Small Business

How Students Are Turning Class Projects into Real Business Ventures

By Autumn BrambellPosted on September 2, 2025Posted in Small BusinessNo Comments

In high school, I often felt like projects were just something to get through. Completing them usually meant checking off a box on my to-do list, handing them in to my teacher and then moving on to the next assignment. It was easy to see them just as assignments with deadlines rather than opportunities for something bigger. But when I got to university, that perspective started to shift. One course changed how I saw schoolwork: my thesis course. Unlike anything I’d done before, this course challenged me to identify a real, tangible problem and use research as a tool to explore possible solutions. It wasn’t about just finishing an assignment; it was about creating something meaningful that could have an impact beyond the classroom. That experience made me realize that academic work can be the starting point for real change—if students are given the right support and space to take their ideas further. For many students, the feeling that a class project may be more than just an assignment can be the start of something unexpected. I recently had the chance to speak with a former student who followed that feeling, turning an idea sparked in the classroom into a real venture that made a difference. Their journey wasn’t always easy; it took persistence, creativity and support. Stories like theirs highlight a bigger truth: while great ideas can come from anywhere, not all students have the same access to resources or guidance to help them grow. That’s why educators like Dr. Barbara Crow have been working to break down those barriers and build pathways that empower every student to bring their ideas to life. Innovation for Every Student When Dr. Barbara Crow became Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., she noticed a disconnect: innovation and entrepreneurship were often siloed in STEM and business faculties, leaving arts and science students out of the conversation. “There was no pathway for Arts and Science students to get involved in innovation,” she explained. “But the skills needed to turn ideas into action, that’s something every student should have access to.” With that in mind, Dr. Crow began working with the Queen’s music department and other campus partners to reframe innovation not as a tech-only space, but as a methodological approach, a process that could apply just as much to poetry and social change as to engineering and product design. Innovation, she emphasized, is about translating ideas into impact. Her early conversations with the director of the Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre sparked a pivotal question: What would it take to bring Arts and Science students into the fold and support them meaningfully? The result was the creation of the Dean’s Changemaker Challenge, a program that brings alumni, faculty and interdisciplinary mentors together to support students in building real-world projects based on their values, lived experiences and coursework. Crafting Solutions That Resonate for Decades Dr. Crow admits the early iterations of the program weren’t perfect. The first calls for participants were too open-ended, and only a few students showed up. “They needed a project, something tangible to build from,” she said. In one early initiative, students worked with renowned photographer Edward Burtynsky, known for his environmental work and Order of Canada recognition, to conceptualize the story of the whale through art, writing and learning. “We worked on it for two years. It was a deeply collaborative, evolving process,” she said. “Ten years from now, students will look back and say, ‘Wow, we did that.’” The program gradually brought in more expertise, pairing undergraduate teams with graduate students and community leaders who could guide the implementation side of their ideas. As students became more engaged, the projects evolved, rooted increasingly in personal passion and lived experience. When Education Meets Purpose One of the last projects Dr. Crow helped oversee before going on leave involved a group of undergraduate students proposing a compulsory mental health course for incoming Queen’s students. Working alongside Dr. Meghan Norris, known for her research at the intersection of pedagogy and student well-being, the team collaborated with campus mental health providers to ensure the course would complement existing academic supports. Some faculty initially worried that a required mental health course might detract from their own curriculum. But the students flipped that narrative, saying, “Our course is going to make students better in your course,” emphasizing that prioritizing mental well-being doesn’t take away from academic performance; it enhances it. It wasn’t just theory. The challenge inspired a range of tangible solutions: children’s books on mental health, fridge-tagging systems to improve food access and even innovations like “Telechargers,” a proposal to create mobile device charging stations at gas stations for long-haul travelers and underserved communities. For Dr. Crow, these moments reflect what the Changemaker Challenge is truly about: using education not just to absorb information, but to act on it, creatively, inclusively and with purpose. When the Lived Experiences of Students Drive Business What’s remarkable about student entrepreneurs is how personal their ventures are. These aren’t just ideas pulled out of thin air; they’re often born from lived experience, empathy and a genuine desire to help their communities. Take Emily Talas, for example. Growing up as a first‑generation Canadian in an immigrant household, conversations about school and mental health weren’t always simple, not because her family lacked understanding, but because it was new for all of them. “Everything was new, for them and for me,” she explained. At just 14, when she started experiencing anxiety, her family came together to learn, adapt and support one another. It was a collective journey, rooted in resilience, understanding and a shared commitment to figuring it out as a team. Attending a school where many students were also first-generation Canadians, Emily found herself navigating the mental health system largely on her own. She often thought about how much easier things could’ve been if mental health literacy, such as simple explanations of emotions, anxiety or even just “what you’re feeling and why,”

Pros and cons of working for a small business

By Kyle QuilatanPosted on November 8, 2024Posted in Careers, Lifestyle, Small Business, SocietyNo Comments

When imagining a small business, it is easy to just picture a startup with no resources and a team with no experience. It can feel risky joining a company like this since their success, and thus your level of job security, is not guaranteed. However, small businesses are common and carry more merit than you might initially think. In Canada, a small business is defined as having between one and 99 paid employees. Many of these businesses might not truly be as small as expected. According to the Government of Canada, there were 1.22 million businesses in Canada in 2022. Ninety-eight per cent of these were small businesses, most of which were concentrated in Ontario and Quebec. With such a variety of small businesses across the country, carefully consider the pros and cons of joining a small business before discounting them for being “unknown.” PROS Benefits Contrary to what some might believe, small businesses do offer various benefits to their employees. In fact, Canadian small businesses are required to offer certain benefits, such as Workers Compensation Insurance (WCI), the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Employment Insurance (EI). Small businesses are also required to provide their employees with legislated leaves. This includes statutory holidays as well as various leaves, such as vacation, sick and parental leaves. Outside of these benefits, around 72 per cent of Canadian small businesses choose to compensate their employees with additional benefit packages. Flexibility Small businesses may have less traditional work environments, meaning they may be more willing to provide alternative work arrangements, such as work-from-home or hybrid work models, and flexible scheduling accommodations. Smaller businesses might be more understanding when it comes to important scheduling changes on the employee’s end, granting them peace of mind. Growth opportunities In a bigger company, it can be easier for your work to become lost among hundreds of other employees and various levels of management. However, in small businesses, you often have the opportunity to take on more responsibilities sooner. You are also more likely to get recognized for good performance since there are fewer levels of management. Being able to showcase your skills directly to leadership and more easily build workplace relationships might make it easier for you to work up the ranks in a shorter amount of time. To take on more responsibility, you might try out various roles within a small business, as departments are small and usually overlap. Job security Small businesses can provide a higher level of job security than larger corporations to some degree. Larger companies with hundreds of employees may go through periods of high turnover. The possibility of being seen as dispensable is higher, especially in lower-ranking positions. On the other hand, an individual’s role within a small business is much more vital. A small business may only have one accountant or marketing specialist, so these employees become much more crucial to the business’s success and day-to-day operations. Even lower-ranking roles are more important to a small business than to a larger corporation. CONS Lower compensation While many small businesses choose to offer additional benefits on top of the mandatory ones, numerous others simply do not have the resources necessary to provide employees with the same compensation as bigger corporations, suggesting a lower salary, fewer vacation and sick days, or less competitive health insurance. More responsibilities While experiencing other roles and overlapping departments can be a good thing, it can sometimes also become overwhelming. Having to take on more responsibilities than your job title suggests can make it harder to focus on what you were hired for in the first place. This can also make it more difficult to specialize within a small business, as you may be required to perform various tasks outside of your original expectations. Job security Many small businesses struggle to maintain themselves long-term. Depending on the small business you work for, you might find yourself out of a job if the business as a whole does not succeed. This becomes more likely the smaller a business is, and this uncertainty can be difficult to deal with at times. There are several pros and cons to working for small businesses, and some pros, like taking on more responsibility, can even be cons at the same time. Make sure to research adequately so that you are informed of the benefits and risks of being a small business employee.

Best ways to advertise a small business online

By Callum DenaultPosted on October 11, 2024Posted in Marketing, Small Business, TechnologyNo Comments

Promoting your business doesn’t have to be difficult with these online tools at your fingertips. Advertising is now easier than ever, thanks to social media and search engines, which are teeming with both obvious and subtle commercials. However, this can also make for an oversaturated market, so smart businesspeople aim for certain types of advertisements that maximize customer engagement for as little cost as possible. An introduction to digital commercials Any prospective business needs to consider the likely costs of advertising. Hopefully, some of these stats help. Small businesses’ average advertising cost for using Google Ads is between $9,000 and $10,000 monthly. Given that 70 to 80 per cent of users ignore sponsored search results, a search engine marketing (SEM) approach is arguably the best since it has the advantages of sponsored content without overly relying on it. By 2026, it is expected that businesses will increase their annual social media budgets by 11.76 per cent. This shows a rising interest in using these platforms to attract potential new customers. However, there are ways to engage people on social media without spending much more money. On X (formerly Twitter), 77 per cent of users appreciate a brand more when it responds to their tweets, but typically expect a response within four hours of their tweet going live. Businesses usually take as long as 10 hours to post a response. Thus, as long as it can be done in a manner that best represents the company, it may be worthwhile to build the habit of quickly writing positive responses to customers online. Cheap ways to advertise in person and offline Meaningful engagement that doesn’t feel like just business to potential shoppers is one way to make a brand stick inside customers’ heads. Other ways include customer loyalty rewards programs to lock in long-time clients, giveaways or promotions to get new people interested, and even sponsoring a beloved local event. Hosting events in the local community is also a great way for business owners to get involved in the local area, meet customers face-to-face, and get creative with how they promote their products. However, this strategy requires a good understanding of one’s audience. For example, someone targeting customers who work 9-5 jobs should not plan an event in the middle of a work week. Press coverage is a great form of free publicity. Its only downside is that reporters need something newsworthy to run a story. Business development should ideally tie into something relevant to the larger world, such as launching a new product that fights against global warming. Knowing how to write a press release is crucial in getting journalists to accept a business story. Two takeaways for anyone writing a press release: keep it short and put the lede (the most interesting or eye-catching part of a story) at the top. To avoid over-promotion, smart business owners should only reach out to reporters sparingly, that is, when they have a good lede so that their updates appear more important. Search engine optimization and buying Google results While advertisements may be shown to at least a few people outside the target audience, good search results can often be exactly what a customer is looking for. Businesses can increase the probability that their name will show up at the top of search results on websites like Google by paying for a specific type of advertisement or using other methods. For instance, search engine optimization (SEO) is the art of using titles, hashtags, keywords and other forms of content to increase the likelihood of a search engine choosing to display someone’s product. Shoppers use various online platforms to look for products, the most prominent being Amazon and Google, followed by YouTube, Facebook, X and TikTok. Pay-per-click (PPC) ads are sponsored search results, which can be distinguished from normal search results by a little logo or text box identifying them as ads. Mileage with PPCs may vary. Half of all users cannot distinguish paid search results from organic ones, while 51 per cent of Gen Z uses ad blockers. Besides possible effectiveness, the cost may be a worthwhile factor, with small businesses using PPC ads on Google paying between $100 to $10,000 a month. The combination of SEO and PPC is known as Search Engine Marketing. This is arguably the best method for increasing traffic to an online shop since it uses paid search results while helping a brand naturally reach more consumers without the potential turnoff of only doing so through ads.

Enhancing your small business with Adobe Creative Cloud

By Vincent TranPosted on October 7, 2024Posted in Careers, Marketing, Small Business, TechnologyNo Comments

From marketing to social media, this software offers tools to help further any business. The Adobe Creative Cloud is a handy tool for furthering your career. The software and applications can be used for many jobs and industries, such as social media, marketing and design. No matter what stage you are at in your career, Adobe Creative Cloud can be an essential tool. It can be especially useful to understand if you are an owner of a small business. Apps in the Adobe Creative Cloud can drastically improve the quality of your work and draw new people towards your business. There are many tools with different purposes available with the Adobe Creative Cloud. Here is how some of these applications can help enhance your small business. Photoshop + Lightroom Photoshop is one of the staples of the Adobe Creative Cloud and has a wide range of ways it can be used. You can use Photoshop to edit, alter, or modify different images and visual aspects and if you are comfortable working with the tool, it will greatly improve the quality of your small business. If you run a restaurant or food business, you can use Photoshop to create to market the food options available or adjust some images on your menu or catalogue. Lightroom is also another tool you could use along with Photoshop to improve the quality of your images. You could use Lightroom to further enhance any pictures you take by touching up and modifying details in a photo to make it stand out. Lightroom helps you remove flaws, add effects to images, and edit individual aspects of an image for in-depth editing capability. For example, in a food business, you can use Lightroom to make specific parts of a dish stand out like the main part from the sides or clean the image up by removing some imperfections from the picture. Learning how to work with both Photoshop and Lightroom can help improve the quality of your visuals and the implementation of images in your business. InDesign If you want to create advertisements and market your business, Adobe InDesign is the tool for you. InDesign is useful in creating posters, brochures or flyers. You can combine images with text seamlessly and ,use a specific layout while keeping everything organized. InDesign is great for expanding your brand and business image by helping you create a specific look and marketing direction you want. You can create informative content that will supplement your business and provide more background on what you offer. Audition If you run a social media account or are looking into doing audio content or podcasting, learning how to use Adobe Audition would be helpful. Audition is used to work on audio content, allowing users to mix, edit or add effects to their audio. There are many ways the Adobe Audition can be used to help the content you make for your small business. If you are doing voiceover for a tutorial video or other video content related to your business, you can edit and refine that voiceover audio in Audition. You can also adjust the audio levels to ensure you are heard well and edit the audio to remove pauses or mistakes. For podcasts or short audio episodes, you can add in sound effects to engage the viewer or transition better from point to point with the use of fades and transitioning smoothly between audio clips. Adobe Audition is crucial to understand if you want to find another way to engage with your audience and create new content. Premiere Pro If you ever want to add video content to your small business, having some knowledge of Premiere Pro will improve its delivery of our small business. Premiere Pro is a video editing software tool available with the Adobe Creative Cloud, and it has many features. You can cut, trim, or layer different video clips together and add text or graphics to the video as well. You can also edit audio on Premiere Pro and even record voiceovers or audio directly on the software to add to your videos. If you want to create short videos for your small business’ social media, you can do all of that on Premiere Pro. You can add your video clips to the timeline and edit them with the available tools. When you’re done with your editing, Premiere Pro has export presets that make it easy for you to optimize your videos for different platforms and the quality and dimensions on those platforms. After Effects If you understand how to use Premiere Pro, you can use Adobe After Effects to further enhance your video content. This tool offers users better and more specific video editing tools. You can get movie-like edits and effects with After Effects, which can transform your videos into professional-level content. After Effects is used for motion graphics and animations to elevate your content and add another layer to your work. You can do things such as track individual elements in a video or remove specific content from a video clip. If you want to make better transitions or add unique titles or text in your videos, you can do that with After Effects as well. Apart from video content, After Effects can also be used on static images and logos to bring life to them. You can make your business’s logos or images more unique by editing them in After Effects and adding different animations. Subscriptions and cost Adobe offers users multiple packages and subscription options covering different areas and needs. But, if you want access to all the Creative Cloud apps, there are a few pricing points to consider. Four subscription options are available: Individual, Business, Students & Teachers and Schools & Universities. The Business and Schools & Universities options are meant for users who are part of an organization or enterprise. The Individual plan costs $78.99/month or $863.88/year. If you have a student email address, it will cost $25.99/month or $352.42/year. Learning how to

Creating and selling handmade decor

By Meaghan FlokstraPosted on September 27, 2024Posted in Lifestyle, Small BusinessNo Comments

A small business owner shares her experience overcoming challenges and launching her successful decor shop. For many artists, starting a business and making a living off your creative works is the ultimate dream. Transforming fantasies into a practical business model can be difficult and daunting, but there are lots of creators who have achieved incredible success after taking the leap. Emily, the owner of Fandom Decor, a small business based in Ontario, creates and sells decor pieces themed around books and other media. Since launching Fandom Decor in 2020, Emily’s business has skyrocketed in popularity, gaining thousands of followers on Instagram and regularly selling out of products. In addition to her 3D decor pieces, such as reading trackers, Emily recently introduced acrylic signs into the lineup. Though the journey to success hasn’t always been easy, Emily says she loves running her business and that it’s well worth it to put in the work since she loves what she does and is passionate about the products she creates. “Just the whole process from laser to finished product when making new designs is so much fun,” she says. She added that she loves interacting with customers and talking to them about both her products and their interests, and one of the highlights of her experience is “responding to comments and seeing all the reactions when I launch a new design.” Today, social media is a huge factor for small businesses. Emily noted that maintaining an active social media presence has been a major contributor to the success of Fandom Decor. “Pretty much all of my marketing and advertising is on Instagram,” she explained. “It’s just a great way to post and share my products, as well as interact with the book community. Plus, my follower growth and engagement directly correlates to restock and launch success.” Another key to her success has been establishing a consistent routine for creating and distributing physical products to avoid becoming stressed and overwhelmed. She has a typical weekly schedule of cutting the designs out with the laser on Sundays and Mondays, painting them on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, assembling everything on Thursdays and Fridays, and packing orders on Saturdays so they can be sent out on the following Monday. “Figuring out this routine has been a great way to help me still enjoy what I do but keep myself disciplined and on schedule,” she says..” The biggest challenge Emily has faced in her career is imposter syndrome. “I wouldn’t even say I’ve overcome it yet, and frankly, I don’t think I ever will. With so many other creators and businesses, it’s very easy to start thinking you’re not good enough. Plus, with the added pressure of my success and, honestly, my paycheque being based on how well something is received on social media, it adds a lot of pressure and stress. This can very easily turn into self- doubt and thinking you’re not good enough.” However, while impostor syndrome tends to be an ongoing struggle, Emily noted that there have been challenges that she has managed to overcome over the years, such as getting the perfect paint finish with white paint. “That was a big pain near the beginning when I would have paint cracking, and now, thankfully, I don’t.” Trying new products and techniques and going through the process of trial and error can be time-consuming, but it pays off in the end through enhanced quality and efficiency. Starting and running a small business is far from simple, but that certainly doesn’t mean it’s not an achievable goal for those willing to put in the work. Emily shared that she hopes that other aspiring creators are encouraged by the success of Fandom Decor and feel inspired to start selling their own work. “I never thought when I started this business in 2020 that by 2024, it would be my full-time job. Constantly seeing how much love and support I get from my followers blows me away,” she stated. “I have big hopes and dreams for my shop, and I’m slowly seeing them come to life, which is such an incredible thing.”

In the know about SEO

By Kyle QuilatanPosted on September 23, 2024Posted in Marketing, Small Business, TechnologyNo Comments

Knowing SEO basics is essential for increasing your web traffic and visibility. Search engine optimization (SEO) can be a very effective marketing tool for any business. In fact, according to Terakeet, SEO can help reduce the cost of advertising and obtaining new customers by 87.41 per cent. This strategy can be useful for small businesses that do not have the funding for other marketing options. With so many terms and concepts to learn, researching this topic can be overwhelming at first. However, simply understanding the fundamentals can make it easier for you to get your website out there. Keep reading to learn more about the basics of SEO and how it can benefit any small business. SEO SEO is the process of improving a website to increase its visibility on search engines. Every time a person inputs a search into a search engine, a series of results pop up on multiple pages. The goal with SEO is to get a website as high up on the first page as possible. Higher visibility means a website will be seen by more people — more potential customers for a business. SEO can also help businesses boost brand awareness, which refers to the target audience’s familiarity with a particular brand. The more people see a business’s website through effective SEO, the more likely they will recognize the brand and become customers. According to the Digital Marketing Institute, there are three key components of SEO, all of which are types of optimizations: technical, on-page and off-page. Technical optimization refers to SEO in ways that are behind the scenes, such as submitting a sitemap to Google. On-page optimization means ensuring that a site’s content is relevant to what users are looking for, using keywords throughout a website to help increase visibility. Off-page optimization involves increasing a site’s visibility through activities outside the site itself. This is mostly done by setting up high-quality backlinks to build up and maintain a site’s reputation. Backlinks A backlink, also called an external link, is a link to your website posted on another site. Backlinks not only improve a site’s reach, but they also increase the site’s reputation. With backlinks, quality always beats quantity. A few high-quality backlinks are far better than a handful of low-quality ones. For the best possible quality, a backlink must be natural, meaning site owners should voluntarily choose to place a link to your website on theirs. If search engine algorithms detect that a site owner was paid or manipulated in some way into including a backlink, then the link is considered poor in quality. An effective backlink must also be reputable, meaning the site it came from should be in good public standing. If a backlink does not come from a reputable source, users cannot trust your site to be reputable either. Finally, a backlink should be relevant to a site’s domain and the page where the link is found. For example, if the website of an artist’s portfolio is featured on a business blog that covers local artists, the backlink will have page relevancy (since the specific blog post is about art). It will not, however, top domain relevancy (since the website as a whole is about business). Both page and domain relevancy are required for a quality backlink. SERP When a user inputs a search query into Google, the results are known as search engine results pages (SERPs). Google’s SERPs show both paid and organic results. Paid placements are more or less given to the highest bidder, and these are often not the focus for small businesses. Instead, small businesses should aim to be seen among organic results. These placements are “earned” as they are determined to be the most relevant to a given search based on Google’s algorithm. Obtaining higher organic placements among SERPs largely involves the use of keywords throughout a website. Keywords are any terms added to a website to improve the site’s visibility. Keywords and phrases help Google’s algorithm determine which sites best match any given search. Ranking higher with certain keywords allows users to see your website more easily. The process of researching keywords requires quite a bit of work and often much trial and error, so make sure to keep your site updated with the most effective keywords. EEAT Google uses the EEAT system to determine the relevancy of a site to any given search. The acronym was originally only EAT, which stood for expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness — qualities needed to ensure a site’s relevancy. In December 2022, Google added a second ‘E’ to the acronym for ‘experience.’ According to Google, a user may want information on a product or place from someone who has used or visited it. In other words, someone with firsthand experience. Thus, the EEAT system is now used. Websites should demonstrate EEAT to increase visibility on search engines. The Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab provides 10 guidelines for building and maintaining a site’s credibility, such as these: Effective SEO can greatly benefit any business by improving its online visibility to grow its customer base. However, keep in mind that this is only an introduction to SEO. Each topic discussed here can easily be explained in more depth, and there are several other topics to explore. Continue to learn more about how SEO can help your business thrive.

Finding balance: Manage a side hustle while working full-time 

By Gabby AltmanPosted on September 6, 2024Posted in Small BusinessNo Comments

Tips to successfully pursue your job and side gig without burning out. In today’s fast-paced world, many individuals pursue side hustles to boost their income or satisfy personal passions while working full-time. Balancing a full-time job with a side hustle can be challenging, but with proper time management, it is achievable. Thankfully, there are many tips and tricks to help successfully manage the two commitments.  Set clear boundaries  First off, it is important to set clear boundaries. You should allocate specific hours for your side hustle and stick to them to avoid burnout.  Evan Kossman, a full-time web developer and part-time freelancer in Ontario, says that he works 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., takes an hour break for dinner, and works on his side projects for two hours before taking his down time.   “I communicate my schedule to my clients, so they understand that they may not get a response back from me during standard working hours,” Kossman says.   Clear communication and boundaries are key to his success. Developing a consistent routine that accommodates both your job and side hustle will help you juggle both.  Prioritize tasks  Prioritizing tasks is essential for balancing a full-time job and a side hustle. Utilizing tools like to-do lists or digital planners can help organize your workload so that you meet deadlines and manage your time effectively. By breaking down tasks and setting clear priorities, you can focus on the most important activities for both your primary job and side hustle, reducing stress and increasing productivity.    Stay motivated and organized  Staying motivated and organized is crucial for success. Danielle Altra, a teacher in Ontario manages her own tutoring side business. She says that “my calendar is imperative to managing my time and prioritizing tasks.”   Danielle prioritizes her daytime teaching job and sets specific hours throughout the week for her tutoring. Ensuring everything is organized in her calendar helps her understand when she has extra time or needs to focus on one task over another.  “Working two jobs can be exhausting, but I try to stay positive and motivated as I love teaching and it is my true passion. In the end, it is worth it!” Altra explains.    Schedule downtime  Scheduling time for relaxation and hobbies is necessary to avoid burnout. Perhaps you watch a favourite TV show every week, or attend yoga classes. Setting time for yourself to decompress is important.  “I like to set aside time to go to the gym and take time for myself. Spending time with my friends and family also helps me relax and not get too overwhelmed when thinking about the tasks I need to complete,” Kossman shares.      Goal-setting  Set short-term and long-term goals for your side hustle. Short-term goals track immediate progress and help you stay engaged, while long-term goals provide a clear vision of where you want your side hustle to go. This dual approach facilitates steady progress and motivation to reach your overarching objectives.  “I keep a journal and make sure to set daily, weekly and monthly goals. It can be anything from how many hours I want to tutor in a week, to how I want to grow my side hustle in the future. Writing down my goals and keeping myself accountable helps me stay on track,” Altra says.  With the right strategies, balancing a full-time job and a side hustle is possible. Whether you’re looking to earn extra income or pursue a passion, implementing these tips can help you manage both effectively.

Connecting your way to success: Why customer engagement is essential to small businesses

By Grace Nelson-GunnessPosted on August 20, 2024Posted in Small BusinessNo Comments

Small businesses differ from large corporations because instead of having a widespread customer base, they are localized and depend on the community to support their business. This may sound discouraging for small business owners, but small businesses are in a far better position when forming close customer relationships. Forming close relationships with customers goes beyond having a casual conversation. In addition to in-person interactions, small businesses should consider implementing customer engagement in their marketing plans. Customer engagement involves engaging customers through different business aspects to produce enthusiasm and positive interactions. When a business continuously practices customer engagement, consumers consider it convenient and considerate. This means customers will be more loyal to businesses that accommodate their needs while being passionate. Maintaining customers’ loyalty is economically sound since attracting a new customer costs five times more than retaining current clients. Customer engagement directly boosts sales, especially when businesses train sales teams in effective outreach methods. Additionally, when small businesses provide customer engagement that makes the purchasing process easier, like how-to instructions for specific products, the customer feels more comfortable buying those products. Customer engagement also encourages customers to buy more expensive products and upgrades by 38 per cent. However, customer engagement is more than just a one-and-done deal. It requires consistency to build long-lasting relationships with consumers. Here are some cost-effective customer engagement strategies that small businesses can easily implement into their business plans. Focus on business websites and blogs Capturing a consumer’s attention through a visually pleasing web design is one of the first ways to draw them in and encourage engagement. This can be achieved through a clean and clear layout, easy-to-use navigation tools and ensuring that your website looks good on different types of devices. After implementing these basics, small businesses can include visuals and videos to showcase their staff and product development process. This can include photographs of staff, images of your products instead of generic visuals from the internet and educational videos and tutorials. Interactive elements like polls, quizzes and surveys can help consumers gain insight into the operations of a small business while demonstrating that the business owner values feedback. Use email marketing methods Practically every consumer has an email address, and businesses can use this as a tool to communicate information that wouldn’t usually be explained during in-person customer interactions. For instance, by simply asking for an email address, small businesses can inform customers about new products, benefits and facts. Similarly to websites, these emails can include interactive elements such as polls and comment sections. This method is also time efficient because business owners can automate emails to send at specific times. Promote and update social media Social media is another place where small business owners can share photos and videos about their operations so new customers can get a sense of the business before even walking through the door. Like a website design, a social media feed should be organized and easy to navigate. As more people share, like and tag your content, it can appear on new customers’ platforms. Encouraging customers to tag your company’s social media handles can be accomplished by asking consumers to do so in the caption of their social media posts. Additionally, with each social media platform being different, picking one that best corresponds with a small business’s products or services can help engage customers. For example, Instagram may be best if a small business sells visual products like furniture, art and jewelry. On the other hand, if a small business provides services to a community, outlets such as Facebook or Twitter can help them connect with community members. Giveaways and loyalty programs Customers like to be rewarded for purchasing from a business. Giveaways for first-time purchasers or loyal regulars can not only keep them coming back but also produce positive interactions that customers will remember. Examples of giveaways include giving a small gift on the customer’s birthday. This is something that any small business can do because it can be as simple as providing a free coffee, beverage or item of clothing, a discount and much more. The business owner can determine the small gift so they can feel in control while the consumer still feels appreciated. On the flip side, small businesses can implement many types of loyalty programs. Some examples include subscription programs, points programs that allow customers to accumulate points for rewards or mission-driven customer loyalty programs that enable customers to contribute to non-profit organizations when they buy enough of a particular product. Relationships between consumers and businesses do not need to be disconnected or inauthentic. Instead, customer relationships can be an opportunity for business owners to spark the same passion they have for their products and services in consumers. Ultimately, customer engagement helps small businesses grow their sales, increase customer retention and enhance community relationships.

Three crowdfunding success stories and how they did it

By Eliot GilbertPosted on June 10, 2024Posted in Small BusinessNo Comments

Securing financing to start a new business or project can be challenging. For most businesses, venture capital (VC) funding is not feasible because gaining access to a venture capital firm is difficult. According to an article published by Harvard Business Review, only one deal is selected for every 101 a VC firm considers. Additionally, only 10 per cent of deals are made from cold-pitching, meaning that most VC deals are made from pre-existing connections or the VC initiating contact themselves. Bank loans can also be difficult to obtain. Securing a bank loan in Canada is usually only possible for businesses already operating and generating revenue. Loans must also be repaid with interest, even if a business or project fails. So, is it possible to finance business ideas without these traditional gatekeepers? One option is crowdfunding, which is a form of fundraising where a business asks many people for a small contribution to the venture. Although crowdfunding has existed for several years, only some businesses successfully raise enough funds to launch their ideas. Read ahead to learn more about successful crowdfunding stories and what sets them apart. Hike! Hike! is a card game about racing huskies that launched in 2022. It raised over $150,000 on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, exceeding its roughly $9,000 goal. Snowy Board Games, the creator of Hike!, was not a veteran of the card game space. Hike! was its first-ever game, and its Kickstarter campaign was its first attempt at crowdfunding. How did the campaign work out so well, despite the company’s lack of experience? One answer is that they chose the right crowdfunding platform. Board games are well-funded on Kickstarter. Polygon reports that in 2022, the funding success rate for table-top games was 76.3 per cent, and the average funding for a successful table-top game on Kickstarter was $58,000. By choosing Kickstarter for its campaign, Snowy Board Games gave itself a significant advantage because it already had a large chance at success based on previous campaigns. That is not to say that Hike!’s success was only a product of statistical likelihood. The fact that it raised more than average crowdfunding campaigns is a testament to that. Beyond choosing the right platform, Snowy Board Games strategically asked for funding when it could show a nearly complete product. Snowy Board Games had already designed their game, written their rules, commissioned an artist and assembled a final game so investors could see exactly what they would get if they backed the project. By showing a high-quality, near-finished project to an investor space with a high likelihood of financing, Hike! achieved its goals. Loish Lois van Baarle, known as Loish, is an artist who attracts more than 10,000 monthly patrons on Patreon. Patreon is a membership platform that provides content creators with business tools to run a subscription service, enabling them to earn a monthly income by offering rewards and services to their subscribers. Loish is a career artist and has worked with companies like LEGO, Amazon and Coca-Cola on a freelance basis. She creates unique, high-quality art that attracts both fans and clients. What makes her stand out next to the countless other artists trying to make a living on the platform? Loish’s success can be partly attributed to her reputation as a well-established expert before she started a Patreon. When new followers discover her Patreon, she already has an impressive portfolio to showcase. Loish also gives an incentive to subscribe to her Patreon by offering art lessons. For $10 per month, she offers art tutorials, monthly Q&A sessions, drawing challenges and access to her Discord chat room, where patrons can come together and form a community. Loish has picked a high-demand target market while delivering ongoing high-quality services to her supporters, ensuring continued success. BooCooPets Some businesses or projects don’t fit in crowdfunding frameworks like Kickstarter or Patreon. BooCooPets, Inc. is one of them. BooCooPets is a website for everything related to pets and aims to be a central hub where pet owners can find meetups, shopping tips, travel guides, medical services and searchable information on pet rescues. BooCooPets posed an interesting problem. It needed crowdfunding, but its goal was to start a new business rather than launch a product or service. Its solution was equity crowdfunding. Equity crowdfunding is when investors purchase a portion of a company in exchange for a stake. Equity crowdfunding works because it directly connects big and small investors and companies. Anybody can be an investor, which can be attractive for those who want to invest in companies with limited capital. However, it can be challenging to get traditional equity investment. BooCooPets, originally named Kaboodle, launched on the equity crowdfunding website Wefunder and had multiple rounds of successful funding, the last of which raised over $60,000. What led to its success? BooCooPets had many things investors look for, including a solid business case proposed by a career entrepreneur with a great track record. Larry Loyd, founder and CEO of BooCooPets, has an entrepreneurial history, including opening six restaurants, an interior design firm and a logistics monitoring company. Beside him, COO and co-founder Art Pedroza is vice president and managing director. Is crowdfunding right for you? Even though crowdfunding is a viable way to secure funding, it doesn’t apply to all cases and is not a guarantee. It’s important to carefully consider whether or not it applies to your individual business situation. Even though crowdfunding is easier to secure than traditional funding channels, it’s not risk-free and usually requires time and monetary investment. Success stories like Hike!, Loish and BooCooPets prove that it has found a legitimate place in the business world. Crowdfunding has given entrepreneurs more democratized funding opportunities, allowing anyone with a great idea to potentially turn it into a reality.

How small businesses can collect feedback from customers while respecting privacy

By Grace Nelson-GunnessPosted on December 26, 2023Posted in Small BusinessNo Comments

It’s crucial for businesses to gain insight from the customers who support them. By gaining valuable insight, business owners can see how customers perceive aspects of their company, such as their products, customer service and website. Additionally, they can use data collection methods to understand how their business can improve and connect with customers through feedback. However, small businesses may be discouraged from data collection since it is mainly associated with large companies. For instance, Apple and Snapchat are both known to collect a substantial amount of customer data compared to smaller businesses. According to a 2020-2021 survey by the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, about seven in 10 Canadians have refused to provide an organization with their personal information due to privacy concerns. Instead of relying on invasive data collection techniques, small businesses can use inexpensive digital tools and in-person data collection methods to gain customer insights. Small businesses can easily collect three out of the four different customer data types. Small businesses can collect engagement data, which shows how consumers interact with a business’s website and social media pages. Small businesses can also gather behavioural data by talking directly to customers and looking at purchase histories. Lastly, small businesses can evaluate attitudinal data, including customer satisfaction and other purchase criteria. Small businesses should use customer data collection because they can use their findings to learn more about client preferences and satisfaction. They can apply these insights to switch around customer service techniques, reduce operational costs and expand inventory for products that consumers like best. Small businesses can also learn more about how customers prefer to shop and the issues most important to them. Moreover, by examining customer data, small businesses can increase revenue and customer satisfaction while decreasing unnecessary costs. While some customers find data collection invasive, some can see past privacy concerns because they realize that their input can make a positive change or receive compensation for their feedback. The same survey by the Privacy Commissioner of Canada states that 38 per cent of Canadians will provide personal information to businesses for discounts or incentives on a good or service. Small businesses that collect customer data should do so in a way that ensures the customer that their feedback is appreciated and will be used to benefit their shopping experience. Customers also want to ensure that providing their feedback will not inhibit their privacy, so it’s important to uphold strict privacy practices. Here are some non-invasive customer data collection methods that small businesses can use to learn more about their customers while respecting their privacy. Surveys Business owners can use surveys to collect customer feedback and identify improvement opportunities. For example, surveys can ask customers about their satisfaction with the business’s products, customer experience, pricing and promotions. Small business owners should keep surveys short by asking specific questions. Additionally, they can send them to customers digitally to avoid confusing handwriting and potentially losing physical copies. To send out online surveys, business owners should ask customers for their email and inform them about filling out surveys for rewards, like a small discount. Interviews and focus groups Interviews and focus groups allow small business owners to get face-to-face feedback about new products, logos, website design and more. Before asking questions, small business owners should explain what they are inquiring about in interviews and focus groups so customers know what to expect. Although this method requires time to recruit willing customers, small businesses can receive feedback immediately rather than waiting for survey responses. Focus groups have been shown to significantly impact businesses and their future direction. Twitter founders Biz Stone and Evan Williams used focus groups to learn about Facebook users’ dissatisfaction with the platform. They discovered that the biggest complaint was that the news feed was too cluttered and difficult to keep up with. Using this feedback, Stone and Williams developed Twitter to allow users to share articles, news and opinions in 140 characters or less, later bumped up to 280 in 2018. Interviews and focus groups allow for honest feedback on important elements to help reinvigorate or launch businesses. Social media monitoring Every small business should have accounts on social media channels to market their products and services. Monitoring activity on these accounts can tell business owners what content customers are drawn to, what products they are excited about based on likes and shares and what motivates them to purchase from a particular small business. Using a third-party social platform that monitors and organizes a business’s social media can cut down on time and clearly show what posts get the most engagement on multiple channels. Businesses can use this information to understand what posts customers are drawn to and why. For example, engagement has been found to increase significantly when businesses post about their commitment to sustainability. Furthermore, social media marketing can pinpoint what customers value, leading to more brand recognition and a more ethical brand reputation. Online tracking on the business’ website Online tracking consists of tracking users’ behaviour across websites. Small business owners can use online tracking tools to gain insights into customers and their online activity. For example, small businesses can track users’ behaviour on their company websites, including how long they spend on the website or whether they’re confused while using it. This information can help businesses enhance their website design if they don’t have the time to conduct interviews or focus groups. One of the ways to do this is by implementing CRM software, which organizes and tracks the number of visitors and stores emails and other personal information that customers willingly give when they enter the website. Small businesses need to recognize that customers have great ideas and can provide the feedback necessary to strengthen a business’s operation and brand. However, collecting customer data should be rewarded with a better customer experience rather than punished with a lack of privacy. It is up to small businesses to prove that customer data collection can be ethical and benefit both sides.