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By Vikram Barhat Special to the Star Mon., Oct. 1, 2018 Raising capital to finance a business venture can be a challenging enterprise in itself. This is particularly true of those who are in the process of setting up their business and have no business banking history or experience. Small business professionals in the making can consider the following options in order to shore up capital to get their businesses off the ground. Conventional borrowing Most banks in Canada provide loans tailored to the needs of small-business owners. However, the lenders’ due diligence process can be rigorous and could involve demands ranging from your personal credit score to upfront collateral, such as assets you own. “These assets include any property or valuable equipment you own,” says Jeff Mitelman, chief executive officer and co-founder of Thinking Capital, a firm that specializes in small-businesses financing. “The application process can be lengthy at … [Read more...] about Where to find capital to jump start your small business
Questions for accountant when starting small business
12 books you should read before starting a business
caption Read up before becoming an entrepreneur. source Azovtsev Maksym/Shutterstock Books can be an affordable way to get professional advice before starting your own business. Authors highlight the mistakes startups have made in the past, making it easier to avoid doing the same. The advice in these books can apply to anyone, whether you’re an aspiring tech entrepreneur or an artist looking to tell your work. If you want to start a business, you’ll need advice on where to start, what pitfalls to anticipate, and how best to spend your time and money to get your idea off the ground. While you may be tempted to spring for classes, seminars, and training sessions, books are the most accessible and affordable way to start learning. Whether you’re an aspiring tech entrepreneur or an artisan looking to sell your work, these are some of the most insightful books to read before you launch. … [Read more...] about 12 books you should read before starting a business
Exploring the ways AI affects businesses
Our world continues to change rapidly as the pace of technological advancement accelerates. One advance that most of us associated with science fiction until very recently is now part of many people’s daily lives, and that is artificial intelligence or AI. Whether it is through virtual assistants such as Apple’s Siri, or purchase predictions or hailing a ride through an app like Uber, AI is now a mainstream technology that many people depend on. As business leaders, when we discuss the effects of AI, we have to conclude that it affects our organisations in more ways than one. For example, many of us have seen how AI can make learning by individuals and the organisation as a whole more effective. However, what other kinds of impact does it have on businesses? One other business function where AI is starting to make inroads is human resources. There are already computer programmess that assist in the talent acquisition process. AI applications offer the ability to screen --- … [Read more...] about Exploring the ways AI affects businesses
Looking for Donald Trump in all the wrong places
By Michael Lewis Bloomberg View Mon., Feb. 19, 2018 Back when he was president, Barack Obama told me that only two people treated any interaction with him as a zero-sum game. One was Vladimir Putin, the other congressional Republicans. Both behaved as if there was no such thing as a win-win situation: Any gain for Obama was a loss for them, and any gain for them must also entail a loss for Obama. The moment that the Russian president or congressional Republicans saw he wanted something, they went to work trying to keep him from getting it — even if it was something they might otherwise have approved of. Approaching any aspect of life as a zero-sum game has obvious practical costs: Deals that leave some people better off without making anyone else worse off suddenly don’t get done, because making some people better off now, by definition, makes other people worse off. It also comes with some psychological side effects. It cripples your imagination. It … [Read more...] about Looking for Donald Trump in all the wrong places
I filed my own taxes for the first time ever using TurboTax — and got the biggest refund I’ve ever received
TurboTax is one of the most popular services for filing your tax return online. I decided to file my own taxes this year for the first time, and it was easier than I thought it would be. TurboTax’s tax-refund estimate in the top-left corner kept me motivated when the process got a bit tedious. I have a confession: I’m in my late 20s, and I had never done the work of filing my own taxes until this February. For years I was fortunate enough to rely on my parents who so kindly offered to do that, and from 2014 to 2016 I paid a trusty client-service representative at H&R Block. Last year, my parents offered the favor again, and like any sensible person, I didn’t refuse. This year, however, I felt it was finally time to become a fully realized adult and do my own taxes. I was tired of shelling out money to an H&R Block employee who, though friendly and knowledgeable, seemed to be inputting data I was … [Read more...] about I filed my own taxes for the first time ever using TurboTax — and got the biggest refund I’ve ever received