Joe Weppler / January 5, 2022

The Newmarket Chamber of Commerce is a strong advocate for business success. The Chamber has been part of the Town of Newmarket since 1857. While they’ve been around a while, they’re anything but “old school.” Instead, what you’ll find is a dynamic, forward-facing organization that is committed to supporting Newmarket business and a strong, innovative economy that provides jobs and opportunities for their community and York Region.

To learn more, visit them at www.newmarketchamber.ca

Joe Weppler / January 5, 2022

COPA connects, empowers and celebrates their members by providing a host of business support resources, cost-saving programs and networking opportunities. They have been a proud membership community for the nation’s resellers and manufacturers of office products for over 80 years.

Their focus is to help their members EVOLVE by streamlining their operations, removing their barriers to growth and fostering the sharing of ideas to the benefit of everyone. Expertise, buying power, education and synergy are the cornerstones of their association.

For more information, visit their website by clicking here.

Joe Weppler / January 5, 2022

Stephan is a financial sponsor of Golden Rescue and a member of the product sourcing team which supports their web-store fundraising activities. The Lafreniere family is also very proud to have given a Golden from Cairo Egypt a forever home; Kairo joined the family in 2018 and is pictured at left enjoying a nap in the sun.

Golden Rescue™ (GR) is one of Canada’s largest single-breed rescue groups. They are a non-profit registered charitable organization run entirely by volunteers working hard to ensure every Golden who is brought into their program is placed with a safe and loving forever family. Since 1990, Golden Rescue has found homes for surrendered, abandoned, unwanted or displaced Golden Retrievers.

For more information, visit them at www.goldenrescue.ca.

Joe Weppler / January 5, 2022

When creating a budget for your business, it is helpful to separate and account for fixed versus variable expenses. Mistaking the latter for the former can cost you, and the better you understand all your expenses, the better chance you have of optimizing them.

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, the best way to describe the difference is that fixed expenses are costs that stay the same from month to month, whereas variable expenses are ever-changing and harder to predict.

Fixed expenses.

Fixed expenses often represent the largest part of your budget. For a business, your fixed expenses are going be costs such as rent payments, insurance premiums, property taxes, and so on. While these are not easy to optimize, they are easy to work into your budget, as they are unchanging and paid at a consistent frequency.

If you can lower these expenses – say, by finding a different insurance plan that works for your needs – you automatically save more money each month or pay period.

In business budgeting, it is important to remember that all your fixed costs must be paid, regardless of your sales that pay cycle. If you’re starting a business, making sure you can cover these expenses for a period before you start bringing in revenue is crucial to staying afloat.

Variable expenses.

Your variable expenses are going to represent the costs incurred by how a given month or pay period goes for your business. How many credit cards you swipe, how much electricity you use, or how much waste you generate; all of these are going to incur a bill that varies every cycle.

Some of these expenses can be harder to reduce than others. How much heating you use to keep your office warm, for example, may be more difficult to lower than the amount of waste your organization is generating. However, in many cases, these expenses are in areas that you can strategize or work with professionals to identify savings, creating a more predictable monthly bill.

Employees can represent either kind of expense.

Depending on how you staff your business, your employees can be either a fixed or variable expense. Anyone hired on full time, who is guaranteed a forty-hour work week, will be a fixed expense, whereas a seasonal or part-time employee will likely be a variable expense, as their hours are subject to change month to month.

Budget with these expenses in mind.

When you’re budgeting, it’s important to separate your fixed costs and your variable costs. If you’re able to determine what you absolutely will be spending in your fixed costs, then it is easier to identify and strategize areas to save with your variable costs.

Month to month, keep track of your variable expenses. Maybe one month you allotted too little to certain expenditures and went over budget. If you keep a closer eye on each cost category, you can do a better job budgeting and planning for the future going forward.

Don’t settle on expenses.

The lower you can keep your costs, fixed or variable, the better the results for your bottom line. If you don’t have experience negotiating rates or deciding what expenses are fair in comparison with the rest of the market, don’t settle. Explore your options, bring in consultants, and work with professionals who can guide you in the right direction.

Especially for the fixed expenses you will be locked into for some time, this could be a make-or-break decision for your business. Why pay more than you have to?

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Joe Weppler / January 5, 2022

The Canadian Home Products Trade Association (CHPTA) is a national non-profit organization previously known as the Canadian Hardware & Housewares Manufacturers Association (CHHMA).  As per the past 50+ years, the Association continues to serve and represent manufacturers, brand owners and sales agents working within the Canadian home products industry, but also looks to offer value to other sectors of the industry including retailers, dealers, distributors, builders, suppliers, tradespeople and end-consumers.

Find out more at the CHPTA website by clicking here.

Joe Weppler / January 5, 2022

Stephan Lafreniere is a growth-oriented and insight driven senior executive with a track record of success in developing and implementing strategies and tactics to drive profits.

Stephan has held progressively senior roles within the planning, merchandising, and branding disciplines at iconic Canadian retailers including Canadian Tire Corporation, Hudson’s Bay Company, Loblaw Companies Ltd., and Sears Canada Inc.

In 2021, Stephan joined Schooley Mitchell, the largest independent cost reduction consulting firm in North America with offices from coast-to-coast in the United States and Canada. On average, Schooley Mitchell reduces essential business service expenses by 28% and have delivered over $360 million in documented savings to our clients to date.

We are passionate about saving money for our clients and helping them grow their business. Schooley Mitchell delivers expertise to companies of all sizes from all industries, offering a broad range of services including:

– Analysis of existing and future Telecom, Merchant Services, Small Package Shipping, Waste Disposal, Electronic Logging Device, eSignature, Utility, and Fuel needs
– Billing error identification
– Implementation of cost-effective solutions
– Ongoing monitoring to ensure services remain optimized

Our independent and objective recommendations are based solely on the client’s best interests. Schooley Mitchell receives no kickbacks, residuals, or incentives from providers. Also, our fees are self-funded from the savings generated. If savings aren’t found, our clients don’t pay – a truly risk-free and mutually beneficial model.

Virtually every type of business, in every sector, can benefit from Schooley Mitchell’s expertise and growing cost category specializations.