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This Month at SBBC

November Highlights at SBBC

While some are slowing down in anticipation of the holidays, we are working hard to support your business growth this season.

Check out Small Business BC’s resources for Growing a Business. You can connect with an expert business advisor and access personalized market research services to create a blueprint for your business’s next phase.

This month, you can continue your business education with SBBC. Our upcoming live education event AI Automation Made Simple will show you ways to leverage AI tools to give you more time back and Foundations of Digital Marketing Success: Review, Plan, & Execute is a great review for how to get your business in front of more customers.

With the holidays approaching, now’s the time to connect with your favourite small business or discover a new one to shop from and support this holiday season. To help you get started, meet Small Business BC Award Winners and Finalists or shop from some of the SBBC team’s favourite small businesses.

Here are all the educational highlights for November at SBBC:

Education in November


Start Smart: Basics of Starting a Business

Session 1 – Wednesday, November 6, from 10 am to 12:30 pm – Hybrid *
Session 2 – Wednesday, November 13, from 12 pm to 1:45 pm – Virtual only
Price: $49

*Registrants have the choice to join online or in-person at SBBC’s Vancouver office.

Ready to turn your great idea into a business? Our Start Smart Package delivers the basics you need to get started on the road to success. This two-part series covers basics like business structures, how to register a business, employee standards, and how to ensure your start-up is tax compliant.

This package includes two live sessions and access to our Steps to Starting a Business in BC e-course.

What Will I Learn?

  • Resources needed during the start-up phase
  • Understanding the business registration process
  • Basic requirements of starting a business
  • Basics of WorkSafeBC and your responsibilities as an employer
  • Tax compliance and how to handle BC provincial sales tax (PST)

AI Automation Made Simple

Wednesday, November 20, from 10 am to 11 am
Price: $10

If there’s one thing small business owners can agree on, it’s the need for more time to work on their business. Rather than pulling extra hours, lean on artificial intelligence to automate some of your daily tasks. This webinar offers the perfect place to start.

Join Thomas Mouquot and discover the many AI tools available to help streamline your business operations and save you time. Learn about practical solutions for common repetitive tasks, how AI can enhance the customer experience, and even improve your ability to make data-based decisions.

There’s no extensive tech expertise required, Thomas will walk you through the basics of AI automation, introduce key tools you can implement, and share real-world examples of efficiencies you can take advantage of. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to optimize your current processes, this session will provide actionable insights specifically tailored for small business owners.

What Will I Learn?

  • Understanding the basics of AI automation
  • Key AI tools you can implement in your business
  • 3 examples of implementations you can follow
  • Marketing and sales automation strategies

Creating Neuroinclusive Workplaces

Thursday, November 21, from 1 pm to 1:45 pm
Price: Free

By embracing neurodiversity in the workplace, you can create an inclusive and productive environment where neurodivergent individuals can shine and bring their whole selves to work.

This webinar will draw on research, trends, and current practices centred on the IDEA (Inclusion Diversity Equity Accessibility) framework. You will learn what neurodiversity means, why it can be valuable to your business, and how to harness and support neurodivergent talent on your team.

Facilitator Wanda Deschamps, Founder of Liberty Co, will also share how her undiagnosed autism led to many misunderstandings in the workplace. Her personal history serves as a lens into the challenges that can occur when someone is not diagnosed and what the differences are after they have a diagnosis and the proper support.

Register for this free webinar and start becoming a more neuroinclusive small business.

Accessibility Accommodations Provided

If you require accessibility accommodations for this particular webinar, please email us at [email protected] and we will respond to your email and provide options to support your request.

What Will I Learn?

  • A working definition of neurodiversity
  • How to find opportunities to help build neuroinclusive workplaces
  • Identify practices designed for neurodivergent talent
  • How inclusive leadership leads to improved organizational culture
  • The positive impacts of the growing neurodiversity movement

Foundations of Digital Marketing Success: Review, Plan, & Execute

Tuesday, November 26, from 11 am to 12:30 pm
Price: Free

The key to business growth lies in continuously attracting, engaging, and nurturing your customer base.
Join Dave Charest, Constant Contact’s Director of Small Business Success, to unravel the mystery behind online marketing and discover a simple and adaptable framework that’ll become your strategic compass for digital growth.

Even though the rapid evolution of the online landscape can seem daunting and ambiguous, this webinar will help you chart a course for future growth by mapping your marketing strategy to your business objectives.

In the review stage, you’ll make sure you’re focused on the right tools and approaches to increase the word of mouth that drives your business growth. In the plan phase, you will dive into the world of realistic, attainable goal setting. In the execute phase, you’ll learn actionable steps to check marketing to-dos off your list, achieve measurable results, and use technology to elevate your productivity.

Whether you’re taking your first steps into online marketing, seeking validation of your existing strategies, or hunting for proven ideas to ensure your success – prepare to lay a solid foundation for your online marketing efforts and propel your business to new heights.

What Will I Learn?

  • Tools and approaches for increasing word-of-mouth marketing
  • How to set realistic and measurable marketing goals
  • How to use technology to improve marketing productivity

Social Media for Small Business

Thursday, November 28, from 10 am to 12 pm
Price: $29

While it’s amazing for catching up with old friends, social media can also be a huge driver of traffic and attention to your small business. And just because you know what social media is, does not mean you necessarily understand how to use social media to grow and develop your business.

Mhairi Petrovic, Out-Smarts Marketing, will help you understand social media for small business, what it is and how it connects people.

NOTE: This session is hybrid. Registrants have the choice to join virtually or in-person.

What Will I Learn?

  • The different social media platforms and their suitability for your business
  • How/if social media should be an important part of your marketing strategy
  • Understand the opportunities available to you
  • How to leverage social media for business growth
  • Using social media for prospecting new clients

How to Sell Without Selling

Friday, November 29, from 10 am to 11 am
Price: $10

Entrepreneurs rely on a variety of skills to start and succeed in business. However, it’s not uncommon for entrepreneurs to launch a business and realize their sales skills are not as polished as they need to be. Nothing happens in business until a sale is made, and if you dread the thought of selling, then join us for our How to Sell without Selling webinar.

This one-hour workshop will teach you how to use consent-based sales strategies so you can start selling confidently. You will learn how to get prospective customers into your sales pipeline, perfect effortless sales calls, and learn about marketing and visibility strategies to get your business in front of customers quickly and at no cost.

What Will I Learn?

  • How to map your unique sales pipeline
  • Which marketing efforts make sense for your business model
  • How to get your business in front of customers who are already looking for you
  • How to take the pressure off to rush sales
  • How to complete a “sales-free” sales call

Other Useful Resources

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Financing and Grants

Confused what financing options are available for your small business? Looking for grants you can apply for? Visit our Financing and Grants page to start untangling the knot.

Learn More
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Starting a Business

Whether you’ve spotted a gap in the market, or you want to turn that side hustle into something longer term, our start-up resources are the perfect place to begin.

 

Learn More
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Growing Your Business Online

Step into the e-commerce space and grow your business online. Discover the grants, resources and expertise you need to step up your digital game.

Learn More
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Room Rentals

Small Business BC offers convenient and affordable meeting room rental spaces at our Vancouver office located near City Hall. We have a variety of light-filled spaces to rent, ranging from large boardroom flex spaces to welcoming meeting rooms.

Learn More

We respectfully acknowledge our place of work is within the ancestral, traditional and unceded territories of the Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaʔɬ/sel̓ílwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and that we serve the Peoples of the many Nations throughout British Columbia.