Manage your business – Discover how to run a business effectively
An Excellent Guide from BDC Canada
There’s so much involved in running your business. Monitoring your financial performance and maintaining relationships with customers, employees and suppliers are just some of the aspects of business management. Start with small improvements to build momentum for bigger changes.
What challenges are you facing?
Check out the content under the headings below to discover how to keep your business running smoothly.
Improving my business management
There is no magic recipe to help you to better manage your business. However, there are best practices to follow and common pitfalls to avoid that will help you be a more effective manager.
- Infographic—Future-proof your business by adapting to these six key trends
- The art of recycling: Building a sustainable and responsible business
- From humble beginnings to a 500-employee fish and seafood company
- Success story: How effective management is driving growth at JDS Energy and Mining
- 7 trade secrets from a successful wholesale company
- Bernard et Fils Traiteur: Catering to a sophisticated clientele
- 5 lessons learned from a successful home improvement company
- 5 s for more successful project management
- 2 valuable business planning tools: Management dashboard and benchmarking
- Business agility: 8 steps to improve reaction time
- Working smarter: 3 strategies for improving business productivity
- How trust and openness help family firms thrive
- 5 essential do’s and don’ts of successful businesses
- Infographic—5 essential do’s and don’ts of successful businesses
- Video—5 essential do’s and don’ts
- The 9 essential entrepreneur skills you need to succeed
- 7 tips for setting goals for your business plan
- 10 things you (probably) didn’t know about Canadian SMEs
- How to find the best freelancers for your business
- How a Newfoundland entrepreneur grew her business from 50 to 750 employees in 15 years
- Blood and steel: Two sisters successfully take over the family machining business
- 7 ways to make your company more successful in 2018 (and beyond)
- Restructuring: 7 tips for restoring business profitability
- “You quit you lose”: How this entrepreneur overcame adversity to come out on top
- How restaurants are adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic
- Productive pandemic: How this entrepreneur used her downtime to build for the future
Finding advice for my business challenges
Nobody can build a company alone. As an entrepreneur, if you’re isolated and not getting outside advice, you may not be making the best decisions for your business.
- Hiring a business consultant: How to maximize your return
- Finding a mentor: 7 qualities entrepreneurs should look for
- 6 myths about business coaching and the real story
- How to choose the right business coach
- Video—6 reasons to form an advisory board
- Steelworks Design: Build a stronger business with an advisory board
- How an advisory board can boost your business
- Advisory boards: The best kept secret for higher sales
- Where to find the advice you need to run a business
- 7 simple ways to make better business decisions
- Business coaching: Advice that’s in your corner
- How to set up an advisory board to add real value to your business
- Tips for entrepreneurs on running an effective board
- How to get the most of a business coach
- 3 steps to becoming a certified B Corp
- Blog—The World’s Climate Leaders Wear a ”B”
Making my business more sustainable
Becoming a good corporate citizen can help you to improve your brand image, increase sales and get an edge over your competitors who haven’t embraced the same sustainable approach.
- Indigenous owned: A business model with a bright future
- What is social entrepreneurship?
- How LEED green building certification can help your business
- Build consumer trust with sustainability
- 7 simple ways to improve energy efficiency in your building
- Be a good corporate citizen through socially responsible business values
- 7 tips for putting corporate responsibility at the heart of your business
- Blog—When the money isn’t enough: How to measure the beneficial impact of your business
- Perfumes for peace: Purposeful entrepreneur does business with a cause
- Serving others is in this coffee entrepreneur’s DNA
- Marrying material and impact: Fair Trade Jewellery Co.’s 12-year journey to find ethical gold
- Blog—Live from British Columbia: The rise of capitalism 2.0?
- Combining profitability with sustainability: Difficult but possible
- Greening agriculture: Innovative cleantech is harvesting rapid growth
- Blog—The Rise of Local: Will ‘Hopeful Monsters’ Win?
Planning for emergencies and disasters
No one can predict the future; however, you can be ready with a sound business continuity plan. Getting a plan in place shows your employees and customers that you are a proactive organization.
- What business insurance do you need?
- 8 steps for planning your emergency and disaster plan
- Saving a landmark: Robert Risley rebuilds a historic resort
- How a business continuity plan helped one company recover from disaster
- 5 tips to minimize the risk of a disaster for your business
- How to protect your commercial property from a fire
