Time to celebrate Small Business Week

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/10/2016 (3252 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Oct. 16-22 is Small Business Week in Canada. If you’re not immersed in the business world, you might not recognize the importance of this week, but it is a great opportunity to take some time to thank the small business owners, entrepreneurs and innovators for the contributions they make to the communities in which they operate, the economic impact and the products and services they provide.

Many believe that small businesses are indeed the backbone to the Manitoba and Canadian economy. It’s who we work for, it’s where we take our pets to be cared for, it’s the shop that fixes our computer, the garage that rotates our tires, the eatery where we pick up our coffee every morning, the local farmer who supplies our vegetables or the boutique where we buy a special outfit for an upcoming event.

Small businesses are everywhere and I try to celebrate their successes through my column on a weekly basis.

I don’t ever seem to have a shortage of news to share and since I started #businessbuzz in April 2014, I’ve featured hundreds of local business owners.

With almost every story I write, I have discovered many similarities. Small business owners are passionate, they work hard and they try to best to provide their customers with the best service or product that they can.

Bonnie Nay-Draper, manager of the Western Regional Office of Entrepreneurship Manitoba, says Small Business Week is a great time to celebrate small, independently owned businesses and a perfect opportunity to say thanks to all the business owners who work long hours, who stay current in their industry and give back to the communities in which we live.

Entrepreneurship Manitoba, of the Department of Growth, Enterprise and Trade, offers a variety of services to entrepreneurs in various times of the business life cycle —whether it’s on starting, growing or selling.

They have programs such as the Business Start Program (loan), the Journeyperson Business Start Program (grant), business counselling, advisory and mentoring services. They also offer a variety of workshops, seminars and webinars to provide business owners with additional resources in areas such as accounting, marketing, proposal writing and developing a business plan.

As part of the Small Business Week celebrations, Entrepreneurship Manitoba is sponsoring the Brandon Chamber of Commerce Luncheon on Monday and is hosting a number of workshops and events throughout the province. They recently partnered with Economic Development Brandon and the Brandon Chamber of Commerce to host the Westman HR Conference and have other events lined up such as the Westman Entrepreneur Bootcamp and a Business Planning Workshop in Dauphin.

Nay-Draper said that while this is a great week to celebrate the successes and amazing work that they do, they are pleased to be able to provide extra knowledge or expertise when they need it, and they work in concert with other organizations to provide programs that are practical, helpful, hands-on and relevant in today’s business world to help business owners be as successful as possible.

For more information on programs and services, visit entrepreneurshipmb.ca.

Wig Service

As October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I though it would be fitting to share some exciting news at local hair and nail salon, Twisted Scizzors. Owner Jennifer Hodgson said they have recently expanded to offer wig services.

“In the past few years myself, as well as my staff, have had family members and clients that have been affected by cancer or hair loss. I have personally witnessed the amount of courage and strength that these people have shown when confronted with such devastating news, so we wanted to help by offering advice and solutions,” Hodgson said.

Twisted Scizzors, in operation since 2007, is located at 840 18th St. They offer private consultations on purchasing wigs, a good selection of wigs to choose from and education on how to style and care for wigs. As well, they are a full service hair and nail salon.

For more information, call 204-727-0706 or follow them on Facebook.

Opening Day

For those of you who have been eager to check out the new Peavy Mart store in Brandon, it is set to open early next week. I’ll share more on the business in a future edition of #businessbuzz.