All Small Business articles

Aysha and Joanna standing in the doorway at Drift and Sonder in Fernie
East Kootenay, Fernie, Retail, Small Business Curating thoughtfully made goods and low-waste products in Fernie

Sisters Joanna and Aysha Haines choose the most ethical and sustainable brands for their retail store, Drift + Sonder.

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Dragons' Den stage with logo.
East Kootenay, West Kootenay, Entertainment and Hospitality, Small Business The Dragons’ Den is calling Kootenay Business owners

Alicia Chirrey, producer at CBC’s Dragons’ Den, explains how Kootenay entrepreneurs can apply to be on the show

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Owner of Humble Bee Builds, Dennis Scott (middle) and his employees Clayton Champagne (left), and Blair Halifax (right).
East Kootenay, Cranbrook, Developments, Environment, Real Estate, Small Business The humble bee is the inspiration behind this Cranbrook tiny home construction company

Owner Dennis Scott is the owner of Humble Bee Builds and is passionate about alternative living

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Becky McArthur (left) and Robyn Hansen are proud owners of their second business together—Twisted Peaks, a frozen yogurt shop in Cranbrook, B.C.
East Kootenay, Cranbrook, Cuisine, Entertainment and Hospitality, Small Business Family and fro-yo at Twisted Peaks in Cranbrook

When twins Robyn Hansen & Becky McArthur bought their first business, they each had toddlers. Now, they’re serving up frozen yogurt alongside their teenagers

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Puppy sitting in a green bucket surrounded by treats and toys
West Kootenay, Castlegar, Animal Care, Retail, Small Business This award-winning West Kootenay pet store is barking up the right tree

With multiple locations and a flourishing online shop, Blue Barn Pet & Hobby Farm is a community success story.

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Kerry Pagdin holding up one of her feather prints
West Kootenay, Nelson, Retail, Small Business Social media for small business: Tips from a successful Nelson entrepreneur

Kerry Pagdin of Wayward Citizen gives us the inside scoop on social media promotion.

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Graphic that says
Small Business How to write a cold email that actually works in 6 steps

Writing effective cold emails that get a response is possible by following some easy-to-do steps

by Kerry Shellborn
Lin and Oliver Egan together with Anna Steedman and Chef Randy MacSteven and sons in garden field making funny poses.
East Kootenay, Invermere, Agriculture, Small Business Winderberry Farm—A business that has grown to work for a family

A family business, Winderberry Farms, found innovative ways to grow and create a place for everyone to contribute to a bright future

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Kat Cadegan sitting in her jewellery making shop
West Kootenay, Revelstoke, Retail, Small Business Turning a one-woman-show into a cohesive jewellery-making team

Kat Cadegan Jewellery in Revelstoke has gained a valuable new staff member thanks to a Columbia Basin Trust program.

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Business Excellence: A list of award-winning chambers text, with stylized golden star on dark background.
East Kootenay, West Kootenay, Small Business Business excellence: A list of Chamber award-winning businesses

Read our list of Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence award winners

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Outside of Radium Brewing, timber-framed building painted grey, sloped roof.
East Kootenay, Radium Hot Springs, Entertainment and Hospitality, Small Business Turning hobbies into a passion project at Radium Brewing

For Jacob Houghton and Stephan Gale, starting Radium Brewing was the realization of their dreams, passions and hobbies coming together.

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Group photo of Business Excellence winners.
East Kootenay, Invermere, Radium Hot Springs, Small Business Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce honours business excellence

The Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence awards were held in late October.

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Venessa Loubert and Perry Dzuris, owners of Arcane Coda in Salmo, B.C.
East Kootenay, West Kootenay, Retail, Small Business Local businesses promote Kootenay-inspired apparel

Find uniquely home-grown Kootenay clothing, wearables and gear from these local companies

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Graphic image showing stylized computer plus text.
Retail, Small Business Business owners: What is the most important page on your website? (Hint: it’s not your home page)

Learn the six features that your web page needs to convert visitors into buyers

by Kerry Shellborn
Kyle Thornley wearing his blacksmithing apron and smiling at the camera
West Kootenay, Revelstoke, Small Business Forging the way: How this B.C. artist is taking blacksmithing to new heights

Kyle Thornley of Metal Mind Forge produces stunning metalwork creations in Revelstoke.

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Group of award winners all smiling and holding awards.
East Kootenay, Elkford, Small Business Elkford’s Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards celebrated with six winners

Elkford’s 2022 Business Excellence Awards were held on October 22.

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Interior of 2nd Edition Coworking in Fernie, showing comfy set of chairs, small table and windows with mountain view outside.
East Kootenay, Cranbrook, Golden, West Kootenay, Kaslo, Nelson, New Denver, Revelstoke, Small Business, Technology These 11 Kootenay coworking spaces offer community and creative collaboration

Shared workspaces in communities like Cranbrook, Golden, Fernie, Nelson and Trail provide flexibility and support in a communal environment.

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Andrea Legg holding a cup of tea and smiling
West Kootenay, Nelson, Retail, Small Business From acrobatics to aromatic tea: How Virtue Tea in Nelson was born

Imagine two members of Cirque du Soleil finding love and running off to start a business in the Kootenays.

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Michelle Fairbanks, dressed in pink old-fashioned dress and floppy white hat, holding a selection of books.
West Kootenay, Rossland, Entertainment and Hospitality, Small Business Rossland’s Gold Rush Bookstore keeps the history pages turning

The Gold Rush Bookstore is a valued part of the downtown Rossland business landscape.

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Desiree smelling a white flower wearing a white dress
East Kootenay, Sparwood, Retail, Small Business Stepping out of her comfort zone and starting a business in Sparwood

Desiree Markewich found herself reinvented by flowers, and she wants to pay the joy forward.

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Dayna Leduc, filling large industrial container with fluid.
East Kootenay, Creston, Energy, Environment, Small Business, Technology, Transportation Finding a way forward with Leduc Biodiesel Energy

By collecting and recycling used cooking oil into green, biodiesel products, Dayna Leduc has found his passion

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A sasquatch-costumed Taylor Jenkins stands on a snowy main street downtown Fernie.
East Kootenay, Elkford, Fernie, Sparwood, Education, Retail, Small Business, Tourism The results are in. The Elk Valley Business Retention and Expansion survey says . . .

Taylor Jenkins, Elk Valley economic recovery advisor, outlines what Elk Valley businesses can do to address their big three problems

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Fern Sabo wearing a grey shirt, professional portrait shot
West Kootenay, Nelson, Small Business, Technology Helping business owners navigate a digital world

Spring Creative Inc. in Nelson brings entrepreneurs together to facilitate positive change, effective branding and healthy collaboration.

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Image rendering of the Castlegar Confluence of Tourism and Economic Development shows gray walls with some wooden siding.
West Kootenay, Castlegar, Small Business, Tourism The Castlegar Chamber’s fancy new home is in the works

Tammy Verigin-Burk, executive director of the Castlegar Chamber, highlights opportunities for entrepreneurs within Castlegar’s new Confluence building

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Trevor Miller, owner of Mountain Soul Wines, at farmers market booth.
East Kootenay, West Kootenay, Agriculture, Cuisine, Entertainment and Hospitality, Small Business, Tourism Wineries are sprouting up in the cooler Kootenay climate

The Kootenays are an emerging wine region in B.C. Here’s a list of the 8 Kootenay wineries—and 1 meadery

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Sarah Pike sitting outside studio, holding mug and looking off into distance.
East Kootenay, Fernie, Small Business Pottery perfection: Sarah Pike is a Fernie-based creator in clay

Clay is the medium of choice for Fernie potter Sarah Pike

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Owners of Happy Hills Farm standing in greenhouse with kids.
West Kootenay, Trail, Agriculture, Entertainment and Hospitality, Retail, Small Business, Tourism Trail’s 2021 Business Excellence Awards celebrated in style

Twelve custom hand-painted awards were handed out at this year’s Business Excellence ceremony

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Thomas and Ash Hodgson standing by table.
West Kootenay, Trail, Entertainment and Hospitality, Small Business All their roads led to opening Kootenay West Distilling in Trail, B.C.

For Thomas and Ash Hodgson, a lifetime of chronic entrepreneurship has led them to becoming the Kootenays’ newest distillers.

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Julie doing acupuncture on one of her clients
West Kootenay, Salmo, Health & Wellness, Small Business Promoting wellness in the West Kootenay

Pivot Point Acupuncture has proven to be a welcome addition to the community of Salmo

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Two men standing beside Royer Landscaping truck.
East Kootenay, Kimberley, Animal Care, Entertainment and Hospitality, Health & Wellness, Small Business, Tourism Best of the best: Kimberley’s 2021 Business Excellence Awards handed out

Kimberley’s businesses and remarkable individuals help the community to become B.C.’s best small town.

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Deirdre Howard wearing a yellow beekeepers suit
East Kootenay, Creston, Agriculture, Retail, Small Business Bolstering the bees and benefiting the Creston community

Catching up with Deirdre Howard, proud beekeeper and owner of Pure Honey Products in Creston.

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Karli and her daughter, Karli is wearing a Kootenay Cancer Survivor t-shirt.
East Kootenay, Creston, Entertainment and Hospitality, Small Business, Tourism Kootenay Livin’ Apparel makes Kootenay-inspired clothing, including a line for cancer survivors

Giving back to her community is important for Karli Melnychuk, owner of Kootenay Livin’ Apparel

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Owner of Kootenay Made Co., Leanne Hawkins at her store with a customer.
West Kootenay, Trail, Retail, Small Business When it comes to Kootenay-crafted merchandise, Leanne Hawkins has it made

The owner of Kootenay Made Co. in Trail shines her light on local artists and artisans, promoting their products in her brick-and-mortar shop.

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A group of white water rafters smile as they dip into deep water on a raft.
East Kootenay, Fernie, Small Business, Tourism This legacy award-winning business knows how to retain staff and delight clients

Lynn Muller, co-owner of Canyon Raft Company in Fernie, B.C. outlines how to run a successful business for over a quarter century

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Audrey taking two students mountain biking on the forest trails
East Kootenay, Golden, Education, Small Business, Tourism Forging a sisterhood on mountain bikes in the Kootenays

The owner of Shred Sisters came all the way across Canada to teach mountain biking to like-minded women.

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Hedin Nelson-Chorney smiles while leaning against a vat.
West Kootenay, Castlegar, Retail, Small Business Castlegar’s young brewer snags two prestigious awards

Hedin Nelson-Chorney, owner of Tailout Brewing, highlights how his business won Castlegar’s Young Entrepreneur Award and Green Award

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Dancing employees, indoor camping, high fives and bloopers—it’s all part of the fun that shows off the personality and people behind the automobiles at Cranbrook Hyundai. Photo collage.
East Kootenay, Cranbrook, Entertainment and Hospitality, Small Business What does a social media manager really do all day?

What does a social media manager really do all day?

by Kerry Shellborn
Row of metal tags.
West Kootenay, Castlegar, Animal Care, Small Business Artisan handcrafted dog and cat tags (and one for a cow) from Robson, B.C.

Each mountain-inspired pet tag from Kootenay Tags is “very personal and special”

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(L to R) Mackenzie, Marina, Jayden, Jeremiah and Maya Pauw in front of a hotel with a big bright orange image of a fox.
East Kootenay, Fernie, Small Business, Technology Fernie Fox Hotel aims to become the most sustainable hotel in B.C.

Jeremiah Pauw has rebranded the Super 8 into the Fernie Fox Hotel in Fernie, B.C.

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A man and woman holding their young son
East Kootenay, Cranbrook, Animal Care, Small Business A couple builds a puppy paradise in the community of Wycliffe

After the pandemic inspired a surge of new pet adoptions, Kootenay Canine Adventures was perfectly positioned to meet customer demand.

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Dan Innis (left) and Ben Brown, owners of Selkirk Pest Control.
West Kootenay, Castlegar, Small Business Selkirk Pest Control offers an eco-friendly approach for the increase in rats in the West Kootenay

Selkirk Pest Control in Castlegar is a new business with an eco-friendly approach

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Stacy Batchelor (left). Allie Bruni (centre) and Kristin Olsen (right) fill out the team of co-owners of Fable Book Parlour.
West Kootenay, Revelstoke, Entertainment and Hospitality, Retail, Small Business Books, music and community come together in one special business in Revelstoke, B.C.

More than a bookstore, Fable Book Parlour fosters music, cookies and community in Revelstoke, B.C.

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Grant Sharam and Jim Cunnington sitting on eTrikes
East Kootenay, Kimberley, Environment, Retail, Small Business, Transportation Keeping the Kootenays up to speed with eco-friendly electric trikes

Grant Sharam and Jim Cunnington saw the need for affordable, accessible, green transportation—leading them to start eTrikes Canada in Kimberley.

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Views of the glamping tents with scenic mountain views.
West Kootenay, Nelson, Entertainment and Hospitality, Environment, Health & Wellness, Small Business, Tourism This eco-retreat in Nelson embraces sustainable living with a food forest and an upcycle shop

Bear Spring Eco Retreat offers urbanites an escape from big-city living and a chance to decompress close to nature.

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Two cars, one black, one blue, are parked in front of Cranbrook Hyundai’s new showroom with large glass windows.
East Kootenay, Cranbrook, Small Business, Transportation Cranbrook Hyundai has a shiny new showroom

Bob Bullock, owner of Cranbrook Hyundai, has transformed the location inside and out

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Four employees stand in front of a Boundary Electric sign in Grand Forks, B.C.
East Kootenay, Grand Forks, Small Business How to hire and maintain employees during a labour shortage (or any time)

Mike Freed, director of sales and marketing at Boundary Electric in Grand Forks, B.C., highlights how businesses can become great places to work

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Dave Thomson and Coraley Letcher, owners of 5 Gen Construction.
East Kootenay, Fernie, Small Business Collaboration—not competition—is embraced by two rival Kootenay companies

Two rival Kootenay construction companies believe business should be about supporting each other

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