Community Futures
January 2018
Community Futures Newsletter
Small Business Scoop



In This Issue

Social Media Links

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

View our videos on YouTube
Join Our Mailing List
"Your smile is your logo
your personality is your business card, how you leave others feeling after an experience with you becomes your trademark."
~ Jay Danzie
Helpful Tidbits

Hootsuite
Hootsuite is a Vancouver based internet company. They provide a platform to manage your social media accounts all in one place. For individuals and small businesses, Hootsuite has a Free Plan that allows one user to manage up to three social media accounts - such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For more information please visit:

Hootsuite also offers free online courses for Social Media Platform Training and Social  Marketing Training. 

Visit the Hootsuite Academy at 
Success Stories 

Has Community Futures Cariboo Chilcotin played a role in your Small Business' success? 

Would you be interested in having a feature article completed on your business for our newsletters and social media accounts? 

Please send me an email by clicking the link below: 

Community Futures

 Cariboo Chilcotin

Staff Directory

Greetings! 

 

Thank you for signing up for our Community Futures Cariboo Chilcotin newsletter.  We hope to keep you informed and educated on information relevant to your Small Business.  
BC Wildfire Relief 
Canadian Red Cross 

Support to Small Businesses, Not-for-Profit Organizations and First Nations Cultural Livelihoods
 
The Canadian Red Cross is committed to supporting small businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and  First Nations cultural livelihoods   that were impacted by the 2017 British Columbia wildfires. Experience has shown us this assistance greatly helps people and communities recover from a disaster.

For more information or to apply on line please follow the link:

To directly access the application for small businesses, please follow the link:


Support For Small Businesses
Wildfire Recovery Support Program 

In response to the 2017 wildfires in the Cariboo Chilcotin and Thompson Nicola regions of the Province, the Wildfire Recovery Support Program (WRSP) has been launched. In a coordinated effort, it is being delivered throughout the region by three Community Futures offices based in, Williams Lake, Quesnel and Ashcroft.  Each office will cover it's local and regional mandated area.  

Please follow the link below to access the full overview:
New Year, New Goals

In the spirit of the New Year, January is the perfect time to create new goals for both yourself and your small business. Setting short and long term goals are a common practice when planning how to move forward with projects not only in your personal life but also for all aspects of your business. 

Check out the ideas and articles below to kick start your January goal setting. 

Get Started with Goal Setting
Goal setting helps you build a bridge that can guide you from where you are right now to where you want to be. Below are 5 steps to get you started:

Step 1: Start with a Dream
Consider everything you dream of accomplishing and write it all down in one, five and ten year increments. 
Step 2: Brainstorm the Possibilities
Find a brainstorming method to follow to find any ideas lurking in your subconscious
Step 3: Sort the Options
Sort all the options into categories such as personal, business and other.
Step 4: Create a Plan
You should be able to identify goals you would like to focus on after completing Step 3. Continue with those goals by creating an action plan to define your responsibilities in order to obtain the goal. 
Step 5: Focus on Today
Your goals should be broken into pieces so that each day you can be one step closer to your end goal.  

For the complete article, please visit:  The Balance: Get Started with Goal Setting in Five Steps



18 Small Business Goals
To help you get started with your small business goals this year, here is a list of goals that could potentially change your business for the better.
  1. Ramp up productivity in your business
  2. Lower ongoing business expenses
  3. Hire your first employee
  4. Create a new customer service process
  5. Increase traffic on your business website or blog
  6. Create a new product
  7. Start using social media marketing
  8. Improve the financial health of your business
  9. Open a second business location
  10. Go paperless
  11. Conduct a marketing audit
  12. Do a SWOT Analysis
  13. Increase your market share
  14. Schedule a break from your business
  15. Create a new employee incentive program
  16. Find new opportunities for networking
  17. Work on your personal brand
  18. Revamp your Business Plan 
For an explanation and links to help you get started on any of the above goals, please visit:  The Balance: 18 Small Business Goals You Can Set This Year



7 Small- Business Management Goals
Excellent managers encourage the best possible performance and therefore, achieve the best results. 
Below are 7 management goals:
  1. Provide better feedback
  2. Set clearer objectives
  3. Delegate meaningful work
  4. Give employees autonomy 
  5. Ask staff for input
  6. Recognize hard work
  7. Carve out one-on-one time.
While the article was written in 2014, the ideas behind each goal are more prevalent than ever. To read more about each goal, please visit:  Quickbooks: 7 Small Business Management Goals to Set This Year



4 Goals For Every Small-Business Owner
Now is the time for making changes to improve upon our happiness. This applies to business too. Here are four goals every small business owner should set this year:

Focus on your employees 

Focus on taking better care of your employees in the year ahead. Keeping employees happy is both important financially and for the overall office morale. Ask employees where they see themselves several years down the road and do what you can to accommodate their desires and goals. 


 

Talk to your customers more

Make it a goal to talk to your customers more often. Whether its a one-on-one conversation, focus group or surveys, try to get a better understanding of where the customer mindset will be in the next year. 


 

Evaluate your stress levels

Evaluate your stress level and consider personal initiatives to make sure that you'll still enjoy running your business several years down the road. 


 

Plan ahead financially

Determine where you see your business in six months, one year and three years down the road. Set benchmarks along the way that you need to meet in order to achieve the goals you set. Once you have a plan, be sure to constantly track your progress. 


 

To read the complete article with ideas for each goal, please visit:  Entrepreneur: 4 Goals Every Small-Business Owner Should Set
January Seminars 

Small Business BC is hosting several interesting seminars for the month of December that are available to view through webinars. 
A few seminars of note:  







For a complete list of available seminars please visit:

By signing up to participate in a seminar via webinar, you will receive a link once the webinar is complete to replay the webinar. The link remains live for one week after the seminar. This means you do not have to watch the entire seminar at one time and can replay any parts that you would like to listen to again. 
Rogers Hometown Hockey
comes to Williams Lake
January 6, 2018 @ 12:00 pm
 to 
January 7, 2018 @ 7:00 pm

Rogers Hometown Hockey makes its way to Williams Lake, British Columbia, and you can expect a great weekend of FREE hockey-related activities, NHL Alumni appearances, music, and fun for the whole family!

Join Ron MacLean and Tara Slone LIVE on site on Sunday, January 7th for the broadcast as they tell the stories that celebrate the hockey history and culture that put Williams Lake on Canada's hockey map, and stick around the catch the Vancouver Canucks take on the Montreal Canadiens.

For more information, visit  www.hometownhockey.com/
Any feedback, information or event contributions that you would like to see in our next newsletter please contact:  Alexis Forseille

Sincerely,

Staff & Board of Directors
Community Futures Cariboo Chilcotin