The Ladysmith Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural Biz Buzz was a success and will likely be a date to circle on the calendar next year.
“I thought it was great. It was well done and all the speakers were very interesting,” said Chamber president Tammy Leslie, who herself gave a talk on the top 10 tax tips for small businesses. “I got something out of every single speaker that was there.”
Upwards of 45 people, including everyone from small business owners to those in the financial sector attended the single day event at Eagles Hall last Thursday.
Biz Buzz opened with an address from Mayor Aaron Stone followed by a panel of speakers discussing keys their to success. That portion actually ran long because of the level of interest from attendees.
“Those panelists were very engaging and very interesting,” said the Chamber’s executive director Mark Drysdale. “Even though they were all retailers there were lots of takeaways for people who weren’t necessarily in retail.”
Next up was Clemens Rettich of the Great Performances Group.
“I think he spoke to anybody who wants to be self-employed ,” said Leslie “He made people step back and think and that was good. Anybody could have got value out of what he had to say.”
Economic Development Cowichan’s manager Amy Melmock also provided an overview of things happening in the region.
In the past the Chamber has held more of a trade show event but this year wanted to trial Biz Buzz - held as part of Small Business Month.
“I heard from quite a few people who were inspired and really enjoyed the day,” Drysdale said.
Ideas are already circling on how to improve the event for 2018.
“We’re hopefully going to do bigger and better for next year,” Leslie said.
