By Cybele Negris
As part of my continuing look at how the Olympics are affecting the business community, I chatted last week with George Hunter, CEO of Small Business BC.
Walking into the Small Business BC office on Cordova Street (inside “The Station” where the Skytrain, Seabus and West Coast Express meet at Waterfront Station), I noticed a dramatic difference. Typically sixty or seventy people are reading resource materials, meeting with advisors or registering business names and using the other services Small Business BC offers. Today, only a handful of people were around. SBBC anticipated the drop in walk in traffic given its location and planned accordingly.
As anticipated, things are quiet at the Small Business BC Office during the Olympics
During the Olympics, the office is still open and maintaining basic levels of service but they are taking the opportunity to do outreach during the slower times. While the regular seminar program is on hold until March, they front-end loaded their seminar series prior to the Olympics and even included seminars in collaboration with the 2010 Commerce Centre on how businesses can best participate in the Olympics and get engaged. The Small Busines BC Education Centre is taking the opportunity to run focus groups from different regions to better understand clients and their needs and to ensure programs are client centric. SBBC has also taken the opportunity when key groups and stakeholders are in town for the Olympics to reconnect. For example, they met with the Nisga’a (who are here to participate in the aboriginal reception) to discuss specific programs including video conferencing to support their economic development initiatives.
I asked George Hunter for his sense of how the Small Business community has faired in the last year, how they are doing during the Olympics and where he thinks the state of things will be post Olympics. “Small Businesses have been very resilient.” He recognizes some sectors have been affected more than others by the recession but says those he has talked to are very optimistic. “Many of the businesses are taking a pause and using the end of the Olympics as the spring board for the business year. There’s lots of optimism and excitement for the economic recovery. The confidence level out there is high.”
Hunter describes the impact for local businesses as, “those that are well-located near Olympic venues will do exceptionally well. All the businesses in the Waterfront Station are reporting that business is booming and all of them have brought on more staff. Steamworks Restaurant next door is doing record business of all time! Those that are putting an Olympic focus are doing well and definitely those that are carrying official merchandise or using the spirit of Olympics to promote and market are seeing a benefit.”
In terms of negative impact of the Olympics to local business, he hasn’t personally heard of many. According to Hunter, many businesses planned in advance and mostly, the sentiment is that “the party has come to town; most businesses recognize any inconvenience is temporary and we’ve invited the world so we will make it a good experience for everyone in true Canadian fashion!”
George Hunter, CEO of Small Business BC reports some businesses are booming and even those that are inconvenienced understand it is temporary. "We've invited the world so we will make it a good experience for everyone in true Canadian fashion!"
Small Business BC – Plans for Post-Olympics
After the Olympics, Small Business BC has a number of initiatives planned. There is a dramatic The Successful You Business Awards ceremony taking place in June where they have expanded their annual Business Plan Awards to include the Company of the Year and Small Business Champion Awards. They expect to double or triple participants. “It will be a very exciting event where small business entrepreneurs can come and celebrate the success of peers,” says George Hunter, CEO of Small Business BC. The deadline is end of March. A sign of the level of interest in the awards, all formal sponsorship spots have already filled! Small Business BC is still accepting sponsorships for the Entrepreneurial Showcase event, however, which will take place in the Fall.
Another exciting development is the Accelerator Program which Hunter describes as “just in time business information geared towards established businesses looking to make dramatic changes in their growth.” The fee for service program will provide highly specific and very relevant information for businesses by partnering with subject matter experts and will deliver the information within a 24 hour turnaround.
Also coming soon, look for the Small Business BC website to include a new “Marketplace function” where people and business can meet online and share interests and post opportunities.
More information on Small Business BC
Small Business BC Website
Small Business BC Digital Business Card - smallbusinessbc.tel
Get your own .TEL and a portion of the proceeds go to support Small Business BC
Seminars offered by Small Business Education Centre
The Successful You Business Awards – Deadline March 31, 2010; Awards Ceremony June, 2010
Related Posts:
Vancouver Small Business & the Olympics- Part I of Series – Eclipse Awards by Cybele Negris
Vancouver Small Business & the Olympics – Part II of Series – Forum for Women Entrepreneurs by Cybele Negris
Vancouver Small Business & the Olympics – Part III of Series – Residential Construction Industry by Cybele Negris
Despite the lack of financial-windfall, Granville Island vendors get in the Olympic Spirit by Kassandra Linklater
Cybele Negris is Co-Founder of Webnames.ca, Canada’s Original Domain Registrar. She is on the Boards of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, Small Business BC, Government of BC Small Business Roundtable and the Vancouver Economic Development Commission. More information is available at cybele.tel or webnames.tel. Follow on Twitter @cybelenegris and @webnames
August 18, 2010 | Posted by Cybele Negris 
Categories: Cybele Negris, Uncategorized | 
Tags: Cybele Negris, Entrepreneurs, INSPIRE, Small Business BC, small business month, Webnames.ca | 
No Comments »
