ESP Celebrates Small Business Week October 19-25 with Workshops
Our Entrepreneurship Support Program is celebrating Canada’s Small Business Week with a series of in-person workshops! Designed for aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs, these sessions welcome newcomers, Canadian-born, and naturalized citizens—open to the whole community. Sessions focus on practical small-business essentials to help you launch and grow.
Check out the following sessions for the Small Business Week!
October 20, 2025 at 6 PM: Targeting the Right Customers to Grow Your Business
How Small Businesses Can Target The Right Customers
Cut through the noise and get clear on who you serve, what problem you solve, and where to reach them. In 90 minutes, you’ll define your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), sharpen a one-line value proposition, and map the first channels to test—so your next outreach is focused and effective.
You’ll learn
- Define and segment your ideal customers
- Choose the right marketing channels for your audience
- Use low-cost strategies that work for small businesses/startups
- Understand customer behavior and decision-making
- Tap into tools, resources, and free supports to grow your base
Special Guest Presenter
Deji Ogunleye is a strategy management consultant and entrepreneur who helps startups and SMEs innovate, grow, and scale sustainably. With 17+ years in investment/finance and an MBA from Queen’s University (Smith School of Business), he blends strategic insight with execution. As Founder & Managing Principal of Mathan Richmond Consulting, he advises on business planning, growth, operational efficiency, and value creation—bridging strategy and action to deliver measurable results.
October 21, 2025 at 6 PM: How to Own a Business, Not Just a Job
Ready to level up your business game and step into the role of a true entrepreneur?
Many business owners find themselves trapped in the very company they created—working longer hours than any employee, making every decision, and becoming the bottleneck to growth. This session explores the critical difference between owning a business and simply owning a job.
Whether you’re working 60-hour weeks, struggling to take a vacation, or realizing your business owns you instead of the other way around—this talk will give you clarity and a roadmap to break free.
In this talk, you’ll discover:
- The Owner’s Trap: How technical expertise and early success can lock you into an operational role instead of a leadership position
- The Cost of Being Indispensable: What happens to growth, profitability, and your personal life when the business can’t run without you
- The Shift from Technician to CEO: Practical strategies for transitioning from doing the work to building systems and leading people
- Building a Self-Sustaining Business: Key systems, processes, and team structures that allow your business to operate and grow without your constant involvement
- Your Path to Freedom: Actionable first steps to reclaim your time, increase business value, and create the work-life balance you started your business to achieve
Special Guest Presenter
Jeff is a certified business coach and entrepreneur with 20+ years of experience building, scaling, and exiting companies. As the founder of FocalPoint Business Training Edmonton, he helps owners tackle growth and operations. His background spans COO of a hydrogen hybrid drone startup (UK), scaling a retail team from 3 to 25, and leading the United Way of Southern Alberta. Jeff speaks on scaling, value propositions, and time management.
October 22, 2025 at 6 PM: Common Challenges Business Builders Experience
Insights into frequent pitfalls for growing businesses
You’ve built a small business that’s working—but now you’re thinking about what’s next. Whether you’re considering your first hire, expanding services, or just trying to increase revenue, growth brings new challenges. This session reveals the most common mistakes small business owners make when trying to grow beyond solo or micro-team operations—and how to avoid them before they cost you.
In this talk, you’ll learn:
- Growing Before You’re Ready: Why chasing more revenue without basic systems in place creates overwhelm, and the simple processes you need before you scale
- The Cash Flow Surprise: How taking on more work or hiring your first employee can actually leave you with less money in the bank—and how to plan for it
- Your First Hire Mistakes: Common pitfalls when bringing on your first 1-3 employees—hiring friends/family, unclear roles, skipping onboarding, and trying to clone yourself
- Saying Yes to Everything: The trap of chasing every opportunity and losing focus on what you do best (and what’s actually profitable)
- Staying the Bottleneck: Why you can’t grow if every decision, every client interaction, and every task runs through you—and how to start letting go
- Ignoring the Numbers: The 3-5 key metrics every small business must track to grow sustainably (hint: revenue alone isn’t enough)
You’ll walk away with: A practical checklist to assess your readiness for growth, warning signs to watch for, and simple first steps to build a stronger foundation—so you can grow with confidence instead of chaos.
Special Guest Presenter
Jeff McLarty is a certified business coach and entrepreneur with 20+ years of experience building, scaling, and exiting companies. As the founder of FocalPoint Business Training Edmonton, he helps owners tackle growth and operations. His background spans COO of a hydrogen hybrid drone startup (UK), scaling a retail team from 3 to 25, and leading the United Way of Southern Alberta. Jeff speaks on scaling, value propositions, and time management.
October 23, 2025 at 6 PM: Business Financing and Capital Access
Learn where to find funding, bank loans/LOCs, microloans, grants, crowdfunding, and equipment financing
Find out where the money comes from and how to qualify fast. In 90 minutes, you’ll match funding options (bank loans/LOCs, microloans, grants, crowdfunding, equipment financing) to startup, working-capital, or growth needs—and leave with a bank-ready checklist.
In this talk, you’ll learn:
- Match need → right funding instrument
- What lenders look for (model, cash flow, credit, collateral)
- Documents to prepare (registrations, statements, projections)
- Cash-flow basics to avoid financing pitfalls
Special Guest Presenter
Deji Ogunleye is a strategy management consultant and entrepreneur who helps startups and SMEs innovate, grow, and scale sustainably. With 17+ years in investment/finance and an MBA from Queen’s University (Smith School of Business), he blends strategic insight with execution. As Founder & Managing Principal of Mathan Richmond Consulting, he advises on business planning, growth, operational efficiency, and value creation—bridging strategy and action to deliver measurable results.
For more information on any of these sessions, contact lida.arguello@a4hc.ca