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ONTARIO SALUTES SMALL BUSINESS
With roughly half of Ontarians working for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), many people see this to be a special month. That's because every October the Ontario government recognizes the achievements of entrepreneurs and small businesses across the province.
QUICK FACT
99 per cent of Ontario firms are SMEs (less than 500 employees) and account for over 360,000 businesses and over half of the private sector jobs in the province.
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Entrepreneurship knows no boundaries!
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The SEED program assists entrepreneurs with disabilities to explore self-employment. After completing an exploration workshop, participants who qualify may apply for additional business planning, advisory supports, and financial assistance to launch their business.
Space is limited.
Call 519-452-4877 to register or to learn more about what SEED can offer.
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Dear Friends,
Hello and welcome to the October 2008
issue of the Small Business Centre Newsletter.
Each year the Ontario government recognizes the achievement of entrepreneurs and small businesses across the province by designating October as Small Business Month. On October 1, over 100 business owners and professionals joined us at Networking Wednesday to kick off the month, catching up with old friends and making new connections. Thanks to all who attended; watch for your pictures on our web site photo gallery.
On October 22, the Small Business Centre will hold its own recognition of small business by hosting the 10th Annual Bridges to Better Business Conference. The day will start with breakfast featuring Keynote speaker Leonard Lee, founder of Lee Valley Tools. The full conference will follow, offering discussion groups, seminars, lunch, a tradeshow and of course plenty of opportunities to network with other business owners. Don't miss the early bird pricing in effect until Friday, Oct. 3.
We hope you take time this month to stop and celebrate your own successes.
Business Information Advisor/ Newsletter Editor
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 Clients in the News...  The following clients have recently been featured in the local media. Congratulations!
When: September 29, 2008
From new business startups to national ad agency accounts, Susan Regier helps businesses to get their message understood. Since 1997, she has provided professional copywriting for a full range of marketing material through her company, Vantage One Writing. Plus, she is the publisher and editor of NetworkingToday an online ezine, which is a valuable resource for businesses.
Where: Biz Monday, London Free Press
When: September 29, 2008
Diversity@Work is dedicated to helping companies realize greater bottom-line results by showing them the benefits of diversity in the workforce and in sales/marketing strategies. Evelina can help your company obtain a competitive advantage by showing you how diversity can help you tap into new talents and markets.
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  Networking WednesdayNovember 5, 2008
Time: 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Location: Williams Coffee Pub
Address: 3030 Wonderland Rd S (Print Map)
Cost: $5.00 (cash at the door)
Pre-registration required as space is limited.
To have your door prize listed on our website, contact Nancy Kopriva before October 24th.
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Breakfast to Better Business
and
Bridges to Better Business Entrepreneurs Conference
A dynamic, once-a-year learning and networking event for entrepreneurs.
Breakfast to Better Business will feature keynote speaker Leonard Lee, founder of Lee Valley Tools. Mr. Lee will share his experiences on balancing business and life.
Bridges to Better Business is a unique one-day event designed to help your business grow and prosper. It is a forum for entrepreneurs to make valuable contacts and share ideas with other local business owners and professional service providers. Attendees explore solutions in lively roundtable discussions, discover fresh ideas, and are invited to showcase their products and services at the dynamic trade fair. Bridges to Better Business is the entrepreneur's learning and networking event of the year!
Join us for the full day and you can:
- attend breakfast with Leonard Lee
- network with your peers and other business experts
- gain new ideas and perspectives
- share business solutions at roundtable discussions
- meet successful entrepreneurs
- showcase your business at an on-site trade fair
- attend a luncheon with featured speakers
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 On Tap with The Entrepreneur's Club... 
Each month, members of The Entrepreneur's Club meet to learn from seasoned professionals, share knowledge and skills, and develop valuable business relationships.
At our September meeting, E Club member, Susan Regier, shared how and why she started her business and how she overcame obstacles as she grew her business. Then members participated in a roundtable discussion about how they adapted to changes and challenges in various growth stages.
Are you interested in becoming a member of The Entrepreneur's Club? Attend a Water Cooler meeting to find out what we're all about. All you have to do is pay for breakfast. You can attend two meetings without obligation and then we'd love to have you join us regularly.
Join us for our next Water Cooler meeting:
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Time: 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
Check us out and pay only for your breakfast.
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bizexpo 2008, presented by The London Chamber of Commerce, is London's premier business-2-business networking event attracting professionals, executives and emerging-to-seasoned entrepreneurs. You don't want to miss being part of this authoritative tradeshow.
Join our keynotes, BMW's Joe Lawrence and Tyler Lessard from RIM, and engage the London and regional business community. Exhibitor space is still available - visit the bizexpo website for more information.
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 Hidden taxes cost Canadian businesses $12.6 billion annually with smallest firms hardest hit.
 Groundbreaking research by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) reveals businesses in this country pay $12.6 billion a year to ensure that they are filing their taxes correctly, with the smallest companies being hit the hardest.
According to CFIB's Executive Vice-president Garth Whyte, money is being spent on accountants, tax advisers, and employee time to ensure that businesses are complying with the tax system, and this is in addition to the taxes remitted. In effect, it is a hidden tax, and the smaller the business, the greater the cost: firms with fewer than five persons pay an average of $3,928 per employee to meet the tax system requirements; businesses with 50 to 499 employees pay $481 per person. The time and cost associated with tax compliance would be better spent helping businesses grow and become more competitive.
The cost of tax compliance has now been quantified, and the problem needs to be addressed. CFIB is recommending:
* that the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and provincial tax administrations benchmark and measure tax compliance costs annually;
* that more resources be put into better customer service;
* that CRA and provinces communicate changes in tax policy more effectively;
* that an ongoing process be initiated to ease this tax burden on smaller businesses;
* that tax compliance costs be a factor in developing federal-provincial tax policies.
Full report (CFIB, August 21, 2008)
Source: Canada Ontario Business Service Centre (COBSC). COBSC provides access to accurate, timely and relevant information on federal and provincial business-related programs, services and regulations. The COBSC is jointly managed by Industry Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Government Services.
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