CanadianSME Small Business Magazine September Edition

ISSUE NO. 34 SEPTEMBER 2021

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HOW TECHNOLOGY CAN BOOST YOUR SMALL BUSINESS

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Our September issue is officially here and we are very excited about all the great content we have included in this month’s issue! We strive to be Canada’s top magazine in providing exclusive insights, strategies, and advice to small business owners and entrepreneurs. Our mission is to include the best of the inclusive interviews and top business insights from reputable industry experts.

Our team works very hard in delivering the most valuable content to our readers to ensure that you stay up to date on all the latest business trends.

Empowering small and medium-sized businesses is our prime goal.

This month, CanadianSME is focused on Innovation & Technology in Canada, AI, Future tech trends, and Small Business Technology. In today’s digital era, people are constantly engaged by one form of technology or the other.

Technological advancements influence all industries. Companies of all sizes must embrace technology to thrive in modern business. Learn eight ways technology can boost the success of your small business in this feature. We are featuring exclusive content from Advanced Analytics and Research Lab, read “ Analytics in Your Own Life: Analytical Approaches to Measure, Learn and Improve Yourself?”. Read AWS’s exclusive article to learn “How Small and Mid-sized Canadian Retailers are Innovating with the Cloud? Is government funding part of your business strategy? If not, it should be, learn more by reading Ayming’s “Accessing Government Funding for Your Company’s Profitability. We also included exclusive interviews with Andrew Graham, VP of Virtual Sales, Ricoh Canada “Do you have the right tools to turn to an all virtual sales team”, “An All-In Guide to a 100% Remote Company” with George Shchegolev, VP of Operations at Route4Me “Small Business is the Heart and Soul of the Global Economy” ” by Craig Walker ,Founding CTO and EGM Product - Payment & Billing Solutions, Xero, and get inspired by Jonathan Ferrari, Chairman & CEO at Goodfood by reading how “How I Turned My Small Business into a Successful Billion-Dollar Brand”.

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Publisher Shaik Khaleeluddin (SK) Consulting Editor Shiraz Siddique Creative Designer Rakibul Islam Client Manager Maheen Bari Social Media Cmarketing Inc Sales Abdul Sultan Shaik

We, at CanadianSME, believe in recognizing the efforts of these small business owners and provide entrepreneurs with a platform where they can meet their peers and share their stories. Especially since enduring the past 18 months.

We are extremely excited to introduce and welcome you to the SME Summit 2021. An exclusive two-day event for small business owners.

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Yes, times are hard but we will always be better together. Take this invitation as we all join together to get to the other side. You can register at SMEsummit.ca or contact info@canadiansme.ca and find out how we can generate greater exposure for you, your brand and your business!

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We, at CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, understand that during this reopening phase after pure chaos, small and medium-sized businesses need more support than ever before. These articles provide insights into the tools and resources available and future tech trends to keep top-of-mind this year.

We hope that this month’s issue will help give you the knowledge and information you need to stay ahead in the market.

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Until next month, happy reading!

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IN THIS ISSUE CanadianSME small business magazine

20 30 Do you have the Right Tools to turn to an all-virtual sales team?

39 Grey Jay Sales & Distribution Ltd. is bringing the faces and families behind homegrown, local brands to consumers across ontario

32

By Women, For Women: The Inspiring Tale of Devon Fiddler, Founder SheNative Inc.

Digital Brokerage Dundas Life

36 I turned my Small Business into a Successful Billion-Dollar Brand

IN THIS ISSUE CanadianSME small business magazine

17 How Small and Mid-sized Canadian Retailers are Innovating with the Cloud

52 Small Businesses are the heart and soul of the global economy

34 25 How Accounting can be faster and easier for your business

Is War the End? Not for Leena Yousefi, the Founder of YLaw

44 South Etobicoke coding centre reintroduces itself to the community with grand reopening event

Contributors

Andrew Graham

Vice President Virtual Sales, Ricoh Canada

Christina Ross

President and Marketing Director at Silver Frog Marketing

Kevin Rizer

Brian Clare

Entrepreneur | Speaker | Author of Always Wear Pants

Craig Walker

Founder and CEO of Blueprint Accounting

Founding CTO and EGM Product Payment & Billing Solutions, Xero

Mark Goulston Keynote Speaker, Executive Coach

Leena Yousefi Founder of YLaw

Mostafa Sayyadi

Management Consultant | Business & Technology journalist

Jonathan Ferrari Chairman & CEO at Goodfood

Gregory Rozdeba

Co-founder and President of Dundas Life

Devon Fiddler Founder, SheNative Inc.

Sapan Jot

Etobicoke-based Franchisee of Code Ninjas South Etobicoke

Jordan Ender

Vice President Operations, Grey Jay Sales & Distribution

Diana Hendel, PharmD

Leadership Coach & Consultant, Former hospital CEO, Author of "Responsible"

NEWS

Sir Richard Branson to Share Welcoming Remarks at Canadian Chamber of Commerce Executive Summit Sir Richard Branson’s leadership in space exploration is something Canadian business can learn from as we enter this golden age of aerospace,” said Canadian Chamber of Commerce President & CEO, Perrin Beatty. “We are delighted to welcome him to the stage of our executive summit as he shares his invaluable experience and infectious energy. Branson has elevated Virgin to one of the world’s most recognized and respected brands. The Virgin Group has expanded into many diverse sectors from travel to telecommunications, health to banking and music to leisure.

Alberta and Saskatchewan securities regulators adopt new small business financing prospectus exemption The Alberta Securities Commission (ASC) and the Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan (FCAA) today adopted a new prospectus exemption designed to facilitate greater access to capital for Alberta and Saskatchewan businesses. “This exemption joins the self-certified investor prospectus exemption adopted in March 2021, and is the next step in our broader efforts to support innovation and diversification in our provinces,” said Stan Magidson, Chair and CEO of the ASC. “This initiative is intended to address challenges faced by small and early-stage businesses in accessing capital, while still addressing investor protection,” added Roger Sobotkiewicz, Chair, and CEO of the FCAA.

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10 Ways to Build Resilience for September’s Self-Improvement Month With September designated as “National Self-Improvement Month,” bestselling author and global CEO offers 10 ways to build resilience.

Research shows more than 55 percent of employers see resilience as a key skill for workers today. Most successful people are those with the most resilience. “I define resilience as the ability to bend in the face of a challenge, to bounce back and to continue moving no matter what life throws at you,” said Kevin Guest, chairman and CEO of USANA Health Sciences (NYSE: USNA), and a global advocate for resilience. “We have seen that a resilient team of employees is more motivated, can deal with change better and show more presenteeism rather than absenteeism.”

Small businesses have not made a dent in their average debt, and face continuing uncertainty around a fourth wave While the overall small business debt load due to COVID-19 has remained stable over the past six months, the actual repayment of this debt will be the next big obstacle that small businesses will face, especially as many are still seeing a slow pick-up in revenues, capacity restrictions and uncertainty heading into the fall and winter months” said Corinne Pohlmann, Senior Vice-President of National Affairs at CFIB. In total, CFIB estimates that small businesses in Canada now owe a collective $139 billion due to COVID-19, a slight increase from the estimated $135 billion in February of this year.

Making Background Checks Easy for Small Business with Certn Lime Certn, a British Columbia-based leader in background screening solutions, today announced the general availability of Certn Lime, an effortless self-service background check offering for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Certn Lime is available in Canada and the U.S. in a pay-as-you-go format. SMBs comprise over 98% of businesses in North America alone, according to data from the U.S. Small Business Administration and ISED Canada. For small businesses, it can be tempting to skip background checks to save money or time, but this can have detrimental impacts.

Background checks can also help ensure the quality of your hires and improve employee retention.

NEWS

Access to Immigration, Capital, and Trade Essential for Ontario Business Recovery: Ontario Chamber of Commerce Ontario Chamber of Commerce Releases First Pillar of their ‘Ontario Business Matters’ Federal Flection Campaign on Business Competitiveness and Workforce Recovery. Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) and Ontario Chamber Network called on all political parties to take bold action to strengthen business competitiveness as the economy continues to reopen and recover. In its Ontario Business Matters federal election platform, the OCC underscores that longstanding issues – including barriers to interprovincial trade, relatively low immigration quotas, financing challenges, and infrastructure gaps – must be addressed to strengthen Canada’s long-term resilience and recovery.

Nearly two-thirds of small- and medium-sized Canadian businesses are planning to make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for their employees, finds a recent KPMG in Canada survey With so many different approaches across the country, Canadian companies are seeking legal guidance and advice on vaccination policies for their workplaces,” says Mr. Keith. “While some workplaces have taken steps to make proof of vaccination mandatory, others feel that unless mandated by the government, it may be too onerous for them to make it a condition of continued employment. Overall, employers need to balance their health and safety legal duties with an employee’s privacy interests and human rights law protections.

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CPA Canada and Canada Life launch free virtual financial literacy program The pandemic’s impact confirms the urgency of teaching financial literacy and implementing a range of remote learning opportunities,” said Doretta Thompson, CPA Canada’s financial literacy leader.

“Many parents and teachers are educating their kids about personal finance at home or virtually and need additional materials and support. These six workshops are the CPA profession’s targeted response to that need. CPA Canada has been offering in-person workshops conducted by financial literacy volunteers for many years and we plan to ramp that aspect of the program back up as the need for social distancing drops,” said Thompson. “But we know remote learning will continue to grow in importance so these workshops offer options that can be used by parents, teachers and young people at any time and from any place with internet access.

Tips for Onboarding New Recruits Post Pandemic in the Hybrid Workplace PEO Leadership, a firm offering executive leadership support, offers tips to help create a successful onboarding process As the economy heats up and companies accelerate plans for a new hybrid workplace, business leaders are focusing their efforts on employee retention and top talent recruitment to ensure their organizations continue to succeed. In fact, a July 2021 Global Study done by McKinsey & Co., states that 26% of workers in the US are already preparing to look for new employment opportunities and 40% of workers globally are considering leaving their current employers by the end of the year.

Top Five Expectations of Canadian Business Travellers in 2021 Nearly nine in 10 Canadian business travellers are ready to resume travel in the next 12 months (89 per cent) and get back to what they do best, including three in five who are very willing (59 per cent).

This is driven by travellers’ belief that they will suffer if their company does not increase business travel in the next year. However, to feel comfortable, they expect increased flexibility, marking changes in how they travel and do business. In fact, Canadian travellers are looking to mix time in the air with time off. A surprising 92 per cent plan to add leisure travel to their business trips in the next 12 months.

In fact, 50 per cent say they’ll do so a quarter or more of the time (compared to 38 per cent globally).

HOW TECHNOLOGY CAN BOOST YOUR SMALL BUSINESS

Running a small business can be one of the most rewarding jobs in the world. The progress made from the initial inception of the business idea to the actual company launch is a successful journey in itself.

Long-term accomplishments are, however, significantly more difficult to achieve than short-term ones.

Unfortunately, a large number of small businesses fail. In fact, around 20% of start-ups fail within a year and 50% don’t make it past five years. These damning statistics show how difficult it is to grow a successful business.

For start-ups and newly established small businesses, growth can be one of the hardest goals to achieve. There are so many hurdles to overcome on a regular basis that survival often becomes the main focus. A common issue for many small businesses is that they don’t have the staff numbers to take care of routine functions. Owners and managers often spread themselves too thin to the detriment of their business.

While it’s normal for business owners to put a lot of time and effort into their venture, it’s important for them to also realize they can’t do it all.

At some point, they need to seek help, advice, and services from elsewhere. Outsourcing services such as IT., accounting, payroll, and HR is a useful option for some companies. It allows the owners and management to concentrate on the core functions of the business, thereby maximizing opportunities for success.

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In today’s digital era, people are constantly engaged by one form of technology or the other.

Technological advancements influence all industries.

Companies of all sizes must embrace technology to thrive in modern business.

Here are eight ways technology can boost the success of your small business.

UTILIZING DATA The majority of businesses today have a website and multiple social media channels. From their online presence alone, businesses are able to generate a huge amount of data. Even with limited analysis, useful insights and information can be gained. Upon in-depth analysis, even greater knowledge about customers, their interests, and spending habits can be uncovered.

Set clear goals relating to the growth of your business and your online performance. Outline key metrics to track your progress. Conduct regular analysis using your website and social media channels and use the data generated to drive decision-making.

PREPARE YOUR BUSINESS FOR E-COMMERCE The majority of businesses today have a website and multiple social media channels. From their online presence alone, businesses are able to generate a huge amount of data. Even with limited analysis, useful insights and information can be gained. Upon in-depth analysis, even greater knowledge about customers, their interests, and spending habits can be uncovered.

Set clear goals relating to the growth of your business and your online performance. Outline key metrics to track your progress. Conduct regular analysis using your website and social media channels and use the data generated to drive decision-making.

COMMUNICATION IS KEY Although we are witnessing a shift to conducting business online, people still value companies that have a human element to their operations. Technology should be used as part of a comprehensive communications strategy but should not be the only approach to customer engagement. Direct conversations are the most effective form of communication. You should consider installing a

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phone line for your business if you don’t already have one.

Here’s how to get a small business phone system, gain a reliable and trustworthy phone number and open up communication lines with customers.

You should also encourage communication via social media channels. This has become one of the most important customer service delivery approaches in recent years. Building an e-mail list to regularly update customers is another powerful method of communication.

DIGITAL MANAGEMENT Management tools and project management software can help your team interact in real-time. There are many more advantages to digital management tools, particularly when it comes to managing large teams.

Digital management tools can be used to manage and store files, invoices, and account information. Employees can also use computer-based tools for accessing and sharing business-related documents.

ADVERTISING Targeted advertising is a must for modern businesses. One of the most effective advertising techniques for a small business is advertising via social media.

Through research and analysis, you should be able to establish a clear target market. This target audience should be broken down into specific segments that can be targeted via paid advertisements. Create adverts to suit each segment and launch a digital advertising campaign.

It’s also important to outline KPIs to determine the effectiveness of your campaign. Monitor the progress, analyze the results, and use the information gained for future campaigns.

IMPROVED SECURITY With such a reliance on the internet and digital technology in recent years, there has also been an increase in cybercrime. To many people’s surprise, small businesses and start-ups are regularly targeted by hackers. Cybercriminals see smaller companies as easy targets for theft.

It’s vital for small businesses to implement strong security measures. Being trustworthy and reliable when it comes to customer information can be advantageous for your company, so ensure you take all necessary security measures and beware of data breaches.

REMOTE ACCESS THE MOBILE AUDIENCE IS THE FUTUR

Mobile has surpassed desktops when it comes to website traffic. Your website, social media, and digital advertising strategy should be optimized for mobile users.

We are beginning to see increased numbers of transactions from mobile devices too. Don’t make the mistake of ignoring this segment of the marketplace and ensure that you plan and target the mobile audience.

Technology has changed the way regular business is conducted. There are no longer standard practices when it comes to business operations. One of the most important technological changes in recent years is the emergence of remote working.

Due to the availability of communication software, high-speed internet, conference call technologies, and other digital tools, employees can now get their work done remotely. There is less need for physical presence at meetings or conferences.

This is highly beneficial to small businesses as this means they will require minimal office space, if at all, and can hire employees from anywhere in the world. It reduces costs, increases the bottom line, and boosts the potential for success.

CLOUD

How Small and Mid-sized Canadian Retailers are Innovating with the Cloud

By Peter Gima AWS Canada SMS Sales Leader

The retail business landscape has seen enormous change over the last year. Amid these evolving times, it’s important to future-proof your small business and innovate fast or you risk losing your competitiveness or worse becoming obsolete. Many retailers are developing digital commerce platforms, expanding their fulfillment options, and working hard to improve customer experiences to match new consumer expectations, all starting with a move to the cloud.

Core Needs of SMB Retailers Consumer behaviour and expectations have shifted dramatically over time and the pandemic has only hastened the process.

One of the biggest challenges for retailers of all sizes is how to provide a great consumer experience to meet the heightened expectations. For retail SMBs, this is particularly challenging given they lack the resources found in large competitors.

Ability to scale: More than ever, retail SMBs need to cost-effectively deal with rapid or uneven growth while still enhancing the consumer experience. Mabel’s Labels is one such retailer.

They are an eCommerce company that makes labels to adorn children’s clothes and other belongings. The business is extremely seasonal; events like backto-school or summer camps drive huge sales. Peak periods generate 10 times the

average orders, meaning Mabel’s Labels must drastically scale up both in order fulfillment as well as in their eCommerce experience.

With a cloud infrastructure, they were able to scale quickly.

Access to innovative tech: Smaller retailers also need access to innovative technologies to meet consumer expectations just like every other business, albeit with a smaller budget.

Another area of importance is security technologies. By migrating to cloud-based security, small businesses were freed up for more pressing business innovation.

Parts Engine, an online vehicle parts and accessory business is keenly aware that security is job one. But they were not security experts, and neither was their staff.

Support IT systems with limited staff: SMB retailers typically do not have the resources to fully manage all of their IT infrastructures or at least manage it cost-effectively.

Wearing a multitude of hats and with limited resources, many SMB retailers lack the back-end resources to support new technologies. For Mabel’s Labels, cloud-based infrastructure helped free up IT resources to focus on more consumer-facing initiatives instead of maintaining their infrastructure.

Realize lower, more predictable costs: SMBs understand that every tech dollar is precious and that there’s little room for failed projects or needless purchases. Managing data centres, servers, and software upgrades represent a significant IT cost.

Subscription-based Revive Superfoods realized the cost of building and maintaining traditional data centres did not make sense for their business model. A cloudbased infrastructure makes more sense from a cost perspective, providing them with savings that can be invested in growing their brand and enhancing their consumer experience.

Considerations for Retailers Pursuing Digital Transformations With limited resources and fierce competition, SMB retailers need the flexibility and agility to get to market quickly and exceed customer expectations. Though adopting a cloud-based infrastructure comes with some considerations.

Adopt the right strategy: Start by having a compelling business case for moving to the cloud. Then work with your cloud partner to plan what’s in your environment, what are the interdependencies, what migrations will be easy or

hard, and how they will migrate each application.

Implement simple governance: While the cloud can provide developers with the agility and sandboxes for testing new tech, this can result in a proliferation of services and workloads.

Therefore, it’s crucial to take early steps to implement a sample governance plan that can guide resourcing usage.

Get buy-in from all stakeholders: It’s not just about getting buy-in from the business side. Your IT staff also needs to be committed to the cloud. Getting support from all team members is key to your digital transformation success.

To hear more from the roundtable discussion about how SMB retailers are innovating with AWS Cloud technologies, watch the video here: Canadian SMB Retailers’ Journey to the Cloud.

Do you have the Right Tools

to turn to an all-virtual sales team Andrew Graham

Vice President Virtual Sales, Ricoh Canada Ricoh has been delivering innovative workplace technologies for more than 85 years, and what started out with print has evolved into a broad portfolio of digital solutions for today's workplaces. Learn how Ricoh Canada helps businesses change how they work with everything from collaboration software and process automation to IT security and support in this interview with Andrew Graham, Vice President Virtual Sales, Ricoh Canada.

Andrew Graham is the Vice President of Virtual Sales for Ricoh Canada Inc. He oversees the go-to-market strategy for the small and medium-sized business sector across Canada and leads a national team of sales and support professionals who specialize in integrated solutions that best meet the needs of their customers. With more than 35 years of experience in the business technology industry, Andrew has held senior-level roles in regional and branch management, as well as specialized sales positions to support both public and private sector clients.

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What was the motivation for Ricoh to turn to an all-virtual sales team, was it something that was always in the strategic plan for the organization and how did the pandemic play a role in it?

It was really a combination of everything. Being a technology company, we are always evolving and transforming our business to be more aligned to our customer needs and to deliver the most impactful experiences for the market. So, while we had been nurturing the idea of a virtual sales team prior to the pandemic, Covid really just expedited our plans.

With most of our customers working remotely, we knew it was essential to change how we communicated, engaged, and supported them – since their needs had also changed overnight.

What have been some of the challenges that you’ve faced in leading an all-virtual sales team and how have you managed to overcome those?

That’s a great question and something I think a lot of businesses are still faced with. The challenges were two-fold in that we were building a brand-new business unit that required us to rethink everything we knew about communication and collaboration both internally between employees and externally with customers and prospects.

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So first, externally, it was about understanding the concept of virtual sales – because traditional selling concepts and skillsets haven’t changed. What has changed though is how we engage our customers and prospects, and how we find and nurture new business opportunities. From the get-go, I knew we had the technology to connect with people. We were already familiar with Teams, and most people had used Zoom, and of course phone calls. But it was clear that moving to virtual sales was about so much more than just how to get in touch with, and talk to, potential customers through video chat.

It was about using these technologies to an even greater degree than we had before and in more, creative ways than we had before.

And it forced us, like many other companies, to rethink the knowledge and training our sales team needed to do so. So, I would say the biggest challenge was to develop the right training program to address two key areas:

1) How to create and deliver memorable sales presentations and product demos using a combination of solutions like Microsoft Teams, Interactive Whiteboards, and integrated software like Reactiv Suite.

2) How to look for and nurture new sales opportunities across an entirely virtual landscape Secondly, we had to look inwards. Because one of the most important aspects of any virtual, dispersed or hybrid team is maintaining engagement and a feeling of belonging. We’re managing a team that’s national, working from home, so it was a priority for us to be intentional about relationship-building, team culture, and of course motivation. Over time this has evolved, but at the beginning, there were daily meetings and virtual coffee breaks between leaders and their team to touch base and ensure the wellbeing of our employees. We’ve since adopted 1:1 coaching tools, implemented a cadence for updates between the leadership and employees, and have focused heavily on running internal programs to keep that motivation high.

How has technology played a role to allow such a team to exist in the first place and how have customers felt about the shift?

The transition that we’ve had to go through is one that our customers have had to go through as well. So, we’re not unique in how we are approaching our own customers because they themselves have made the shift as well or are currently in the process of doing so. In fact, many of our customers have turned to us as an example of how they can better use technology in their business.

They’re seeing how we’ve been able to maintain business continuity and adapt to the new demands and challenges of a remote and hybrid workplace – of which there are many like collaboration, security, and the ability to even connect to the network to share information.

Much of those challenges have actually opened up new business opportunities for Ricoh and even challenged us to think outside the box and build solutions that better address these issues for small business owners in particular (like OneSolution: a new subscription-based print solution).

What have been the most popular small business technology/digitization solutions so far and why?

The big focus for small businesses has really been about keeping sales operational and having the ability to collaborate and share information between teams easily, securely, and without limits.

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This meant a lot of our small and medium-sized customers quickly looked at moving away from the traditional wet-ink signatures on sales contracts and agreements and came to us for an eSignature solution. It helped them address the immediate and long-term needs of running their business and also helped them deliver better overall customer experiences.

The second most popular small business solution has been content or document management software. This gave them the freedom and flexibility that comes with digital documents, digital workflows, and more automation of everyday business processes. Where small teams were once tethered to paper, filing cabinets, and manual ways of sharing information with one another, they could now do so securely from anywhere and without the physical limitations of being at the office or workplace.

In terms of digital solutions, where do you believe there is the most value for small business owners to invest in?

First and foremost, my recommendation to any small business is to really understand the requirements of your customers. Start with a technology investment that can help you deliver added value, better interactions, and an overall more seamless customer experience. You’ll find that in doing so, you’ll still end up solving for, and improving, many of your backend need like invoicing or collaboration.

Secondly, technology investments are now more accessible than ever before for small businesses, so look for cloud-based solutions and subscription-based services. You’ll benefit from getting as much of, or as little of, something as you need, better security, and ultimately a more accommodating cost structure.

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On a final note, what advice do you have for others leading, managing, or even thinking about the future of an all-virtual, remote, or hybrid team?

Well, I can say this –it’s not as easy as just flipping a switch and suddenly you have a virtual team because everyone is dispersed or remote. It takes a lot of work to be intentional about the decision to go virtual, particularly for a sales team. It’s a fundamental change in how you train, develop and coach your employees, in being prepared to support customers, and even in redefining your value proposition. In our case, our relationships with customers look different now, we’re no longer in a physical environment and that can impact the experience one has with us. So, from a virtual sales team perspective, it’s important to focus on what makes your engagement memorable and valuable to a prospect.

From a technology perspective, it's about enabling your employees with the tools they need but also the right IT support, whether that’s from a vendor or someone in-house because issues will come up both small and large.

And lastly, don’t forget the importance of relationship-building within the team.

If you want more information about Ricoh’s digital workplace solutions please click here.

How Accounting can be faster and easier for your business Brian Clare

Founder and CEO of Blueprint Accounting

There had been a shift in the way accounting and bookkeeping could be completed that benefits the client through a better client experience. Learn how Blueprint Accounting provides help to entrepreneurs so they can better understand their financial data in this interview with Brian Clare, Founder and CEO of Blueprint Accounting.

"Hey there, my name is Brian Clare and I'm the Founder and CEO of Blueprint Accounting, a cloud-based accounting firm in Ottawa, ON. I hold a Bachelor of Psychology from Dalhousie University, a Bachelor of Accounting from Mount Saint Vincent University, and an MBA from Wilfred Laurier University. I am originally from Halifax, NS, but I now call Ottawa home. I've been a CPA for 8 years and I am a huge tech enthusiast. I'm constantly searching for new apps to integrate into my bookkeeping and accounting processes. I love partnering technology and accounting because it saves so much time and money – for myself and my clients. The time we save on accounting is spent strategizing and growing the business.

I started Blueprint Accounting in 2018 with the intention to help as many business owners as possible reach their dreams by providing them the financial data they need to make better decisions. In 2020, I partnered with Scott J. Armstrong Financial Consulting LTD, and Blueprint now offers tax, bookkeeping, and virtual CFO services all under one roof!

We serve small businesses in a variety of industries including eCommerce, fitness, professional services, medical services, real estate, and more."

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What is the mission of your organization?

We aim to provide the best client experience possible so that our clients can create value from their business and personal lives. This starts with creating a great team experience that translates to clients.

What was the motivation behind coming up with the idea for Blueprint Accounting?

There had been a shift in the way accounting and bookkeeping could be completed that benefits the client through a better client experience. I wanted to provide as much value to as many businesses as possible so I created Blueprint Accounting to provide help to entrepreneurs so they can better understand their financial data. In September 2020, I completed a merger with a tax firm here in Ottawa and brought in my new business partner, Scott Armstrong. This merger created a full service offering that we now provide to our clients through bookkeeping, tax, and CFO services.

Why should people choose Blueprint Accounting over some other company that has been in the game for a substantial number of years?

What suggestions do you have for small-scale businesses that are finding it hard to pull through during these challenging times?

Our client experience is different from than of a traditional firm. We’re very hands-on from day one. For example, our onboarding takes 6 weeks, and we meet 6 times over those first weeks to ensure we are learning the nuances of each business we work with, adjusting processes where needed and setting expectations properly for a successful partnership with our clients. Not only that, but we also utilize cutting-edge technology to facilitate our work and interactions with clients to create a smooth process for everyone involved.

The financial burden that the pandemic has wrought on people has been extremely challenging. A lot of businesses closed since the world was hit with the pandemic. But consider the mental challenges that people face as well.

Being home all day can be challenging in a pandemic so reaching out to your friends and family is super important.

You need to have a great support system as you get back to normal with your business, assuming you survived the pandemic.

What are your plans and aspirations for your company in the next five years?

We want to grow to $5M annual revenue, build on our bestin-class client experience, and provide an inspirational team environment so that our team loves working at Blueprint, with each other, and our clients. We want to attract the best talent and that starts with having a great culture. This will ultimately result in a better client experience.

How do you feel the business environment has changed since the pandemic?

It accelerated people’s adoption for working remotely and with anyone across Canada and the world. I think these benefits everyone because now we’re not wasting time driving between meetings in our cities – we have access to the entire world and people are realizing the benefits of this.

Whether that is finding better talent or clients that fit better with the way people want to work.

Can you elaborate on some of the challenges you faced and what can other aspiring entrepreneurs learn from them?

Starting a business is one of the hardest things you’ll do.

With a service firm, it’s not only about delivering great work.

That is the end goal, but there are so many different facets of your business that you need to think about and decide on ahead of time. For example, do you want to be a oneperson business or grow to have a team? If it’s the latter, then you need to consider what roles you need in place to grow effectively and service your clients. These are underlooked aspects of running a business that many service-firm owners don’t consider when they take the leap and start their own business.

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With your support system in place, then you can really take a deep look at your business to figure out how to run it more efficiently and effectively. Whether that’s cutting certain expenses, finding better talent, or using some automation to free up your time, it’s important to assess these aspects of your business so that you can turn a better profit.

I’ve always heard that one of the first things to cut in a business during a pandemic is marketing. I would disagree here because if everyone is cutting marketing, you now have an opportunity to set yourself up for future success by investing in marketing in a downturned economy. Doing so means that you’re leagues ahead of your competition as people and businesses start to spend more in the future.

Your investment in marketing will pay itself back in spades because it’ll be cheaper in a downturned economy with fewer people spending (think ads), which puts you front-ofmind for your customers when they are ready to spend. It’s an investment in your business's future when done right.

Ayming Canada accesses OKR Financial’s $150 million fund to support early-stage innovators Accelerated access to funds for companies awaiting SR&ED tax credits and government grant funding Global consulting firm, Ayming Canada, a company helping businesses claim SR&ED tax credits and government funding through federal and provincial grants, now has access to OKR Financial’s $150 million fund through their strategic partnership.

OKR Financial is a private debt fund that offers non-dilutive financing for companies looking to access R&D tax credits and grant funding.

With this new $150M fund, Ayming’s clients will have the ability to access their funding within a matter of weeks, instead of waiting for government agencies to process their SR&ED claims or grant applications in order to receive money.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on many companies and several have asked Ayming help them get access to their SR&ED or grant funding immediately, versus having to wait for the government processing times which in many cases can be months.” - Harry Singh, President & Partner, Ayming Canada In Canada, the Scientific Research & Experimental Development (SR&ED) Tax Credit Program offers some of the most lucrative tax refunds in the world, providing over $3 billion to 20,000+ businesses annually. Administered through the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), this tax incentive provides refunds for companies performing Research & Development (R&D) work in Canada.

In addition to SR&ED which comes in the form of a tax refund, the federal and provincial governments allocate billions of dollars in the form of non-repayable grants and interest-free loans. Their main objective is to facilitate growth and prosperity in the economy by encouraging investments and continuous innovation in Canada.

Companies who need immediate access to these government receivables often realize how challenging it can be to receive financing in order to complete the work required to receive funding. This $150M fund was launched to support all companies, but especially early-stage businesses and startups who are looking to grow and innovate and need access to funding as soon as possible.

“Working strategically with Ayming Canada, we are excited to assist and facilitate many more companies to grow, scale and exit, by providing non-dilutive solutions and a pathway to equity investment via the OKR Financial ecosystem.” - Bhavik Chauhan, VP Business Development and Marketing, OKR Financial Canada Ayming, a trusted national leader when it comes to government funding, has worked with thousands of companies of all stages and secures over $1.5 billion for its clients annually. Their senior team of SR&ED and grant consultants in Canada boast over 250 years of combined experience and are well-positioned to help companies of any size or geography across Canada secure lucrative funding for their future innovation and growth needs. As the first Canadian firm to establish a grant practice nationally, Ayming knows the grants landscape and knows what it takes to maximize subsidies. Their proprietary database of grant programs, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), has live access to thousands of both federal and provincial grants. Ayming’s expertise, coupled with OKR Financial’s capital to lend against incoming funding, makes this a truly powerful partnership.

“If you are curious about how we can help your business secure every eligible dollar of grant and SR&ED funding that you are entitled to, or if you simply want to get access to your funding today, then I encourage you to reach out to us immediately. You just may be surprised at how much money you have been missing out on. “ - Harry Singh, President & Partner, Ayming Canada For more information on Ayming Canada or how our services can support your business growth, please visit https://www.ayming.ca

DIGITAL BROKERAGE

DUNDAS LIFE is Making Life Insurance More Accessible Than Ever Before for Canadians

Gregory Rozdeba Co-founder and President of Dundas Life "The industry has failed to incorporate even the most basic of technology solutions that have been present in other industries for over a decade. Our mission is to make life insurance a reality for more Canadians by providing the most accessible information, expertise, and personalized service available anywhere" said Rozdeba. Learn how Dundas Life was launched to provide Canadians with a simple way to buy life insurance online through Canada's largest insurers in this interview.

Gregory Rozdeba is co-founder and President of Dundas Life, a digital insurance brokerage that uses technology to make life insurance simple, accessible, & personalized for Canadians. He previously served as Director of Sales at a fintech firm where he took the company from no product to raising over $7M+ in funding and disrupting a 100-year-old industry. Gregory enjoys travelling (30+ countries), cycling, & has taken up an in-depth study of Ancient Rome.

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What is Dundas Life about? What is your vision?

Dundas Life is a digital insurance brokerage that combines technology with personalized service to help Canadians buy life insurance online.

Our vision is to empower Canadians to make better financial decisions for their loved ones, and to know the peace of mind that life insurance ownership can bring.

What do you bring to the forefront that is different from your competitors?

Most life insurance today is still sold in-person by traditional life insurance brokers.

This process is very time-consuming, paper-driven, and not cost-competitive.

Our online life insurance quoting calculator allows you to compare rates across Canada's top insurance carriers. This technology combined with our best-inclass licensed advisors allows us to provide the most accessible information, expertise, and personalized service available anywhere.

How do you aim to scale a market that is very volatile in the face of opening up amidst the Covid-19 pandemic?

Our company was founded during COVID-19 and as a result, each step in our process is digital-first.

We aim to continue scaling by meeting our customers wherever they are online. All of our licensed brokers are equipped with best-in-class tools to deliver the best service. Over the next year, we plan to continue hiring more brokers and building technology to improve the customer's insurance buying experience.

How does Dundas Life make insurance easy and affordable?

While many brokers only sell policies from one or two companies, we allow customers to compare rates across multiple insurance carriers.

Our team is trained in navigating difficult-to-insure cases. If you have a pre-existing medical condition, we can route your application through the right carrier to ensure you get more coverage at the lowest price.

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Where do you position yourself five years from now?

Dundas Life will be Canada’s leading life insurance brokerage in five years. We have made significant investments to ensure that Canadians can get easy access to credible insurance advice with an industry-leading digital process. What we are doing is not revolutionary. We have created a process to facilitate how everyday Canadians want to buy insurance, eliminating unnecessary hurdles in finding the right life insurance coverage, with the right company, digitally.

Do you have any tips for small business owners who are finding it hard to pull through during these tough times?

Understanding the purpose and having a clearly laid out vision is essential for today’s entrepreneurs. Challenges will always emerge from clients, suppliers, or competitors here and abroad so revisiting your firm’s ‘why’ and what is being built is healthy.

Entrepreneurs usually don’t get started without taking personal and professional risks, and remembering why it was taken in the first place can be reinvigorating.

Removing yourself from the business for short periods of time can bring new clarity to the tasks at hand. Working long days will definitely contribute to getting work done but sitting in the park, cooking, or playing with kids can allow entrepreneurs to internalize and process new ideas and concepts. Building a flexible business and thinking through challenges can sometimes save firms capital and time.

BY WOMEN, FOR WOMEN:

The Inspiring Tale of Devon Fiddler, Founder SheNative Inc. Devon Fiddler is the Founder and CEO of SheNative, a brand dealing with apparel and fashion run by the powerful female indigenous community of Canada. As an indigenous businesswoman herself, Devon Fiddler had to face many barriers, however, she emerged victorious with a company that’s now scaling great heights.

Because of her indigenous background, Devon has lived through the racism and stereotypes that many Indigenous women face. We live in a society where Indigenous women are either objectified or romanticized. Devon also struggled with some of these realities, such as the commonality of family violence, incarceration, and racism. This led her to grow up in an environment of selfdoubt, lack of confidence, and hopelessness.

Devon Fiddler

Founder and CEO of SheNative

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Scaling Her Journey After going to university and obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree, in 2011 Devon landed her first professional position as a Business Development Coordinator. During this time, she helped First Nations entrepreneurs, inspiring her to start a company of her own.

In a few short years, Devon went from almost going down the path of aimlessness and hopelessness, to building a fashion lifestyle brand filled with light — inspiring thousands of Indigenous women along the way. Hailing from the Waterhen Lake First Nation, SK, Devon uses her gifts as a fierce thought leader and speaker, to help teach entrepreneurship, leadership, and skills development.

Vision and Mission As per the company’s official website, “SheNative exists to instill inner strength and unwavering confidence in all women, using teachings that come from indigenous nationhood. From our perspective nationhood is knowing who you are and where you come from.

Indigenous women face systemic barriers and challenges, often encountering victimization, sexualization, and racial profiling. We believe that everyone has the inner strength needed to overcome barriers. Everyone can live a full, meaningful, and abundant life.”

Awards and Recognition SheNative Inc. is committed to: Employing Indigenous women in the design and manufacturing of our goods.

Involving Indigenous communities and customers in our design process.

Sharing the experiences and perspectives of local, national and international Indigenous female changemakers.

Giving 2% of revenues toward causes that positively impact the lives of Indigenous women

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In the span of five years, Devon Fiddler has been recognized for her efforts in bringing about a change in the indigenous community on various fronts including the CBC’s Future 40 Under 40 for Business Entrepreneurship in 2015. That same year, Devon was among 20 entrepreneurs representing Canada at the G20 Young Entrepreneur Alliance (YEA) Summit in Istanbul, Turkey, and received the 2015 Start-up Canada Young Entrepreneur of the year award and “Sustainable Business of the Year” for the Prairie Region. In 2016, Devon received the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award and was named one of the top 5 SheEo Ventures of 2016. Most recently, in 2019, Devon received the Trailblazers & Innovators Award through the Bank of Montreal.

Editor’s note: For more such inspiring stories of great businesswomen showing resilience, willpower, and determination to overcome barriers and emerge victoriously, don’t forget to subscribe to the CanadianSME Small Business Magazine.

Is War the End? Not for Leena Yousefi, the Founder of YLaw People from war-torn countries have a different kind of suffering and the uncertainty only adds to the systematic breakdown of an individual. So many countries have faced the wrath of wars with millions displaced and thousands killed. Everyone has lost someone, a friend, a family member, siblings, parents, spouses, and children. At times, families have been wiped clean. At times, houses have been destroyed. At times, there has been no place to go, no place to escape the reckless destructions. In such a scenario, only one thing stands vital - the will to survive, the will to live, and the will to run away from the path of destruction.

One thing it’s not is easy and the same was the case with Leena Yousefi. Born in Iran, there came one point in her life when her family had to take the call - leave everything behind and run away for dear life or stay back and face the consequence, even death. With continuous bombs exploding in her neighbourhood 24/7/365, Leena’s family took a decision - they had to escape, they had to hold on to dear life, they had to find a better place to stay alive and thrive.

Of course, things were not easy. How would it be?

Immigrating to another country with all the plans laid out is another thing, however, with no place to go, how will you feel if you were stuck in a foreign land? Especially when you know that you can’t go back to your country, the place that you called your home?

As a child of the Persian Gulf war, Leena Yousefi and her family immigrated to Canada when she was just 13. The transition to a completely different place with a contrasting culture came with its own set of problems for Leena. “That was also very difficult,” Yousefi explained. “I had lost my home and my friends, and I was in a completely different culture.”

Of course, the transition took a toll on her and it’s quite natural when you think of it. The transition took a toll. In her second year at the University of Victoria (UVic), she suffered from depression and experienced a complete loss of identity. Her academic performance was nosedived. Her family thought she was a lost cause. And to top everything up, Leena was kicked out of her college.

“I was kicked out of university and I just wanted to show everybody that I wasn’t whom they thought I was,” explained Leena. “One morning I woke up and I basically said, ‘I can take this pain and turn it into something really good, or I can let it turn me into something really bad,’” she said. That morning Leena with a renewed determination, packed her bags and returned to the university.

The motive? Well, to show everyone that things were still not over for her. She graduated with distinction and a degree in social justice. Four years later, she attained her law degree.

Yousefi spent several years earning a practical education in the way firms worked – or didn’t work before starting her own solo venture. “I broke out because, quite frankly, I couldn’t wait to break out. It was this golden opportunity,” revealed Leena.

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Yousefi founded YLaw in 2013 on a foundation of modern business practices and a give-before-take ethos to client relations. YLaw has grown more than 500% over the past five years and plans to open a third office in 2020. Yousefi has also been named one of the top 25 most influential lawyers in Canada and B.C.’s top family lawyer for 2018. “I get insane gratification from doing this job,” she said. “I can make things worse or I can make things better, and my goal is always to make things better.”

Editor’s note: For more such inspiring stories of great businesswomen showing resilience, willpower, and determination to overcome barriers and emerge victoriously, don’t forget to subscribe to the CanadianSME Small Business Magazine.

Jonathan Ferrari Chairman & CEO at Goodfood

HOW I TURNED MY

SMALL BUSINESS

INTO A SUCCESSFUL BILLION-DOLLAR BRAND

Jonathan leads Canada’s largest independent online grocery company, which became a billion-dollar brand in 2021. Along with being a successful small business startup out of Montreal, the brand is doing some notable work in the realms of startup success, corporate culture, business and tech innovation etc. learn more about Jonathan’s journey and get inspired in this exclusive interview.

As Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO of Goodfood (www.makegoodfood.ca), Jonathan leads Canada’s largest independent online grocery company, which became a billion-dollar brand in 2021. Goodfood’s mission is to make the impossible come true, from farm to kitchen, by enabling members to do their weekly meal planning and grocery shopping in less than 1 minute.

After graduating with honours from McGill University, Jonathan joined RBC’s investment banking team in Montréal in 2010, advising retailers on mergers and acquisitions, capital raises and strategic partnerships. He co-founded MTL Capital LLC in 2013, a privately held entrepreneurial investment firm and in 2014 he cofounded Goodfood. In 2017, Mr. Ferrari was named one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40. This national award celebrates the exceptional achievements of Canadians in leadership, innovation and community involvement.

In 2018, Mr. Ferrari was named EY young entrepreneur of the year. Mr. Ferrari is a Montréal native.

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What is the mission and vision of Goodfood? What was the idea behind Goodfood?

Goodfood was originally an expression of my three passions: food, tech, and entrepreneurship. My business partner Neil Cuggy and I set out on a mission to change the way Canadians get food on the table every day.

Over the years, we’ve evolved to democratize food & grocery delivery for Canadians coast to coast. We want to free Canadians from the tyranny of meal planning and 2.5 grocery trips per week!

Today, Goodfood’s vision is to be in every kitchen every day by enabling members to complete their grocery shopping and meal planning in minutes, all while providing Goodfood members access to a unique selection of online products.

We also offer exclusive pricing made possible by our world-class direct-to-consumer infrastructure and technology that eliminate food waste and costly retail overhead.

Can you elaborate on what gaps you are trying to fill with Goodfood and why should people place their trust in you rather than your competitors?

Our thinking came from our own needs as consumers planning our own meals. That’s how we developed the idea behind Goodfood…

Delicious, easy recipes featuring pre-measured ingredients

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that are packaged and sent to customers, who then only need to follow the instructions in order to get cooking.

At the highest level, we noticed a problem related to the food supply chain. Basically, between the farm, the distributor, and the grocery store, 20 percent of perishable food items in grocery stores are wasted.

We believed it was possible to improve on that.

What do you do differently that enables you to become a billion-dollar brand in 2021?

Our results reflect the benefits of our leading and differentiated ready-to-cook offering and growing grocery selection. Along with our same-day fulfillment capabilities in key markets, this enables us to drive larger basket sizes and higher-order frequency from our increasingly loyal and engaged members.

With the growth of the online grocery market continuing to accelerate, we deploy capital at an accelerating pace to enhance our operations across the country and remain focused on building the optimal footprint of centralized production facilities and local fulfillment centers to enable faster delivery times and greater product choice to Canadian households from coast to coast.

As a company, we also aim to have a positive impact on our communities. My team and I are working on the environmental impact of packaging by internally developing solutions that are reusable and biodegradable.

In general, people are more and more aware of the environmental impact of businesses.

Every entrepreneur needs to think about that both from a personal point of view and for the company, and I think that is something that makes us stand out.

How is the brand doing some notable work in the realms of tech innovation?

Back in June, we announced our first tech-enabled local fulfilment centre in Ottawa with automation capabilities to deliver 4,000 products on a same-day or faster basis.

The newly leased fulfillment center will use state-of-theart technology and automation to ensure the fast and cost-effective processing of customer orders and it will be supported by technology including Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Azure cloud computing solutions, in addition to Goodfood proprietary software for order orchestration and delivery optimization.

Our continued collaboration with Microsoft to build customized technology solutions enables our cuttingedge order orchestration and delivery processes. We will also collaborate on artificial intelligence projects aimed at enhancing overall supply chain planning and execution.

How has Goodfood evolved rapidly?

Since going public in 2017, Goodfood has evolved significantly. Goodfood has grown from a ready-to-cook meal kit company with a handful of recipes to now building out Canada's leading on-demand grocery delivery network, anchored by a 30 recipe deep ready-tocook offering that changes weekly, a growing grocery product selection, and an expanding purpose-built footprint with currently approximately 800,000 square feet spread across nine facilities from coast to coast.

As we continue our evolution, our strong execution has allowed us to make significant progress on three key pillars required to build Canada's leading on-demand online grocery network and ultimately drive our next phase of growth: Our selection of grocery products, delivery speed, and our investment in our differentiated technology platform.

As as we bring these three pillars together, coupled with continuing to provide Canadians with their meal solutions, we are uniquely positioned to address the growing online segment over the next several years.

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Do you have any suggestions for small business owners who are finding it difficult to pull through during these tough times?

For someone who is starting out in a new job or startup, it is important to employ this same practice each morning – writing down your top priority and accomplishing it. Even if you are being pulled in multiple directions and putting out fires, every day can be counted as a success by crossing off that top priority task.

At Goodfood, we analyze and talk about how 80 percent of our results and success, come from 20 percent of our effort.

The challenge is figuring out what part of our collective effort contributes to the 20 percent that has the biggest impact.

As a result, we have developed a process where the 10 members of our executive team meet every day from 11:59 am -12:14 p.m. to discuss one piece of good news and our top priority for the day. We have found this to be instrumental in keeping accountable to each other and laser-focused on accomplishing goals.

GREY JAY SALES & DISTRIBUTION LTD. IS BRINGING THE FACES AND FAMILIES BEHIND HOMEGROWN, LOCAL BRANDS TO CONSUMERS ACROSS ONTARIO

Jordan Ender Vice President Operations, Grey Jay Sales & Distribution

Recently, Grey Jay in partnership with Loblaws, unveiled the next and largest milestone of the Ontario Made program (#OntarioMade) to bring local Ontario brands to consumers across the province. In this interview, we learned how Grey Jay is connecting consumers with the people, faces and stories behind family-owned brands.

Jordan Ender leads the Grey Jay Sales' operations as VP, with responsibility for businesses across Canada. He also oversees the company's expansion efforts into emerging markets. Ender has over 15 years of experience within the food retail, broker, and distribution industry. The food and CPG industry has always been a passion of his while promoting brands that bring quality and uniqueness to the marketplace. Ender has always enjoyed working with various corporate retailers across Canada and the USA to help ensure that they get the right assortment of new product trends. Jordan Ender has managed various different teams within the Food and Beverage industry and is very well diversified across the different divisions.

What is an Ontario-made program?

The Ontario Made Program is uniting different brands and small CPG producers from around the province into one destination at hundreds of Loblaw banner stores across Ontario.

Can you tell us a bit more about your partnership with Loblaws and what you wish to achieve with this new milestone?

Loblaws has become a center stage for many small to mid-size companies within Ontario and the rest of the country. It's been very difficult for these types of small businesses to get on the shelves at corporate stores, but Loblaws has developed a very simplified platform to support small businesses.

Since your inception in October 2020, you have seen tremendous growth. What do you think you got right or let’s say different from others out there?

Our team has years of experience in the retail food & beverage distribution industry and understands all the behind-the-scenes challenges. There are a lot of moving parts such as timelines, data flow, logistics, warehousing, forecasting, marketing, rack production, and category assortment. We also work extremely well with the individual stores and have great relationships at the ground level to ensure customer satisfaction.

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How has Grey Jay’s Ontario Made program been instrumental in the success of all of the participating suppliers?

Our partners and suppliers have been thrilled to get their brand into hundreds of stores. COVID19 has created many obstacles for small CPG companies which could have led them down a very difficult path. The Ontario Made Program has provided new life with some now getting recognized by other retailers on an international level within the USA, Asia, and Europe.

Can you elaborate on some of the challenges you faced while navigating this route?

There have been many challenges orchestrating the entire program. We are still in the very early stages of what has yet to come and are building the foundation for a program that will help evolve many small businesses into a new level of excellence.

What steps do you think small business owners should take in order to future-proof their businesses amidst this unprecedented situation?

Small businesses must think big but start small. They need to form the base of their operations to build hundreds and thousands of stores across the country. The chance of a small CPG business to enter the door of a major corporate retailer on a national level is very rare. With our program to help evolve small businesses into 10 corporate locations and help them develop an understanding of all the logistics, we can then help them achieve regional and national listings.

Hybrid Workers: How to reduce the friction between switching back and forth Kevin Rizer Entrepreneur | Speaker | Author of Always Wear Pants Just when they’ve become accustomed to remote work, many employees must adjust again-- this time to hybrid schedules where they split their time between working from home and in the office. Read this exclusive interview with Kevin Rizer, the authority on remote work and author of Always Wear Pants: And 99 Other Tips for Surviving and Thriving While You Work from Home, where Rizer discussed ways hybrid workers can reduce the friction between switching back and forth Kevin Rizer, the authority on remote work, is an entrepreneur, speaker, and author whose content has reached millions of people worldwide. In 2015, Rizer founded and hosted the popular Private Label Movement podcast, interviewing some of the biggest names and brightest minds in the e-commerce world. He has appeared on stages throughout the world sharing with audiences on topics of ecommerce and finding the passion and purpose in work. Today, he is the founder and CEO of a pet products company sold throughout the U.S., Europe, Australia and Japan. Rizer is best known for sharing openly about the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, and his down-to-earth, relatable personality has won over fans among thought leaders and audiences alike. Having worked from home for more than a decade, Rizer is passionate about helping others discover the art of working remotely and being happier in the process. Rizer lives in Dallas, Texas with his partner Austin, and their Labrador retriever, Mika.

When he’s not working, Rizer enjoys being outdoors, binge-watching true crime dramas, and supporting causes important to him in the animal welfare, entrepreneurial and neuro-diverse communities.

To start off, we’d like to understand from you what you think the future of work looks like?

Can you elaborate a bit on the ways in which hybrid workers can reduce the friction between switching back and forth?

One of the best ways for hybrid workers to adjust to switching back and forth between the office and home is to create consistency. Treat the beginning of each day the same, regardless of whether you are going into the office or staying put. Getting up at the same time, eating a balanced breakfast, and taking time to unwind - whether that means walking the dog, journaling, or exercising will go a long way towards helping you to feel that you can tackle whatever the day throws at you, wherever you are working. Another great tip is to keep your daily schedule more or less the same during the workday. Keep consistent meeting times and tackle tasks in the same order. This will reduce the stress and anxiety that can come from having one set schedule for office days and a completely different set of tasks and timelines on days when you are at home.

How to approach your boss/company about becoming a full-time remote employee?

The key is to approach your boss with clarity and transparency and give them multiple reasons to say “yes” to your request. It’s not enough to simply say that you want to work remotely because you enjoy it, or it brings you added flexibility. Point out how that flexibility actually benefits your company, such as your being able to work more efficiently or without the distractions and commute that office work entails.

Bring data to back up your points - if you’ve had your highest performing quarter ever while working from home, that information could help your effort. Finally, if your boss or organization isn’t ready to commit to full-time remote work, suggest a trial period of a few months. This will give you an opportunity to show just how great you can be while skipping the office.

One of the biggest concerns that workers face when it comes to negotiating remote working in their respective organizations is the threat of a pay cut?

Can you tell us how one can avoid that?

To avoid suffering a pay cut while opting to remain working remotely, employees should be prepared to negotiate. Be ready to discuss your performance, and alleviate concerns your company may have about remote work by offering to travel to the office for important meetings, conferences or events. Understand any critical job functions that may require in-person work, and offer suggestions for solutions or workarounds so that these critical functions get done. Finally, think about your situation, and consider being flexible. It’s possible that your remote work may actually save you some cash on a commute,

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a wardrobe, child care, and even living expenses if you have chosen to live in a less expensive area due to your newfound remote lifestyle. If that is the case, and you truly enjoy your job and company, taking a small cut in pay to have the job of your dreams may make sense. Just don’t let them severely underpay you for the privilege. Remote workers shouldn’t be penalized simply because they work from home.

Can small businesses also adapt the remote working manner? How do you think they can do it efficiently?

Small businesses can absolutely benefit from remote work.

One way is to expand your talent pool. If you are searching for A-list talent to join your team, being able to onboard someone that may not live in your geographic area means there are many more potential applicants. Being flexible with remote work means that a small startup in an expensive city may be able to afford someone with much more experience if that person happens to live in a less expensive area and is willing to work for less. Conversely, an organization based in a smaller, rural area, whose biggest challenge is convincing the right candidate to move to their location can also benefit by tapping into a qualified list of candidates who can perform their duties remotely. The key for small businesses that have hybrid or remote teams is consistency and communication. Be intentional about establishing remote work policies that are inclusive, provide for streamlined communication and clear expectations for the entire team, regardless of where they work.

Do you have any tips for small business owners who are finding it hard to pull through during these tough times?

We are living and working through unprecedented times, and small businesses have been hit especially hard. First, find out what resources may be available in your area.

Many governments, localities, and organizations have aid programs, low-interest loans, and grants available for small businesses. There is no shame in asking for and accepting help. Next, network. Running a small business can be incredibly isolating and lonely. Arrange a meet-up or happy hour (either virtual, or in-person if safe to do so) with other business owners in your area, or in your field. You will find that being around others, and hearing about their struggles and successes will remind you that you are not alone. Finally, be persistent. In the business community, we focus on success so much and often overlook or downplay failures and setbacks. The reality is that all businesses struggle at times, and many small businesses never succeed. The fact that you have survived says a lot about you. Stick with it, get creative, ask for help, and persevere.

By Mostafa Sayyadi

Management Consultant | Business & Technology journalist

Supporting Diversity and Inclusion beyond Just Words in SMEs

A diversity strategy can help SMEs to improve financial performance in terms of achieving commercial goals and the quality of products and services. This is the reason that this strategy is so popular among practicing managers today.

The ultimate business outcome is financial success which narrows the gap between success and failure and this can be achieved by the commitment of its members and facilitated by an executive acting as a facilitative leader. In doing this, corporate leaders need to focus on the critical human assets such as commitment and thus help followers to effectively implement organizational changes with both efficiency and effectiveness. They can shed light on the strategic role of follower attitudes and values to accomplish a higher degree of effectiveness, and highlight the importance of employees in implementing changes at the organizational level.

When corporate leaders show concern for the employee’s individual needs, individuals begin to contribute more commitment and they become more inspired to put extra effort into their work. This extra effort improves the quality of products, customer satisfaction, and impacts the return on assets, sales, shareholder value, and finally improves financial success and operational risk management.

The financial success mentioned above can be only achieved by a diversity strategy. Follower’s diversity of skills and interpersonal relations that is based on trust and reciprocity can improve innovation and the performance of group cohesiveness.

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At this point, you’re probably asking why the diversity of skills is so important. The simple answer is that SMEs that may lack diversity in the workplace cannot share their knowledge. With an effective diversity strategy, global leaders may improve knowledge sharing and learning that can eventually enhance financial performance in global markets through empowering human resources and enabling change at the organizational level. Executives can increase workplace diversity to facilitate knowledge sharing and build relationships, aiming at improving customer satisfaction through acquiring additional knowledge from customers, developing better relationships with them, and providing a higher quality of service and/or products for them. Furthermore, creating an expert group or steering committee may be short-sighted because such groups may not have sufficient diversity to comprehend knowledge acquired from external sources.

Leadership in some SMEs has failed to pay attention to this important matter and create a team that makes diversity a priority and represents a variety of ideas and perspectives. A leadership status that is not only a failing platform but one that represents destruction as opposed to innovation and expansion. This leadership gap can provide lessons for CEOs and executives in today’s organizational challenges. The fact remains that leaders that manage diversity and use it as an important driving force for financial success find their SMEs to be more competitive and on the cutting edge.

Therefore, when SMEs can have a very diverse employee population, they will secure a foothold in the ever-expansive global business environments.

South Etobicoke coding centre reintroduces itself to the community with grand reopening event Sapan Jot, the owner at Code Ninjas South Etobicoke, wanted to address the gap in the Etobicoke community that places less emphasis on coding and computer literacy as preparation for a changing job market. Born and raised in India, Sapan witnessed firsthand a lack of opportunities for young people passionate about taking charge of their education or starting a business one day like herself. Inspired by her father’s entrepreneurship, she opened Code Ninjas to educate, encourage, and empower the young people that are now an important fabric to her Etobicoke community.

Learn about her journey through this interview.

Sapan Jot is an Etobicoke-based franchisee of Code Ninjas South Etobicoke, an educational coding centre for children aged 5-14. Inspired by her father’s entrepreneurship, her desire for her own kids to be prepared for the increasingly tech-focused job market, and her passion for education equality, Sapan opened Code Ninjas South Etobicoke with the goal of amplifying STEM-based curriculum in schools. Sapan holds both an Engineering Degree in Information Technology from India, where she grew up, and a Masters in Statistics from the US.

Sapan Jot

Etobicoke-based Franchisee of Code Ninjas South Etobicoke

What is your vision with Code Ninjas?

My goal for Code Ninjas South Etobicoke is to provide young children of all backgrounds access to STEM education, to fill the gaps in provincial STEM-based and coding curriculums, and ultimately offer every child an opportunity to further their knowledge in the technology sector so as to prepare them for an increasingly techfocused job market.

How has your experience of growing up in India inspired you to open Code Ninjas South Etobicoke and empower young people to achieve anything they want?

Growing up in India, I saw firsthand the lack of opportunities for young girls growing up. I believe every child should have access to the knowledge and education that will help them reach their goals and dreams. I used my experience growing up in India, inspired by my father’s entrepreneurship, as motivation to open Code Ninjas South Etobicoke. I want to do everything in my power to give the kids in my community opportunities that I saw many girls deprived of as a child.

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Why is it crucial to normalize the importance of youth learning how to code?

Coding has been called “the literacy of the 21st century.” By gaining knowledge of basic programming languages, children will have a strong foundation and understanding of the technology they use on a daily basis. Coding also provides them with the critical thinking skills they will need as they further their education and once they start their career. The need for a generation that not only understands technology at the surface level but also the intricate outline of how technology works behind the scenes only continues to grow along with the emerging tech demand.

How can the knowledge of coding increase computer literacy and prepare them for the growing tech demand?

The Canadian job market is becoming increasingly more techfocused and school boards are working hard to include basic coding into STEM learning to equip youth for the most successful future possible. Normalizing this area of education addresses a gap in the understanding of technology among youth and prepares them for any tech training, regardless

of the industry they pursue. At Code Ninjas South Etobicoke, we are doing our part to ensure youth have the understanding and skills they need to be successful in whatever future path they chose.

How does Code Ninjas offer accessibility to a sophisticated coding education to address a gap in the current curriculum?

At Code Ninjas, coding is taught by intertwining education with play. By learning to build and create their own video games, children are taught the foundational basics of coding and other computer literacy skills in a unique curriculum that they can take at their own pace. Through our many year-round programs and summer camps, we offer a diverse arrangement of ways for parents to invest in the future of their children while allowing them to learn in a safe, encouraging, and most importantly, fun place.

As a strong believer in providing access to education, I have established an ongoing partnership between Code Ninjas South Etobicoke and the Jean Augustine Centre. The Jean Augustine Centre is an organization passionate about female empowerment, and we are working together to offer free coding sessions for young girls that enroll through their foundation.

What are some of the difficulties you faced while trying to navigate this field and what can other aspiring entrepreneurs learn from your experience?

Opening Code Ninjas South Etobicoke in the midst of a pandemic and various lockdown restrictions was not ideal, but I stayed focused, determined to be a success. The generous and continued support of the local community ensured we mitigated some of these challenges–Code Ninjas South Etobicoke is very fortunate to have boasted an impressive run with a high volume of classes throughout the pandemic since our opening. We have implemented virtual learning sessions and made continued accessibility to our program our priority for our students.

Something that any aspiring entrepreneur can take away from this is that your own lived experience doesn’t have to last forever. The barrier to education resulting from gender inequality as a young girl growing up in India was not ideal, but I never let it hold me back. Instead, I turned it into motivation to ensure that young kids who are just as passionate about learning as I was, will always have an opportunity to further their education. The past never has to dictate the future, and any entrepreneur should find inspiration from wherever they can to encourage, empower, and educate others – especially the children of today, who will be our leaders of tomorrow.

Analytics in Your Own Life: Analytical Approaches to Measure, Learn and Improve Yourself Advanced Analytics & Research Lab is a hybrid data service and solutions firm that specializes in working with SMEs to help them boost their data analytic strategies and capabilities. For this article, we decided to not look at analytics for SMEs, as the benefits have already been widely reported. Instead, let’s talk about your life, and how you can use analytics to improve yourself. Warning: This might get a little nerdy!

Two quick hypotheses before we get started: Everyone has a lot going on in their lives Everyone has some desire to improve themselves Analytics is all about using data to help you make informed decisions.

Every day, people make thousands of decisions, big and small, that can either be conscious (do I buy a latte or a cup of tea), or unconscious (should I eat breakfast). If it’s true that everyone has some desire to improve themselves (as shown by the multi-billiondollar self-help industry), the question becomes how we can properly use analytics to make better decisions, as all of these little decisions truly add up over time.

Admittingly, I am not a philosopher nor a psychologist, but I am good with analytics, and I’m intrigued about doing things the mathematically optimal way. When I started AAARL, it was difficult to have a true worklife balance as I was completely focussed on the business.I spent (and still spend) a lot of my time trying to figure out the things that are most important to me and how well I am performing in them.

That’s when I decided to turn to analytics. I wanted to figure out what’s important to me, set initial goals, measure and analyze how I spend my time, and set new goals and strategies to better myself and properly utilize my time!

This exercise helps me continuously improve my life, so I thought I would share my three simplified steps of how you can use analytics in your daily life!

Measure what’s important to you: Every new year, people set new goals for themselves. Often, it can be quite difficult to determine how you are doing against these goals.

Whether it is your diet, fitness, money, or time, there are a plethora of mobile/cloud/computer applications out there to help you track what’s important to you. I track my time on an hourly basis every day.

It’s not super accurate but it serves as a bit of a daily reminder for me to be conscious of how I spend my most precious commodity, and ensure that I never forget what’s most important to me.

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Above is an example of my time tracked in 2020. The pandemic means that I had an odd year in terms of time spent in normal extra-curricular things.

Here’s some other analytics I do on myself: Time tracking (Excel, broken out by categories. Work time is tracked down to the minute) Fitness (smartwatch paired to my Google fitness app) Money (Mint tracks my spending) Toothbrush (I use the Oral B Genius series and their mobile app) Diet (I don’t track my diet since I eat almost the same thing every day. However, I know a few apps that track diet but it’s done manually) Phone and app usage (located in the new android settings, under digital well-being or app and notifications) Inter-temporal planning what I want to do in my 20s vs my 30s and how my financial decisions impact that

Analyze performance: Once you have a tracking process in place, then you can review your metrics on a recurring basis. For example, below is my time outside of work. I use it to identify what I’m doing too much or not enough of. It’s also useful for seeing/organizing how my priorities change as time goes on.

Above is a graph tracking my non-work time

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Set new goals and strategies Once I have identified areas of improvement, I set goals to improve myself. It takes a lot of reinforcement - sticky notes on doors, mirrors, reminders in calendars ….etc.

Improving is a gradual process and sometimes it can be hard to detect, which can be discouraging. Tracking your time, however, allows you to know for certain that you’re on the right track.

Final Word It absolutely takes commitment to implement analytics into your life. But if managing your time, diet, money, physical and mental health is important to you, analytics can be a really good addition to your self-improvement journey. I know it’s a bit of an emotionless way of looking at things, but it certainly does uncover insights into various parts of my life I wouldn’t have even thought about.

Just like your life, your business can also be improved through the use of analytics. You must find out what’s important to track for your business, properly analyze it, and set new goals and strategies to improve your bottom line. At AAARL, we can help you do that! We specialize in collaborating with your team, addressing your data analytic challenges and goals, using our pre-built solutions, and customizing them to meet your specific needs, and then implementing these tools into your organization.

Reach out today if you have any interest!

Accessing Government Funding for Your Company’s Profitability.

Is government funding part of your business strategy?

If not, it should be.

The Government of Canada allocates billions of dollars in Grant funding every year, which can support up to 75% of any small businesses’ planned project costs. The main objective is to facilitate growth and prosperity in the economy by encouraging investments and continuous innovation. This funding could result in substantial subsidies for your business.

Ensuring that you proactively apply for all funding opportunities is imperative to profitable growth.

Improving existing products or processes.

There are thousands of grant programs available, all with varying funding amounts, criteria, and timelines. Most grants are awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis making it critical to align your planned projects with the most lucrative programs available. Unlike Tax Credit incentives, grants require you to apply for funding before you incur any costs, as you must pre-qualify to receive funds. Your planned investments will be reviewed, and once approved, funding is awarded.

Research & development.

When Does Your Business Qualify for Funding?

Your business may qualify for funding if you are investing in any of the following areas: Developing a new manufacturing process or product.

Developing new software for your business or for your client.

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Incurring costs related to a project, prototype, or process that is incomplete because of technical problems.

Planned investments focused on growing your business and market share.

Improving your competitive advantage.

Hiring new employees or training new skills.

Creating or purchasing innovative solutions.

Having a regional impact.

The Various Funding Categories When considering applying for government grants it is critical to align your planned projects and investments with the correct program(s). To help quickly identify the potential for funding, Ayming has streamlined the process by categorizing the grant programs into the five groups below:

Business Growth:

Hiring new employees

SMEs need to have proper business growth strategies in place to ensure they are remaining competitive in their market. Grants in this category help with:

Training to support the adoption of new technology,

Training current and/or new employees processes, or procedures Training to enhance skills and career development

Improving export growth, productivity, performance, and competitiveness Infrastructure or facility modifications and process improvements Building innovation capacity Exhibiting at international trade shows

Capital Purchases: For any size company, purchasing and/or maintaining the equipment or machinery necessary to do business can be overwhelming. For a Small Business with little to no capital, this can be even more challenging. Grants in this category help with: Purchasing new or improved manufacturing

machines and equipment Retrofitting existing technologies to become more competitive Upgrades to energy efficiency equipment or technology

Purchases that improve productivity and efficiency to introduce new technology or contribute to increasing exports

Research and Development: If a company is conducting its research and development initiatives within Canada, there are plenty of highly lucrative grants (and even tax incentives) to offset some of those costs. Grants in this category can help with: ·Projects that grow and generate profits through adoption, adaptation, development, and commercialization of innovative, technology-driven, new or improved products, services, or processes.

Green and Clean Technology: With growing concerns of global warming and climate change, there has been a dramatic shift towards identifying and promoting businesses that offer sustainable solutions using green and clean technology. Grants in this category help with: Lighting retrofits and controls HVAC re-design

Hiring or Training:

Chiller replacement

Hiring and training employees is a part of any company’s daily operations. Finding the right candidates or training existing employees requires significant effort, time, and resources. Grants in this category help with:

Improvement on thermal performance

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Variable speed drives Implementation of new operating procedures Low carbon emissions

Common Industry Challenges When applying for government funding, there are many potential roadblocks that applicants can face. Below are some common industry challenges: There are thousands of grant programs, all with varying

Ayming’s proprietary Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven database has real-time access to thousands of grant programs, including a custom snapshot of all federal and provincial grants currently available, specific to each business. This database, combined with their vast experience and specialists located across the country, means you get a funding strategy customized for your specific projects and industry.

eligibility criteria, application processes, and submission time frames. Knowing which one you are eligible for and

Ayming is the first Canadian company to establish a

when to apply can be tricky.

national grants practice.

The funding landscape is constantly evolving with the

Partner with a highly experienced team that boasts

frequent introduction of new programs, unscheduled end of

over 50 + years of combined grants experience and

existing ones, or the depletion of funds without prior notice.

over 200+ years of combined SR&ED experience,

This makes it imperative to proactively identify your

meaning you partner with true subject matter experts

program of choice, align your planned initiatives, then

who are invested in your success.

complete and submit a strong application as soon as

With Ayming, clients do not have to wait for the

possible.

government agencies to process their grant and

Each grant intake is extremely competitive and usually has

SR&ED applications in order to receive money

hundreds of companies applying for the same pool of

immediately. Ayming has an exclusive fund of $150

funds. Applicants often lack the knowledge required to

million which provides accelerated access to funding

complete strong submissions that will gain interest and get

through our attractive financing offer.

approved over others.

No risk success-fee remuneration.

Companies often struggle to clearly determine which cost(s) they can include in their applications to maximize their ROI and hence, often leave money on the table.

In addition, grants can also impact an organization’s SR&ED tax credit claim. It is necessary to have a strategy to maximize the combination of both programs.

Some projects may encompass multi-year investments.

Sometimes, future investments do not proceed as planned and special amendments need to be agreed to with the government agencies. Companies lack the proper knowledge required to pursue such amendments, while still preserving the initially approved funding amounts.

Why Ayming? How Can They Help?

Ayming’s holistic methodology and thorough understanding of government grants result in $1.5 billion of funding achieved annually. They are proactively engaged for the entire life cycle of the project, including identification, application preparation and submission, reporting packages, and assistance with government correspondence.

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In Conclusion For small and medium-sized businesses, Government Grants are the key to funding future innovation and growth. Ayming will work directly with your team to understand your near-term needs and long-term objectives, becoming a critical part of your company’s decision-making process for planning future investments.

If a company plans to spend money on any projects that could fall into the above-mentioned areas, contact Ayming for a free analysis of the immediate funding opportunities available.

Small Businesses are the heart and soul of the global economy Craig Walker, Executive General Manager Product — Payment & Billing Solutions Craig Walker is Founding CTO and Executive General Manager Payments & Billing Solutions for Xero. As EGM, Craig leads a global engineering and design team that builds and oversees invoicing, billing, and payments infrastructure and workflows. Having spent the first half of his career leading Xero's technology strategy and building out Xero's core accounting platform, he is now building the company’s next-generation fintech products, leading the Payments and Billing Solutions team.

Craig has a history of operating as a virtual CTO for entrepreneurs & start-ups, offering strategic technology advice and expertise.

Craig leads Xero's software development team and technology infrastructure. Craig has spent his career building mission-critical Internet applications, including co-founding softwareas-a-service provider Viatx and working for leading Microsoft consulting firm Glazier Systems.

Craig Walker

Founding CTO and EGM Product Payment & Billing Solutions, Xero

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What is Xero’s vision for Canadian small business owners?

Small business is the heart and soul of the global economy, and that’s definitely true in Canada, where small businesses employ approximately 64% of the total labour force. Our vision is for small businesses in Canada to return to where they were prepandemic, which will be a major driver towards economic recovery. Xero’s role is to provide small businesses, and their accountants and other trusted advisors, with the digital tools to help them thrive.

Why is there a need for small business owners to adopt advanced technology like automation, AI, and the cloud?

Keeping track of finances on spreadsheets and stuffing shoeboxes full of receipts doesn’t cut it anymore. Business owners need real-time access to an accurate, up-to-date picture of where their business is at so they can make decisions about cash flow and where to rein in spending. Digital maturity can make or break a business—especially in the sort of challenging times we have all lived through for the past year and a half. The data speaks for itself; digitally mature businesses—including ones that have embraced cloud-based accounting—have had higher levels of resiliency throughout the pandemic.

How are small business technology advancements in Toronto, one of North America's most prominent tech hubs, driving the country's economic recovery?

Toronto is a connected, business-friendly city, and the size and diversity of its tech talent pool are second to none. As global technology companies like Google and IBM invest in Toronto and expand offices, that draws even more top-notch engineers and software developers to the city. That helps drive innovation and stimulate economic activity that benefits small and mediumsized businesses as well, and that’s good for the Canadian economy as a whole.

Can you tell us a bit more about the revolutionary updates behind Xero’s new bank reconciliation capabilities? And how do you expect these changes to impact SMEs and their advisors?

The first thing you’ll notice is an all-new design and interface. It makes bank reconciliation more beautiful, but also easier and smoother. We’ve leveraged artificial intelligence to deliver smarter matching algorithms and memorization for transfers between accounts. Also coming soon—and currently, in beta with some customers—we'll be able to offer new bank-rule search capabilities and suggested contacts and account codes for new bank-statement lines that customers haven’t reconciled before.

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For business owners and their advisors, these updates will transform bank reconciliation into a simple and seamless workflow instead of the time-consuming task it used to be.

Since you joined Xero, 15 years ago, what has been the most significant change you’ve seen within the company? And, where do you see Xero 10 years from now?

The most significant thing to me is not what has changed, but what hasn’t. Over the past 15 years, Xero has grown into a global company with more than 2.7 million subscribers, but our vision has remained the same—we want to make life better for entrepreneurs and their advisors and communities worldwide.

Additionally, we have really stayed true to our values which create our special culture and the 'Xero magic' that we want to foster and maintain as we scale and grow at speed. Xero truly lives its values such as #human which is about treating each other and our customers authentically and with kindness and respect that we’d want to be treated.

At Xero, I like to think we’ll be around to support multi-generational businesses with cloud-based tools not only in 10 years' time but well into the future. This long-term thinking is really important and being embedded into the way we work, and also the technology that underpins our platform as we continue to scale globally as a company. We will continue to invest in developing our platform so we can meet not only our customers' needs now, but our future customers.

This has been an especially difficult time for small business owners; what tips do you have for SMEs that are finding it hard to pull through right now?

Never forget that, as a business owner, you’re part of a community. Your fellow entrepreneurs are struggling with the same things you are. Don’t be afraid to ask what’s helping them get through, and share what’s working for you. As the saying goes, we’re all in this together, and that’s how we’ll get through it—together.

THE

ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN VARIOUS ASPECTS OF SMALL BUSINESSES Technologies such as artificial intelligence are becoming more plausible in the real world with products and services including them to enhance consumer satisfaction. Before we realized it, digital transformation crept up slowly and became an irreplaceable part of our lives. Now, it plays such a prominent role on every front that you cannot think of replacing them. And with the long list of benefits they come with, why should you?

Forbes writes, “Technology should be used to foster open communication among team members and between you and your business partners. Seventy percent of customers still prefer human interaction over-communicating with bots, and your colleagues and partners are no different. Customers want and expect digital engagement across a wide variety of channels, but they want these channels to supplement or lead to more impactful human interactions, not replace them entirely.”

Digitization is the key to any successful business. With the influx of new digital technologies, cloud computing services, artificial intelligence, automation, and robotics, the world has definitely moved to a different level. With time, these technologies have taken over the world and we have become more dependent on them than ever before.

Productivity In this day and age, there are numerous productivity tools that can help you increase productivity in your organization and keep a check on it in order to get better results. Some areas in which productivity software can help are listed below: Time tracking to analyze where the most amount of time is spent and where you need to work on.

Project management, task management, and email management.

Easily share tasks and other important documents.

Financial Again, there are numerous tools present in the market today that can help you with managing your company’s finances quite easily. Some areas where these tools can come in handy are mentioned below: Reduce cost by using online invoicing tools Keep track of your budget.

Handle taxes and other important documents.

Use the software to sell online and create a new income stream.

Share everything digitally with less hassle.

Marketing Marketing and that too efficiently can help you streamline your businesses and reach a wider potential customer base.

In line with this, there are several tools that can help you in this aspect: Create and design a marketing plan.

Distribute content on the website.

Distribute content across different social media channels.

Promote your business online using effective strategies.

Create campaigns and advertising strategies for online marketing.

Collect emails to send out personalized offers.

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Customer Service Customer service is probably the most important aspect for any business because they want people to keep coming back to them. So, there are many such online tools and software that can help you in this aspect of your business as well.

Use different social media channels to conduct customer surveys in order to provide personalized service.

Use surveys and other forms to get invaluable customer feedback.

Set up an online help desk or ticket system to handle customer issues.

To Wrap It Up Softwares make it easier for people to work from home, saving money on office space and utilities. Other than that it also helps you in saving time and other micromanagement tasks. All this will only add up to productivity and efficiency. For more such informational articles, don’t forget to subscribe to the CanadianSME Small Business Magazine.

Essential tech resolutions for small business For start-ups and newly established small businesses, growth can be one of the hardest goals to achieve.

There are so many hurdles to overcome on a regular basis that survival often becomes the main focus. A common issue for many small businesses is that they don’t have the staff numbers to take care of routine functions. Owners and managers often spread themselves too thin to the detriment of their business.

While it’s normal for business owners to put a lot of time and effort into their venture, it’s important for them to also realize they can’t do it all. At some point, they need to seek help, advice, and services from elsewhere. Outsourcing services such as IT., accounting, payroll, and HR is a useful option for some companies. It allows the owners and management to concentrate on the core functions of the business, thereby maximizing opportunities for success.

In today’s digital era, people are constantly engaged by one form of technology or the other. Technological advancements influence all industries. Companies of all sizes must embrace technology to thrive in modern business.

Here are five ways technology can boost the success of your small business.

Digital management Management tools and project management software can help your team interact in real-time. There are many more advantages to digital management tools, particularly when it comes to managing large teams.

Digital management tools can be used to manage and store files, invoices, and account information. Employees can also use computer-based tools for accessing and sharing business-related documents.

Advertising Targeted advertising is a must for modern businesses. One of the most effective advertising techniques for a small business is advertising via social media.

Through research and analysis, you should be able to establish a clear target market. This target audience should be broken down into specific segments that can be targeted via paid advertisements. Create adverts to suit each segment and launch a digital advertising campaign. It’s also important to outline KPIs to determine the effectiveness of your campaign. Monitor the progress, analyze the results, and use the information gained for future campaigns.

The mobile audience is the future Mobile has surpassed desktops when it comes to website traffic. Your website, social media, and digital advertising strategy should be optimized for mobile users.

We are beginning to see increased numbers of transactions from mobile devices too. Don’t make the mistake of ignoring this segment of the marketplace and ensure that you plan and target the mobile audience.

Improved security With such a reliance on the internet and digital technology in recent years, there has also been an increase in cybercrime.

To many people’s surprise, small businesses and start-ups are regularly targeted by hackers. Cybercriminals see smaller companies as easy targets for theft.

It’s vital for small businesses to implement strong security measures. Being trustworthy and reliable when it comes to customer information can be advantageous for your company, so ensure you take all necessary security measures and beware of data breaches.

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Remote access Technology has changed the way regular business is conducted. There are no longer standard practices when it comes to business operations. One of the most important technological changes in recent years is the emergence of remote working.

Due to the availability of communication software, high-speed internet, conference call technologies, and other digital tools, employees can now get their work done remotely. There is less need for physical presence at meetings or conferences.

To Wrap It Up Technological advancements reduce costs, increases the bottom line, and boost the potential for success.

They can be highly beneficial in helping small businesses get maximum things done without spending too much. For more information, please subscribe to the CanadianSME Small Business Magazine.

Marketing Expert Explains Significance of keeping up with Digital Marketing Trends Christina Ross

President and Marketing Director at Silver Frog Marketing

2021 into 2022 a brand's survival is dependent on a good digital marketing strategy. “The basis of marketing for any brand is relationship building,” explains Ross, President of Silver Frog Marketing.

“Cultivating relationships with audiences through digital marketing tactics is what draws people to a brand.” Christina Ross shared tricks of the trade and is willing to help brands use digital marketing effectively exclusively through this interview

Christina Ross is the President and Marketing Director at Silver Frog Marketing and loves helping businesses with their creative design and overall marketing efforts. She has spent the majority of her career in the marketing industry, gaining experiences in areas such as website design, social media marketing, TV/Radio broadcast and Google marketing. While marketing is her primary job function by day, Christina also enjoys painting, yoga and spending time with her family.

Can you elaborate on some of the ways in which digital marketing can help small business owners advance their businesses?

Digital Marketing, in many forms, creates a digital footprint of your business online. It builds trust and allows your customers to stay engaged without having to directly contact you until they are ready for your service.

What do you think are the most important digital marketing trends to utilize in 2021?

Quality Content Storytelling infographics.

How do digital marketing strategies help in building brand loyalty?

The more your customer sees you online the more trust is built within their mind. You don’t need to “sell” your customer 100% of the time.

Use digital marketing to build a relationship.

How to create engaging content and marketing materials in a world of short attention spans?

Be short and to the point. Try to solve a problem within the headline of your ad or within your tagline. This way, people know exactly what you do within seconds. Use Infographics, Short video clips, Youtube videos to show your message.

How do you think small business owners target and engage with specific stakeholders?

In my experience, I’ve seen small business owners use themselves as their “target customer” and only use word of mouth for marketing. That does not work. Instead, small business owners should schedule time each month to review their marketing efforts and plan out their marketing for the next month.

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Do you have any advice for small business owners that are finding it difficult to pull through during these tough times? How do you think they can future-proof their businesses and build resilience?

Yes! Digital Marketing doesn’t have to cost anything at all! Take advantage of the internet to promote your brand. At a minimum make sure your business is listed on Google My Business and you have a current FaceBook Page. I also recommend sending a monthly newsletter to your prospects and customers to keep them informed about your company and stay on top of their minds.

5 Tips to Increase Productivity at Your Small Business READ MORE

Is your whole team working from home? Have you decided to permanently shift to a home office since the pandemic?

In such a case, it’s highly important to remain productive because one can easily get carried away in the comfort of their homes. A business where all the employees are highly productive can reach great heights. However, if you see that your organization needs a bit of help working on the different aspects of increasing productivity, here are five tips that will definitely make a difference. So, let’s get started!

Prioritize As a business owner, you may have numerous tasks at hand.

Even your employees might have several daily tasks. Now, you can’t imagine doing everything at the same time, right!

After all, we are still humans at the end of the day. Therefore, it’s important to prioritize and understand the most important tasks that you may have at your hand and then move about them in a systematic way. Once you learn this lesson and convey it to your workers, you are pretty much set.

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One Task At a Time Multitasking sure is a talent and some people do have a knack for it. However, you can’t really expect to do several things at once without losing focus. Let’s face it, not everyone is good at multitasking. So, before you take up too much in your hand at the same time, understand your capacity and ask yourself - can I do so many things at once?

It’s Today That Matters Sure, you need to have a long-term sustainable business goal but in order to achieve that you need to take one step at a time - one day at a time. If you’ll focus on the day at hand and plan out everything accordingly, you’ll find yourself making the most of it. Write it down, your plans for the day, or make a to-do list. In either case, make sure that you are focusing on your priorities.

After all, there’s always a tomorrow but brooding over the future without focusing on the present day will only bog down your process. Don’t get distracted by a million things, focus on one and get it done.

Find Out When You Work Best Different people have different working habits. It may so happen that you work best during the day but not as much in the afternoon. Similarly, the energy level of a person also differs throughout the day. In order to understand this, it’s important to notice yourself and when you get in the rhythm. Soon enough, you’ll be able to notice a pattern and then you can bring a change in your working habits accordingly. Trust us, it’s for the best!

The Creative Time Consider a scenario - once you are able to find out what time works best for you, the rest of the hours can be where you enhance your creativity. Don’t schedule any work-related calls or meetings during this time. Use this hour as a detox from your hectic schedule, where you switch off all your notifications, your social media handles and keep your phone aside to focus on one thing YOURSELF!

To Wrap It Up Remember, you can only be productive when you don’t take up much more than you can handle. Therefore, it’s important to stay aware and stick to not over-exerting yourself. For more information, please subscribe to the CanadianSME Small Business Magazine.

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SEVEN “SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS” OF A TRAUMATIZED COMPANY (RECOGNIZE ANY?) Organizational trauma isn’t always caused by a single horrifying event. It can also be ongoing or cumulative (say, a global pandemic).

However, the impact on employees and organizations is fairly predictable, says workplace trauma expert Diana Hendel.

Here are some Common Threads she sees in every traumatized organization.

Organizational trauma takes many forms. It can be “collective trauma” like what we’ve all struggled with over the past year and a half due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It can be a “shock and awe” event like an act of violence or suicide. It can be ongoing and cumulative, like systemic sexual harassment or racism. Or it could be a less dramatic, but still disruptive event like a round of layoffs (or the ongoing threat of them), a contentious merger or restructuring, or a cyber hack.

Regardless of the specifics, says Diana Hendel, PharmD, trauma affects organizations in predictable (and deeply destructive) ways.

“Trauma impacts both individual employees and the organization as a whole,” says Dr. Hendel, coauthor along with Mark Goulston, MD, of Trauma to Triumph: A Roadmap for Leading Through Disruption and Thriving on the Other Side (HarperCollins Leadership, March 2021, ISBN: 978-1-4002-2837-9, $17.99). “Whether it’s a singular shocking event or a long, drawn-out crisis, trauma can shatter people’s beliefs about the company’s culture and sow distrust that leads to long-term damage.”

Dr. Hendel speaks from experience. In 2009, the hospital she led experienced a workplace shooting by a disgruntled employee. This horrific event left three people dead and shook the organization and its employees to the core. And it shaped her own trajectory, leading her to become an expert in organizational trauma.

To understand how trauma manifests, you must first understand what trauma is. It is very different from the routine stress we all experience at work from time to time. While stress might be intense, it eventually passes. Trauma, on the other hand, overwhelms our protective structure and sends us into survival mode. It leaves us vulnerable and shatters our sense of safety and security and how we look at the world.

And if left unaddressed, it can result in long-term harm—not just to individuals, but to organizations as well.

Here are some of the Common Signs and symptoms of a traumatized organization.

People create their own narratives.

There are hundreds of unique points of view, and each person creates a narrative based on their own perspectives, personal histories, and relationships to those directly involved.

Blaming and finger-pointing ensue.

Initially, most organizations experience a great degree of camaraderie and altruism in the face of a traumatic event, but once the question of “why did this happen?” surfaces, speculation and second-guessing can cast a wide net of secondary blame that extends well beyond the perpetrator or causal agent. Why didn’t the organization prevent it or stop it? How could the leaders have been unaware? In some instances, people blame the victims for overreacting, or the organization for not preventing “witch hunts.”

Feelings of guilt rise to the surface.

Those closest to a traumatic event may struggle with feelings of guilt: guilt that they’d missed a warning sign, hadn’t stopped it from happening, or hadn’t spoken up sooner—and that it had then happened to others. Some feel guilty for surviving.

Communication falters.

Frequently, communication is initially haphazard and often too little and too late as leaders struggle to navigate the line between transparency and confidentiality. Trust and confidence can quickly erode as wild rumours spread and strong opinions surface. And in the immediate chaos of a traumatic event, it’s often unclear how decisions are being made (and who is responsible for making them).

The workforce rapidly polarizes.

People tend to divide into opposing factions. For example, in one organization that experienced a sexual harassment case, “Camp 1” believed and sided with the victims while “Camp 2” defended the accused, resulting in a deep division within the organization.

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A sense of shame arises.

People often worry that the traumatic event (a shooting, a rape, a financial scandal) will define them or the organization they have been proud to work for. They may feel ashamed that their culture could give rise to such an event. If the event is covered in the media, that shame may deepen.

They wonder: Will others—staff members, customers, the community—ever trust the organization again?

Trauma becomes unspeakable.

Often a trauma grows exceedingly difficult and painful to talk about—bordering on taboo—and becomes “unspeakable.” Because it isn’t being addressed, people continue to struggle, and the ongoing, perhaps deepening of division/polarization, blame, shame, and guilt hurts the culture. All of this can damage collaboration, cooperation, cohesiveness, and teamwork and erode people’s belief and trust in one another. As you can see, trauma wears on an organization and can cause lasting destruction. But it’s never too late to recognize trauma, name it, and break the chain of repercussions.

“I’ve seen again and again that seeking help changes everything,” concludes Dr. Hendel. “This means helping the individuals directly impacted by the trauma and also addressing the damage that’s been done to the organization as a whole.

With a thoughtful and timely response, it’s quite possible to emerge with a culture that is stronger, more transparent, and better able to intervene and handle any disruption in the future. And, in many cases, better functioning and higher performing than it was prior to the traumatic event.”

About the Authors:

Diana Hendel, PharmD Dr. Diana Hendel is the coauthor of Trauma to Triumph: A Roadmap for Leading Through Disruption and Thriving on the Other Side (HarperCollins Leadership, March 2021) and Why to Cope When You Can Heal?: How Healthcare Heroes of COVID-19 Can Recover from PTSD (Harper Horizon, December 2020). She is an executive coach and leadership consultant, former hospital CEO, and the author of Responsible: A Memoir, a riveting and deeply personal account of leading during and through the aftermath of deadly workplace trauma.

As the CEO of Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and Miller Children’s and Women’s Hospital, Hendel led one of the largest acute care, trauma, and teaching hospital complexes on the West Coast. She has served in leadership roles in numerous community organizations and professional associations, including chair of the California Children’s Hospital Association, executive committee member of the Hospital Association of Southern California, vice-chair of the Southern California Leadership Council, chair of the Greater Long Beach Chamber of Commerce, board member of the California Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and leader-inresidence of the Ukleja Center for Ethical Leadership at California State University Long Beach.

She earned a BS in biological sciences from UC Irvine and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from UC San Francisco. She has spoken about healthcare and leadership at regional and national conferences, and at TEDx SoCal on the topic of “Childhood Obesity: Small Steps, Big Change.”

Mark Goulston, MD, FAPA Dr. Mark Goulston is the coauthor of Trauma to Triumph: A Roadmap for Leading Through Disruption and Thriving on the Other Side (HarperCollins Leadership, March 2021) and Why to Cope When You Can Heal?: How Healthcare Heroes of COVID-19 Can Recover from PTSD (Harper Horizon, December 2020). He is a board-certified psychiatrist, a fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, former assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA-NPI, and a former FBI and police hostage negotiation trainer. He is the creator of Theory Y Executive Coaching that he provides to CEOs, presidents, founders, and entrepreneurs, and is a TEDx and international keynote speaker.

He hosts the My Wakeup Call podcast, where he speaks with influencers about their purpose in life and the wakeup calls that led them there, and is the co-creator and moderator of the multi-honoured documentary Stay Alive: An Intimate Conversation about Suicide Prevention.

He appears frequently as human psychology and behaviour expert across all media, including CNN, ABC/NBC/CBS/BBC News, Today, Oprah, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fortune, Harvard Business Review, Business Insider, Fast Company, Huffington Post, and Westwood One, and was featured in the PBS special Just Listen.

He is the author or principal author of seven prior books, including PTSD for Dummies, Get Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior, Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone, Real Influence: Persuade Without Pushing and Gain Without Giving In, and Talking to Crazy: How to Deal with the Irrational and Impossible People in Your Life.

About the Book: Trauma to Triumph: A Roadmap for Leading Through Disruption and Thriving on the Other Side (HarperCollins Leadership, March 2021, ISBN: 978-1-4002-2837-9, $17.99) is available from major online booksellers.

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HR Tech Can Help

Solve The Next Major Workplace in SMEs

By Mostafa Sayyadi

Management Consultant | Business & Technology journalist HR technology is an internal resource that increasingly facilitates HR business processes and improves the search for information and knowledge around the SME. For example, HRIS (Human Resource Information System) software enables SMEs to overcome space constraints in communications and promotes the depth and range of knowledge access. HRIS software can be also employed to enhance the conversations and knowledge exchanges between organizational members. This knowledge shared through technology could positively contribute to knowledge integration. Executives can apply HRIS software to develop and disseminate information throughout the SME which can improve the search for information in order to adapt to today’s uncertain business environment.

HCM (Human Capital Management) software is an important resource for strategic planning for knowledge integration. Knowledge integration is a major reason for the existence of an SME. This software enhances learning and sharing information by providing access to accurate information and knowledge. HCM software also stimulates new knowledge generation, through transferring knowledge to other members and departments.

Knowledge sharing itself can in turn develop more innovative climates and facilitate knowledge creation in SMEs. HCM software can, therefore, play a crucial role in improving knowledge creation and transference. Executives can use HCM software to develop an effective learning culture that disseminates knowledge around the SME. HRMS (Human Resource Management System) software can be also used by executives to facilitate the knowledge creation process by providing the essential infrastructures to store and retrieve organizational knowledge. HRMS software encourages executives to embark on technological facilities to provide new and possible solutions for solving organizational problems and transferring individuals’ knowledge to other members and departments and improving knowledge capturing, storing, and accumulating to achieve organizational goals.

In Conclusion This article advances the current literature on HR technology and knowledge management by offering novel insights into how better HR technology leads to better knowledge management. For executives, this article can portray a more detailed picture of the effects of HR technology on knowledge management. Executives can apply HR technology in their decision-making processes in order to investigate various alternatives and options.

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Success in today’s global business environment can be more effective when HR technology is effectively applied and widely used to achieve a higher degree of competitiveness. Importantly, knowledge management performance at all levels of the SME is positively associated with using HR technology and setting up useful software and systems to enhance strategic decision-making.

Many SMEs still implement knowledge management initiatives without sufficient consideration of their technological infrastructures. When executives ensure the effectiveness of knowledge management projects they increase control and lessen operational risk. Thus, I suggest that an SME’s ability to enhance knowledge management can be highly affected when executives implement HR technology.

Executives can implement HR technology by employing IT professionals and allocating more budgetary resources to share and utilize knowledge within SMEs.