Now that you have decided what to measure, you have to determine how to use the reports to monitor your company, or team’s, performance compared to plan. Some of the common failures are: 1. Producing reports that are no longer relevant; 2. Not looking at relevant reports; 3. Not sharing pertinent information from relevant reports [...]

We hope that everyone enjoyed the wonderful May long weekend. We hope this is the kick-off to a great spring/summer season! CYBF is gearing up and find out what great things happened last week: CYBF went to the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa to promote The Prince’s Operation Entrepreneur program. CYBF COO Terry [...]

In 2007 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, George Christakos founded The Brooklyn Warehouse, which offers a remarkable restaurant experience, quality local foods, genuine hospitality and a welcoming atmosphere. George had the following advice for other young entrepreneurs on overcoming some common start-up business challenges: Benefits of rental space versus owning George is currently renting the space [...]

Here’s what a fly on the wall would have heard from one of my recent discussions with an entrepreneur: “Things are challenging. After having opened our boutique coffee shop seven months ago, we’ve fulfilled about 60 to 65 percent of our monthly sales targets. We decided to hold two ultra-creative, themed promotional events with media [...]

Before you can monitor results you must determine what results you need to measure and what your targets for those measurements are. These are key items in your budget, as are the ongoing reports that you should generate to determine whether your team is on track or not. Discussing the myriad of different items that [...]

Working from home can have cost-savings advantages and certainly makes sense for a lot of start-up businesses. Here are some guidelines to ensure working from home will increase the odds of running a successful business: Start working at the same time each day. Studies show that people who are consistent with the time when they [...]

If you are an innovative entrepreneur between the ages of 18-39, this fund can offer you: Up to $50,000 in financing; Two years of business mentoring; An exclusive Innovation Workshop; Expert advice from key business leaders; and Access to helpful business resources & CYBF’s community of over 5,000 members. In its third consecutive year, CYBF [...]

The Spin Master Innovation Fund provides a boost of financing and mentoring which helps innovative entrepreneurs launch and build successful businesses. See what this 2012 Spin Master Innovation Fund recipient has been up to in our sixth story in a series of “Where are they now?” blog posts. (Click on image to enlarge) Read more [...]

What a wonderful May week we had last week – weather was beautiful and entrepreneurship was on everyone’s mind! Great things are happening at CYBF, check them out below: Only 2 weeks left to apply for The Spin Master Innovation Fund! There is $50k financing, mentoring & expert advice CYBF attended the Enactus competition which [...]

Small businesses, such as start-ups, need to build their reputation from the ground up. This includes looking for viable commercial space to grow their estate. With the growing number of available options in the market, finding the right place is not the main problem. Instead, negotiating a commercial lease is what gives business owners a [...]

Home offices are great if your team is small, you need few resources, you are able to work in relative isolation from personal distractions (such as family), and you don’t need to meet with clients in a professional setting on a regular basis. When your team starts to grow, a home office can quickly get [...]

Young, innovative entrepreneurs…what are you waiting for? Through the Spin Master Innovation Fund you could get $50,000 in financing, mentoring and expert advice for your start-up! See what this Spin Master Innovation Fund recipient has been up to in our fifth “Where are they now?” blog post. (Click on image to enlarge) Check out this [...]

In 2011 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Megan Paul founded Modern Dame Boutique – a vintage inspired clothing store that provides Saskatoon women with new clothing that has been inspired by the 40s, 50s, and 60s. Megan had the following advice for other young entrepreneurs: Join forces with other businesses. As a new business, you may not [...]

Many things are trending in the retail and commercial office lease market but here are a couple of significant considerations of importance. The days of big executive offices with lots of windows and space to conduct in-office meetings are gone. Smaller offices are replacing them, utilizing more boardroom space and smaller meeting rooms (to meet with [...]

What a beautiful week we’ve had, followed by a beautiful weekend. We hope that spring is here to stay. Check out what CYBF was up to last week: Once again we are sending good wishes to CYBF National Director Mentoring, Norm Grey on his retirement! He has done so much for many people here at [...]

Since starting a consulting company three years ago, we have always opted to have space.  While working at home and in coffee shops can be convenient – saving time and money – a decision was made to have a small and modest office that was close to prospective clients and business partners.  In addition to [...]

CYBF young entrepreneur interview series by Accenture By Sophia Lu, Management Consultant at Accenture (and Facilitator of the Business Expansion subgroup for CYBF’s Entrepeer Hub) Recently I’ve had a chance to speak with many young entrepreneurs, and one common theme I noticed, is that they are all very passionate about what they are doing, and making [...]

A 2008 Statistics Canada study showed a correlation between working at home and satisfaction with work-life balance however, working from home isn’t for everyone. When it does suit your situation though, it can be almost glorious. Here are some common pros and cons when considering working from home versus working in an office: Pros: Work-life [...]