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Basin
Business Advocates Program |
The
Basin Business Advocates Program assists small and medium sized
independent business operators in the Columbia Basin by providing
free one-on-one confidential business counselling.
Business Advocates are experienced, successful business
people who work one-on-one with businesses interested in being
involved in this free program.
Deanne
Monroe is the Advocate for the West Kootenay region. Will Nixon
is the Advocate for the East Kootenay region.
The Basin Business Advocates Program is funded by the Columbia
Basin Trust and was created to build economic capacity in Basin
communities by strengthening and supporting existing businesses.
Program
Services
At
a meeting between the Business Advocate and the business, it will
be determined if the business could benefit from business counselling.
If counselling is requested, the Business Advocate and the business
owner work closely to prepare an Assessment of
the business, define key issues, discuss solutions, and next steps.
Program
Costs
If the client wishes to expand on the assessment by working with
a consultant on one or more of the areas identified in the Assessment,
a funding contribution may be available to support
the cost of this specialized assistance. The program contributes
the first $500 and makes a contribution of 50% to consulting costs
over $500, to a maximum contribution of $2500 per business.
Common
Management Concerns and Program Themes:
- Improved
Financial Planning
-
Enhanced Communications, Systems Management
-
More Effective Marketing Strategies
-
Managing Costs, Pricing
-
Human Resource Planning.
-
Better Inventory Management.
-
Succession Planning
Eligibility
for Service
Businesses
must be located within the Columbia Basin (call us if you’re
not sure if your business is included in this area) and must be
established. Business Owners must be willing to provide information
to the Advocate and commit the time needed to ensure that the
counselling process is meaningful to the business.
Contac Information
Call
Steele O’Neil and Associates, Inc, in Cranbrook at 1-877-894-5939
or 250-489-4180 to be connected to the Advocate for your area.
Downloads:
BBA
Guidelines: Making the Lending Process Work.doc
BBA
Guidelines: Preparing a Sales Agreement.doc
BBA
Guidelines: Preparing a Financing Proposal.doc
BBA Presentation:
Basin Business Advocates Information_2008.pptx
The
Columbia Basin Trust?
The
Basin Business Advocates Program is funded by the Columbia Basin
Trust and managed by Steele O’Neil and Associates, inc.,
a Cranbrook-based firm that specializes in employment services,
business consulting and program development and management.
Columbia Basin Trust is a regionally based Crown corporation created
in 1995 to deliver economic, social, and environmental benefits
to the residents of the Columbia Basin. For information about
the Columbia Basin Trust, visit www.cbt.org
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