and federal system starting July 2010: Some are going to get it in the gut, so start planning. The "consumer" business… Continue

Added by Chris Toombes on September 23, 2009 at 7:09am — No Comments

Change Your Order

I used to have the attitude that Fate hated me. On a few occasions I even used those words, “Fate hates me.” When fate hears you say something like that, what do you suppose the response is? “If that’s what you want.” Whatever you say, that is how fate responds. Fate is not a dictator. It’s a messenger. It brings you what you ask for. So, be careful what you ask for. “Things never work out for me,” “I can never save any money,” “It’s impossible to meet people.” Fate always responds in the same w… Continue

Added by Lyle Merriam on September 17, 2009 at 10:58am — No Comments

Quinte Women's Show

Come and join us at the first annual Quinte Women’s Show to be held on Saturday 14th November 2009 at Capers Brasserie Banquet Rooms, 272 Front Street, Belleville, Ontario. You will enjoy: mini-treatments, demonstrations, shopping and guest speakers and lots more. Your ticket also includes lunch, a goodie bag and free parking. Guest tickets are $45 inc GST – book yours now to avoid disappointment by visiting our website at www.quintewomensshow.com. Please note that children under 18 will not… Continue

Added by Jane Toombes on September 16, 2009 at 10:31am — No Comments

New feature released

We’re excited to announce a new feature release is now live. The Status feature empowers you to share your activities with other members on the MBN and engage with people around those activities. Along with appearing on Profile pages in the Status box, status updates will also display in the Latest Activity feed on the Main Page and on the My Page of the member who posted the update. Continue

Added by Chris Toombes on September 9, 2009 at 7:30am — No Comments

What not to send by email

Email is a great time saver and the preferred method of communication in our fast-paced, high-tech age. But email is not always the best mode of communication. Here are five things that you should not send by email. 1. Time-sensitive information. Email is not necessarily received or opened as quickly as it is sent. If you are communicating urgent information, use the telephone. 2. Confidential information. You never know where your email may end up. If you don’t want the information forwarded… Continue

Added by Janet Marks on September 8, 2009 at 6:30am — No Comments

Twitter 101 for small business

Every day, millions of people use Twitter to create, discover and share ideas with others. Now, people are turning to Twitter as an effective way to reach out to businesses, too. From local stores to big brands, and from brick-and-mortar to internet-based or service sector, people are finding great value in the connections they make with businesses on Twitter. Twitter is a communications platform that helps businesses and their customers do a number of useful things. As a business, you can use… Continue

Added by Chris Toombes on August 27, 2009 at 10:12am — No Comments

MY 5 FAVOURITE ORGANIZING SOURCES

My 5 Favourite Organizing Sources There are hundreds of organizing products on the market. Here are five places that I visit over and over in my work with clients and for my own home organization. Tools, gadgets, and supplies won’t get you organized, but they can contribute to an effective organizing system. Ikea Ikea is home to some of the best and most reasonably priced storage solutions. If there’s not a store near you, many items are available online. Label It Now Storage Bin Solutions The… Continue

Added by Janet Marks on August 24, 2009 at 10:19am — No Comments

Comparing Apples to ...Houses?

A home is a much more important purchase than a few apples, but the buying process isn't all that different. When buyers shop for apples, they first search for available choices with the charcteristics they want. If they want to make apple pie, they might decide to look for Granny Smiths. When they find a bin of them at the store they will start looking closely at individual apples to make sure they select the best. They usually pick them up and turn them over to see all sides and maybe even giv… Continue

Added by Martha Stanton-Smith on August 19, 2009 at 12:42pm — 2 Comments

SCHOOL - BACK TO THE GRINDSTONE!

The back-to-school season brings excitement and anxiety to students – and joy and relief to parents. If you’re a parent, you are probably looking forward to the freedom of an empty house, even if it’s only for a few hours a day. If you’re a college co-ed, fall brings freedom of a different kind, as you head out into the world on your own. For all concerned, there are a few things that need to be addressed to ensure a smooth transition to the new school year: • Try on last year’s school clothes… Continue

Added by Janet Marks on August 10, 2009 at 7:00am — No Comments

summer living and the market is.....

Wow its here we think the weather has not been exactly summerfull but we should see some heat soon . The market is heating up as well as the debate over if this is really a recovery or just a blip in the dip . There are many schools of thought as to what is going on or going to happen but if any one says they know they're wrong. To get an idea of the many different trains of thought check out all the experts and their ideas at the company web sites InvescoTrimark has a great site with lots of ma… Continue

Added by Heather Lang on July 20, 2009 at 2:37pm — No Comments

You KNEW it was going to happen!

Technology can be a marvelous thing. We can do things faster, smarter, global, etc. Yet, I have been advising people to be cautious. You may have heard me talk about the 5 forms of Identity Theft and how one of the most fearful and quickly growing one is Medical Identity Theft. Now, news of the first and I do mean first, breach of an electronic medical data base. Close to 11,000 people may have had their information compromised. So what could this mean for them and you? You don't have to worry… Continue

Added by Sean Peacock on July 10, 2009 at 6:03pm — No Comments

Maybe it’s about time you started thinking like a customer!

This might strike you as a bit odd but It's about time you started thinking like a customer. I bet that when you first became a business owner, you started acting like a completely different person, at last as far as your way of thinking was concerned. It’s a fact that creating and developing your own business mindset can seem like a daunting task especially in the early days of a business start-up, but it's not as difficult as it sounds. You don't need a degree in business studies to understand… Continue

Added by Chris Toombes on July 9, 2009 at 11:47pm — No Comments

Tips for yor business website

This was written for VA's but useful for all business websites: This evening I was delivered a news item through the Virtual Assistant group on Linked In. The post talked about 5 Items You Must Include on Your Virtual Assistant Website . I was intrigued because I have to say 85% of the virtual assistant websites I land on result in an immediate ‘No’. The original post written by… Continue

Added by Karrine (Kay) McFarlane on July 3, 2009 at 12:01am — No Comments

Small businesses using social media must provide value

Social Media Marketing can and does help many small businesses indirectly by increasing client/customer relationships. Understanding that social media marketing serves users for communication, collaboration, and entertainment is the first step to considering how to strategically implement the multitude of social media marketing tools and choose the ones that work best for your unique organization. The key thing that small businesses need to remember when using social media is that it must provi… Continue

Added by Chris Toombes on July 2, 2009 at 9:23am — No Comments

Making connections is a combination of knowing what you want and who you want it with.

If you don't know what you want, you'll probably never get it! That truth seems pretty simple on the surface, but think of the people you know that are undecided as to a career choice. Most are miserable, they endlessly go from interview to interview with no real passion or drive. In fact they just wallow.... It's the same with people and connections. If you don't know who you want to connect with -- the right connections, or the best connections, will probably never happen. So ask yourself the… Continue

Added by Chris Toombes on June 30, 2009 at 11:30am — No Comments