Chamber events a hard sell for small businesses
Many say they won't be attending this year's workshops
Jessica Davey-Quantick
Northern News Services
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Small Business Week started on Monday and will continue all week, but many say they won't be attending.
Part of a national program put on by the Business Development Bank of Canada, the event was organized by the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce, and includes free educational courses. Yellowknife chamber executive director Deneen Everett says anyone can register, whether they're a member or not.
"We encourage students, anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit or a sense of curiosity to join us," she said.
However, most events are scheduled in the morning or afternoon - which means many small business owners aren't able to attend.
"They're during business hours, which is really tricky for me to get out of the store," said Jeannie Rocher, owner of Quality Furniture.
Her family has been a fixture in the Yellowknife business scene since her father got into the second-hand store business in the early 1960s.
"We work on quite a short staff, or short number of people, so it's a little tricky for me," she said. "But it's a great opportunity. If you can get out there and do it, do it."
Cynthia Pavlovich from Ron's Equipment Rental & Industrial Supply says no one from her company is planning to attend the week's events either.
"We did not plan on sending anybody over, no. We're actually a little short staffed at the moment," she said, adding that between illness and staffers moving to other jobs, it's difficult to be able to get away during the day. "It's kind of a tight time of the year for us."
Not everyone is so bothered by the daytime events, however. Meagan Peters opened Etandah Organic Day Spa in February 2011. She says having the workshops during the day is actually better for her.
"I do have a young child at home. It is better for me to go during the day than in the evening," she said. "This is a great event."
But she still isn't sure she'll be able to attend many of the workshops.
"I'm renovating and moving to a bigger space, and I'm currently open, still taking clients and managing the business, and I have a toddler. So I'm super busy!" she said.
"So I'm going to try to get some of these events in, I'm really interested in a few of them."
This year, the theme is on customer service, and in addition to workshops focusing on doing business in the territory, working with the government and working with the City of Yellowknife, there are also three workshops focusing on providing positive customer experiences.
Everett says the theme was decided after a survey found that customer service training was what business owners in Yellowknife most wanted.
Attracting and maintaining staff, many entrepreneurs say, is a real problem in Yellowknife. Pavlovich says that's something she'd like to see the chamber, and the city, help with. For her, she says the biggest issue is finding housing for staff members.
"With the turnover like we have, you know you get someone in, you start training them and next thing you know they're gone, so then you're back to square one again," said Pavlovich. "I always have job postings out."
This year, the only Small Business Week event that happens outside of business hours is Cafe Emploi, a bilingual job fair tonight starting at 5 p.m. The free event, organized by Francophone economic development agency CDETNO, is held twice a year.
It's the only event Thola Rusike, owner of Northern Security Services, plans to attend.
"We're looking for employees," she said.
She went to all the events last year, but this year she's skipping it, in part because, like other business owners, she just doesn't have the time. She says they're in the process of hiring a manager, which will help for future events. But even if she had that manager in place, she might still be opting out.
"I feel it's a repeat of the things we did last year," she said.
For other businesses, they say they simply didn't know about the event.
"I think we were aware of something, but just being transitioning into the new season, and launching a new menu and stuff, we've been pretty much consumed by our business," said Fletcher Stevens, owner of the NWT Brewing Co. The fact that so many business owners are too busy to attend is something the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce is perfectly fine with.
"I would definitely say that that's a great indication that people are too busy to come out to the sessions. That's great news," said Everett.
She says while they're seeing a good turn out for the sessions so far, if businesses are opting out it could be a sign of positive economic changes. "I'm really happy actually to hear that people aren't able to attend, because they are so busy," said Everett.
