Member Services

Member-to-Member Services

In the spirit of our motto, "We Support Each Other", various members offer discounts or specials to other members of the Small Business Association.

For more on Member-to-Member Services click here.

Corporate Sponsors

In addition to their generous contributions to our organization, a number of our sponsors also offer additional benefits or discounts to the SBA membership.

For more on our Sponsors click here.

Networking Breakfast  Speaker

Be a Great Host / Presenter
 

Every chance that you can create or which is offered to you to demonstrate your credibility, your core competencies, and your willingness to help others in an effective and meaningful way, just gives you another opportunity to be found by the people you need in your personal, professional, and business life.

You must seek out and grab those opportunities. Being asked to be an event speaker is one of those excellent, high value opportunities for you to grow forward.

Great Benefits to you as an SBA speaker

• Shows your target audience that you are respected as a key player of importance amongst your organization's leadership.
• Gives you a chance to have your bio read aloud by highly credible third-party leaders of your peer group. This is a huge, high-value endorsement.
• Provides you with increased credibility amongst your peers.
• Gives you a non-threatening and helpful topic for discussion at your table.
• Makes it easier for your message to be received when it's your time to stand and deliver.
• Gives you important status as a center of influence, an important aspect of a successful networking strategy.
• Allows you to interact with important speakers, the front-end of where you want to be in your business and in your career.
• Overall, just plain excellent way for you to grow forward by being seen and being found by, and relating better with the right people for the overall good of your business and your career.

Important Guidelines for Simple SBA Speaker Opportunities

• Meet with speaker to determine length of talk and whether or not there will be a Q/A period after the presentation and for how long.
• Take charge.
• Thank the person who introduces you.
• Read the bio of your keynote speaker.
• Confirm topic.
• Let speaker and audience know that there will be a brief, fifteen minute Q/A afterwards.
• Let your group know that you are in charge and will monitor Q/A proceedings. This is especially significant for provocative issues and speakers in which case the organization would do well to select their host carefully.
• If there are lots of questions or if someone is monopolizing the floor, step in, stop the proceedings, and establish a one-question rule and in what order each person will present his/her question.
• For those people whose voices don't carry well, repeat aloud and condense their questions.
• Respect the Q/A time line. Select two more questioners letting the group know that these will be the last two questions.
• Close the meeting by having a one-minute speaker-prepared summary of the topic. You, the host, deliver it.
• Thank your speaker.
• Thank your group.
• Then, either carry on with your normal events or return the floor to and thanking the person who introduced you.

Now, the only way these excellent opportunities to get your name out in front of these good people is for you to make it known that you would like to be included.

It is important for you to meet with your organization leaders, determine what they need from you in a structured biography that they can keep in file for when it's your turn, and to make yourself as open as possible to take on this assignment and others.

Grow Your SBA, Grow Your Business - Bring a Friend

Guest Speaker Guidelines and Gift Program
Prepared for SBA by
Judy Whitelock

The SBA Executive is continually working to maximize the value of SBA membership. The addition of educational guest speakers at the Networking Breakfast each month is an example of that effort.

Guidelines have been developed for guest speakers and for a special Gift Program to recognize non-members who contribute their time and talent to speak to us. Members are encouraged to volunteer to be one of the speakers to share some of their specialized knowledge in their field or business. They have a dual benefit of being able to demonstrate their expertise to attract referrals and to polish their presentation skills before a friendly audience. We help each other!

Interested speakers should submit a brief outline of their proposed presentation to the SBA president for approval by the board and scheduling for a future Networking Breakfast. The presentation should have educational merit of general interest and assistance to SBA entrepreneurs. Presentations should be 20 to 30 minutes in length. The aim of the presentation should not focus on selling a product or service for the speaker. The speaker may inform the group of the services they provide in relation to the educational content of the presentation.

Educational speakers will be featured on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. The 1st Wednesday of each month will be dedicated to Networking breakfasts only, giving time for members and guests to provide a one to two minute "infomercial" presentation about their business.

To contact the SBA president you can send an email to president@sba.ca
You may also contact us by mail, fax, or telephone.

Ideas & Suggestions

If you have any program suggestions, email them to programs@sba.ca

 

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