January 25, 2007

Workshop teaches tradespeople how to run their businesses

FRANK ARMSTRONG

correspondent

KINGSTON

Owners of small construction businesses in Kingston are getting some novel assistance from the city’s economic development agency.

Kingston Economic Development Corp. is running a one-day business workshop today to teach tradespeople some of the key elements of running and growing their own business.

Lindsey Fair, the agency’s entrepreneurship consultant, said she pitched the event to the Kingston Construction Association because close to half of the 700 people she helps annually at KEDCO’s entrepreneurship centre are tradespeople.

“With the building boom going on in Kingston, many companies are growing so quickly that they don’t know how to manage the people growth, such as how to hire employees, how to find them, how to pay them, how to deal with Workplace Safety and Insurance Board issues and how to set up the paperwork related to it,” Fair said.

The day will feature workshops on WSIB issues, finding and hiring good employees, planning growth and business promotion.

Fair said a lot of the tradespeople she helps have started their business almost by accident after helping friends with building or maintenance problems and didn’t initially give the business of running their own company much thought.

She said the workshops are a must for people who want to grow their company.

“If you need to know how to hire staff and how to do it right, this is the best workshop to go to,” she said.

The event has being promoted by Kingston Construction Association.

Amy Colbourne, KCA’s executive director, said she expects the day will be a big help to tradespeople running their own business.

“Most small businesses in the trades are operated by tradespeople and any help we can give them on the business side may be helpful,” she said.

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