Advisors help local businesses grow and prosper

Small business owners, entrepreneurs, the self-employed and not-for-profit groups in the East and West Kootenay all qualify for free, one-on-one, confidential business counselling and assessment through the Basin Business Advisors (BBA) program, funded by Columbia Basin Trust. Applying for the program is as simple as filling out an online form.

“The goal of the BBA program is to build economic capacity in Columbia Basin communities,” said program manager Will Nixon, “by strengthening and supporting existing small and medium-sized businesses and social enterprises and by providing pre-startup and entrepreneurial education.”

Businesspeople get free, one-on-one consultations with an experienced advisor, who can help address issues or capitalize on opportunities. That could be a short, two-hour session in which a specific issue is addressed, or it could be a much longer assessment and analysis of the entire business, Nixon said.

“We will help a business or social enterprise with any issues or opportunities,” said Nixon, “but some of the common requests are regarding understanding financial reports and performance, marketing, operational efficiencies, new market development and succession planning.”

Is it really free?

“There’s no catch,” said Nixon. “The Columbia Basin Trust has realized that supporting existing businesses is vital to the overall health of the region, so it has decided to financially support this great program.”

Advisors are based in Community Futures offices in Nelson, Revelstoke, Trail and Cranbrook. However, they often visit clients at locations throughout the basin.

“There is a lot of benefit in seeing and experiencing the real business,” said Nixon. “Business consulting is not just an academic process for us.”