The City of Toronto and its partners offer year-round learning opportunities for entrepreneurs and small business owners, from regularly scheduled seminars to large networking events to on-demand online training modules.

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Business Planning for Small Business

This webinar is aimed at entrepreneurs in the early stages of small business development who are looking at various types of business models and trying to determine where to start.

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Getting Started with Intellectual Property (IP): Why is IP Important?

This webinar will introduce you to trademarks, patents, trade secrets, industrial designs and copyright, and explain how protecting your creations through IP rights can give you an advantage over your competition.

Legal Bootcamp: How to Start & Grow Your Business

Wondering whether you should incorporate your business, when you should register for HST, and if contracts are really that important? These and other questions will be addressed in this webinar for entrepreneurs considering starting a business and those who’ve launched one in the last couple of years.

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The Trauma-Informed Entrepreneur: Resourcing Yourself to Serve Your Clients

Learn about how trauma can manifest in your business and how you can take steps to identify and manage triggers to better serve your clients & customers.

Marketing Essentials for Small Business 101

This webinar will give you an introduction to the tips and tools you need to get your marketing started on the right foot. By the end of the presentation, you will have everything you need to establish your brand, identify and reach your target audience, get your small business found by your prospects, and drive new sales through the groundwork of establishing your small business’s marketing presence.

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The Importance of Paid Advertising in a Digital Space

Advertising in the digital space can be complicated, especially with different ad formats, multiple platforms, budgeting, and running your own business! If you are not sure where to begin, or are confused on what kind of ad to run, this session is for you! In this webinar, the Digital Service Squad from Toronto will share key insights into Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and Instagram Ads.

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Optimizing for Search Engines – Understanding SEO Basics

Often you will hear about needing to optimize for search engines or SEO. But what is it, and how does it impact your digital presence? In this webinar, the Digital Service Squad will explain search engine optimization and the best tactics you as a business can use towards increasing your ranking in the search engine result pages.

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Financial Survival for Entrepreneurs

This financial literacy webinar will help you understand the management of growth and expansion of your small business. By the end of the presentation, you will be able to identify the key numbers to understand and monitor, as well as learning tactics for seeking out financing. Finally, you will learn effective tax strategies for your small business.

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Maximizing Your Business: How to Manage Your Cash

This financial literacy webinar will help you to review and change your cash management practices. You will learn how to spend less cash to operate the business. By the end of the presentation, you will be able to project and analyze the cash needs of your small business.

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T1 General Small Business Tax Literacy

Presented by Canada Revenue Agency, this presentation is geared toward small unincorporated businesses and will help participants understand their tax obligations and provide them with the resources needed to navigate the tax system.

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T2 Corporation Tax Literacy

Presented by Canada Revenue Agency, this seminar is offered to owners of small corporations who need help in understanding their tax obligations. The presentation is geared towards incorporated businesses and will provide participants with the basic principles and resources needed to navigate the tax system.

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Why Financial Ratios Matter: How to Know if You’re Turning a Profit

This financial literacy webinar will show you how to calculate key financial ratios and understand the meaning of the calculations. By the end of the session, you will be able to interpret the results to become better managers of your small business.

AODA for Small Business

This presentation covers an overview of Ontario’s regulated accessibility standards requirements for small businesses with less than 20 employees, under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA). Learn what you can do to make your small business AODA-compliant and accessible and how that can benefit you.

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How to Do Business with the City of Toronto

This webinar provides key information about how to do business with the City of Toronto. Learn about the City’s procurement process, unpack how to register to access opportunities and discover the City’s Social Procurement program for diverse suppliers.

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Service Canada: Public Pensions for Disability and Retirement

Learn how to access Service Canada to enroll in various programs, services, and the basics of Human Resources for businesses in any sizes.

WSIB: Laws & Regulations for Small Businesses

Learn from a Workplace Safety and Insurance Board consultant about how to keep your workplace healthy and safe, and in compliance with health and safety laws.

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The “Starting Your Business 101” webinar series consists of 10 modules with supporting worksheets and checklists that are focused on answering the basics of starting a business. The modules include:

Module 1.   Self-Assessment

Module 2.   Business Research

Module 3.   Business Structure

Module 4.   Government Regulations

Module 5.   Business Planning

Module 6.   Financing for Small Business

Module 7.   Market Research

Module 8.   Marketing and Sales

Module 9.   Intellectual Property

Module 10. Insurance

Access to the learning modules is free but registration is required. Complete the online registration form to get started.

The Business Fundamentals Online Training Program provides a series of 10 modules with supporting worksheets that are focused on helping entrepreneurs develop a detailed business and operating plan for their new venture. The modules include:

Module 1.   Business Plan

Module 2.   Market Research to Test the Viability of Your Idea

Module 3.   Marketing Your Small Business

Module 4.   Business Legal Requirements

Module 5.   Costing and Pricing

Module 6.   Selling Skills for Small Business

Module 7.   Cash Flow Forecast

Module 8.   Income Statement

Module 9.   Employing and Managing Staff

Module 10. Secrets to Success in Your Own Business

Access to the learning modules is free but registration is required. Complete the online registration form to get started.