Posts Tagged ‘LAVAL TECHNOPOLE’

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »
February 11th, 2010

Three common mistakes to avoid in order to win U.S. government contracts

I recently read a very interesting article containing advice from Judy Bradt, a former trade commissioner and now CEO of Summit Insight, a company that has guided more than 5,000 clients to over $200 million in U.S. government contracts.

Too often, entrepreneurs spend thousands of dollars trying to win U.S. government contracts with no results. According to Bradt, the failure is the result of three common mistakes:

  • Entrepreneurs set unrealistic expectations;
  • Businesses pursue opportunities on a shoestring budget;
  • Businesses do not resist the temptation to use shotgun tactics.

Bradt offers a fix for each one of these mistakes. Read the article and then ask yourself if you fall into the same traps. If the answer is yes, you might want to take Bradt’s advice to heart.

Caroline Bouchard

February 10th, 2010

Supply chain training/coaching

Launched in January, the supply chain training/coaching program is in its third session. A number of meetings have also been held at participants’ companies to reinforce the learning and help them take the required actions based on their business priorities. The feedback on this innovative program has been quite positive.

The last session, facilitated by Denis Kurdi and Caroline Messier from ViaScan, was especially popular. Participants were able to observe and even try some of the technologies increasingly used to support the supply chain. The program will continue until end of April. Please let us know if you are interested in participating in the next session.

Samir Naoum

February 5th, 2010

WEB2BIZ – Share your Web experience with other companies from Laval!

Since 2009, the LAVAL TECHNOPOLE International Business Centre has been initiating many projects related to international business development on the Web. For example, we launched our own blog, two virtual networks for business entrepreneurs and a training session on this subject.

At the beginning of 2010, I am pleased to announce the launch of WEB2BIZ, a new networking opportunity for company owners, business people and professionals who would like to share their experiences, passion and skills on local and international Web business development.

You are invited to this event to learn how to achieve your business goals through the use of Web applications, on Wednesday February 17, 2010 at Carrefour Multisports in Laval.

Hoping to meet you there!

Bruno Séguin

To learn more about the event and its founders, please click here.

January 28th, 2010

Customs: has your company been fully compliant?

Louise Chevanelle, Formation en Douane Louise Chevanelle, who has often provided training workshops and coaching on customs procedures to Laval companies, sent a self-evaluation grid for exporting SME. It presents major questions you should ask yourself as a leader, to ensure your business is in accordance with customs procedures. As she points out, business leaders tend to delegate all customs procedures with customs brokers, without carrying out control work on it. Without questioning their skills, customs brokers are not infallible and do not know your products as well as you.

It is important to remember that in case of error, it is you who are responsible and that fines for misrepresentation could be imposed upon you, even if no customs duties are applied to your products. In addition, customs authorities can and will ask you retroactive adjustments up to 5 years!

Without becoming an expert in customs procedures, it is crucial that you understand the process of customs declaration for your product and make regular follow-up on statements made by your broker or employees. For more information, please contact us and / or consult different sources as this Step-by-Step Guide to Exporting published by the Canada Border Services Agency.

Bruno Séguin

January 18th, 2010

Are you an “In” or an “Out” Leader?

I recently read a very interesting article by Gill Corkindale, an executive coach based in London who’s come up with a new set of characteristics to define a good leader.  Corckindale says that executives have a preference for one arena, depending on their personality or culture. She’s drawn up a list of activities to help executives figure out what kind of leaders they are, and once they do, Corckindale suggests that they work to adopt a style that will make them more effective.

Read the article and see if you agree. Are you an IN or OUT leader

Samir Naoum

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »