Since 1996, Business Link has served entrepreneurs in Alberta, helping them to start and grow businesses in every industry imaginable. With Thanksgiving this coming weekend, our staff wanted to take the time to show our thankfulness for each and every person that we have worked with.
Admiration for Our Community
Owning a business isn’t easy. Being an entrepreneur requires many qualities and strengths, which we see exemplified in our clients every day. We are always amazed and inspired by and in awe of everything our clients do to make their dreams come true. Here are just some of the things that our team members admire most about the business owners that we work with:
- Their ability to identify business opportunities
- Their creativity and courage to create and pursue a venture
- The determination and enthusiasm they have for their dreams
- The passion for becoming self-sustained as Indigenous people
- Their get-up-and-go attitude and discipline to make it work
- Their endurance and ability to keep going no matter what is thrown their way
The Qualities We Admire Most
Every day, we see the determination our clients exemplify. No matter what obstacles they encounter or how challenging their entrepreneurial journey has been, they dare to learn, innovate, and make their businesses thrive. One example of just this is Paul Neilson, owner of Dump Runner. When launching his first junk removal business, he called all of his competitors and found that no one answered the phone or got back to him. Realizing that his target audience just wanted their junk removed and weren’t loyal to any particular business, he built a holster and wore two cell phones so he could answer every call. He’s since gone on to expand his business to other service lines and now employs over 15 people.
Your Success Is Our Success
Nothing makes our team happier than seeing someone we’ve worked with killing it in the small business community. We frequently profile clients on our weekly blog but also love seeing stories about our clients in the news. Here are some recent examples of the ways our clients have shown all of the hard work they put in every day.
- Several Business Link clients were selected to be in the Edmonton Made Catalogue 2018 edition.Â
- Various clients were nominated for the Calgary Chamber of Commerce KPMG People’s Choice Award for Small Business Week 2018.
- A number of our clients have or are currently participating in the District Ventures Accelerator.
- A number of our clients were nominated for the 2018 AWE Celebration of Achievement Awards.
Sharing the Love By Shopping Local
We love supporting our clients in any way that we can. That includes featuring them as experts for our networking events or blogs, sharing their updates on our social media channels, and also patronizing their businesses. It gives us great satisfaction to be able to visit a client’s store or website. We encourage everyone to join us on this shop local mission, and support your local businesses whenever possible! For ideas on where to start, check out these resources:
- Fort McMurray Tourism shopping directory
- Edmonton Made
- The Local Good Edmonton
- Shop Red Deer
- Made in Calgary
- Be Local Calgary
- Shop Lethbridge
- Shop in Medicine Hat
If you’re from a small town like me, search on your local Chamber of Commerce website for local businesses that you can patronize, or that can help you in your business—or, just cruise through your downtown to see examples of how entrepreneurship is thriving in your municipality. Spend your time and money locally to let local entrepreneurs know you’re grateful for how they contribute to the economy and community. And, by doing so, you may find you’ll see your community in a different light!
As you start or grow your business, know that you aren’t alone. We are here to provide advice and guidance as you venture into this thing called entrepreneurship. Contact us here.Â
