BCBusiness

September 2014 The Small Business Issue

With a mission to inform, empower, celebrate and advocate for British Columbia's current and aspiring business leaders, BCBusiness go behind the headlines and bring readers face to face with the key issues and people driving business in B.C.

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28 BCBusiness september 2014 illustration: graham roumieu 1. studies show that taller people earn more money, so don't be shy with the sky-high heels—that includes both men and women. 2. exude ambition by one-upping each of your boss's outfits. 3. if you bike to work, don't change out of your gear—socially conscious employ- ees are a boon to any business, and your biking duds will garner recognition. 4. sandals are oK for both men and women, so long as you sport toenail polish and adornments to class up your overall look. 5. thanks to mark Zuckerberg, hoodies in the workplace now mean "billionaire genius" rather than "i've given up." 6. save your sharpest outfits for Casual Fridays—you'll stand out from the pack and make your colleagues look like slobs. v i s u a l l e a r n i n g How to Dress for Success business, you haven't lost a lot of it to taxes. That part's important because every business that's growing needs more money to run the business." Succession Planning "Always be ready to sell. Always be ready to exit from your business," advises Savage, adding that succession planning should start when your business launches. "I'm a really big proponent of people recognizing that exiting the business may not be at a time of their choosing, so they need to be ready." That means keeping records up-to-date, having well-documented policies and procedures, and getting a business valuation. Nicola, meanwhile, acknowledges that most owners aim to sell their business upon retirement. He recommends starting succession planning within five to 10 years of when you expect to exit the business. "It's a lot easier to get into a business than it is to get out of a business," he says. For all entrepreneurs, Nicola says a shareholder plan between partners is essential to define the terms when someone wants out. "They need to have a road map that explains how that's going to work, because eventually it is going to happen." According to Savage, "there are lots of unsolicited offers being given to business owners, especially from people who are looking to facilitate immigration by buying a business. People need to be ready." • 1 2 3 4 5 6 How to Incorporate Reserve the company name with the corporate registry bcregistrynames.gov.bc.ca File an incorporation application with the corporate registry corporateonline.gov.bc.ca Establish the company's articles (rules that govern the company's conduct) Enter into a corporation agreement 1 2 3 4

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