Join us on:
Thursday, June 13, 2013
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Campbell Classroom

Many people cringe when they hear the word sales as it brings up thoughts of pushy sales people in plaid coats. Yet in life over 40% of what we do in our jobs is connected to our ability to influence others, or sell. This essential life skill can make all the difference to
our success. Join us for this interactive workshop that will provide you with some tools that you can apply immediately to increasing your success and influencing others.

CALLING ALL GRADE 10 and 11 STUDENTS, 
DO YOU...

• Have a great idea for a business?
• Demonstrate an aptitude in the areas of math, science and technology along with an interest in entrepreneurship?

• At the end of 2012, NABI was home to 60 small businesses and  3 not-for-profit organizations.  Together they represent over 200 employees with an annual payroll of $15M.  In addition to the  in-house tenant base, NABI serves approximately 30 “virtual” clients and counsels an additional 150 start-ups and those “thinking” about starting a business.
• In 2012, 15 businesses graduated from NABI; 6 of these relocated within St. Albert. 
• In 2012 NABI’s small businesses had total annual sales of $80M.
• NABI has an annual operating budget of just over $1M ($1,016,049 for 2012).  In 2012, 90% of this budget was supported from internal operations; 9% came from the Province of Alberta ($90,000) and 1% from the City of St. Albert ($10,000).
• In 2012 NABI paid $71,000 in property taxes and collectively, NABI and its tenants paid about $10,000 in business license fees.
• NABI serves a mix of start-up, growth and mature companies.  NABI’s clients spend an average of 4.5 years at the incubator.
• In 23 years NABI has graduated over 130 companies; about 2/3 of these remain in business in St. Albert.
• For every dollar invested by the City of St. Albert from 2000 through 2012, NABI returned $10.17 to the local economy.  
• For a total City investment of $4.2M ($1.7M cash + $2.5M in-kind); a total benefit of $42.7M was achieved [NABI estimate February 2013].

“NABI tenants overwhelmingly like being in our buildings.  They  value the services provided by NABI, the sense of community provided by NABI neighbors, the social interactions provided by NABI events, and the accessibility to coaches and other entrepreneurs when they need help.” - 2012 NABI Client Census

Seventy-five percent (yes 75%) of all small businesses don't have enough customers.  As most of you already know, this creates all kinds of heartache.  So what to do about it?  The challenge is to discover the target customers who see sufficient value in your product to pay money for it!

 

Come learn more at NABI's next coffee session.  Dirk Trojan, one of NABI's Senior Marketing Analysts will share a sneak preview of 5 critical ideas:

 

1.  What is your core product?

2.  What market space are you competing for?

3.  What is your competitive advantage and key drivers?

4.  Who are your customers?

5.  What's your path to market?

Details:

Coffee Networking Session

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

9:00 am - 10:00 am

Campbell Classroom
SIGN UP HERE NOW or email cindy@nabi.ca 

 

NABI has a few new vacancies, so here is your chance!

Join the NABI family of businesses and grow your business to a whole new level.

All you need is a viable business idea, a willingness to learn and a passion to grow your business. Call 460-1000 or email Kathy@nabi.ca to see if NABI is a good move for you.

 

Kevin O’Leary, Cold Hard Truth, on Business, Money & Life

Short Book Review by Dar Schwanbeck, CMC, Managing Director, NABI

Once (or if) you can get past O’Leary’s hard-assed, unflinching love of money, he does offer valuable insight into entrepreneurship, business and life in general.  Perhaps what’s most interesting is that Kevin is pushing us to be real in our relationships and business dealings; it just so happens that money is his chosen currency.  For some of us our currency might be time, perceived status in the community, etc., but whatever it is, let’s not waste it….nor detract from those who want to accumulate more of it (e.g. money, status).

Because we at NABI work day-to-day with entrepreneurs, I particularly enjoyed some of the later chapters (i.e. 8 through 12).  In those sections he talks about dealing with failure, tough times and rejection; the soft and emotional sides of making a pitch to investors; knowing your audience; a list of key questions that every entrepreneur should...

By Dar Schwanbeck, CMC    Managing Director, NABI

Last week I attended a meeting where several large organizations were exploring the topic of innovation. I expected that groups, such as these, would be at the forefront of implementing new ideas and managing change.  After all, aren’t our competitive advantage, economic growth and social well-being dependent on constant innovation?   Our discussion revealed otherwise; we’re not as “innovative” as we’d like to be.  There’s no shortage of ideas or good intentions, yet all lamented about how little innovation they experienced and how hard it was to make change.  So what’s going on?

 

WHAT IS INNOVATION ANYWAY?

I found many definitions of innovation, ranging from

·         “any project that is new to you or the organization and has an uncertain outcome,” (Govindarajan, Trimble),

·         “the implementation of ideas to create value,” “a new method of production or handling,” “opening a new market,” “a new organization,”...

Way to go St. Albert Leader!  You made it through your first year without missing a beat!  All 52 editions!

A year ago when Rob LeLacheur came to NABI with a plan to start a newspaper, I wondered what the hell he was thinking; But as a betting man, my hunch was that if anyone could pull it off, Rob could….an entrepreneur at heart, a guy willing to learn and a true St. Albert champion!  And of course, it’s always good to have worthy competition in any market!

Well, over the past year Rob and his team have reinforced what a clear vision, great business model and the right people can do, despite all the odds.  Don’t ever underestimate what dedication and commitment can accomplish!

- Dar Schwanbeck, CMC
NABI Managing Director

Book Review by Richard Belzile, Edmonton, Alberta

Though many businesses tend to constantly improve their processes and adopt new technologies to stay competitive, few have taken the time to understand motivation. Since the beginning of the 19^th century, businesses have mostly relied on the same approach: human response to rewards and punishment in their environment (the carrot and the stick). We reward good behavior and we punish bad behavior. This seems intuitive. But is this the best way? Daniel Pink does an in-depth study of what behavioral scientists have learned about the true nature of motivation and how most businesses are missing the mark.

In his book, Drive: the Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, Pink explains what behavioral scientists know about motivation and how businesses need to close the gap between what they do and what science knows. To illustrate his point, he compares the development of Motivation to the development of a computer operating system. Motivation 1.0 was all about survival. Eating, Drinking, and Procreation were the factors that drove us as a species. Motivation 2.0 was developed with external rewards and punishment as the driving factor. His argument is that although Motivation 2.0 was an effective tool to perform routine twentieth-century tasks, it lacks compatibility with the demands of the twenty-first century.

When NABI held our economic impact survey with our tenants last year, about 70% of companies were facing issues related to Human Resources. Here’s your chance to expand your HR skills. Please contact Kathy@nabi.ca for more information.

 

Human Resources - 101

NEW Workshop - September 27, 2012

An overview of Human Resources and the common mistakes that businesses make.

 

This 3 hour workshop will be interactive and give you an opportunity to create tools customized to your business for effective human resources. Discover common Human Resource issues that all businesses will encounter and walk away with ideas to easily implement in your business today.

Date: September 27, 2012

Place: NABI Mission Seminar Room, 13 Mission Avenue, St. Albert

Cost: $75 per person or $100 per company

Register: Online using our Events Calendar Or via email: marian@nabi.ca

Contact: kathy@nabi.ca for more information

Our Presenter: Sara Tharakan is a Certified Human Resource Professional (CHRP), speaker and certified master trainer. As an executive coach, Sara draws from her understanding of organizational development, strategic planning, process improvement, leadership development and business acumen. Her clients appreciate and benefit from the real life examples derived from over 16 years of business experience.