Business Link provides support for Alberta’s small businesses

Learning from the pros

Produced by Amplomedia in partnership with Troy Media, Learning from the Pros interviews professional entrepreneurs who are currently in the trenches growing their businesses. Through insightful conversations, we unpack their common business challenges and identify the lessons every business owner needs to learn so they can accelerate their own business growth.

“We get into the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to entrepreneurship,” says Lance Johnson, our host and Amplomedia’s founder and marketing veteran. “And it’s the failures that often lead to the greatest lessons, so be prepared to hear some uncomfortable and very REAL conversations about what is required to create successful businesses.”

Today our guest is Paul Cataford, the executive director at Business Link, a government-funded non-profit that offers business advice, business plan reviews, market research, networking events, workshops and webinars, and helps with government grants to small businesses and entrepreneurs in Alberta. For 25 years they’ve been working with small businesses and entrepreneurs to help them get up and running or provide advice and a push in the right direction to those who’ve become overwhelmed.

Two of Business Link’s newest programs are the DEP and the CDAP. The DEP, or Digital Economy Program, helps small businesses learn to operate in the digital age by teaching entrepreneurs how to use the tools available to them to launch eCommerce websites, put their businesses on the map, and build a thriving social media presence. The CDAP, or Canadian Digital Adoption Program is a micro-grant of $2,400 to help entrepreneurs and small businesses deploy eCommerce capabilities.

Today’s Guest

Paul Cataford is a well-known and respected senior business executive skilled in finance, strategy and company growth specializing in technology companies. Paul is creative and visionary in identifying and understanding how to apply new technology in a commercial setting to drive shareholder value. An authentic and action-oriented leader, Paul builds, motivates and sets the strategic direction for high-performance teams.

For interview requests, click here.

Our Host

Lance Johnson

Lance Johnson is the president of Amplomedia, an innovative digital marketing agency specializing in motion graphic video production and digital marketing services. He leverages more than 20 years of experience in marketing and business strategy to help clients identify how best to engage their audience while effectively communicating their messages with clarity and impact.

For interview requests, click here.

The opinions expressed by our columnists and contributors are theirs alone and do not inherently or expressly reflect the views of our publication.

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Troy Media is an editorial content provider to media outlets and its own hosted community news outlets across Canada.