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Business owners need a break too
When Dionne Laslo-Baker began to expand her Victoria-based organic popsicle and freezie business seven years ago, her family got used to her always working. Her inability to put down the phone and close her laptop got so bad that, four years ago, her husband demanded she stop interrupting their time together to take calls. Minutes later, her phone rang. He stormed off. Story
Should you incorporate your business?
When your company operates in an industry that’s often the subject of lawsuits, taking extra steps to protect your business and personal assets is a smart move for small business owners. That’s why Steve Hamelin, an architectural designer in Oakville, Ont., chose to incorporate his business, Hamelin Arch Inc., in 2013. Story
Radical Ventures leads $31.5-million financing for receipt fintech Sensibill
Sensibill Inc., a Toronto startup that provides digital receipt-management technology to banks has raised US$31.5-million in venture financing, marking the fifth time in less than a month that a Canadian startup has raised $30-million-plus in financings led by Canadian investors. Story
Turning customer complaints into opportunities
These days, when someone complains about Mabel’s Labels Inc. on social media, the company resolves the issue publicly on the platform, so everyone can see how far it will go for its customers. It’s a strategy that has worked well for the Hamilton-based company, which makes waterproof labels and tags for kids’ belongings, but it only evolved after a public blunder, co-founder Julie Cole says. Story
WHAT WE’RE READING ELSEWHERE
Pot-friendly hotel in the works for Niagara
Entrepreneur Conrad Floyd wants visitors to Niagara Falls to take their vacation to a higher level. The Hamilton resident is in the process of converting a former derelict hotel on Lundy’s Lane into the city’s first cannabis-friendly inn. St. Catharines Standard
Chefs churn out kosher challah following Rideau Bakery closure
The closing of Ottawa’s iconic Rideau Bakery has had an immediate effect on the city’s Jewish community — but now some local chefs are donning their aprons to help pick up the slack. CBC
Eyebrows raised over big government loan to Sault tech start-up
Questions are being asked about an $800,000 FedNor loan to one of Canada’s “hottest and most innovative tech companies.” Skritswap Inc., founded in 2015 by Saultite Melissa Kargiannakis, uses artificial intelligence to make complex online documents easier to understand by changing the reading level. Soo Today
Five Park businesses join Alberta 15 pledge
A pledge that continues to spread across the province has some Sherwood Park businesses signing up. A coalition of businesses launched the Alberta15 pledge and more businesses continue to sign up, including five in Sherwood Park and one in Fort Saskatchewan as of June 28. Sherwood Park News
Areas outside Montreal still having trouble finding lifeguards
For the second summer in a row, Quebec is dealing with a lifeguard shortage. It’s mostly affecting regions outside large cities like Montreal, according to Raynald Hawkins, executive director of the Lifesaving Society’s Quebec branch. CBC
Cowboys tent exemption ‘unfair’ say Calgary businesses
Some Calgary bar owners are calling for the city to extend noise bylaw exemptions to them, just as it has for the Cowboys Music Festival over the course of the Stampede. On Thursday, Penny Lane Entertainment, which operates Cowboys, won its appeal with the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board to play amplified music after midnight and stay open until 2 a.m. CTV