A competitive strategy identifies how a business intends to compete in the markets it serves. This strategy provides the glue that gives shared meaning to all the activities within the business.

In this session, participants will:

                
set effective strategies that are straightforward in their intent and direction,
determine how to create a clear sense of direction for their business, and
position themselves to grow and develop their business with confidence. 

Meet Your Facilitator

"Nicole Asselin is a Partner in the MNP Consulting practice based in Edmonton, serving clients locally and provincially.  Nicole has over twelve years of experience in industry and management consulting.  She has been involved in innovation, business process and operations improvement in many capacities, with diverse clients across multiple industries. 
Nicole obtained her Master of Business Administration from the University of Alberta in 2004 with focus on International Business Specialization, is Six Sigma Green Belt Certified, is Innovation Engineering Blue Belt Certified, and has participated in Lean Action Workouts. She and her husband are small business owners and are familiar with the need to innovate and market services. 
Nicole has exceptional client relations and is recognized for her professionalism, diplomacy and confidentiality in dealing with colleagues and her clients. Nicole is a disciplined project manager that provides strong operational support to clients and has managed a number of projects relating to Operational Effectiveness, Process Improvement, Organizational Review, Business Strategy and Planning, Market Assessment and Analysis. In addition, Nicole has led and participated in numerous engagements in a variety of areas including the private sector, provincial government, municipalities, municipal associations, non-profit organizations and post-secondary educational institutions."
            
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Owning a business is a challenging task.  Stress is a constant concern as you balance both business and personal objectives. Monday to Friday and 8 – 5 is not a concept most business owners know and therefore you need help to effectively manage time and keep things in control. We can’t help you have more than 24 hours in a day, but we will teach you to focus your hours and work smarter to accomplish your business objectives.

This webinar focuses on:

                
understanding stress, the sources of stress and strategies for managing personal and business stress levels;
examining some proven techniques for business owners; 
learning how to prioritize and manage your time effectively; and
applying proven techniques through examples.

Meet Your Facilitator

Melanie is a Senior Manager within the Edmonton consulting practice, specializing in the area of organizational renewal and people centric change.  She brings over 20 years consulting experience working with municipal, provincial, post-secondary, and not-for-profit clients.  Melanie’s public sector focus, particularly with provincial and Crown Corporations, has fostered a deep understanding of public service, political, and regulatory operating environments.  Melanie is particularly focused on the people puzzle that can accelerate or constrain an organization.  She can apply rapid and complex assessment tools to review an organization’s structure, processes, roles, and accountabilities that are reviewed in the context of strategic direction. At the heart of all good organizational assessments is the application of effective root cause analysis.  Solutioning underlying ‘problems you’re trying to solve’ and not just symptoms is essential to realizing meaningful organizational and people enhancements.   Melanie specializes in people and organizational changes, and she is versed in helping apply the right degree of art and science to form desired changes to people structures, behaviours, and organizational accountability.  Melanie is certified in Prosci’s ADKAR Change Management Methodology.  Melanie is an active community-builder and volunteers her time on the Board of Directors for the Bissell Centre, as a board member and Chair, HR and Governance Committee. She is also a passionate member of the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation Women’s Network.


            
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The fundamental financial risks associated with farming have not changed in recent years, but they have increased due to changes in the agricultural landscape. Farmers are more than producers of food, they are perceived as caretakers of the natural environment and provider of quality goods of that environment. This webinar is designed to discuss financial risk management at the producer level to grow and strengthen your business and will demonstrate practical application of risk scenarios using MNP’s Risk Management Projector TM. 
In this session, you will:

                
Learn how to identify financial risks;
Understand how to manage financial risk;
Review tools to model and manage financial risk at the producer level; and,
Gain insight required to develop and implement a financial risk management plan.

Meet Your Facilitator

Peter Chrapko is the Manager of Agricultural Consulting for Edmonton and Northern Alberta. He grew up in a small rural community where his family owned and operated a small farm. With more than 15 years of professional industry experience in Animal Nutrition and the Agrosciences, Peter focuses on a whole farm approach which is vital to understanding the complexities of modern agriculture.  Peter has extensive knowledge and experience in the areas of farm business planning, Agronomy, performance management, operations management, farm financial planning and marketing.  With a background in both agriculture and ag business, he works with growers of all scales to provide them with the practical information they need to make the right business decisions.  Peter has extensive agricultural experience working in animal nutrition, feed production and most recently as a CCA certified Agronomist assisting growers with their crop inputs. Peter’s experience has given him a unique perspective and approach to grower solutions, based primarily on what the grower needs for success and profitability in their operation. With a “Grower First” mandate and a profound understanding of farm operations, Peter is able to incorporate MNP’s financial fluency into building the right solutions for every grower.

            
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Owning a farm means your business and personal lives are intertwined.  As such, it is important to understand how taxation works and where there are opportunities to effectively structure your farm operations to allow for both risk management and minimization of taxes.

This session will:

                
Provide participants with an overview of taxation as it relates to farm operations (both personal and corporate),
Outline basic reporting requirements (the basis for taxation and initial tax planning issues),
Address year-end determination including dividends versus bonus which form the basis for shareholder/owner remuneration, and
Outline expense deductibility and basic tax planning strategies as it relates to farm operations.

Meet Your Facilitator

Rob Strilchuk has a long standing background in the agriculture sector as an advisor and tax planner, as he has been in public practice for 33 years, the last five being a partner with MNP in the Edmonton region.  Being a grain farmer as well, an everyday knowledge in Canadian tax planning, ag programs and areas of concern for producers rounds out Rob's background. Problem resolutions for top tier producers and supporting businesses is what we are here for.

Expertise in the high net worth, owner manager area with a focus on estate and succession planning, business divestitures and acquisitions, life insurance planning and tax minimization strategies have been part of Rob's history as a tax advisor.   Speaking engagements, directly to farmers/producers at events such as Farmtech and for the Alberta Canola Producers Commission, are an enjoyable part of addressing needs that Rob hopes to get back to attending in person in the near future.

            
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There are more ways than ever to reach out and connect with existing and prospective clients. Social media presents a unique opportunity to build a two-way relationship with customers – but only if accompanied by a sound understanding of each platform’s functions, audience, expectations and best practices. This course helps business owners assess and qualify which social media platforms are appropriate for their brand, as well as what is possible within each social network. Participants will come away with a clear understanding of the key aspects of participating in social media marketing.
In this session you will learn about:

                
establishing key and secondary goals for social media marketing activities;
how to identify which social media platforms are right for your brand;
long-term resource and infrastructure considerations; and
Overview, audience breakdown, best practices, and opportunities on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube, as well as insights on other social networks such as Snapchat, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Google+.

Meet Your Facilitator

To Be Announced
            
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Business owners need to provide guidance to their team on proper management and be able to distinguish the manager’s role in your business. 
Upon completion of this session, participants will:
                
understand the manager’s role,
be familiar with delegation and scheduling,
understand the process of project managing, and
understand the manager’s role in mentoring.

Meet Your Facilitator

Melanie Fix is a Senior Manager within the Edmonton consulting practice, specializing in the area of organizational renewal and people centric change.  She brings over 20 years consulting experience working with municipal, provincial, post-secondary, and not-for-profit clients.  Melanie’s public sector focus, particularly with provincial and Crown Corporations, has fostered a deep understanding of public service, political, and regulatory operating environments.  
Melanie is particularly focused on the people puzzle that can accelerate or constrain an organization.  She can apply rapid and complex assessment tools to review an organization’s structure, processes, roles, and accountabilities that are reviewed in the context of strategic direction. At the heart of all good organizational assessments is the application of effective root cause analysis.  Solutioning underlying ‘problems you’re trying to solve’ and not just symptoms is essential to realizing meaningful organizational and people enhancements.   
Melanie specializes in people and organizational changes, and she is versed in helping apply the right degree of art and science to form desired changes to people structures, behaviours, and organizational accountability.  Melanie is certified in Prosci’s ADKAR Change Management Methodology.  Melanie is an active community-builder and volunteers her time on the Board of Directors for the Bissell Centre, as a board member and Chair, HR and Governance Committee. She is also a passionate member of the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation Women’s Network.  

            
Download a Calendar Event