Category: Advice
Top trends affecting SMBs in 2023 – Part 2
Small businesses face a unique set of challenges in 2023 when it comes to staying ahead of emerging trends. With limited resources and a constantly evolving marketplace, it can be difficult to know where to focus your efforts. However, staying on top of the latest trends can be crucial to the success of your small…
Top trends affecting SMBs in 2023 – Part 1
Over the past few years, small businesses have faced an enormous set of challenges, undergone an incredible amount of change, and have had to practice adaptability to new emerging trends. Unfortunately, there’s no reason to believe this will subside anytime soon, as the Canadian economy is set to face a mild recession. Still, small and…
Valentine’s Day: A Holiday for SMBs
While it has evolved over the years, Valentine’s Day still holds a special place in hearts across the globe. For small businesses, it’s mostly seen as a great opportunity to boost sales. In fact, over the last 5 years, Canadians spent an estimated 3 billion dollars on February 14th. Whether it’s through creative marketing campaigns,…
Understanding personal & business credit
When it comes to managing your finances, understanding the difference between personal and business credit can help you make informed decisions about your business and ensure that you are making the best use of your resources. Good personal and business credit scores are vital for any small business owner to access the financing they need.…
A small business guide to podcasts
It seems like everyone is starting their own podcast these days. They’ve gone from a niche market to mainstream in only a matter of years – and with good reason. As of January 2023, there are over 5 million podcasts with over 70 million episodes between them. Canadians are giant consumers of podcasts, with more…
Leveraging artificial intelligence for your SMB
Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’ve probably heard about the newest Artificial Intelligence viral sensation, ChatGPT. Created by a company called OpenAI, this software was designed to generate humanlike responses to a wide range of questions. Unlike humans, ChatGPT has all the world’s knowledge. It can write essays, poems, scripts, or even translate…
Small business checklist – Planning for 2023
For most small business owners, this time of the year is dedicated to getting ready for the Holiday rush and ending things on a strong note. However, it’s important to plan for what’s to come. After all, 2023 is just a few weeks away. Having a small business checklist at your disposal gives you a…
Building a business for Generation Z
With most of Generation Z now in their late teens and early twenties, a new wave of consumers, employees and proprietors is emerging. According to a survey from RBC, challenging economic conditions have strengthened the desire for entrepreneurship in Canada, especially among younger people. Known as a tech-savvy generation, Gen Zers are leading the way…
Recession-proof your small business
Is Canada currently in a recession? Although some small businesses have seen a pullback in sales, technically speaking, we aren’t in a recession just yet. And in most cases, we don’t know we’re in a recession until it’s over. A new study from RBC suggest that a recession is almost inevitable, and we could see…
Black Friday for small businesses – Should you care?
Holiday sales events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday are incredibly important for all businesses across Canada. But, let’s not forget about Small Business (November 26), which is conveniently nestled between both and was created with SMBs in mind. Every year, Canadians gear up for these peak days of shopping on and offline. We’re here…
Small Business Week: Tell us your story
Small Business Week is finally here! Although it’s a great opportunity for education and networking, more importantly, it’s a time of celebration. This year, we’re taking the opportunity to celebrate Small Business Week by highlighting some of our favorite small business success stories. Hear from six small business owners who started their businesses from scratch…
Small Business Week: How to get involved
Small Business Week is right around the corner, but what does this mean for Canadian small business owners? For the past 43 years, BDC has organized an annual celebration of small businesses where entrepreneurs gather to learn, network and celebrate what it means to be a small business owner in Canada. From October 16th to…
Update: How rising rates impact your SMB
The current high interest rate environment is taking a toll on both consumers and small businesses alike. In March of 2020, borrowing rates in Canada were lowered to nearly zero and despite Covid restrictions, low-cost money starting flowing into SMBs. Fast forward two years later, inflation reached a 39-year high of 8.1% in June of 2022. To…
Canadian small businesses in 2022: Facts and trends
Canadians love small businesses – and with good reason. The numbers speak for themselves, as of late 2021, about 98.1% of Canadian businesses were considered small (i.e., fewer than 100 employees). They employed 10.3 million individuals in total, accounting for 63.8% of the Canadian labor force, and produced over 40% of the total value of…
Assessing the financial health of your SMB
With talks of a recession on the horizon, is your small business in a position to succeed regardless of what the future has in store? Understanding and monitoring the current state of your business’s financial health is key to navigating an economic downturn. But when it comes to assessing your financial health, the influx of…