As a business owner, you’ve no doubt sat down at your desk, prospect list in hand, taken a deep breath, picked up the phone and started dialing – only to be met by the dreaded voicemail message droning on the other end of the line.
SOHO ran an article in a recent newsletter about the best [...]

An interesting article on the FMWalsh blog talks about how even the most driven entrepreneur can still suffer from less than ideal rates of productivity.
Find out what you can do to maximize your performance and get the job done efficiently and effectively.
Visit the FMWalsh & Associates web site to read the full article.
This article is [...]

Vancouver’s economy is slated to grow 4% in 2010, topping all Canadian cities, according to Ottawa-based think tank Conference Board of Canada.
Toronto and Hamilton will follow closely behind with 3.7% and 3.3% growth respectively, according to the Conference Board of Canada’s Metropolitan Outlook Spring 2010 publication.
Read the full article on the Business in Vancouver web [...]

Vancity, Canada’s largest credit union, reported a 7.5% increase in net earnings in 2009, resulting in the second highest annual profit in the institution’s history.
Despite the economic downturn, net earnings rose to $50.3 million from $46.8 million on revenue of $75.1 million, which fell slightly from $75.6 million.
Much of the profit gains were made from [...]

Canadian corporations reported a 7.9% increase in profits in the fourth quarter of 2009, the second straight quarter of gains, according to Statistics Canada.
Corporate profits rose to $60.1 billion, up from $55.7 billion in the third quarter last year, and 19.7% higher than the recent low of $50.2 billion in the second quarter.
Gains were widespread [...]

Business in Vancouver’s newsroom is now posting daily 2010 updates to alert readers to business deals being made, entrepreneurs visiting town, success stories unfolding and challenges, opportunities, analysis and insights being generated by the Vancouver/Whistler 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
Visit the BIV newsroom blog for up-to-date information.

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Last year’s economic downturn led to a third of B.C.’s technology companies cutting staff, but with economic recovery on the horizon, B.C.’s tech sector is forecast to increase staffing levels this year.
That’s according to the BC Technology Industry Association’s third annual B.C. labour study released Tuesday.
The study suggested the province’s tech sector cut approximately 6% [...]

Creditors holding $1.4 billion (U.S.) in debt on Intrawest ULC have begun foreclosure proceedings on some of the company’s assets, including the Whistler Blackcomb ski resort, and say they plan to auction them off on February 19.
The resort operator’s financial woes have put Vancouver Olympic organizers in a quandary, since the sale of the company [...]

Front-line small businesses concerned as Ontario, B.C. fold provincial sales tax into federal one this summer.
Grant Clark thinks he’s the kind of business owner Ontario wasn’t thinking of when it developed plans for the new, harmonized sales tax.
Mr. Clark is president of Solutions for HR Inc., a small consulting shop he’s operated for the past [...]

Market confidence and expected economic improvements are likely to contribute to an increase in Vancouver real estate prices, according to a Royal LePage house price survey.
Vancouver prices are expected to increase an average 7.2% in 2010 following a buoyant market recovery during the last few months of 2009. Detached bungalows in Vancouver sold for an [...]

Vancouver-headquartered Telus Corp has sold its debit and credit card processing business to Quebec-based CT-Payment Inc. for an undisclosed sum.
The business unit offers custom payment solutions and supports transactions from all major credit cards and private-label travel, entertainment and fleet cards.
Click here to read the full article on the Business in Vancouver web site.

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Re: Ironworkers outraged after Quebec company wins B.C. Place Stadium roof contract (DCN, Nov. 4)
I think that David Klassen and his letter in response to this article (Time to stop crying over BC Place contract) just shows that ignorance is bliss.
I find it disturbing that more people do not have a problem with this contract [...]

The B.C. Liberal government’s plan to combine the provincial and federal sales taxes into a broader 12-per-cent harmonized sales tax got a rough ride from the public during recent budget consultations by the legislature committee on finance.
The report on those consultations, released Friday, highlighted support for the tax from exporters, business leaders, the resource industries [...]

Most of us like our jobs, but can we say we work for the best company in the province? BC Business Magazine’s annual Best Companies to Work for in B.C. survey is open to all comers, and this year more than 100 employers submitted an entry. From the 96 eligible companies they whittled it down [...]

Small businesses in B.C. were among the most confident about their business performance for the coming year, according to November’s business barometer index by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
B.C. had the third highest index score in the country at 72.9, below New Brunswick’s 73 and Newfoundland and Labrador’s 74.9. Canada’s average in November was [...]