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According to Fortune Small Business canada is third in the world as a "place relatively few hurdles in the path of business owners. In each nation it takes between two and five days to start a business and requires five or fewer steps to do so."

Lewis posits that the reason we have so many high-expectation entrepreneurs is that entrepreneurs are "culturally supported" here. Being an entrepreneur is a respected career choice, there are plenty of entrepreneurial role models and failure is not severely punished; a failed business is not considered a family disgrace or a 30 year struggle to pay off creditors here. Via Small Business Canada

Other points include "relatively low marginal tax rates, legal systems that protect intellectual property, enforce contracts, and provide relatively rapid adjudication of disputes."

Me? Yes You!

Feel like you are held hostage by an employee? Feel like they should be fired but struggle with making 'the' decision? You are not alone, I have heard this from many business owners.

The 'artful dodger' has above average people skills, are familiar with your comings and goings, and know how to work around you. You feel a sense of insecurity but feel that you need to make a business decision. No matter how much you think about it, you feel conflicted, and are not sure why. The employee in question does a good job. I have seen cases where their performance is above average job. But you still feel this person is hampering your ability to move forward. Via How do I decide whether an employee should be fired?

I wrote this in 2006 but the theme How do I decide whether an employee should be fired? is just as valid today as in 2006.

I talk about how an employees situation can change and how that can affect their performance as well as dealing with trust issues and creating a 'stop loss' order.

Current trends in search technology and how these can be tapped to help the growth of online advertising, will be discussed during the Red Herring East Technology Event to be held on June 26-28, 2007 at the Hyatt Harborside, Boston, MA.

Red Herring East Event Panel Discussion: Search: The New Frontier

Experts from Microsoft, Ask.com, Answer.com and more will gather for a one-of-a-kind panel discussion exploring trends in search technology, and how new search developments are expected to help the evolution of online advertising.

For more details, check out the agenda, full list of speakers and registration information.

Sponsored post by Red Herring East.

If you do a lot of business with customers in the U.S. you might be feeling the pinch due to the Canadian dollars rise against the U.S. dollar.

I do a lot of business with clients in the U.S. and back in 2000 I remember getting 1.57 CDN for each U.S, dollar. Today it is just $1.04 or $1.05.

Big difference. Failing to re-examine changes in the assumptions behind your business can result in bankruptcy:

A high Canadian dollar and new passport rules are driving away American clients, says the owner of an eastern Ontario woodworking school that recently went bankrupt.

Since January, new rules have required U.S. citizens to carry passports when they fly to and from Canada. Those rules have been lifted for the summer while the U.S. tries to catch up on a backlog of Passport Applications.

"On any given week, you'd have basically three full-time employees, a couple of the guest teachers, and then up to 14 students," he said. "Even though Rosewood was only here for a short period of time, it's done a lot for the town." Via CBC

Startup non-profit Zero Footprint has opened Zero Footprint Toronto.

The company is fighting global warming in two ways: encourage carbon reduction, and sell offsets for the remainder.

First, they are encouraging people and companies to be aware of how much carbon they are emitting into the atmosphere through consumption (cars, heating, food, etc.) and encouraging them to find ways to lower those emissions. Via TechCrunch

The goal of the toronto site is to "The City of Toronto is partnering with Zerofootprint to launch Zerofootprint Toronto, the first ever community-wide initiative aimed at engaging all citizens to fight climate change on a massive scale." The site offers a emissions calculator, list of zero footprint employers, a blog and other information to help individuals understand their carbon usage and learn what they can do to reduce their footprint. They also work with companies as well:

They've recently signed an agreement with Air Canada that went live just a week ago. The program encourages customers to buy an offset when purchasing a flight ticket on the airline.

Each and every day the environment, carbon reductions, and leaving a smaller footprint on the world becomes increasingly political. The CBC has noted the trend of corporations in Canada actively developing plans and spending money to become more "green".

If this trend is to have staying power corporate Canada must make a real long-term commitment by adequately funding and supporting environmental friendly business practices. Which must include the executive suite, otherwise all the money being invested could be lost.

Whether it's altruism tied to a deep concern for the environment or simply a matter of dollars and cents, Canadian companies are increasingly going green and aren't shy about publicizing it.

In the last week alone, a Canadian bank, a national car repair company, and a consulting firm all unveiled new environmental policies. At the International Air Transport Association's annual conference in Vancouver, the world's airlines mused about cutting all emissions by 2050.

The Toronto Dominion Bank claims to be the only Canadian bank to have developed an official policy to measure, report on and lessen its environmental impacts. Via CBC

Will the executive suite incorporate environmentally friendly travel alternatives? Or will they simply opt to buy carbon credits? The former requires a change to ones plans and preferences.

All you need to do is ask a few probing questions and your customers will help you understand their needs and then you might be will be able to see new opportunities.

Instead of spending a lot of time waiting for a great business idea to suddenly materialize, get out in the world and ask questions. "If you look at things with a quizzical approach, you're going to uncover a lot of opportunities. A lot of times the answers you come up with are going to be wrong, but if you keep asking questions, eventually you'll hit on the little thing that's not quite right, and go from there." Via How A Student Made Three Million Dollars With A Free CliffNotes Website

You might be making the biggest marketing mistake - thinking your customers are just like you.

"Knowing exactly what your market really wants as a result of doing business with you is so fundamentally important that when you get this wrong, the problems created trickle down to every other area of your business." Page 66, of Tips and Traps For Writing an Effective Business Plan (Tips & traps)

The eBay business model continues to amaze me. Anything goes and when I looked at ebay canada business, I was amazed at the stuff you can buy including Toner Cartridges, Commercial Kitchen Equipment, and yes even a business can be sold via eBay.

...how about buying a business on eBay instead? Recently, 10 internet companies have sought buyers through eBay, including SynapseLife, an online calendar and organizational site that sold for $60,000. If you're looking to sell your business, keep in mind that not all potential buyers are comfortable making a deal through eBay. Via Business Opportunities Weblog

When I looked at Office Furniture I found Computer Furniture, Cubicles & Systems Furniture, Desks & Tables, Filing Cabinets, Office Chairs & Stools and many others. Check out the Business section on eBay Canada.

Ben Yoskovitz asks the question Should You Raise Venture Capital For Your Startup?

In his article he discusses the differences in the need for capital between a Lifestyle business, Web 2.0, Work at home, Age of the Entrepreneur, and Going Big businesses.

You really check out Ben's blog and read this article as Ben just raised $1.5 million for his new startup. Congratulations Ben. Good luck in your new venture.

This is an important question for many startups. Whether you raise money or not depends on a number of factors, including the type of business you're starting. Some will require more traditional loans, others are perfectly suited to being bootstrapped. Via Should You Raise Venture Capital For Your Startup?

On my web site I have numerous articles on business loans and financing including:

• Applying for a Commercial Business Loan, New Business Loan


• How Can I Convince A Bank Or VC To Invest In My Company?


• Who Needs Money to Start a Business? Got $8,000?


• Accessing Retirement Funds to Start or Buy a Business


• Business Loans


• Flipping Your Startup 101