The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce’s Post

🙌 This week, we’re giving a BIG shoutout to our SMALL (but mighty) businesses in honour of Small Business Week! 💪 These local gems are the backbone of our economy, providing jobs and fostering community connections. Let’s look at some meaningful ways to show our appreciation this week and beyond: 🧡 1. Purchase Gift Cards: Support a small business by buying gift cards for yourself or as gifts for friends and clients. 🧡2. Shop Local: Make a commitment to buy from local shops and order from nearby eateries this month. 🧡3. Spread the Word: Share your favourite local businesses on social media to help them reach new customers. 🧡4. Nominate for Awards: Shine a spotlight on exceptional small businesses by nominating them for local business awards. 🧡5. Leave Positive Reviews: Take a moment to write a testimonial or a positive review to boost a small business's visibility and reputation. Let’s celebrate the hard work and creativity of our small businesses—they truly make our communities special! #TYSmallBusiness

Community is the New Loyalty Café Owners, What if your café wasn’t just a place to drink coffee but a hub for your community? 🏠 ✔️ Host local artists’ work on your walls. 🎨 ✔️ Create “Pay It Forward” coffee cards. ☕ ✔️ Offer discounts for nearby businesses. When you invest in your community, your community invests in you. What’s one way your café gives back? Let’s inspire each other! 💡 #CafeManagement #CustomerLoyalty #CommunityImpact

If I offered you a free bottle of wine or a free blank piece of paper, which would you choose? I observed something interesting at a “white elephant” gift exchange recently. The rules allowed the person choosing an unopened gift to open it and “steal” another gift, if they wanted, from another participant who had already selected a gift. Early in the game, someone chose a gift that turned out to be an unused lottery ticket. Over and over again participants chose to “steal” the lottery ticket instead of keeping a different gift (one of which was a bottle of red wine). Given the incredibly long odds of winning the lottery, I figured the ticket was as good as a blank piece of paper. But it had illusory value. It represented hope and imagination and the possibility of something greater as opposed to the certainty of a nice bottle of wine. There’s a “what if” factor with a lottery ticket. As with a lot of things, I think there’s a balance to be struck here. It’s good to dream and reach and lean into new possibilities. Take some calculated risks. Try something different. It can make a difference in our daily lives. But it’s important to also balance that approach with wisdom and thought and care. Go ahead and buy the lottery ticket. Maybe just don’t buy 1,000 of them.

Turn Up the Fun, Turn Up the Customers! Legal Sweepstakes Promotions for Bars & Restaurants Struggling to attract new customers and bring back old ones? SpinCity Sweepstakes can help! We specialize in crafting legal and engaging sweepstakes promotions designed to boost traffic and revenue for bars and restaurants. Here's what we offer: Increased foot traffic: Attract new customers with exciting sweepstakes prizes. Reignite old customers: Bring back familiar faces with a fun promotion. Increased brand awareness: Get your name out there with a memorable campaign. Data collection: Build your email list and gain valuable customer insights. Compliance expertise: Leave the legal stuff to us - we ensure your sweepstakes are 100% legal. Ready to spin up your success? Visit us at https://lnkd.in/ghnVwuBv and see how we can help you win big!

Back in my school days, we had this fundraising thing where everyone in the Interact Club was given sweets to sell. We had a whole week to do it, but by Thursday, I still had all my sweets(well, I had chowed some and thrown in a dollar or two) while the girls had sold theirs and submitted the money. They kindly offered to sell mine and were done by break time. Imagine!!! Long story short... I'm like the current Man United squad when it comes to sales. Kuyala 😔 But hey, most people face the same challenge. That’s why we’ve created a platform to make it super easy for you to connect with buyers who need your products. Here’s how it works: 1. 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 : Sign up and set up your profile. It’s quick and easy, and you’ll be ready to start receiving requests in no time. 2. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀 : Check out the requests from buyers and send them your best quotes. Show them why your products are the best choice! 3. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹: Once an offer is made, you’ll enter our Deal Room. This is where you can chat with the buyer, negotiate terms, and finalize everything. It’s all about making your life easier and helping you grow your business. So why wait? Sign up today and start connecting with buyers who need what you have to offer! Just visit: https://lnkd.in/d5WcuGMd Looking forward to seeing you on the platform! P.S. We’re just getting started, so you might find it a bit quiet at first. But hang in there—things will pick up soon!

Let's celebrate National Small Business Week with some eats and treats! We're excited to AMPLIFY Classic Eats in Burien by sponsoring a discount on entrees, available via the Intentionalist National Small Business Week Pass. To enjoy this deal: 1. Access the pass via Intentionalist.com 2. Scroll through the offers and *once you're in-store* click on the one you would like to redeem 3. Have the cashier scan your QR code and enjoy! Reminder: Offers are limited and redeemable on a first come, first serve basis. Thanks to Intentionalist partners, small businesses are reimbursed for free items and discounts so it doesn't impact their bottom line. Please be kind, purchase additional items, and tip generously if you're able.

"Hope is not a strategy" - Vince Lombardi There are a lot of great quotes about strategy (just google it!). Some are practical ("Sound strategy starts with having the right goal" - Michael Porter) and some are a little more prosaic (By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail" - Benjamin Franklin). No matter the quote, the reality is that success in business starts with strategy - deciding where you are going and the plan to get you there. Your strategy doesn't need to be long and complex, in fact keeping it short, tight and concise will help you stay on track with fewer missteps and costly distractions. If you're in the Barrie area this Thursday, join me as I help local entrepreneurs craft their winning strategy using our proven BOS360 Strategy and Planning tool. "A vision without a strategy remains an illusion." - Lee Bolman

What is Strategy? Simply stated, strategy sets your vision and the plan that will achieve that vision. But strategy, your winning strategy, needs to be much, much more. The trick is to develop a strategy that is both explicit and simple: · Explicit enough to drive every element of your business · Simple enough that it easily becomes the very DNA of your business. Using Starbucks as inspiration, we'll explore how a simple, yet comprehensive strategy will give your business a triple-shot of focus, alignment, and purpose. The more people you have, the more critical it is that your strategy be detailed, concise, specific and intentional so that it can be fully understood, embraced and delivered. Get ready to build your better strategy in this hands-on, dynamic, and empowering workshop. Lunch is included and proceeds from this event will be donated to the Barrie Food Bank. The seminar will take place on April 25 from 12-1:30pm and it is part one of a three month series. Discounts will be applied if you sign up for all three events! Secure your spot, visit https://lnkd.in/g7E6B9UR - #suiteworks #businessdevelopment #businessstrategy #barriefoodbank

As Christmas approaches, you may find yourself doing some end-of-year speeches. Maybe you have to deliver the end-of-year figures to your colleagues in the boardroom. Perhaps you are the after-dinner speaker at a fundraiser. Alternatively, maybe you are just doing a lot of carol singing at the moment! This is a good time of year to start recognising good practices that protect your voice. Have you noticed your voice getting more strained at this time of year? The coughs and colds are going round (and that other notable virus of course), the weather is more hostile and you're having more late nights drinking. All of these threaten your most valuable asset: your voice. As a speaker, if you do not have your voice, you do not have your means of impact and income. You have to guard this precious asset, especially at this time of year. The food and drink we consume passes our vocal cords, so this has a massive effect on the quality of our voice. In today's video, I'm taking you into my kitchen to assess four common beverages that we have at this time of year. I'll assess the merits and drawbacks of each and outline exactly how they affect your voice. #publicspeaking #publicspeakingskills #presentationskills

Networking is more than handing out business cards—it’s about creating genuine relationships. At Cobra Circle Community, you can message fellow members, attend free events, and access resources. 🤝🚀 Click here to start 👇 https://lnkd.in/ezEBeduD #entrepenuer #bossnetwork #businessmeeting #femalebusinessowners