As a small business owner, your business and personal lives are intertwined.  As such, it is important to understand how taxation works and where there are opportunities to effectively structure your business to allow for risk management and minimization of taxes.

This session will:
                
Provide participants with an overview of taxation (both personal and corporate) 
Outline basic reporting requirements (the basis for taxation and initial tax planning issues)
Address year-end determination including dividends versus bonus which form the basis for shareholder/owner remuneration
Outline expense deductibility and basic tax planning strategies
Meet Your Facilitator:

Rebecca Ottmann has worked at MNP for seven years and is a Manager on the Private Enterprise team in Saskatoon. Rebecca works primarily with small and medium sized owner-managed business, with a focus in groups and professional corporations and their needs. Services include preparing corporate financial statements and tax returns and providing general business consulting services.

            
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As businesses start out, you need to understand the importance of creating a Board of Directors, as well as tips to effectively form this important governance role over your business.    
This session will explore: 
                
the role of a Board of Directors,
the Board’s duties and responsibilities,
liabilities and protection for directors,
assessing Board performance, and
best practices in the area of Board effectiveness.
Meet Your Facilitator:

Dawn Watson is a Manager in the MNP Consulting Practice, in Saskatoon. Drawing on more than 18 years of professional experience across 3 continents, Dawn brings a strong background in IT service delivery, business transformation and organizational change management.  Dawn is currently acting as Interim Director of Strategic Procurement with Saskatchewan Polytechnic.

Dawn is an experienced consultant and coach, with a focus on transition & transformation through people, culture & engagement. Dawn encourages transparent collaboration, appreciative inquiry and appropriate, effective communication. Alongside her clients, they work together to break down silos, build strong teams and connect stakeholders to work towards a unified vision. Dawn has worked with public and private sector organizations developing and implementing service delivery models that focus on improving and enabling outcomes.  Her expertise and focus on change management ensures that people, process and technology are supported through design, transition and sustainability.

In addition to her professional work, Dawn is an active volunteer in the community and has been a mentor in the Bettie - Ann Heggie Womentorship program (Edwards School of Business). In addition, Dawn has served on a range of governance committees and Boards: Vice President, Business & Professional Women (BPW) Saskatoon; Director, New Hope Dog Rescue; and currently Vice Chair Saskatoon SPCA. 


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As a practicing professional, your business and personal lives are intertwined.  As such, it is important to understand how taxation works and where there are opportunities to minimize your taxes and effectively structure your business.
This session you will:  
                
Provide participants with an overview of taxation (both personal and corporate)
Outline basic reporting requirements
Outline current tax rates and integration
Address common deductions and compensation options
Outline basic tax planning and tax minimization strategies
Provide insight into budget updates
Meet Your Facilitator:

Nicholas Talarico, CPA, CA, is a Partner with MNP’s Tax Services team in Edmonton. Nicholas works with private enterprises, primarily professionals such as doctors, dentists and lawyers, as well as with high-net-worth individuals, delivering comprehensive tax services designed to help them achieve their goals.  Results focused, Nicholas takes the time to understand each client’s situation and devises practical, efficient plans and options. He ensures clients understand the various solutions available, including the intricacies of each option, so they can make informed decisions.
 
Nicholas’ services include tax planning and compliance for individuals, corporations, partnerships and trusts and planning for the purchase and sale of businesses and investment opportunities. He also assists with Canada Revenue Agency and other tax authority audits, including responding to authorities, representing clients and providing support to facilitate audits or other reviews.
 
Nicholas has a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), qualifying as a Chartered Accountant (CA), and has completed levels I and II of CPA Canada’s In-depth Tax course.  


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Businesses must ensure that their planning process is well outlined and covers all essential components. This webinar is designed to cover the essential components of an effective business plan and will assist participants in addressing questions or concerns they have regarding the scope and depth of the proposed plan and provide a guide to build this comprehensive plan.
 
In this session you will:  
                
the essential components of a well-written business plan,
a clear and simple method of developing an operational guide for business, and
a comprehensive business plan outline that is simple and easy to follow
Meet Your Facilitator:

Janice Decelles is a Senior Consultant in the Consulting practice of MNP.  Her focus since joining the firm   in 2005 Is to provide training and consulting to self employment clients and general human resource services.  An expert facilitator and instructional designer, she has extensive training management experience in the insurance and financial services sectors and is a certified customer service trainer.  Skilled in both individual and group training, Janice prides herself on being a positive contributor to her clients’ overall success. Janice holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and an Advanced Certificate in Human Resources.  


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Reading and understanding financial information is one of the most important tasks of a business owner.  However, for most business owners, the accounting and financial aspect of the business is not their background and learning financial fluency is a necessity in today’s marketplace.
 
This session organized into a two part series provides:
  
                
insight into financial statements and practical ways to use this information to identify the areas of the business that are flourishing and the areas that require improvement,
discussions on key areas of financial statements that determine if fraud is a factor in the business,
insight into cash requirements and what budgeting is required, and 
identification of immediate business strategies to increase revenues and decrease expenditures.
Meet Your Facilitator:

Annette is a partner in MNP’s Saskatoon office. Partnering and working with companies in all stages of their business cycle for almost 19 years, Annette helps to support and strengthen their leadership. Over her career Annette has worked with a number of businesses with a focus to helping clients understand not just their historical financial information but what the information is telling them from a forward-looking perspective.  


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Congratulations on your graduation!  Thinking about starting your own practice?  Then this webinar is for you!   This webinar is designed to cover the essential information to consider as you begin your journey to launch your practice.

In this session, you will learn about: 

                
The different structures and what may work best for you (i.e. sole proprietor, partnership and incorporation)
Action steps required in setting up your practice
Options and tax considerations when reviewing insurance and disability needs
Planning and considerations when choosing office space 
Bookkeeping options for a new practice
Financial planning for new businesses and owners
The value of a team of advisors
Meet Your Facilitator:

Kerry Smith, CPA, CA, is a Partner within MNP’s Professional Services team in the Vancouver, B.C. office. With a strong focus on incorporated professionals, Kerry provides efficient and effective accounting, taxation and consulting services. He takes pride in looking beyond tax returns and financial statements to help clients achieve their personal and business goals. Drawing on his experience with the firm’s Professional Services team as well as two years overseeing the financial planning of high net-worth individuals at a boutique wealth management firm, Kerry is able to assist clients in many aspects of their professional career such as cash flow management, debt repayment, retirement, and strategic tax and estate planning.   


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No one can predict the future, but you can plan for it. Knowing your cost of production, along with your financial situation allows you to identify and manage risk properly, measure your margins and develop targets. Having this information allows you to easily adjust your plan for changes along the way.

In this session, you will understand: 

                
Gross margin analysis;
How to evaluate fixed costs in your operation; and,
Information gained from a profit margin analysis and how to use it to plan for future operations.
Meet Your Facilitator:

Kelly Bromm BSA, is a Farm Management Consultant with MNP’s Agriculture Services group in the Saskatoon office. Working with producers, agri-business, government and other agricultural agencies, Kelly delivers advice and solutions tailored to each client’s unique situation and goals.
 
Originally from a farming community in North Eastern Saskatchewan, Kelly grew up on a grain and livestock family farm where he was actively involved in all aspects. He went on to obtain his degree in Agriculture Economics at the University of Saskatchewan and began a 24 year career working in the Agriculture Financial Lending Industry while continuing to be involved in the family farm until 2011 when his parents retired.
  
Kelly draws on more than 24 years of experience to develop and implement solutions to the wide range of issues that today’s farmers face. He assists with strategic planning, financial management, succession planning, production economics and human resources, and connects clients with the firm’s broad-based expertise when they are experiencing specific challenges.    


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Business owners are passionate about their products or services, but passion is not enough. Owners need to learn the fundamental strategies necessary to effectively sell their products and services to their target markets.

This webinar helps participants explore: 

                
the sales process from prospecting to closing the sale, and
the concept of Solution Selling.
Meet Your Facilitator:

Janice Decelles is a Senior Consultant in the Consulting practice of MNP.  Her focus since joining the firm in 2005 Is to provide training and consulting to self employment clients and general human resource services.  An expert facilitator and instructional designer, she has extensive training management experience in the insurance and financial services sectors and is a certified customer service trainer.  Skilled in both individual and group training, Janice prides herself on being a positive contributor to her clients’ overall success.  Janice holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and an Advanced Certificate in Human Resources.    


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Owners of small and medium-sized businesses are keenly aware that success depends on their most important asset: loyal, long-term employees who serve customers well and keep the business running smoothly. That’s why many are enhancing their compensation packages to include incentives beyond salary, such as group benefit and retirement plans, to help attract and retain the most productive and engaged employees.

In this session, you will learn: 

                
The drivers behind and key benefits of offering a group benefit and retirement plan as part of a competitive compensation package;
The steps you should take to implement a plan and how an insurance advisor can help you achieve your goals; and,
The product options available and how to structure a plan to best meet the needs of your employees and your budget.
Meet Your Facilitator:

Andrew Thorburn is a Senior Account Executive, Group Sales and Business Development for the Alberta and Northwest Territories region with The Cooperators.  He has been in this position for just over 10 years and brings 20 years of Group Benefits experience to the role, having previously worked for a few of Canada’s leading insurance companies.  He has been involved in group sales in the Calgary market for over 17 years and previously worked in other aspects of the industry including pricing and customized reporting.  Andrew has been a volunteer with Advocis for several years and previously held the title of President for the Calgary chapter.  When not working, Andrew enjoys playing sports such as hockey and golf but his favourite pastime is spending time with his family.
 
Don Rowell is a Client Relationship Specialist with CUMIS Life Insurance Company. Don has nearly 25 years of experience in the group retirement industry. In his role, Don works closely with small to medium-sized businesses to service their new and existing group retirement plans. Don has completed the Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) course, which includes the Retirement Plans Associate (RPA) and Compensation Management Specialist designations and received ISCEBS Fellowship Status in 2011.  Don holds two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Saskatchewan and has completed other industry related courses.     


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As a business owner, your plans for the business are highly dependent on the relationship you have with your financial institution.  This relationship starts with development and start up and will continue throughout the life of your business as your needs grow and change.

In this session we will: 

                
investigate various observations on raising early development/start-up money;
focus on identifying the need for both debt and equity financing as well as potential strategies for sourcing corporate requirements;
provide participants with information on strategies for raising second stage financing, including alternative debt and equity instruments and potential sources for expansion capital; and
discuss banking issues related to business operations, loan applications, collateral issues and financing proposals.
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