Entrepreneur and founder of Sprouter Sarah Prevette.JENNIFER ROBERTS
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Sprouter acquired by Postmedia Network
Sprouter Inc., the social media resource and connection network for startups and entrepreneurs, has been revived, with an announcement that it has been acquired by Postmedia Network Inc.
Sprouter will become a division of Postmedia, continue to operate under its name and branding, and have founder Sarah Prevette lead it, along with the rest of the Sprouter team, according to a posting on Sprouter's blog.
Terms of the deal, including price, were not disclosed.
"We'd love to tell you it was all a part of our strategy… but well, we all know it wasn't," said the blog posting, promising Sprouter has some "exciting new initiatives to share," though providing no details.
Sprouter was founded in 2009. Its demise in August caused a buzz. On its site at the time, it said it was "devastated" to have to shut down, but blamed "capital constraints."
Observers, including columnist Mark Evans, blamed Sprouter's demise on its "inability to create a business model."
"Sprouter complements our Digital First strategy and brings a spark of digital entrepreneurship to our family of brands," said Paul Godfrey, Postmedia's president and chief executive officer, in the release of the announcement.
"This new chapter in Sprouter's evolution is really exciting," Ms. Prevette said in the release. "We are thrilled to join the team at Postmedia. Of all the various supporters who came forward, we felt that Postmedia was the best fit for our community both philosophically and from a strategic business perspective."
Half of small business owners see positive 2012: survey
Half of Canada's small business owners are looking forward to a positive 2012 for business, and 13 per cent believe next year might be their best yet, according to a survey from TD Canada Trust.
How did they fare this year? Five per cent gave their company's performance a grade of A+, 16 per cent awarded themselves an A, 44 per cent graded their business a B, 22 per cent a C and 11 per cent a D, according to the annual TD Canada Trust Small Business Survey, which polled 492 small business owners, with five to 50 employees, in the major cities of Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary.
Put together, "it's very encouraging to see the majority of small business owners are so optimistic about their business prospects in 2012," said Alec Morley, senior vice-president of small business banking at TD Canada Trust in a release about the results. "Sixty-five percent of Canadian small business owners gave their company's recent performance a B or above, so it's evident that many entrepreneurs are experiencing success despite the barriers in their way and this is due, in part, to good business planning, hiring talented teams and innovating."
Among those who gave themselves high marks, 95 per cent said it was because they made smart business decisions that allowed them to exceed projections, 87 per cent credited it to the right hires and talent, 86 per cent said they forecasted well, and 84 per cent credited it to innovation, with having "the right products and services at the right time."
Still, they faced challenges. Attracting and retaining staff were two of the top obstacles they said face businesses today. Those figures were up from last year, with 76 per cent citing talent attraction, up from 66 per cent in 2010, and 72 per cent citing staff retention, up from 64 per cent last year.
Small business tax break
The federal government will introduce legislation tomorrow to provide a temporary tax break for small businesses to encourage hiring.
It's making good on a budget promise by tabling a bill that provides a hiring incentive for small businesses, giving them a one-time credit of up to $1,000 against an employer's increase in 2011 EI premiums over 2010. About 525,000 small businesses would be eligible.
An internal memo circulated to Conservative MPs about the bill was leaked to the media, notes a piece in the Montreal Gazette.
EVENTS AND KEY DATES
Google on the road
Royal Bank of Canada is teaming up with Google Inc. for the Google Small Business Road Show. As part of small business month, it will give business owners an opportunity to to learn the strategic importance of getting their business online, and get some hands-on help.
Business owers will also learn about Google's "get your business online" initiative, offering small businesses a free website and an website address for 12 months. The Google AdWords program is also offering a $100 credit toward online advertising.
The event takes place tomorrow in Toronto. For more information, click here.
Big ideas
Speakers Forum is hosting a "big ideas for business" conference to help spark inspiration for growth. There will be several keynote speakers at the event, which takes place Oct. 21 in Toronto. For more information, click here.
EDITOR'S PICKS FROM REPORT ON SMALL BUSINESS
Need skilled workers? Create your own
Small business owners who can't find the talent they need might consider teaming up with local educators to help fill their labour gap. Small businesses not only help grow the talent they need but also give students access to opportunities and resources they might not otherwise have.
FROM THE ROSB ARCHIVES
Some small businesses in need of skilled workers are also turning their focus to immigrants that have already arrived in Canada. But it's the kind of fit that far too many small and medium-sized businesses and new immigrants overlook, as we reported in a story in July.
Got a tip on news, events or other timely information related to the small-business community? E-mail us at yourbusiness@globeandmail.com
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