Here’s a short roundup of what’s making headlines this week – good reads for Canadian small business people heading into the weekend.
The most important charts for the Canadian economy in 2016
From employment and trade to energy and deficits, Maclean’s presents 50 charts picked by Canada’s brightest minds to help you understand the economy in the year ahead.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, a good chart has just as much capacity to inform our understanding of the world. Which is why Maclean’s has once again asked dozens of economists, analysts, investors and financial writers to each share their pick for the most important chart for Canada in the year ahead. The charts cover the full range of factors impacting our economy, from trade and energy to demographics and employment. And next to each chart you’ll see a brief explanation from each person about why they believe the chart is so important.
How to leverage the holiday spirit to grow your business
According to The Financial Post, Small Business Owners should get into the holiday spirit. Experts encourage entrepreneurs to leverage holiday parties. Also, the holidays provide the perfect excuse to send cards and email communications to key business contacts and prospective customers.
For entrepreneurs, business Christmas parties are a strange beast: neither fish nor fowl. They’re neither all-business nor let’s-jump-in-the-pool frivolity. Most people’s objectives are to get in, say hello to the right people, and then dash away.
If that’s your idea of a holiday party, think again. The upbeat Yuletide mood makes industry parties and receptions a perfect setting to build your network. Don’t try to sell (that’s not what networking is about). But do leverage the tinsel, egg nog and Bing-to-Sting playlist to bond with people who could further your business in 2016.
By the glow of an artificial tree, you can quickly meet a dozen people or more, many of whom have common interests, any of whom could be helpful to your company. Business is a team sport: you need customers, yes, but you also need friends, advisers, mentors, potential employees, like-minded partners, alternate suppliers, and new fans willing to refer you to future prospects.
Why attitude is more important than intelligence
According to The Globe, attitude is more important than IQ when it comes to small business growth. Experts say that those with a “growth mindset” outperforms those with a “fixed mindset.” The article offers a helpful list of strategies to shift mindset for business success.
When it comes to success, it’s easy to think that people blessed with brains are inevitably going to leave the rest of us in the dust. But new research from Stanford University will change your mind (and your attitude).
Psychologist Carol Dweck has spent her entire career studying attitude and performance, and her latest study shows that your attitude is a better predictor of your success than your IQ.
Dweck found that people’s core attitudes fall into one of two categories: a fixed mindset or a growth mindset.
With a fixed mindset, you believe you are who you are and you cannot change. This creates problems when you’re challenged because anything that appears to be more than you can handle is bound to make you feel hopeless and overwhelmed.
Year-end tax planning could save hundreds of dollars
With the holidays upon us, nobody wants to think about taxes. But The Star points out that a little planning ahead can save a lot of pain down the line – and this rings even more true for small business owners.
Nobody likes to think about taxes in December. There’s too much else going on, trying to get ready for the holidays.
But this year take an hour or so to do some year-end tax planning. You could save hundreds of dollars – money that could be used for more holiday gifts. That’s because the new Liberal government has promised some major tax changes that are expected to take effect in 2016. In taxes, as in life, timing is everything so if you have some discretion on when to take income you should consider how those changes will affect you.
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