Businesslife

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FAMILY BIZ 56 | MAXI MOVES 58 | SMART 62 worklife

MEET THE MOVERS, SHAKERS AND BUSINESS MAKERS

WORKLIFE | COLUMN

businesslife

WITH REBECCA NIELSEN

Airdrie business owners: master adapters

“Airdrie business professionals are stepping up and supporting local entrepreneurs with the desire to give them the extra boost that they need during a very uncertain time”

COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic over a year ago and life still hasn’t returned to normal. Again and again over this last year we have been asked to do things differently; from changing the way that we interact with friends and family, to evolving work environments, to managing children who have transitioned back and forth between online and in-school learning. Our ability to adapt has been proven repeatedly and no one has done a better job of showing up for this challenge than our amazing Airdrie business owners.

The knowledge that Airdrie entrepreneurs have had to re-invent the way that they do business was one of the key drivers behind the development of the Right for Your Business Voucher Program.

Launched in February 2021, the program offers Airdrie business owners who have been negatively impacted by COVID-19 a voucher to access local professionals who can help them with advice or expertise to navigate the new directions their businesses have taken. Entrepreneurs know their businesses inside and out and can tell us where they need extra support.

The program has given me the opportunity to have conversations with many Airdrie entrepreneurs who have openly shared their current business situation and their hopes and dreams for the future. Airdrie entrepreneurs are a resilient and inspiring bunch! No matter how difficult the pandemic has been for this group, their focus has been on the future and how they can use their voucher to set themselves up for success.

So, what have Airdrie businesses told us they need? The top voucher requests have been for marketing advice to increase awareness, social media training and web development support.

This initiative has also given us the opportunity to learn more about our Airdrie business professionals and to share their expertise with the local business community. Airdrie is a community that supports its own and this program is a perfect example of this principle in action. Business professionals are stepping up and supporting local entrepreneurs with the desire to give them the extra boost that they need during a very uncertain time. We truly are better together, and these connections are creating a brighter future for our city.

The Right for Your Business Voucher Program continues to accept applications. Eligible Airdrie-based businesses can apply online at airdrie.ca/rightforbusiness

The winds of change are blowing again, but as summer arrives there is renewed hope that the end is in sight. Until then, Dolly Parton’s words will serve as a reminder that we can and will continue to adapt: We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails. life