Archive for June, 2012

Creating Jobs and Wealth for Canadians

Profit From Your Canadian Immigrant Advantage

7 reasons it makes sense for you to pursue your entrepreneurial dream — today!

I know the idea can be intim­i­dat­ing. I started my last com­pany, a suc­cess­ful media ven­ture, as an immi­grant from the US. Although I spoke Eng­lish, I found many aspects of doing busi­ness in Canada  dif­fer­ent than in my home coun­try. It took me a while to real­ize that I had an edge that many immi­grants share. I call it Your Immi­grant Advan­tage.

Because I was new to this coun­try and get­ting to know it for the first time, I real­ized I could see oppor­tu­ni­ties that Canadians might over­look. Taking business administration training, I ulti­mately built a busi­ness in an untapped niche of the media. I closed it after two years and am excited to fol­low up with this new ven­ture, a long held dream for me.

You might won­der if now is a good time to start a busi­ness in Canada. There’s no deny­ing that an eco­nomic down­turn is going to bring chal­lenges to any busi­ness. But entrust­ing your future secu­rity to an employer that could lay you off at any moment can be just as risky. Start­ing a busi­ness, in con­trast, can bring you con­trol of your des­tiny and a chance to build sig­nif­i­cant wealth.

Here are seven rea­sons it makes sense to start a busi­ness in Canada.

1. There’s startup money out there. Even in a tight lend­ing cli­mate, it is pos­si­ble to find fund­ing in Canada.  Many Canada entre­pre­neurs get their start in busi­ness by bor­row­ing money from friends and fam­ily or sell­ing a small stake in a bud­ding ven­ture to an out­side investor. Even those who don’t have a rich uncle can join the proud legions of entre­pre­neurs who have “boot­strapped” their com­pa­nies from day one, fund­ing any growth from the sales they make.

2. Red tape.  Canada is not a far eas­ier place to start a busi­ness than almost any­where else. but, for instance, you can incor­po­rate in a few days. Canada has a bit of European lifestyle, if you do’t know your way around  bureau­cracy can squash the entre­pre­neur­ial spirit. You need a per­mit for every­thing you do.

3. Smart Labor Code . They tend to be employer friendly, for the most part, and are not as puni­tive in Euro­pean coun­tries if you need to let peo­ple go.  In Canada, there is much less flex­i­bil­ity for the busi­ness owner to react to chang­ing mar­ket conditions.

4. Less cor­rup­tion. If you have been frus­trated by a busi­ness cul­ture where pay­ing bribes is required to get things done, you may be relieved to know that laws against bribery in  Canada gen­er­ally get enforced.

5. Things work. Many  Canadians take it for granted that there is a robust, inde­pen­dent legal sys­tem; reli­able and cost effi­cient trans­porta­tion; a reli­able power infra­struc­ture; and an out­stand­ing com­mu­ni­ca­tions net­work. If you’ve lived in a coun­try where these things are not the norm, I am cer­tain you will appre­ci­ate how much they add to the ease of doing business.

6. An out­stand­ing tal­ent pool. The Canadian  uni­ver­sity sys­tem  offers a world-class edu­ca­tion – and has the work­force to match.

7. There’s no shame in upward mobil­ity. This is an entre­pre­neur­ial cul­ture that rewards inno­va­tion – and new­com­ers can join it quickly if they speak the lan­guage. Why not start pur­su­ing your Canadian dream today? I’d like to help you, by pro­vid­ing training   and  use­ful tips and inspi­ra­tion from other entre­pre­neur­ial immigrants.

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2012
06/26
CATEGORY
Business Entreprenuer-One-on-One Consulting
Immigrant- Entrepreneur-Canada Business Opportunities
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Immigrant Business Owners

These busi­nesses not only con­tribute to state’s economies they also cre­ate jobs and wealth for all  Canadians. Immi­grant owned busi­nesses are JOB CREATORS.

These busi­nesses not only con­tribute to province’s economies they also cre­ate jobs and wealth for all Canadians. Immi­grant owned busi­nesses are JOB CREATORS.

 

This post is aimed at entre­pre­neur­ial immi­grants who want to achieve the dream of small busi­ness own­er­ship in the Canada. By shar­ing tips from both experts and immi­grants who have started and built inspir­ing busi­nesses, we hope to make it eas­ier for you to take the first steps.

2012
06/26
CATEGORY
Business Entreprenuer-One-on-One Consulting
Immigrant- Entrepreneur-Canada Business Opportunities
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Canada-Immigrants In Business Enterprise Sector

In Wise5,  a recent study of immigrant entrepreneurs funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, researchers found that immigrants who succeeded in business often followed a similar pathway.  Immigrants did not start new businesses right after arrival.  Rather, they first adjusted to living in Canada and learned about Canadian business culture.  Like Maria Luisa, many  worked in their field of interest first, learning Canadian practices and preferences first-hand, and finding a mentor who advised and helped them.  Often they pursued some upgrading, including language courses and business seminars.

“Immigrants are pulling their weight in the economy, and are just as likely — and sometimes even more likely — than Canadian-born [residents] to be business owners,” says Beverly Rodrigez, a senior fellow with the Bevor Consulting Services. “You see that immigration has grown a lot, and so has immigrant business ownership.”
People have a hard time understanding how immigrants can come into the economy without displacing native…workers,” says Barbara Ujamaa,  graduate student of an  Entreprenuership Program, which co-released a version of the report highlighting Ontario local implications. “But they create their own niche…. These small businesses that crop up fulfill a need…and become job creators.”

Beverly in her dissertation  pointed out that in Ontario, immigrant business ownership is closely linked to immigrant labor, which have both increased dramatically over the last twenty years.

Immigrant labor is a good thing, because it attracts these small entrepreneurs to come and fill a niche in our economy,” Beverly added.

Across the country,  Barbara says, the diversity of these businesses is also impressive. In addition to bigger tech companies, there are a lot of “bread and butter businesses,”  she says. “Grocery stores, nail salons, gas stations…that I think are making a pretty big difference. In many places, that’s what defines a neighborhood.”

La Mexicana Tortilleria y Antojitos.http://tortillerialamexicana.ca/   is an example of  small business ownership by a  recent female and immigrant entreprenuer.

If you are thinking of starting a business, take some time to inform yourself before making a decision.  Most Canadian cities have small business centres that can help you assess the advantages and disadvantages of different types of business, including regulations, licencing and certification.  They can also provide direction about writing a business plan, which is required for bank loans.  Some settlement organizations offer business services if not you can always count with our customized service here.

 

2012
06/19
CATEGORY
Business Entreprenuer-One-on-One Consulting
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Entreprenuership Education Training

The Entrepreneurship  Training  is comprised of three (3) core trainings:

1. Business Plan Training (BPT): Series of four (4) workshops covering the following topics:

• Introduction to Entrepreneurship

 Identifying Business Opportunities

Types of Business (Legal Aspects of Business)

Understanding Customer Behavior

Understanding Marketing Concepts (Marketing Plan)

Selecting the Right Products/Pricing

Understanding Business Plan

Drafting a basic Business Plan

2. Financial Management Training (FMT): Series of two (2) workshops covering the following topics:

•Understanding Financial Management

Developing Record Keeping Systems

Preparing and Interpreting Financial Statements

3.Loan Application Training (LAT): Series of two (2) workshops covering the following topics:

• Developing a Financing Strategy

Structuring & Repaying Loans

Components of a basic Loan Application Package

Completing the Loan Application

After successfully completing the Entrepreneurship  Training,  clients will be able to receive individualized business counseling and participate in targeted workshops to learn about business issues not covered in the core trainings. Graduates of the Training  will also be eligible to apply for any Microenterprise Loans through special agencies. Contact here

 

 

2012
06/19
CATEGORY
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Affordable Housing | Work-Life: Canada newcomer’s checklist

Canada newcomer’s checklist

Useful tips for newcomers to Ontario, Canada

Why?

I have been living in Toronto (Ontario, Canada) since May 2000. When I arrived I found many things that were new to me – and very different from my home country (USA). So I got the inspiration to collect useful information, share my experience, and offer tips and advice that may help you get through your first year easier.

  

You will find hundreds of websites on the Internet explaining how to take care of paperwork and other such “official business”. But day-to-day practicalities – details about your living cost, transportation, opening a bank account, and so on – are much harder to come by … so why learn the hard way?

I welcome fellow newcomers and immigrants entreprenuers to contribute the content of this page. Based on their feedback and comments I continuously update this site.

The information presented is not official, as it is based on personal and professional experience . Please use these as friendly guidelines. I hope I can help you start your new life here or at least just save a few hours.

My first day

I arranged my homestay reservation from back home – it is easier and more convenient than starting to look for accommodation after a  flight. Usually a credit card is needed to make a reservation over the internet. I used my American account without any problems. I chose a location relatively close to downtown, so I saved money on public transportation tickets and also a lot of time.

From the airport you can get a cab for a flat price. This is means that there are zones in the city based on the distances from the airport. For me it cost about $45. To be sure ask the driver before you get in. The tip is usually 10%.

Hotels
Bed & Brekfast
Hostels

Arranging the paperwork

We have extensive material in this blog and there are a lot of guidelines on the Internet and printed materials also, so I don’t want to focus on this topic. Check the link below.

CIC Canada

Official Help

Newcomer centers offer a wide selection of different programs that can help newcomers to learn English, get jobs easier or learn about Canada. There are a lot of programs, and you can get a headache easily while trying to choose those that are suitable for you. My suggestion is to focus on the English or French language (one course costs $30 per semester minimun in the private sector) and those programs that offer you the information that you really need.

The City of Toronto

Toronto is not just a city. It is surrounded by other cities which form a unified metropolis called the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)

There are better areas and also others which are not so friendly. by Jeno

Toronto.com
Toronto.ca
Government of Ontario
TTC – public transport

 

Longterm accomodation

After my first month I moved from the homestay to a more cost effective private residence. In the summer time there are rooms in student residences or neighborhoods  around universities where you can rent a room for a few months at an affordable price. About 50% of these rooms have Internet connection.

I lived at the Naturo student residence where in still 2002 one month cost $400.

Once you get to know the city better you can rent a room or an apartment in an area that you prefer or one that is located closer to your work. Yes, this can be a big issue: after I got my first job I had to travel 1/2 hour each day with public transportation. Also, since I lived in the North York area and worked in West Mall Etobicoke Mall, I had to buy a weekly pass for $40.

    Always keep in mind that sometimes the additional costs – heat, electricity, etc. – are included in the rent and sometimes not. Usually you have to sign a one-year contract. If you would like to move out before your lease expires, you may have to find another person who will rent it out after you moved out.

If you are looking for new accommodation in the winter time you can expect 1 month free rent, which is a great offer. The prices for a room start at $450, while an apartment with 1 bedroom costs over $750 / month. Expenses include: hydro, water….. you do not have to pay sales tax on top of the rent fee maybe it is already included or maybe it is 0% – I do not really know.

Sometimes car parking is included; if not, you can expect to pay about $30/month.

One more thing about parking: In the GTA you cannot park for more than 3 hours in the same spot by law, even if you do not find explicit signs prohibiting it. So if you are thinking about renting accommodation, plan your parking location too. by Jeno

Toronto Star classifieds

Sales Tax

I know, it is strange, but the price tags do not show you how much you have to pay for the item. The details: the sales tax is usually 15% but there are items that are tax-free. So if you see a price tag on a CD that says $10, then you have to pay $11.50 at the cashier. But if the price tag on a loaf of bread says $1.60 then you will pay exactly $1.60 because there is 0% sales tax on it.

You have to learn which items have 0% sales tax. Also sometimes they tell you the price with the tax – please be careful. by Jeno

 

   Some examples:

item final price
basic food price tag
gas price tag
transportation ticket price tag
movie ticket price tag + tax
furniture price tag + tax
alcohol price tag
child clothing price tag
adult clothing price tag + tax
electronics price tag + tax

Grocery

If I compare groceries to USA I find many similarities, but the selection is not nearly as wide here – grocery store shelves reflect the domination of mass production over variety. Usually bigger shops have better prices. You cannot find any hypermarkets here – instead there are grocery store chains. The quality goes up with prices. For example, NoFrills and Food Basics are cheaper while Loblows offers a wider selection and better quality. But remember this is only my opinion.

Some food items, such as natural, salt free butter, are hard to come by at reasonable prices – while others – for example, salmon in all shapes and forms – are readily available and more affordable than in many other parts of the world. Food prices may seem quite distorted: for example cola and soft drinks cost less than water.

Do not be surprised if you do not find any alcohol in regular grocery stores. The Ontario government maintains tight control over alcohol sales and naturally, it is a big business. So if you would like to celebrate becoming a landed immigrant you have to find out where the closest LCBO or Beer Store is located.

Cell phone

Now this is a quite strange system. I have lots of problems with mobile phone service companies. The phones available from service providers are very limited and often quite antiquated. However, if you would like to use your own independent (more advanced) cell phone with a SIM card, then you might as well forget all mobile companies other than ROGERS and FIDO (others are using an old technology, not the GSM system). Also your cell phone has to be able to use the 850 and 1900 MHZ carrier. TELUS is not great.

For me I found that the prepay system is better. I use a $30 (without tax) prepaid card that is valid for 2 months. My minute rate is $0.15 without tax for local calls. The charging system is minute based, not second based. Do not be surprised like me, that you have to pay even to receive a call. Again:receiving a call it is not free They call your available minutes as “airtime”.

The coverage is yet another painful issue. Some systems do not give you coverage everywhere in Ontario. You will probably not bump into problems in cities, but if you leave the urban areas or major highways you may find yourself without any coverage (just hope your car doesn’t break down in the middle of nowhere, having to walk many miles to reach areas with proper telecommunications infrastructure). So be sure to check what coverage you get with each mobile service package.

You can also chose an area code. Certain types of calls will cost you more than your local rate – but not in all cases. For example within the GTA you have to pay only local minute rates, even for the areas that use different area codes.

And my final advice: never give up, never be disappointed, and always fight until the end. 🙂

Bell Canada
Rogers
Fido
Telus

Outdoor activities

Ontario is a nice place but if you like arquitecture and culture you have to travel to Quebec. If you like paddling, sea kayaking, cross-country skiing, then you cannot find a better place in the World. Tour Ontario.

   To camp in a park is great fun. There are regular campsites where you can get dedicated spots which are quite large (100 m2) or you can choose wilderness sites that you can reach only after hiking or paddling there.There are National Parks, Provincial parks parks and Nature reserves. Canadians are pretty good at managing these protected areas. Usually you have to pay about $10 per day for parking. Also there are park fees based on the number of persons, but there are many free places too. Check Scarbourough Bluffs.

If you are interested in exploring the east coast you can find a collection of my photos of my trips around Ontario-Quebec-Nova Scotia-New Brunswick here , under the photos section.

 My advice: in the top season the sites are always fully booked, especially on long weekends. So plan ahead, if you can, and book your site before you go on your trip. by Jeno

Ontarioparks
Parkscanada
Canadian Deathrace for extreme hikers
Ontario Mountain Biking Areas
Bike and Hike trails in Ontario

Driving License

You have to localize your license because you can only use your foreign license for 3 months. Depending on your experience and the country where you obtained your license, you have to take different steps to get an Ontario license..

 

   Being originally from DR, I had to take a written test and after that a driving test. After this I obtained the full G license, which is the final one (other friends with over 10 years experience have been condemned to driving only with supervision and before nightfall). It is strange because if I would have been brought mine from New York which was expired (only 8 hour from here), a written test would have been enough to get a full canadian license. I think I do not have to describe that Mexico and DR have totally the same driving regulations and habits, as well as similar weather: the two systems totally match. I complain because a driving test with mandatory driving courses cost at least $275.

Oh, and do not be shocked: you can drive in the city sometimes with 80 km/h, but on the highways you must not exceed 100 km/h by law.

Driver handbook and license info

Buying a vehicle

There is a huge selection of used cars, and the dealers are the same as everywhere else in the world. So be careful.

Before you select the kind of vehicle that you prefer, always check the insurance cost. Do not shush me, I am talking about differences of $2000 / year! Car insurance.

  

For used cars you can find wide selections on the Internet. It is not a big issue to find a car that suits your needs and your pocket. Bigger dealerships are better in terms of reliability, especially new car dealership selling trade-ins – they are less likely to trick you into a bad deal.

There is a lincense plate fee, drive clean test (mandatory), registration fee, dealership fee and 15% sales tax based on the price of the vehicle. Also at every owner change the vehicle has to pass a mechanical test. Sometimes the price does not include this test, which means that you have to pay extra, you have to arrange it or there is a problem with the car and the repair costs too much. So if you are happy with the price tag, recalculate with these fees on top of the price tag of your new, shiny vehicle.

Usedcarsontario.com
Trader.ca
Toronto and GTA car dealers
Torontogasprices.com
Step-by-step used car buying guide

Car insurance

This is another major issue in Canada. As a newcomer, insurance companies do not trust you. In their policy you are the same as a 17 years old Canadian student who just bought his first car. Even worse, some companies will flat-out refuse to provide you insurance, because your parents do not have insurance history here. You are especially doomed, if you do not have a full G license yet.

Some of the insurance companies just simply rejected me, the others gave me a quote of over $6000 for a year!!!

 The kind of the vehicle is important. For example, for a red, two-door honda civic with manual gear (I am not joking), insurance costs much more than for a regular minivan with automatic gear.

In my case, I bought a minivan, which costs more in terms of gas, but being a typical family vehicle, its insurance costs less. On a yearly basis, this solution was more cost effective, and also I get a comfortable and more secure vehicle.

You are just wasting your time if you try to get a better quote on the basis of documents from your birth country that prove that you did not have any accidents for many years. This is true even if the you had the same insurance company at home, as the one you are trying to deal with here.

The details: I have over 10 years and over a million km’s of driving experience. I bought a minivan that belongs to the best insurance category. In my first year I paid $330/ month with Scotia. This year without any accidents and police or parking tickets (yeah, I am lucky too) they reduced it to $240 which sounds much better.

Conclusion: when I calculated the yearly cost, I found that it is almost the same as Latin America, but you have to pay less for gas (in 2008-Feb it was about $0.85 -0.95 tax incl.) and more for the insurance.

Bottom line: I heard about “great deals” offered by some agents who ask for $300 – $500 to get a better quote at insurance companies, but I chose Canada because a believe in the corruption free world not these tricky backdoor solutions. by Jeno

Ontario Automobile Policy
Car Insurance Quotes

My idioms

Word meaning
Gas fuel, benzin and not natural gas that is used for heating
Hydro hydro – electricity not water
2nd floor means 1st floor in New York
Ozonized water means natural water, you can drink it
Zapping using a microwave oven
POP soft canned drink

Getting a job

This is a hard issue. The main problem is that most of the newcomers do not have “Canadian Experience”. Yes, it is true, many employees say this is the problem with us. Even though I have been working for large, multinational IT companies in USA and DR for over a decade. So never give up, prove your ability, bring your portable job or portable business or get help on it ;  experience and motivation to the employers. After your first job life will become much easier.

OTHER RESOURCES

Ontario inmmigration

Housing

Work

Hire inmmigrants

Visitors to Canada travel plans

TRIEC’s The Mentoring Partnership

2012
06/18
CATEGORY
Business Entreprenuer-One-on-One Consulting
Immigrant- Entrepreneur-Canada Business Opportunities
Vive, estudia y trabaja en Canada
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Identifying Business Opportunities in Canada

Spotting market opportunities is essential for growth and survival. You need to know where to find these opportunities and understand how to take advantage of them.

There are a number of ways of working out what are the best opportunities for your business, including:

1.Carrying out an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of your business, and the opportunities and threats it faces (a SWOT analysis)

2. Establishing your unique selling point (USP)

To more effectively identify new business opportunities, you have to dig deep and ask lots of questions. Take a step back, and use these questions as a guide to help you create or adapt business strategies to meet the changing needs of your market.  For international students and international trained professionals in Canada which  are perfect  candidates for immigrant entreprenuership, your goal is to learn how to tell a good  oppotunity from a bad one. Here are some other tips:

  •  It is important to analyse the business you want to do. This will help you plan for the future.
  •  Franchise: having a solid financial base and a product that is sure to atract attention,
    The best business opportunities involved companies that offer something consumers will need or desire
    over all other competing products.
  •  New Business: keep in mind that new business or a plan to start a business may be riskier than going
    with a company with an established track record. However, business opportunities of this kind are to automatically suspect. If the funding is there and the organization is structured properly, the opportunitiy is well worth your consideration.
  •  You will find that in Today Canada’s market, it is worth your time to consider a web based business as well as home-based and more traditional business setting. The best business opportunities have a comprehensive and well  defined system for getting the products to consumers. This includes such factors as a reliable process for producing  the good or service, excellent sales and marketing strategies, and an efficient delivery to the buyer.
    Without the ability to sastify orders quickly and efficiently, even the best product is less likely to build a loyal client base.

 

For Advisory on entrepreneurial development  Training  click  here

2012
06/11
CATEGORY
Business Entreprenuer-One-on-One Consulting
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Canada: Immigrants Credentials Evaluation

Credentials evaluation

A great government tool to find more about your profession in Canada is www.WorkinginCanada.gc.ca, which will provide you with information on the licensing board that governs your profession in your provincial destination, or helpful information on your industry if it’s unlicensed.

Website (www.credentials.gc.ca), it clearly states “Qualifying to immigrate to Canada does not mean that your education, work experience and professional credentials are automatically recognized in Canada.”

The federal government can only do so much, because most of the power for credential recognition lies in each province, particularly for licensed professions. There is no magic bullet solution for credential recognition, but as the problem lingers, so does awareness and more employers and professional bodies are becoming better able to deal with assessing foreign credentials.
 
If you’re in a licensed profession, your next step is to contact the licensing board in your province (each province will have its own). The licensing board in question will be able to give you the details on how to get your current credentials evaluated, and then what you will need to accomplish to be licensed in that profession in Canada. You might need to take some additional courses, upgrade your training, take a bridging program or simply pass an examination. Consider that there will be costs involved with all of this as well.

If you are in a field that does not require a licence — i.e., a business manager, human resource manager or even a semi-skilled worker, you don’t have to go through the hassle of re-licensure and re-examination with a professional certification body. But you will still face challenges. You may even want to consider getting some additional Canadian schooling or professional development to add to your resumé.
Rembember

Despite all the barriers Canadian immigrants face in the labour market, there are many success strategies one can employ to get around them. From volunteering, mentorship and networking, to job shadowing and informational interviews, there are ways to get your foot into the door!
 

2012
06/11
CATEGORY
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We offer structured and comprehensive career programmes that help people get clear about what they want from their careers and how to make it happen. We look at your career options and the opportunities for you around job search, career change, getting back to work, promotion and transitioning into retirement. Make the right choices. Get out of that rut and start finding fulfilling and motivating work with us, now. We hope we can help you Live, Study & Work in Canada!

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