January 12, 2013

Greetings from the Executive of KAHBA,

We would like to wish our members, past and present, all the best for a prosperous and happy new year. As we move into 2013, many changes will be evident in KAHBA, particularly in the format of the Saturday meetings and the way these meetings are facilitated.

Since we do not have a designated president or secretary at this time, the executive meets monthly - two weeks prior to the regular Saturday meeting - and as a team produces the monthly agenda. We have developed a roster of “revolving chairpersons and secretaries” for each meeting until the Annual General meeting in May. Minutes are now taken and maintained for motions only relieving the temporary secretary of the need to record all the details of the meeting, save motions themselves. The roster of facilitators is drawn from volunteers in the executive and the membership at large. At the AGM, we will assess the effectiveness of this process and review the matter of the need for a president and secretary for the next fiscal year.

The other significant change in KAHBA is the meeting format. In keeping with the fundamental premise that we are all in business to make a profit, we have shaped our meetings for 2013 to focus on the sharing of best business practices that support this objective. Each meeting, therefore, will have a “theme”. Members are requested to bring samples of the way they address the theme and describe the reasons for choosing this solution. If they have a particular person or supporting business that assists them in this area, members are encouraged to bring them to our meeting as a guest to provide first-hand, up-to-date information to all KAHBA members.

For example, today we had our first “theme” meeting which focused on “Promoting your business – flyers, branding, business cards etc.” Three KAHBA members, Fred Georgeadis, Harold Smith and Rej Bruneau with experience in this field, made short presentations of approximately five minutes to start the discussion. Then the floor was opened to all members present to ask questions, share practices and provide feedback. The facilitator, Dave Kempson, did an excellent job of monitoring the discussion so that each person had an opportunity to be heard. The room was physically configured so that we all faced each other in a circle. This promoted a very enthusiastic and strongly interpersonal exchange amongst all participants.

So that members and potential members know what to expect over the year, we have created a schedule of themes for the entire year 2013 as follows:

January                        Promotional Material - business cards, flyers, branding

February                      Advertising – print, audio, visual, online

March                          On-line Presence - social media, web-sites

April                            Networking - personal contacts, business contacts

May                             AGM

June                             Business Plans – breaking even, exit plan, evaluation, legal issues

July                             Software solutions for economy, efficiency and productivity

August                        Showcasing and Marketing

September                   Getting Organised – time management, scheduling, tracking clients, balancing activities

October                       The Business Office – computers, virus protection, office supplies, software, legal

                                    services

November                   Financial Services – banking, book keeping, tax benefits, and insurance

December                    Shipping and Receiving Practices – customs, import/export, tariffs

This list of themes, along with the roster of facilitators, will be posted on this web-site.

Our regular monthly breakfast meetings continue to be held at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 560 on Montreal Street, a very attractive and suitable setting. Breakfast is ordered individually to allow for more variety in menu choices and typically costs about $14.00. 

Recruitment of new members continues to be a focus. Our current online advertising package in the Whig - which costs full members a mere $100 for a full year - is well worth the $75.00 membership fee. We are also working on community partnerships with various agencies and services to promote our organization to existing home and small businesses and young entrepreneurs.

Please consider attending our next general meeting on February 9^th. The theme will be “Advertising – print, visual, and on-line”.

Regards

Lorayne Bradshaw, on behalf of the KAHBA Executive