This Tuesday is The Globe and Mail Small Business Summit, and we've added a new feature this year to boost networking opportunities at the event. Attendees can sign up for a one-on-one chat with top entrepreneurs such as Steve Beauschene (Beau's All Natural Brewing), Mohamad Fakih (Paramount Fine Foods), Bruce Linton from Canopy Growth and more. Full information at www.globesummits.ca. -Sarah Efron, Report on Small Business editor.
'We don't want to be an office:' Café owners are pulling the plug on WiFi
When HotBlack Coffee opened in downtown Toronto a year ago, it took a risk few businesses would dare take in today's online-driven world: it turned off the WiFi.
"Every day people come in and ask for it," says Jimson Bienenstock, the café's co-owner.
Still, he hasn't wavered.
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"In the short term, it hurt us," Mr. Bienenstock says. "It took us longer to become established, but once we reached critical mass, it has become a self-fulfilling virtuous circle." Full story.
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How can I get my clients to pay faster?
The longer an issue surrounding an invoice is outstanding, the less likely it is that you will collect the full amount. Some people are masters at creating ambiguity surrounding money that they owe. Full story.
Is social selling really the best way to make sales?
Social selling is the strategy of engaging potential customers and business partners through the development of first-class digital content (content marketing), disseminated across the world's largest social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter. The purpose of such content is to educate your target market on opportunities to make or save money, establish credibility and trust, and ultimately drive them to your door because they have identified you as a product or service provider that can uniquely help them. Full story.
Five small financial mistakes that can lead to a major cash crisis
Making a few mini money mistakes here and there isn't uncommon for budding entrepreneurs. I made a habit of this during my first few years of entrepreneurship. Here's the trouble with the philosophy I adopted: Over time, tiny neglect resulted in a cash flow crisis. Full story.
More small business news from around the web
Small businesses shunning social media
Social media might seem like a given to some business owners, but more than half of small or medium enterprises in Alberta don't use it at all, according to a new survey. The Alberta Treasury Branches Business Beat survey released this week shows 53 per cent refrain from using Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Full story
TheBoardlist launches in Canada to get more women on company boards
In July 2015, Joyus founder Sukhinder Singh Cassidy launched theBoardlist, a curated platform that includes the names of women from various industries willing to join company boards. It was the culmination of conversations that she had with other women in entrepreneurship about encouraging diversity in the tech community. Full story.
Vancouver's AI ecosystem "exploding" — helping keep Canadians at home
Peter McLachlan says he's always excited when there's a new wave to catch on the tech front. "We saw the mobile wave coming a decade ago. When the storm hit around 2009 with the iPhone 3G announcement, we were already there with a product ready to go," says the chief product officer for Mobify, a mobile customer engagement solution provider in Vancouver. Full story.
Robots that see and pluck fragile fruits on the way to automate orchards
Harvesting Washington state's vast fruit orchards each year requires thousands of farmworkers, and many of them work illegally in the United States. That system eventually could change dramatically as at least two companies are rushing to get robotic fruit-picking machines to market. Full story.