Preparing for Summer in Oceanside | | |
For entrepreneurs in the Oceanside area of B.C., the top 3 activities to focus on before summer are:
Get visible where summer visitors and locals already gather
Summer in Oceanside is event-heavy. Parksville’s Summer by the Sea Market runs Tuesday evenings from June 9 to August 25, 2026, and the Qualicum Beach Farmers Market runs Saturdays year-round, with local food, handmade goods, crafts, and wellness products. These are strong opportunities for vendors, service businesses, tourism operators, makers, food businesses, and community-facing entrepreneurs. (Parksville Qualicum Beach Tourism)
Focus on:
- Booking market, pop-up, sponsorship, or collaboration opportunities
- Creating a simple summer event calendar for your business
- Preparing signage, samples, QR codes, business cards, and special offers
- Partnering with nearby businesses for cross-promotion
Build summer offers around tourism, family activities, and local experiences
Parksville Beach Festival runs through July and August, with the sand sculpting competition July 9 to 12 and the exhibition July 13 to August 16, 2026. That creates a concentrated period of visitor traffic around Parksville Community Park and the waterfront. (Parksville Beach Festival)
Entrepreneurs should prepare offers that fit summer behaviour, such as:
- Visitor-friendly bundles
- Family packages
- Grab-and-go products
- Beach, wellness, outdoor, food, art, or experience-based promotions
- “After the beach,” “rainy day,” or “local discovery” offers
The goal is to make it easy for tourists and locals to say yes quickly.
Refresh your digital and local discovery presence before peak season
Before June, entrepreneurs should update everything customers check before visiting or buying: Google Business Profile, website, social media, hours, booking links, photos, menus, event listings, and location details. This matters because summer customers are often making fast decisions from their phones.
Focus on:
- Updating summer hours and contact info
- Adding fresh photos and short videos
- Posting your June to August events or promotions
- Making directions, parking, booking, and payment options clear
- Asking recent customers for reviews before peak season
The practical priority: be findable, be event-ready, and have a summer-specific offer ready before visitor traffic peaks.
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Fractional HR Explained: When Growing Companies Need Senior HR Leadership Without the Full-Time Cost
"Many Canadian small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) believe their biggest growth challenges are either sales, funding, or operations. But in reality, HR decisions are one of the biggest factors that silently slow growth.
Hiring the wrong person or operating without clear policies can create risks. When a business is in its early stages, founders and leaders can handle these issues themselves. But as the company grows, this approach becomes harder to sustain."
To continue reading Paula Accettola's article in CanadianSME magazine, click here
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For the next 3 months we will be building on Kenny's impact strategies to improve cashflow by 3% or more. Kenny shared:
Impact Strategy #1 - Accelerate Receivables for Immediate Cashflow, and
Impact Strategy #2 - Optimizing Cash Outflows to Boost Working Capital.
Impact Strategy #3 – The Fast Expense Sweep
This month is….
Strategy #4 - The Fast Margin Lift
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(Fix Pricing & Billing Structure)
**The goal is to increase cash per sale - immediately.
Quick Actions
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Add fuel / admin / rush fees
- Introduce minimum invoice size
- Switch to bundled pricing
- Move monthly → quarterly prepay (with small discount)
- Add annual prepay option (10–15% discount)
CFO Insight
Small pricing changes often outperform cost cutting.
Typical Impact
👉 5–12% cash & margin lift
See you next month for Strategy #5.
To connect with Kenny, visit her website at Synced-CFO.ca
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Upcoming Events
Connecting with and supporting Entrepreneurs
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Building Your Circle: Women, Connection & Business Resilience
You Don’t Have to Build Your Business Alone.
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Join fellow women entrepreneurs, business owners, and professionals for an engaging and interactive networking experience focused on connection, collaboration, and community.
Entrepreneurship can feel isolating – especially when you’re building a business on your own. This event is designed to bring women together to share experiences, build meaningful relationships, strengthen confidence, and discover the power of collaborative business networks.
Through guided discussion, interactive activities, and practical networking exercises, participants will explore:
• The value of authentic business relationships
• How connection creates resilience in business
• The power of collaboration over competition
• Developing and practicing a confident, conversational elevator pitch
Whether you’re just starting out, growing your business, or looking to reconnect with community, this event offers an opportunity to learn, connect, and leave feeling energized and supported.
Event Details
Wednesday, July 22, 2026 • 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Spark House Coworking, #110 - 198 East Island Hwy, Parksville, BC Light snacks and beverages provided
Co-sponsored by: Community Futures Central Island and Spark House Coworking
Who Should Attend?
• Women entrepreneurs
• Solopreneurs
• Small business owners
• Women seeking connection and community in business
Come build your circle. Resilient businesses are built through strong relationships.
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Transform your organization's fundraising with the Thriving Non-Profits cohort program
Our 4-month cohort program equips non-profit leaders with the mindset, tools, and support to transform their fundraising strategies and build long-term financial resilience.
Fall 2026 applications are now open. Thanks to our National Presenting Partner, Coast Capital, and partners across Canada, limited bursaries are available. Apply now or join a free information session.
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Spark House Coworking
will be hosting several events in the upcoming months. The month of June will see the following events:
- 7:15am - 8:30am June 12 Breakfast Networking
Join us for a light breakfast and facilitated conversation for local leaders about AI and the future of work.
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11:45am - 1:00pm June 24 Lunch & Learn
Welcome our guest speaker, Karen Petraschuk of Primerica, who will be sharing her insights on “Money Tips that Work for You and your Business”
To RSVP to either of these events or to find out about other upcoming opportunities, visit Spark House Coworking website (events page)
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CONNECT MONEY IMPACT
Nanaimo, June 23, 2026
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Community Futures Central Island and GrowthWorks are excited to be an organizing partner with Scale Institute. Held at the Conference Centre in Nanaimo on June 23, 2026 registrants will will dive deep into topics relevant to social entrepreneurs, impact investors, and ecosystem builders, with sessions focused on creating sustainable revenue streams, strengthening local networks, and supporting Indigenous-led investing.
When registering, do so based on which of the three categories you identify with most – Entrepreneur, Investor or Ecosystem Builder.
During the event, you will have the option to remain within your corresponding program stream or you can mix-and-match sessions to create your own unique learning adventure.
For tickets to this event, visit the Eventbrite website now.
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Workshops for Startups, Businesses and Non-Profits
Our workshops offer opportunity for deeper engagement, asking questions, and the chance to participate in hands-on activities (where applicable). Led by experienced professionals, these sessions focus on practical skills in areas like marketing, human resources, strategic planning, and more - designed to help you quickly apply what you learn.
How It Works
Create an account, or login, visit this webpage, then select your webinar and click "Register".
June Workshops
- June 2 Instagram Ads
- June 3 Sales / Client Acquisition
- June 4 Credit Counselling
- June 8 Granted! The Art and Science of Grant Writing (3 part
series)
- June 10 Networking for Introverts
- June 12 SEO & Analytics: Enhancing Online Visibiity
- June 16 Money Nerves: Pricing, Invoicing & Collections Without
Meltdown
- June 17 Intro to Meta Business Suite
- June 18 Ideal Client /Target Persona
- June 23 Summer Reset: Clarity for Strategic Growth
- June 26 Optimizing your Business with Google Business
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