he U.S. team celebrates with the trophy after defeating Canada in the gold medal game at the IIHF Women's World Ice Hockey Championships in Zurich, April 25, 2011.CHRISTIAN HARTMANN
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A mere $75,000 for being the best
Dell, MasterCard and Microsoft have banded together to stage a 13-week contest that aims to find "America's Favourite Small Business." There are five phases:
Launch and submit (Aug. 15 to Sept. 11): Businesses with 25 or fewer employees create a short video explaining why they should be America's favourite small business, and upload the video to YouTube.
Judging process (Sept. 12 to Sept. 18): A panel of judges from the three host companies will choose the 10 best submissions.
Voting (Sept. 19 to Oct. 26): U.S. citizens are invited to vote for their favourite small business.
Winner announced on Oct. 27.
Makeover reality show (Oct. 27 to Nov. 13): The winning company will appear in a professionally produced, web-based reality show on Dell's YouTube channel.
The "prize package" includes $25,000 in "Dell solutions and Microsoft software suited to their unique needs" and a $50,000 MasterCard prepaid card "to be applied toward business expenses and supplies." The other nine finalists will receive a $1,000 Dell gift card.
Two questions:
1. What about Canada?
2. Doesn't the best small business in America deserve more than $75,000 from three major corporations?
Polar turns up the app heat
Polar Mobile has announced it will build more than 300 mobile apps for Nokia smartphones over the next 12 months, and the brands involved include Wired UK, Kompas, Advertising Age, Shanghai Daily and (full disclosure) The Globe and Mail. The first set of 50 apps under the new partnership will be available on Nokia's Symbian devices by next month and globally through the company's Ovi Store. Polar has already launched more than 1,200 mobile apps across other major smartphone devices for hundreds of media brands in 10 countries. The Nokia partnership will enable it to extend support to consumers in 190 markets.
Get your part-timer payrolls in order
Back-to-school is also back-to-work for the nearly one million 15- to 24-year-old students who work part-time during the academic year. And the small businesses that hire them need to get the arithmetic right when it comes to calculating payroll, taxes and deductions. Intuit Canada offers four tips to stay compliant throughout a part-timer's employment:
- Before they start: If hiring an employee for the first time, register your business as an employer with the CRA. This will provide a payroll account allowing you to issue T4s and remit the necessary statutory deductions.
- When they start: Among the connected generation, e-mail and cellphone numbers are as critical as home phone and address. Ensure you have all of these up front, as well as social insurance numbers and completed TD1 forms – both federal and provincial.
- While they work: Applying accurate deductions is critical and tax changes can occur every six months. Students turning 18 must start paying into the Canadian Pension Plan in the month following their birthdays.
- When they leave: Prepare a record of employment, which must be provided to the employee within five days after their last day. Also be sure to retain your records. You are required to keep employee records for six years after they leave.
EVENTS AND KEY DATES
The place for financing
Banff Venture Forum, a top-tier company financing event, takes place Oct. 6 and 7 at the Banff Springs Hotel. The event will "showcase the hottest high-tech companies from across North America, offer insight into key issues within the industry, provide a premium networking opportunity and give companies a chance to learn from world-class professionals in the investment community." Last year featured more than 40 venture capital firms, 32 presenting companies and 350 delegates.
Federal grants for accessibility
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada has set up an Enabling Accessibility Fund that allows small businesses to apply for a grant of up to $50,000 to help create or improve accessibility for people with disabilities. To be eligible you must conduct activities including renovation, construction or retrofitting of buildings; modification of buildings for community use; or provision of accessible information or communication technologies. Your company must have fewer than 50 employees and under $5 million in annual revenue. Deadline to apply is Sept. 23.
EDITOR'S PICKS FROM REPORT ON SMALL BUSINESS
Don't dilly dally, be direct
The most successful salespeople ask for what they want and follow their question with the three best reasons to support what you want that are most relevant to the buyer, guest columnist John Baker writes. The straightforward approach offers a number of advantages, including the fact it shortens the sales cycle. In other words, it either gets you to a yes or no faster which, in turn, allows you to prospect for a qualified client with that time.
FROM THE ROSB ARCHIVES
Combat your fear of selling
Entrepreneurs may often be bold and risk-taking, but they're not immune to a fear of selling, Dr. Derek Hassay, a marketing professor at the University of Calgary's Haskayne School of Business, said in a story from June, 2011.Many experience what academics have called "inhibited social contact initiative syndrome" and actively avoid direct sales, he says. A fear of rejection is just one of many reasons for what he dubs "call reluctance." Many entrepreneurs dread coming across as pushy or intrusive, while still others are cowed by approaching those they perceive to have greater power, wealth or status.
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