Canadian Small Business Women

Connection, Synergy, Community

What Is HR & Why you need it!

Human Resources (HR) is defined as: “The division of a company that is focus on activities relating to employees. These activities normally include recruiting and hiring of new employees, orientation and training of current employees, employee benefits, and retention. Formerly called personnel.”[1] To break that down further HR is a company’s best friend; helping to make sure the employees and the employers are protected and everything is taken care of and in accordance with the law and regulations. With the constant updating of both laws and regulations it can be hard to know if you are in accordance, by having an HR professional you won`t ever have to second guess as they are up to date and informed about all the changes and how to make you and your business compliant.

HR is a key player, in helping to make sure employees are trained fully, and that your retention rate is higher than your turnover rate. Many companies don`t understand why they have to keep hiring new employees; with The Staff Room and TSR Canada,  you don’t have that worry because of the careful recruitment process they go through to ensure you have the right employee for the job. Here at The Staff Room our recruitment process ensures the employer is getting a top quality candidate for the position.  When we receive a resume, we examine it to select and highlight certain skills and previous work experience the candidate has had in the past. This enables us to organize each candidate into various job categories to ensure we are matching their skills with job positions we have available and that are right for both the employer and the candidate.

After the recruitment process, comes the law and regulation side; with new legislations coming into effect, such as CASL[2] and the AODA[3], many companies are unsure if they are compliant or not. Here at The Staff Room and TSR Canada, we pride ourselves on being informed and helping to inform others; always ready to answer questions and help you and your business be compliant with new and changing legislation, laws and regulations. CASL and AODA can greatly affect your company if you are not compliant; including hefty fines of $50,000/day for the AODA, which can drastically affect companies, their employees and their day-to-day business. That is why companies like us, The Staff Room & TSR Canada, exist; to help make sure your company is compliant and is aware of the changes in legislation.

HR can be intimidating, especially if you have more questions than answers. That’s why companies like us, The Staff Room & TSR Canada, exist! We exist to help you and your company succeed and grow; we have the answers to your questions and the solutions to your problems.   We are dedicated to providing a continuous stream of human resource services and consulting solutions that will equip individuals, teams and organizations to do their best and to flourish.  What sets us apart from other HR companies if our focus on local business. We recognize that all aspects of human resources is just as much about the people as it is about lows and regulations.

If you still have questions, we are here with the answers! Contact us today for your FREE 30 minutes consultation and see the difference that we can make and how we can help you and your business.  We can be reached at: 289-842-7181 or info@the-staffroom.com

 

 

[1] http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/human-resources.html

[2] http://fightspam.gc.ca/eic/site/030.nsf/eng/home

[3] https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/05a11

Are you spending your time effectively on Facebook?

 

Kelly Farrell - Teach Me Social -headshot (2)

Are you spending time looking at the right parts of your Facebook business page? It’s so easy to get distracted by “shiny things” on Facebook, but as a business owner it’s important to stay focused on your goal to connect with your followers. Having a strategy for your social media marketing should also include regular maintenance on your Facebook page to ensure that what you are posting and sharing is actually connecting with the right followers.

  1. Update the “About” tab on your Facebook Business Page regularly. Take a few minutes at least once a month to revisit and revise the fields with important information about your business. In particular, ensure that the Short Description, Long Description and all contact details are up-to-date and accurate.
  2. Review the Insights for your Facebook Business Page often to analyze what posts are reaching your audience and are engaging your followers. The Insights can help you identify the best time to post and can provide you with more demographic information about the people who engage with your Page.
  3. Monitor the interaction on your posts and be sure to reply to all comments quickly! The average social media user expects a reply within 1 hour to a comment that they make on social media. Be considerate of the time someone took to make a comment, and respond in kind, even if just to say Thank You!
  4. Share your involvement in local or online events and be sure to create event listing for events that your business is hosting. Invite your friends and contacts to join your event page for updates and event information. If you are participating in someone else’s event, you can add that event to your page’s event listing without creating a new event. This helps to connect your business page with others, thus increasing your visibility!
  5. Know when to spend money on boosted posts and promotions on Facebook and allocate an appropriate budget for this purpose. Keep in mind that you should first set up target audiences in Facebook Ad Manager before spending any money on promotions. The more time you spend to target the right demographic, the more return you will see on your ad spend.

To learn more about how to maximise the effectiveness of your Facebook marketing efforts, schedule a complimentary consultation with Teach Me Social. Teach Me Social owner Kelly Farrell has been helping empower Canadian Small Business owners through social media for over four years. Teach Me Social offers effective social media services which include training sessions and consulting as well as full-service social media account management.

For Women on the Move

Aviary Photo_130605261112039905

JDC met Heather and Nicky from Women on the Move at the start of summer. Friends since 1981, they have shared successes, challenges and many adventures. As serial entrepreneurs they now join forces to bring an unparalleled depth of knowledge, understanding, experience and passion to help women start and grow prosperous businesses. Women on the Move is Heather’s third business startup and Nicky’s second. Prior to her first startup, Heather climbed the corporate ladder and was VP of Sales and Marketing for Lucent Technology before she was 35. Nicky fast tracked her entrepreneurial path within a franchise structure. She started with Arthur Murray Dance Studio as an instructor at 30, two years later becoming a sales manager and shortly after that a successful franchisee.  As we learned more about these wonderful women’s individual and collective successes, we just had to share their experiences and learnings with you. Here are 4 great pieces of  advice from Heather and Women;

  1. Best piece of advice for women struggling with sales: Invest in yourself and get some training. Sales is a skill and like any other skill it is acquired, and that takes time and training.  You need a process so you can look back and see where you made a wrong turn and where you made good turns.  Otherwise you are just shooting in the dark. Learn to drive sales and develop strong closing skills and excellent communication skills. Make sure you know how your product is relevant to your buyer and make sure you know how to present your product as critical.
  1. Women are by nature more collaborative than competitive. Community and teamwork are part of how we are wired. We thrive on community and confidence, which is a key factor in sales and entrepreneurship, that soars when women work together towards a common goal.  We love to contribute to one another’s success, it is our instinct to nurture and that sets us apart from men.
  1. More than I have from my success! Failing forward is important. When we fail we examine where we went wrong and where we can improve next time. One rarely looks at one’s success with the same intensity. I always say that Olympic medalists have failed more than anyone else on the planet.  They kept getting up when everyone stayed down.  If you keep on keeping on regardless of failure, at some point you will be the last one standing.  That is one of the key secrets to success….keep on keeping on.
  1. Never, never, never give up. It always takes more money and more time than you think it will. And always marry your passion with your skills. That is a winning combination.  Never stop learning.

 For more information on Women on the Move.

www.womenonthemove.club

Written by Marisol and Silvia Fornoni, Founders of JDC.

JDC supports socially conscious organizations with finding sustainable ways to tell their stories using visual design, engaging content and non-traditional media. We help you with anything from organizing fundraising campaigns to web design and social media management.

http://www.joint-development.com

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Multiple Streams of Income … getting yours!

yvonne

 We seem to live in a world of wanting and needing more, and most times, meeting these needs requires money! For more than half the population or what we have come to know as the one percent, making more money is the key to unlocking all our desires. Even the scriptures aptly state that money answereth all things.

If you have ever asked, ‘how can I make money doing the things I like?’ and are unwilling to give up you primary source of income, then you are faced with a challenge many face in today’s economy.

A good way of taking of this feat is to identify what suits you best, take it seriously by committing to it, and create a plan that makes you stand out from the rest. Here are a few strategies to help get you started

  • Explore a skill you have. Something you enjoy doing, which you can easily be offered in your spare time in return for a charge. Have you got a flair for decorating, interior design, fixing furniture, baking or making clothes? Whatever it is, you can use this skill! Many people have created successful businesses from making use of their skills on a part-time basis.
  • Provide a service using the web. The world has become a global marketplace, and taking advantage of this easily accessible platform brings you closer to the centre of creating an income. Services that you can provide on the web may include proofreading; writing articles and reviews; designing graphics and websites; or anything else that does not require a face-to-face interaction. Web services are good money makers, given that you provide services based on your skills.
  • Online Stores. Can you sell something that people from around the world would buy? Having an online shop does not require you to be constantly present. As long as you have a valid email, a proper payment tracking software, and desirable goods and services you can make more money. Items you could think of selling include unwanted furniture, traditional and vintage pieces, handmade crafts, accessories and clothing, etc.
  • Selling your knowledge. Are you good at giving advice and helping people find solutions to problems? Do you have the training and techniques that can mentor a person through a difficult time? Then you can turn your knowledge and wisdom into income. It is from such intellectual knowledge that consulting agencies, counselors and therapist make money.

Be aware that these ideas are not new, the only difference is the unique and special thing which you will add to make you stand-out, as well as planning and structuring your services professionally.

There is a quote that goes “A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men.” The answer might very well be in your hands, but it is up to you to apply wisdom to you gifts, talents and skills, to make room for more money.

To learn about Yvonne’s latest book on Changing your Mindset for greater results, visit http://www.oliveblue.com/changeyourmindset/

Yvonne is an Author, Speaker, Change Consultant & John Maxwell Leadership Coach who is passionate about working with Individuals, Entrepreneurs and Organisations to help implement change they want and achieve their goals.   

She can be reached at: www.oliveblue.com . www.facebook.com/oliveblueinc . www.twitter.com/oliveblueinc.www.youtube.com/ChangeYouWantTV