Get The Help You Need for Your Small Business

Growing a small business and in need of a little assistance? We’ve got good news for you: Great help is not that hard to find! Read on for tips on lining up your office MVPs, from the “Accounting Pro” to the “Sales Guru” and beyond. Whether this support consists of digital tools and apps or an IRL crew is up to you. Here’s who to enlist and when.

The Accounting Pro

A.K.A: Money Manager, Administrator

DIY Solutions versus hiring a human: Digital accounting software makes it easy for self-employed contractors and small-business owners to stay on top of their accounts payable and receivable. Save time by generating professionally branded invoices in a flash; many apps will alert you or send out a client-reminder email if an invoice becomes past due.

The smallest businesses may get by with entry-level free software, but as your business grows, you should consider upgrading to a premium service offering more functionality, such as time, mileage and expense tracking, tax support, multiple staff accounts and more.

But if you find yourself struggling to stay on top of your small-biz accounting, even with these time-saving apps, it’s time to hire a pro, whether that’s a contract or staff accountant.

The Sales Guru

A.K.A: Shopkeep, The Sealer of Deals

DIY Solutions versus hiring a human: An engaging e-commerce site makes it easy for potential clients to find your goods or services and to fill their cart. Ready to create your own website using powerful sales tools that can help you find customers, drive sales and manage your day-to-day transactions? Check out Shopify, the small-biz owners’ one-stop-shop for all that and more.

No matter if it's a pop-up shop, an online store or bricks and mortar location, you'll need to arm your sales force with a reliable way to process payments. Backed by two of Canada's largest banks (including RBC) and able to tackle mobile, online and in-store payments, Moneris is Canada's number one payment processor. Trusted by 350,000 merchants across Canada, they offer hardware, software and solutions to help transform the way businesses grow and operate.

The Marketing Maestro

A.K.A: Strategist, Message Crafter

DIY Solutions versus hiring a human: A strong marketing strategy is the surest way to increase consumer awareness of your brand. Need a digital marketing strategy complete with SEO optimization, social media management, analytics and e-newsletters? Staples.ca’s Website and Digital Marketing Services can help craft your message to the widest audience.

Staples.ca’s digital marketing services make it easy to stay on top of the search results, but if you want to devote all your time to a different side of your business (crafting recipes, R&Ding tech, dog training?), it may be time to hire a real, live marketing maestro.

The Visionary

A.K.A: Relationship Builder, Partnership Officer

DIY Solutions versus hiring a human: Starting a business can often be daunting, time-consuming, and expensive. Ownr (by RBC Ventures) makes it easier to launch your business by providing a platform to digitally register or incorporate, for a fraction of the cost of what you’d typically pay a lawyer. Ownr also has extensive resources to help you along the way, plus access exclusive discounts and offers with Ownr Perks, and get up to $319 back when you open an RBC business bank account after registering with Ownr.

The Muscle

A.K.A: Maker, Creator, The Talent

DIY Solutions versus hiring a human: When it comes to producing your product, there is no substitute to real, live, on-the-ground support staff. From the full-time crafter who sews your face masks, to the full-time shipper who fulfils your orders, to the contract photographer who shoots new products for your website, a successful small business is the sum of its talent  — and, of course, testimony to your hard work as owner!