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Fall workshops for small business owners
Friday September 5 2008
 
The fall is always an exciting time in the Orangeville & Area Small Business Enterprise Centre as we prepare to launch our latest workshop series and also welcome both new and existing small business owners to the wonderful learning and networking opportunities that these events bring.
This season, the SBEC will host its sixth annual Bridges to Better Business event on Nov. 6. This popular lunch and half-day of seminars will provide a “Focus on Customer Service” and feature a keynote address by Brian Wolfenden, director of national and corporate accounts for WestJet.  Other exciting events to come include:
Business & the Law (Part 1) —Wednesday, Sept. 17, 6:30 p.m.
Join us for the first of a three-part series presented by Carters Professional Corporation exploring various legal aspects of conducting business. In this session, two very relevant business topics will be covered:
i) Legal Duties of Directors and Officers: Liability risks for directors and officers of business corporations can arise at common law and by statute. A director or officer can be held personally liable for his or her own actions or inactions, as well as jointly and severally with other directors or officers. This seminar will explain the common law as well as the statutory duties and liabilities faced by directors or officers of business corporations.
ii) Protecting Assets: Starting and running a business can leave business owners exposed to personal liability, either through guarantees, being a director or officer, or through the infusion of funds into the business. This seminar will discuss several ways in which a business owner can limit his or her exposure to personal liability.

PST & GST joint seminar — Tuesday, Sept. 30, 1 p.m.
Back by popular demand, this seminar is led by representatives from the Ontario Ministry of Finance and Canada Revenue Agency. The session is free and will provide an overview of the provincial sales tax (PST) and the goods and services tax (GST) for small- and medium-sized businesses. The seminar will show you how the taxes work, help you to understand the similarities and differences between PST and GST, clarify your responsibilities for collecting and remitting the two taxes, explain tax credits and overpayments and answer your questions.

Starting a Small Business — Wednesday, Oct. 8, 9 a.m.
In this practical start-up session, participants will learn about what is involved in starting a small business in Ontario and why a business plan is so important. The session will answer many start-up questions and provide participants with the tools needed to begin working on their own roadmaps to success.

Developing Sales Skills/Prospecting — Wednesday, Oct. 15, 9 a.m.
Led by Cathy Perennec McLean of MotivAction Resource Group, this workshop will help entrepreneurs to learn about effective sales strategies and skills shared by successful entrepreneurs. Find out what’s involved in “smart selling” — the selling process of creating and following a system, understanding your customers and prospects, making the calls, building strong trusting customer relationships and planning for sales success.

Business & the Law (Part 2) — Wednesday, Oct. 22, 6:30 p.m.
The second set of legal seminars delivered by Carters Professional Corporation will focus on specific topics of interest to small business owners:
i) Negotiating a Lease: Leasing a commercial unit is filled with pitfalls for both the landlord and the tenant. Boilerplate leases are not sufficient for addressing today’s multi-faceted businesses. A tenant’s failure to properly address certain key elements in the commercial lease may result in significant liability down the road. This session will discuss some of the key lease provisions that should be considered when negotiating a commercial lease.
ii) Privacy: There are over 20 different privacy legislations in Canada. How do you determine which federal or provincial privacy legislation applies to your business?  This seminar will help you find your way through the privacy maze and provide a list of top 10 privacy “do’s and don’ts”.

Business & the Law (Part 3) — Wednesday, November 19, 6:30 p.m.
The Business & the Law series will wrap up with two very significant issues faced by small business owners. Carters Professional Corporation will provide an overview of two very key topics that any business owners who have, or are considering hiring, staff should attend:
i) Employment Law Issues: Business employers are required to understand and comply with numerous employment law issues that can be complicated and challenging to implement. This seminar will assist employers, as well as their employees, understand the essentials of employment law.
ii) Employee Safety & Workplace Injury: Every business with employees facing the possibility of work-related injury needs to be aware of the law relating to employee safety and workplace injury.  This seminar will provide an overview of some of the key issues.

Seminars and workshops offered by the SBEC office are delivered in a variety of locations. For more detailed information, or to register for any of these wonderful learning opportunities, including Bridges to Better Business, please contact the SBEC directly at 519-941-0440 Ext 286.

Ruth Phillips is the Coordinator of the Orangeville & Area Small Business Enterprise Centre (SBEC). She can be reached at rphillips@orangeville.ca or by calling 519-941-0440 Ext. 291. The SBEC provides entrepreneurs with one-stop services from start-up through the crucial first years of growth.