C
ollectively we have the power to make change.
The stated primary goal of the Chamber of Commerce is advocacy. Four hundred and ninety members of the Parksville and District Chamber of Commerce united with the 120 member chambers of the BC Chamber of Commerce, united with 420 chambers of commerce and boards of trade, representing 192,000 businesses of all sizes in all sectors of the economy and in all regions of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce is a very loud voice.
If 2011 was the Year of the Protestor could 2012 be the Year of the Entrepreneur? Given the current unemployment and underemployment in Canada there has never been a better time to start your own business.
Technology has made entrepreneurism more affordable and has shrunk the world to a point where you can be marketing goods and especially services anywhere from Parksville.
Because of changes to the global economy there are new and innovative ways to find funding (think Dragon’s Den).
Traditional office space or retail space was a must have in previous decades, but we have moved over to virtual space where you can work from home, a coffee shop, or on a warm sunny day the beach.
The Parksville and District Chamber wants to help you get going, to find a way to turn that great idea into a business. Starting on January 11 at the Parksville and Community Conference Centre we will be holding a series of educational sessions called Lunch ‘N Learn. Starting with the Nanaimo Community Futures folks providing tips and guidelines for the development of a business plan; sessions will be held at lunch time on a monthly basis and cover topics such as; How to Read a Financial Statement; How to Manage Your Inbox and IT Needs; Creating a Succession Plan; Marketing Your Dream and a host of other great tools that will help new and existing entrepreneurs improve their businesses and have time for a life.
Kim Burden is executive director of the Parksville and District chamber of Commerce