For many businesses, entering a new market is a risky, time consuming, costly, and stressful endeavor. While businesses that already export can benefit from previous experience, existing processes, and internal know-how when entering a new market, there are still many risks in export expansion. Risk is amplified for businesses entering their first export market. While…
The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) offers many opportunities as well as some challenges for Canadian businesses. If ratified, the new agreement-in-principle will take effect on January 1, 2020 and significantly impact supply chain management, predominantly in the dairy, poultry, and automotive sectors. While there are many businesses across Canada that are concerned about these changes,…
The North American manufacturing industry is poised for growth in 2019 and beyond. Because of this, Canada’s vast supply chain of manufacturers should explore opportunities to scale operations, become more productive, and improve worker skills to support tech innovation. As the industry continues to experience growth, it’s important for businesses and industry leaders to connect…
When Canadian businesses face innovation challenges, working with post-secondary institutions can be a great way to overcome them. There are many research support services provided through Canadian colleges and universities; the key is understanding what your project needs to succeed, and who can provide those services. Often, businesses can narrow down potential collaborators by having…
Expanding into new export markets is a rewarding strategy for Canadian businesses. However, exporters often run into roadblocks along the way, including one of the biggest barriers to export success – finding and marketing to the right customer segments. Fortunately, there are exporting resources available to Canadian businesses that help make finding the right opportunities…
Canadian businesses are fortunate when it comes to exporting since there are several ways to receive support. These include training courses to certify you or members of your organization as trade professionals, and government funding programs to build export capacity and reach/expand international markets. Will your business start exporting or expand export markets in 2018? Educate yourself…
Accessing government funding for the first time might seem daunting without knowing how the process works. If your business is new to the funding landscape, it’s important to understand the different types of funding programs and how to navigate the application process. Fortunately, Hamilton and GTA-based technology firms can learn more about government funding by attending an…
High-performing organizations have leaders whose character shines. Courage, drive, accountability, integrity, and good judgement are the mainstays of what leaders bring to the table; however, great leaders also embrace humility, justice, humanity, patience, collaboration, and transcendence. These are the 11 dimensions of Leader Character. Southwestern Ontario businesses can learn about Leader Character and strategies to…
Today’s workforce reflects many cross generations working together. These include: The Silent Generation (1925-1945), Baby Boomers (1946-1964), Generation X (1965-1976), Millennials (1977-1995), and Generation Z (1996 and later). While each of these groups bring beneficial skills to the workplace, there tends to be differences in workforce behaviours between the oldest and the youngest generations, particularly…
Earlier this year, PLANT Magazine and Grant Thornton LLP released their annual Manufacturers’ Outlook publication. The comprehensive source of business practices and management attitudes identified several key trends that demonstrate a fast-changing manufacturing landscape. While this year’s report is generally more optimistic than years past, it also identifies that manufacturing leaders are cautious about 2018…