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SMALL BUSINESS MONTH - Supplement to The WInnipeg Free Press - Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Entrepreneurship Manitoba poised to offer critical services, support for small business
By Todd Lewys For the Free Press W hile big business tends to grab news headlines, it’s small businesses that are the lifeblood of the provincial economy. After all – over time, and with the right support – small businesses evolve into big business ventures. In recognition of that fact, the province moved to make it easier for small businesses to start up by initiating the process of streamlining its small business support services last April. All those services are to be consolidated into an entity aptly titled Entrepreneurship Manitoba. “The process of putting all the services under one roof is moving along at a steady pace,” said said former Entrepreneurship Minister Peter Bjornson in early October. Bjornson is now Minister of Housing and Community Development. “There are still a number of issues to be addressed, but we expect the grand opening to happen in the not-too-distant future, hopefully before the New Year,” he said. “It’s a big job to consolidate small business services, but we’re doing our best to get everything ready to go as soon as possible.” “Once all the services are consolidated, entrepreneurs can anticipate an experience that’s going to be much more user-friendly,” added Bjornson. “Streamlining the services is going to be of tremendous benefit to small businesses,” he said. “For example, we’re the first jurisdiction in Canada to go with one business number. Previously, small businesses had to have separate numbers for their registration, name, taxes. Reducing things to having just one number has been a huge plus – it’s made it much easier for small businesses to concentrate on growing their business, not on endless administrative tasks.” Likewise, the province – after having eliminated the small business tax a few years ago – is now looking at including businesses that generate annual incomes in excess of a million dollars. “The changes we made there have had a huge impact,” he said. “Prior to eliminating the small business tax, a small business with an annual income of, say, $400,000, was hit hard. Today, a business with that income is paying $52,500 less in taxes than they were in 1999. With the new budget that’s coming up, we’re moving toward including businesses who earn over $1 million dollars annually to ease their tax burden. Our goal is to make it increasingly easier to do business in Manitoba.” As important as it is to help small businesses get started through practical financial initiatives, it’s also critical that support services be in place to help those businesses sustain themselves. Entrepreneurship Manitoba will make it a priority to offer a variety of support services designed to help small businesses not only survive, but thrive in a highly competitive marketplace. “We will be offering a number of very affordable courses as before, but in addition to that, there will be a number of programs available to help entrepreneurs gain access to experts who will provide them with the advice they need to continue moving forward as a business,” Bjornson said. “They will be able to tap into the Manitoba Marketing Network for mentorship support. That type of support is essential. Tapping into the experience of successful business owners can help new owners avoid costly mistakes.” Not only can Entrepreneurship Manitoba connect nascent small businesses with established ones, but it can also provide the support required to bring a product to market. “Programs are going to be available through commercial support to help entrepreneurs take their ideas to market – we’re excited that there will be six different streams that businesses will be able to
go through,” he said. “The goal is to assist new companies in the development of their products, and to be with them every step of the way to ensure those products are developed properly.” Entrepreneurship Manitoba isn’t going to overlook the necessity of cultivating a continuous inflow of skilled labour into Manitoba’s workforce, he added. “One of the biggest challenges in keeping the province’s economy strong is maintaining a strong skilled labour force,” said Bjornson. “We are working continuously to meet labour shortages. In fact, we hope to celebrate a milestone in that area by late fall or early winter: a total of 10,000 active apprentices in Manitoba’s workforce. I’m pleased to say that number has doubled since 1999. It’s not a sexy topic, but it’s one of the most important things we’ve been doing since we took office 14 years ago.” For more information on Entrepreneurship Manitoba and the services it offers – such as BizPal, BizPaS, financial assistance programs and many others, all under one roof – see www.gov.mb.ca/ctt/ emb or call 204-945-8200, or toll-free 1-855-836-7250. Former Entrepreneurship Minister Peter Bjornson says consolidated services for small entrepreneurs will make for a more user-friendly experience. Winnipeg Free Press Archives
safemanitoba.com Take Our Kids to SAFE Work • November 6, 2013
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