
Whether you’re looking for help with business plans, marketing, finance or more, we’ve gathered a selection of free and low-cost business events for entrepreneurs and small business owners.
We also recommend visiting smallbusinessbc.ca and reviewing their full event calendar and seminar line up.
Please note details are accurate at time of publication, all summaries have been reproduced from host descriptions.
Mastering Social Media to Grow Your Business
Target audience: Anyone can attend
Date: 1 November 2018
Time: 1.00pm – 4.30pm
Location: Online webinar or Small Business BC Office Vancouver
Cost: $39+GST
Host: Small Business BC
Register
Summary: Just because you know what social media is, does not mean that you necessarily understand how to use it to grow and develop your business. This workshop focuses on understanding social media, what is it and how it’s connecting people.
Using Statistics Canada to Start and Grow Your Business
Target audience: Anyone can attend
Date: 2 November 2018
Time: 10.00am – 12.00pm
Location: Richmond
Cost: Free
Register
Summary: S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Youth BiiS and Statistics Canada would like to invite you to join this exclusive workshop. This event will highlight various data products and resources targeted at small and medium businesses, as well as those wanting to start a business, featuring resources related to retail, wholesale, import & export, Canadian business counts, household spending, financial statistics, and 2016 Census results on population, demography, income, education and labour force status.
Small Business Library Tour
Target audience: Anyone can attend
Date: 3 & 29 November 2018
Time: 10.30am – 12.00pm
Location: Central Library, Vancouver
Cost: Free
Host: Vancouver Public Library
Register: Registration not required, but more details are available here
Summary: Thinking of starting a small business? Already running a business, but need more information? Learn where to find help with small business planning, market research, financial assistance and more.
RBC Get Seeded - Pitch Night
Target audience: UBC students
Date: 5 November 2018
Time: 7.00pm – 10.00pm
Location The Gallery, Nest Building, UBC Vancouver Campus
Cost: Free
Host: AMS eHub
Register
Summary: Pitch night for the RBC Get Funded program, come along to hear the 90 second pitches, vote for your favourites and the top 10 will get seed funding. Support fellow students, hear from recent graduate entrepreneurs and meet like-minded people. Plus attendees get access to the RBC Start Up 101 Post Event Workshop (more details coming soon).
How to Apply for a Business Loan with Women’s Enterprise Centre
Target audience: Female entrepreneurs
Date: 6 & 20 November 2018
Time: 12.00 – 1.00pm
Location: Phone in session
Cost: Free
Host: Women’s Enterprise Centre
Register
Summary: Learn how to apply for a loan from Women’s Enterprise Centre. In this FREE session, the facilitator will review our lending criteria, answer your questions, advise you on how to apply and provide you with a resource package. At the end of the session, your Advisor will work with you to determine if you are eligible for a loan with us and ensure that you receive an application.
Starting a business - information session
Target audience: Female entrepreneurs
Date: 8 & 22 November 2018
Time: 12.00 – 1.00pm
Location: Phone in session
Cost: Free
Host: Women’s Enterprise Centre
Register
Summary: If you think you are ready to start a business, we encourage you to participate in one of our FREE phone-in Starting Your Business Information Sessions. The session is broken into 2 parts. In Part 1, we explain how to write an effective business plan. We cover each section of the business plan and provide strategies and resources to ensure your plan is well organized and consistent. In Part 2 we uncover how to make your business official.
Trademarks, Copyright, Patents and more
Target audience: Anyone can attend
Date: 8 November 2018
Time: 1.00pm – 4.00 pm
Location: Online webinar or Small Business BC Office Vancouver
Cost: $39+GST
Host: Small Business BC
Register
Summary: Do you know if the work you create belongs to you? Or how to prevent others from copying your ideas? Attend this seminar and hear from an intellectual property lawyer on the various forms of intellectual property protection and how they can safeguard your business.
Starting your Business: What’s the Plan?
Target audience: Anyone can attend
Date: 13 November 2018
Time: 9.00am – 12.00pm
Location: Online webinar or Small Business BC Office Vancouver
Cost: $59+GST
Host: Small Business BC
Register
Summary: What is a business plan? What do I include in it? How do I organize my plan so that lenders and investors understand my ideas? In its simplest form, a business plan is a roadmap for your business. This roadmap will outline your goals and how you will achieve them. In this seminar you will learn the key components of a business plan and leave with a framework for developing your ideas on paper.
Tackling the B2B Sale
Target audience: UBC students
Date: 13 November 2018
Time: 12.00 – 1.00pm
Location: Robert H Lee Alumni Centre, UBC Vancouver Campus
Cost: Free
Host: Entrepreneurship@UBC
Register
Summary: You’ve developed a ‘product’ that would be great for other businesses to hop on board. Now, how do you get them to engage and buy it? What’s the difference between selling it to a regular consumer? B2B is short for “business to business.” It refers to sales made to other businesses, rather than sales to individuals. Selling B2B requires a different mindset that selling to consumers. Yet, many business owners don't know how to customize their sales approach to a business customer.
Market research for your business
Target audience: Anyone can attend
Date: 22 & 29 November 2018
Time: 9.30am - 3.30pm (22 Nov) & 10.30am - 4.30pm (29 Nov)
Location: Online webinar or Small Business BC Office Vancouver
Cost: $119+GST (for both sessions, or $69 each)
Host: Small Business BC
Register
Summary: This package is designed for new and existing business owners who want to develop their business strategy by gathering information about current and potential customers, industry trends and competition. In this two part seminar series, Small Business BC’s Market Research expert, Mark Eversfield will teach you the important steps of gathering both secondary and primary market research. You will learn how ask the right questions, collect key data and interpret that information to help you make strategic business decisions.
The 4P’s of Strategic Selling
Target audience: Anyone can attend
Date: 28 November 2018
Time: 12.00 – 1.00pm
Location: SFU VentureLabs, Vancouver
Cost: Free
Host: SFU Venture Labs
Register
Summary: Is your start-up “Sales Ready?”
Building a sales program from scratch is a daunting task for any founding entrepreneur. Leaders of tech ventures commonly boast advanced technical skills, but often lack a similar level of business development expertise, or practical experience in strategic selling. And yet the single most critical success factor for of any venture is its ability to sell. Sales means cash. And cash means growth.
VanFUNDING 2018
Target audience: Anyone can attend
Date: 29-30 November 2018
Time: 8.00am – 6.30pm
Location: Online webinar or Small Business BC Office Vancouver
Cost: $250 - $300 +GST (please note these are current early bird prices. Student discounts available on request.)
Host: National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association of Canada (NCFA), TODA Network, Vanbex Group, Northern Block, FrontFundr, FintruX and partners
Register
Summary: An expanded 4th Annual leading financial technology and capital conference in downtown Vancouver that explores explosive growth in blockchain, AI, fintech & funding innovations, global market developments and alternative investment opportunities.

Whether you’re looking for help with business plans, marketing, finance or more, we’ve gathered a selection of free and low-cost business events for entrepreneurs and small business owners.
We also recommend visiting smallbusinessbc.ca and reviewing their full event calendar and seminar line up.
Please note details are accurate at time of publication, all summaries have been reproduced from host descriptions.
Mastering Social Media to Grow Your Business
Target audience: Anyone can attend
Date: 1 November 2018
Time: 1.00pm – 4.30pm
Location: Online webinar or Small Business BC Office Vancouver
Cost: $39+GST
Host: Small Business BC
Register
Summary: Just because you know what social media is, does not mean that you necessarily understand how to use it to grow and develop your business. This workshop focuses on understanding social media, what is it and how it’s connecting people.
Using Statistics Canada to Start and Grow Your Business
Target audience: Anyone can attend
Date: 2 November 2018
Time: 10.00am – 12.00pm
Location: Richmond
Cost: Free
Register
Summary: S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Youth BiiS and Statistics Canada would like to invite you to join this exclusive workshop. This event will highlight various data products and resources targeted at small and medium businesses, as well as those wanting to start a business, featuring resources related to retail, wholesale, import & export, Canadian business counts, household spending, financial statistics, and 2016 Census results on population, demography, income, education and labour force status.
Small Business Library Tour
Target audience: Anyone can attend
Date: 3 & 29 November 2018
Time: 10.30am – 12.00pm
Location: Central Library, Vancouver
Cost: Free
Host: Vancouver Public Library
Register: Registration not required, but more details are available here
Summary: Thinking of starting a small business? Already running a business, but need more information? Learn where to find help with small business planning, market research, financial assistance and more.
RBC Get Seeded - Pitch Night
Target audience: UBC students
Date: 5 November 2018
Time: 7.00pm – 10.00pm
Location The Gallery, Nest Building, UBC Vancouver Campus
Cost: Free
Host: AMS eHub
Register
Summary: Pitch night for the RBC Get Funded program, come along to hear the 90 second pitches, vote for your favourites and the top 10 will get seed funding. Support fellow students, hear from recent graduate entrepreneurs and meet like-minded people. Plus attendees get access to the RBC Start Up 101 Post Event Workshop (more details coming soon).
How to Apply for a Business Loan with Women’s Enterprise Centre
Target audience: Female entrepreneurs
Date: 6 & 20 November 2018
Time: 12.00 – 1.00pm
Location: Phone in session
Cost: Free
Host: Women’s Enterprise Centre
Register
Summary: Learn how to apply for a loan from Women’s Enterprise Centre. In this FREE session, the facilitator will review our lending criteria, answer your questions, advise you on how to apply and provide you with a resource package. At the end of the session, your Advisor will work with you to determine if you are eligible for a loan with us and ensure that you receive an application.
Starting a business - information session
Target audience: Female entrepreneurs
Date: 8 & 22 November 2018
Time: 12.00 – 1.00pm
Location: Phone in session
Cost: Free
Host: Women’s Enterprise Centre
Register
Summary: If you think you are ready to start a business, we encourage you to participate in one of our FREE phone-in Starting Your Business Information Sessions. The session is broken into 2 parts. In Part 1, we explain how to write an effective business plan. We cover each section of the business plan and provide strategies and resources to ensure your plan is well organized and consistent. In Part 2 we uncover how to make your business official.
Trademarks, Copyright, Patents and more
Target audience: Anyone can attend
Date: 8 November 2018
Time: 1.00pm – 4.00 pm
Location: Online webinar or Small Business BC Office Vancouver
Cost: $39+GST
Host: Small Business BC
Register
Summary: Do you know if the work you create belongs to you? Or how to prevent others from copying your ideas? Attend this seminar and hear from an intellectual property lawyer on the various forms of intellectual property protection and how they can safeguard your business.
Starting your Business: What’s the Plan?
Target audience: Anyone can attend
Date: 13 November 2018
Time: 9.00am – 12.00pm
Location: Online webinar or Small Business BC Office Vancouver
Cost: $59+GST
Host: Small Business BC
Register
Summary: What is a business plan? What do I include in it? How do I organize my plan so that lenders and investors understand my ideas? In its simplest form, a business plan is a roadmap for your business. This roadmap will outline your goals and how you will achieve them. In this seminar you will learn the key components of a business plan and leave with a framework for developing your ideas on paper.
Tackling the B2B Sale
Target audience: UBC students
Date: 13 November 2018
Time: 12.00 – 1.00pm
Location: Robert H Lee Alumni Centre, UBC Vancouver Campus
Cost: Free
Host: Entrepreneurship@UBC
Register
Summary: You’ve developed a ‘product’ that would be great for other businesses to hop on board. Now, how do you get them to engage and buy it? What’s the difference between selling it to a regular consumer? B2B is short for “business to business.” It refers to sales made to other businesses, rather than sales to individuals. Selling B2B requires a different mindset that selling to consumers. Yet, many business owners don't know how to customize their sales approach to a business customer.
Market research for your business
Target audience: Anyone can attend
Date: 22 & 29 November 2018
Time: 9.30am - 3.30pm (22 Nov) & 10.30am - 4.30pm (29 Nov)
Location: Online webinar or Small Business BC Office Vancouver
Cost: $119+GST (for both sessions, or $69 each)
Host: Small Business BC
Register
Summary: This package is designed for new and existing business owners who want to develop their business strategy by gathering information about current and potential customers, industry trends and competition. In this two part seminar series, Small Business BC’s Market Research expert, Mark Eversfield will teach you the important steps of gathering both secondary and primary market research. You will learn how ask the right questions, collect key data and interpret that information to help you make strategic business decisions.
The 4P’s of Strategic Selling
Target audience: Anyone can attend
Date: 28 November 2018
Time: 12.00 – 1.00pm
Location: SFU VentureLabs, Vancouver
Cost: Free
Host: SFU Venture Labs
Register
Summary: Is your start-up “Sales Ready?”
Building a sales program from scratch is a daunting task for any founding entrepreneur. Leaders of tech ventures commonly boast advanced technical skills, but often lack a similar level of business development expertise, or practical experience in strategic selling. And yet the single most critical success factor for of any venture is its ability to sell. Sales means cash. And cash means growth.
VanFUNDING 2018
Target audience: Anyone can attend
Date: 29-30 November 2018
Time: 8.00am – 6.30pm
Location: Online webinar or Small Business BC Office Vancouver
Cost: $250 - $300 +GST (please note these are current early bird prices. Student discounts available on request.)
Host: National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association of Canada (NCFA), TODA Network, Vanbex Group, Northern Block, FrontFundr, FintruX and partners
Register
Summary: An expanded 4th Annual leading financial technology and capital conference in downtown Vancouver that explores explosive growth in blockchain, AI, fintech & funding innovations, global market developments and alternative investment opportunities.
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