WHO WE ARE
Canada’s business and economic landscape is increasingly dominated by small business.
While the public sector is growing, our businesses are getting smaller. The best jobs are in the business professions, engineering, education, construction, and healthcare.
More than 85% of private sector businesses are made up of the self-employed in these occupations, along with small businesses that often employ 4 or fewer people.
After more than thirty years experience as a tax auditor, as a senior manager in tax at 2 of Canada’s largest CPA firms, and most recently as an independent tax accountant working with some of Canada’s most innovative technology companies, I believe that business professionals who serve Canada’s small businesses have to do a better job.
For decades now, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists have developed and worked with a concept they call PRODUCT MARKET FIT. That means developing products and services that meet the needs of their customers.
WHO WE’RE NOT
These days there’s no shortage of advice for new businesses available on the internet. Much of it’s free, and almost all of it’s overpriced.
Government incubators are happy to set you up with their own in-house “experts” who can show you how to do your own bookkeeping, select the most appropriate type of business entity, or write a good business plan to attract investors.
But from my experience these workshops seem like a waste of time to me.
I don’t doubt that most policymakers, and even politicians mean well. They would really like our smallest businesses to succeed. But somehow Canada’s self-employed and what academics and policy makers disparagingly call “micro-businesses”, are too small to be taken seriously.
The employees and owner-managers of these micro-businesses represent about 25% of Canada’s workforce, and I believe they deserve a little more respect.
We put together a series of three accounting and financial workshops for the more than 80% of Canada’s businesses that have 4 or fewer staff. They’re not free – but they are reasonably-priced – and the costs can be applied to reduce future tax preparation and bookkeeping services by our member firms.
We are actively looking for accountants, accounting technicians, commercial lawyers, paralegals, web designers, and others who share our respect for and commitment to businesses just starting out.
ACCOUNTING + FINANCE WORKSHOPS
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