As a business owner, your plans for the business are highly dependent on the relationship you have with your financial institution.  This relationship starts with development and start up and will continue throughout the life of your business as your needs grow and change.

In this session we will:


                
investigate various observations on raising early development/start-up money;
focus on identifying the need for both debt and equity financing as well as potential strategies for sourcing corporate requirements;
provide participants with information on strategies for raising second stage financing, including alternative debt and equity instruments and potential sources for expansion capital; and
discuss banking issues related to business operations, loan applications, collateral issues and financing proposals.

Meet Your Facilitator

Nick is the Edmonton Regional Leader for MNP’s ease - External Financial Advisory service line. Nick’s focus is on financial advisory services – working with clients to identify and leverage key performance indicators, understand broad financial statement trends and analyses, and providing support in all other matters related to financial management within organizations. Nick is also involved in working with clients looking to raise or restructure financing and supports clients with early stage planning through to implementation of new deals. Prior to joining MNP in 2018, Nick worked in the audit group of a big-four accounting firm, before spending time working in industry with a combination of small and large entities in financial leadership roles.


            
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As a business, it can be tough to keep up with customer demands as your industry changes and you wonder ‘What will be disrupted next?”  Large companies may have research and development budgets to grow and foster innovation, but as a small or mid-sized business, you wonder how you can innovate with the time and resources you have available?  You know that success can depend upon innovation and it is common for small businesses to focus primarily on existing products and services.  Innovation is not just about large technological innovations - innovation can be simple ideas. Remember, it’s not enough to say that innovation is a priority - ensure you have a process in place, and continue to work at making it a priority!
In this session, you will learn:
                
What drives the need for innovation in small business;
How to build innovation into a business routine;
How to invest in innovation; and, 
How to cultivate an innovative mindset. 

Meet Your Facilitator

Nicole 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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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

"Stephen is management consultant at MNP in Edmonton with 7 years experience. Stephen supports a variety of public-sector, not-for-profit, and private sector clients and is a key member of MNP’s Private Enterprise Consulting team. His areas of focus include strategic planning, organizational reviews, and business feasibility studies. He is an experienced facilitator and presenter.
Prior to becoming a consultant, Stephen pursued advanced studies in music composition at McGill University in Montréal where he attained his PhD in 2013. He also enjoys writing, running, and travelling."



            
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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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