Inbound marketing aims to draw people in naturally and establish a relationship with them, leading to increased brand awareness, engagement, and ultimately, conversions.
September 19, 2023
Small Business
Investing is no longer just about crunching numbers and analyzing balance sheets; sustainability factors are playing an increasing role in investment decisions.
September 12, 2023
The Private Markets
Companies that have embraced diversity and inclusion have seen gains across the board financially and in performance.
September 5, 2023
In a society that often imposes negative stereotypes and limitations on women's financial prowess, it is essential to break free from these constraints and make money our thing!
August 29, 2023
While AI continues to redefine art, design, and marketing, embracing its capabilities with an open mind is vital.
August 22, 2023
Additional Articles
Engaging with the investment process and seeking clarity on crucial aspects is key to making informed decisions and maximizing your investment potential.
August 15, 2023
The job market throughout Canada is hot.
August 8, 2023
Investors can leverage alternatives to help avoid some of the volatility seen in the public markets while also potentially providing more consistent and higher returns than traditional fixed income.
August 1, 2023
I had the same self-doubt that plagues all entrepreneurs at some point: could I actually do this? Was I actually good enough? Will people trust me?
July 25, 2023
Entrepreneurial Journey
Money laundering (ML) is an umbrella term to describe the processing of funds obtained from criminal activity to disguise the source, thereby converting “dirty” money to “clean” money.
July 18, 2023
Alberta IoT is a non-profit member-based association that supports organizations with a vested interest in IoT and emerging technologies.
July 11, 2023
Even though it was terrifying, I had a clear vision of working for myself.
July 4, 2023
With the 2005 to 2018 development cycle providing Calgary with numerous new skyscrapers, the current high vacancy rate has many people asking if (or when) we will again see a new downtown office tower.
June 27, 2023
If you hold multiple RRIFs, another option is to transfer cash from one RRIF account to your RRIF account that holds the EMS investment(s).
June 20, 2023
If you had to boil it down to the simplest attributes, we could say that a rate of return usually has these properties: it is measured in terms of percentage, it is often expressed in annual terms and, needless to say, when it comes to investing, we always prefer a positive return over a negative one.
June 13, 2023
The right balance between capital formation and investor protection for non-sophisticated investors in the Canadian Private Markets should prioritize investor protection without completely restricting access to investment opportunities.
June 6, 2023
Insightful Opinions
What we know from business research is that organizations that focus two thirds on corporate culture and one third on financial performance are higher performing than those who focus on finances alone.
May 30, 2023
May 23, 2023
There are other lesser-known investments that are qualified to be held in registered plans under the Income Tax Act, including arms-length mortgages.
May 16, 2023
Empowering Women as Leaders (EWL) is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting non-traditional aged women in financial need achieve their highest potential through scholarships, mentoring, and networking.
May 9, 2023
Capital invested is based on trust, so if investors feel that they cannot trust the organization or the rules to protect them, there is no capital formation.
May 2, 2023
Owners can take control of their finances and secure the future of their company by ensuring they are on track in all areas of planning for their business.
April 25, 2023
According to a report by Sophos, the average cost to recover from a cyber attack in 2023 is $1.85M USD.
April 18, 2023
In the world of investing, real estate has always been one of the most common ways for people to build wealth with a relatively stable asset class.
April 11, 2023
It inevitably leads to friction between industry and investor advocates because they believe they have opposing needs, which just isn’t true.
April 4, 2023
Small businesses facing financial roadblocks in the post-COVID world can turn to RSP investments for a lifeline.
March 27, 2023
It is important to understand not only how currency volatility can impact your bottom line but also who you conduct your transactions with can have an impact on your business.
March 21, 2023
When a family business gets passed down from one generation to the next, it can be disastrous.
March 14, 2023
Most would agree that one of the keys to success of many businesses is the ability to raise capital.
March 7, 2023
In the 1930’s depression, much like the downturn of 2022, market technician Ralph Nelson Elliott made an interesting discovery. He noticed equity markets move in similar and replicating patterns with degrees of trend.
July 26, 2022
Social media has become such a prominent part of our lives. Whether we’d like to admit it or not, most of us are glued to our phones checking Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, the list goes on and on.
July 19, 2022
I often refer to capital or money as “fluid”. Over time investors globally find opportunities to make a return on their capital. Over the 12 years since the Financial Crisis, central bank interest rates had been particularly low, leading to interest rates across the fixed income universe to generally decline over that period.
July 12, 2022
The Cost of Capital can aptly be defined as “a company’s calculation of the minimum return that would be necessary in order to justify undertaking a capital budgeting project. The term cost of capital is used by analysts and investors, and is always an evaluation of whether a projected decision can be justified by its cost. Investors may also us the term to refer to an evaluation of an investment’s potential return in relation to its cost and its risk”.
June 28, 2022
Risk. A scary word to people, no matter the context. Whether hiking a mountain, leaving an employer, or investing a dollar, risk is something we are evolutionarily predisposed to avoid. But in the world of money, when risk is mentioned, what exactly is being said? When returns are considered, so is risk, but what is risk?
June 21, 2022
The Private Capital Markets Association of Canada (PCMA)™ is Canada’s largest private capital markets community with over 500 members. It is a not-for-profit association originally founded in 2002 by a group of Canadian business professionals whose firms were active in the exempt securities market. The PCMA is governed by its membership through a volunteer Board of Directors (BOD) elected by its members each year at the annual general membership meeting. The PCMA is managed on a day-to-day basis by the President, Executive Directors and the Membership and Operations Manager.
June 14, 2022
You have a great lineup of products and you want to sell them without the hefty overhead costs, finding the right employees, finding the perfect retail space, without some of the “chores” of owning a business. Have you considered an ecommerce business? Depends, right? What’s an ecommerce business?
June 7, 2022
For any investor, novice or experienced alike, there can be pitfalls and challenges that potentially lead you to making unsuitable investments. These pitfalls include cognitive biases, poor planning, and even missing the red flags of fraud.
May 31, 2022
Interest rates in Canada are on the rise to help contain inflation. The Bank of Canada increased the benchmark rate on April 13th by 0.5 percentage points to 1.0. This is the biggest one time increase in borrowing costs since 2000. While a higher rate environment may be effective for inflation, it can have significant consequences for small businesses.
May 24, 2022
Most Calgarians recall the devastating 2013 flood that ravaged our community. For our family it was a bittersweet time. After 5½ years of waiting, we were at last granted our Canadian Permanent Residency, allowing us to make the move across the world from South Africa. After selling a successful flooring business that we started in 2008, our family arrived 4 days after the horrific flood with 12 suitcases, 2 children and 2 cats - ready to begin our Canadian adventure.
May 17, 2022
Small business owners wear many hats within their business including taking on the role of recruiting and terminating employees. Without a dedicated human resources team, the process of hiring and firing can be time-consuming and overwhelming to business owners.
May 10, 2022
An offering memorandum, also known as a private placement memorandum, is a legal document that allows for the sale or private placement of securities such as shares, bonds and debentures in Canada.
May 3, 2022
There are often common misconceptions and confusion surrounding the exempt market. What is it? What are exempt market securities? Is it called the exempt market, private capital market or private placement? Well, it’s all the above.
April 22, 2022
When job seekers are asked what size of company, they are most interested in joining, an overwhelming amount choose small organizations; however, small businesses have difficulty finding the right talent to fill positions because they have limited resources. We're here to help.
April 21, 2022
How new initiatives in Alberta and Saskatchewan highlight the delicate Balance between capital formation and investor protection.
The world is in fact becoming more complex, more challenging, more competitive, and therefore bringing on more volatility to public markets and scaring investors with large upswings and downswings. So what does this all mean?
April 20, 2022
Two dominant themes inevitably present themselves when discussing the purpose of investing: capital preservation and capital growth.
April 19, 2022
To figure out which platform best suits you and your business needs, there are several important considerations to make including usability, scalability, payment gateways, prices, user-experience, security, support and integration.
It’s a good idea to sell your business when it is doing well. A company’s performance is what makes it attractive and valuable to a buyer. It’s also important to consider economic factors and capital market conditions.
Private investing is still relatively new to “eligible” and “accredited” investors alike, so it’s important to get all the information you need before you decide if it is right for you.
As the Canadian economy came out of the COVID constraints, we started to see new pressures on inflation. As of June 22, 2022, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) based on May prices had consumer inflation rising 7.7% year-over-year, which is the largest yearly increase since January 1983.
When it comes to your investments, stay focused on your financial goals and avoid the noise in the news and media. By maintaining a long-term view and a diversified investment portfolio aligned to your risk tolerance and goals, you can weather the storms of uncertain markets.
Mental toughness is certainly one of the most valuable, most powerful models of enhancing mental wellness that is emerging as a potential major area of support for small business owners who wish to improve not only their own performance but that of their teams as well.
Many diversified portfolios or mutual funds have too many companies within them for anyone or any team to really be able to keep fully informed of these businesses with any adequate informed insight. This type of diversification is very risky.
To participate in litigation, your business may need to divert significant resources toward the litigation. Not only does this include financial resources, but also the time from those staff who will be involved in the litigation.
Training and developing people IS an investment, both in the employee and the company. It helps your people become more productive by being better equipped to handle challenges, keeps them engaged, positions them up for higher-level roles in the company, supports positive corporate culture, and reduces turnover.
The first thing to remember is that investing has risks. Investments lose value or fail. Investors can lose money. This is true of almost any type of investment and particularly in a high-risk market. There will be gains, and there will be losses, as this is the nature of investing.
The dream of owning a small business is one that offers many benefits, such as independence and the ability to leave a legacy. While many challenges are faced when owning a small business, being prepared can provide the opportunity to succeed.
You have a new project which needs additional capital, and you ask your advisors for help on how to source the funds. Invariably their response begins with “look to your friends and family first.” Why… because this is the quickest, easiest, and likely the least expensive route to take.
While there are many types of unconventional assets, the resurgence of cryptocurrencies has made headlines. Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple and Litecoin, to name a few, are now a dynamic (and some may even say 'integral') part of the market, but one question remains: How can you ensure that those digital assets are passed down properly?
Making the decision to work with a recruitment agency can be apprehensive; however, finding an outsourced recruitment partner can save you time, reduce strain on your business, and provide a service that can add value to your business and is cost-effective is absolutely possible.
With smart and passionate opinions on both sides of the isle, it can be difficult to get a real sense of where we are and what the future impact of blockchain may be. It’s important to take a step back and consider the current macroeconomic environment we find ourselves in. It’s not just the crypto market that’s down significantly but the entire global financial markets.
You’re a successful business owner. You also know that you have to invest your after-tax profits so they don’t get eaten away by inflation, but with so many different choices, which investment option should you choose?
Due to the high cost of working with external law firms, many scaling businesses limit their legal engagements to major transactions or disputes, missing out on the strategic value of operationalizing their recurring legal needs during a critical phase of growth and development.
The exempt market is unique and not always relatable to traditional investing practices - but that can be a good thing. By taking an informed position and working with experienced professionals, private capital investors can access investment opportunities with unique risk-reward characteristics.
The problem is good ones are hard to find. 98 aren’t right for the position, 2 seem good. The trap is spending weeks filtering and wasting hours each day trying to find a good candidate.
To set expectations for the future, we must first understand the past. Our history has been filled with power struggles and wars since the dawn of man, but something happened after WWII that set the stage for two major shifts.
Many new issuers from all across Canada have seen the success and therefore want to explore the opportunities that the Quebec exempt market brings to the table. This is undoubtedly due to the continuation of growth, expansion and expertise as the years progress.
The process of onboarding new employees can be one of the most important factors in ensuring recently hired employees are engaged and productive in their new position.
Canadian adults spend more time at work than anywhere else in their lives; it comes as no surprise that their work environment has a direct impact on their well-being.
A good mental wellness program is easily accessible, used by employees, and acknowledges the mental health needs of the workforce.
The Industry Experts Roundtable Video Series Part 1 offers a valuable glimpse into the inner workings of the Private Capital Markets of Canada.
Part 2 of the Industry Experts Roundtable Video Series dives into the impact of regulations and barriers associated with the Private Capital Markets of Canada.
Our last episode of the Industry Experts Roundtable Video Series concentrates on the evolving role of the private markets as we investigate the differences between the balance of investor protection and capital formation.
Not all businesses or investment funds are created equal. Often, one must dig well beyond the surface of a business or offering to separate the good from the bad.
While fraudsters continue to use the latest trends, technologies and social platforms to target Albertans, by recognizing the tell-tale signs and tactics, you can better avoid them, protect yourself and ultimately report them.
Your annual general meeting (AGM) of shareholders is one of the most important dates on your corporate calendar.
Knowing how much money your advisor makes for providing advice, making recommendations, and trading your securities should be important.
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