The BSBR research has been undertaken to answer two questions related to the curriculum design and digital marketing training for small business. To answer these two questions, the course had 52 participants in two classroom cohorts, called Alpha and Beta. Data about them was collected before, throughout, and after the course (some data still being collected). The BSBR Research Has Two Questions to Answer Q1: Curriculum design and training methodology. Research about applied course design for adult learners; adapting learning materials and teaching styles from the classroom to adult education ..read more

Has the COVID-19 pandemic has forced your business to migrate online? The free digital marketing training course for small business can help your business with marketing a new E-commerce shop that you may have been quickly set up alongside your brick-and-mortar store. Social posts may be becoming your main source of word-of-mouth recommendations and you need some support. Google advertising is now replacing your use of local newspaper ads and you need to understand paid digital marketing more. Digital marketing is all the rage, but it is also an unfamiliar world for many small business owners ..read more

The ‘Getting to Know’ series uncovers stories of our Research Participants and their businesses. Sapna Aggarwal Owner Learna Brampton Tutoring Centers Tell us about yourself. I am a small business owner and hold an undergraduate degree in Statistics and Masters in Computer Applications. I was born and raised in Mumbai, India and immigrated to Canada in 2004.When we landed here, I was unsure of what I wanted to do for a career. In early 2005, the CEO of Learna Inc. approached me with the idea of opening my own Learna Franchise centers in Brampton. Now, I run multiple locations of Learna B ..read more

The goal of the second stage of the research, Program Development, aims to design and develop a 12-week training program specifically for underrepresented small business owners to support them to pivot and grow their businesses online. We used the findings from the first stage which included online surveys, online discussion boards, and focus group discussions to understand our participants and their needs to develop a customised training program that is relevant and responsive to their businesses. Here is the summary of our development plan. 1. Who are the participants? Participant Persona ..read more

What is the Value Proposition? The Value Proposition determines that there is a target market (all possible customers for your product) with a “customer problem” seeking a “product solution” to their problems from your business. This is essential for any new business and important throughout the life of your business to ensure survival. You just have to look at what happened to Blackberry in its rise and eventual failure in the mobile phone market. Essentially Blackberry lost focus on the customer wants & needs and failed to consider the competition and the need to continue innovating the ..read more

The ‘Getting to Know’ series uncovers stories of our Research Participants and their businesses. Zahra Qureshi Founder and Principal Optinum Professional Corporation Social Venture Circuit Tell us about yourself. I am a qualified CPA and try to use creative ways to help people access the concepts of accounting for success with personal finance and business. When I took a marketing class in business school (it was a while ago), the course was about memorizing key terms and multiple choice exams. I did not do particularly well so I am ready to do this differently with the BSBR digital mar ..read more

We have completed the first stage of the research project: Program Design, which aims to investigate the needs and challenges of underrepresented small business owners to help them pivot and grow their businesses online. The findings from this stage will inform the development of the BSBR Digital Marketing Training Prototype in the Stage 2 of the project. Over 150 small business owners completed the online survey. Around 50 owners were invited to participate in the online focus group discussion and 26 were chosen to join the first round of our training program. Here is the summary of our findi ..read more

How small businesses can find ways to break consumers’ old habits and reinforce new behaviours that better suit their products and brands. Over the past 12 months, the pandemic has disrupted many aspects of our personal, professional, and social lives as we make changes to the way we live. Some of these behavioural changes might be transient, but many are expected to continue, even after the successful vaccination rollout and the reopening of the economy.[1] To succeed in the post-COVID world, small businesses will need to know their customers and understand their circumstances and motivations ..read more

If you need some digital marketing support for your Canadian business, why not check out a new Sheridan College online training program, specifically targeting underrepresented small business owners. Who can participate? · Business owners and entrepreneurs who are 19 years of age or older. · Founder who identifies as a woman, Indigenous person, racialized, immigrant, LGBTQ2S+, a person with a disability or a person without a post-secondary education. · Have operated a Canadian owned small business within Canada for over 2 years. · Have a business website that has been active for over 2 years ..read more

It is not survival of the smartest or the fittest, but the most adaptable. Can small businesses survive the COVID lockdown by being super-adaptable? Backbone of the economy but short-lived Small businesses are the backbone of the Canadian economy, employing 70% of people in the private workforce and contributing to 42% of our gross domestic product (GDP).[1] Unfortunately, most small businesses are running very lean with little margins, few clients, and low reserve. When bad things happen, they are often amongst the hardest hit. They are unlikely to be the winners of the survival race. More th ..read more