Built for Small Business Owners Who Wear All the Hats
The Business Toolkit Series is designed for busy small business owners and entrepreneurs juggling competing priorities and looking for practical ways to work smarter and build a stronger business.
Through hands-on sessions, you’ll learn how to move from busy to productive and make better decisions; show up online authentically and turn your brand into sales; host purposeful meetings and events; use AI and automation effectively while understanding cybersecurity risks; prepare for the future with exit planning and business valuation strategies; and gain confidence in your numbers by learning to read a balance sheet, understand your income statement and prepare for tax time.
Come away with practical tools, clearer priorities and strategies you can put to work in your business right away.
Tuesdays in October & November
11:30 - 12:45 pm
$15 per session or $75 for the series.
Held at the Aurora Chamber Office
October 6: Yamato Yoshioka, Busy Is Not a Strategy: What Actually Moves Your Business Forward
When you run a business, you can spend an entire day solving real problems and still not move the business forward. The challenge is knowing which work is keeping you busy and which work is actually creating progress.
This is a working session designed to help you step out of the day-to-day, work on your business, and identify the small number of activities where your effort has an outsized impact.
Come with one real business priority or challenge. You'll leave with a clearer decision and a practical way to apply 80/20 thinking to do less, better.
October 20: Steve Falk, Managing Online Authenticity, Authority and Reputation for Sales Growth
This session is designed for business owners and professionals who want to strengthen their online presence and better understand how authenticity, authority and reputation shape buying decisions.
You’ll leave with practical steps to improve how your business is found, perceived and validated online, helping you build greater trust with potential customers and support long-term sales and marketing growth.
October 27: Emily Hlusko-Huard, The Art of Gathering
Events don’t have to be big to make an impact. From a two-person client meeting to a large conference or celebration, the same core principles can help you create an experience that feels thoughtful, professional and memorable.
This practical session is designed for business owners, managers and team members who plan meetings, networking events, client experiences or larger-scale events. You’ll learn how to plan with purpose, align the experience with your business goals, and focus on the details that matter most to your guests.
November 3: Ming Lim, Bookkeeping Basics: Setting Your Business Up for Financial Success
Strong bookkeeping creates the foundation for better business decisions. This session is designed for entrepreneurs and small business owners who want to understand how to set up and maintain their bookkeeping properly from the start.
You’ll also get a practical introduction to financial statements, what they tell you about your business, and how they can be used to track performance, manage cash flow and make more informed decisions.
November 10: Paul LePage, Cyber Security and AI Tools to Help Businesses Thrive
Technology can help businesses work smarter, move faster and grow more efficiently — but only when the right tools are aligned with the right processes. This session is designed for startups, entrepreneurs and small business owners looking to better understand how AI, automation and other emerging technologies can support their business.
Learn practical ways to automate everyday tasks, improve efficiency, strengthen cybersecurity and choose technology that fits your business needs. You’ll leave with a better understanding of how to use technology strategically, rather than simply adding more tools.
November 17: Amol Kapoor, Exit Planning: What's your business really worth?
This session is designed for business owners beginning to think about succession, retirement or a future exit.
You’ll learn the basics of business valuation, the difference between business and commercial real estate value, common types of sales, and what can increase or decrease what a buyer may be willing to pay. We’ll also touch on buyer financing and practical steps you can take now to better prepare your business for a future transition.
November 24: Oleg Gudkov, Finance & Taxes
Understand your business finances, meet your tax obligations and make better financial decisions. This session is designed for small business owners who want a clearer understanding of how day-to-day record keeping connects to CRA reporting, taxes and profitability.
You’ll learn practical bookkeeping and record-keeping basics, what information needs to be reported, and how accurate financial records can support tax planning and profitability analysis. You’ll leave with a better understanding of how to use your numbers to stay compliant and plan ahead.