Small business entrepreneurs of all kinds need to pay attention as new Swan River author Chris Reimer has mapped out his top tips for success in his new book How to Win at Small Business: The 10 Keys to Success.
Reimer describes his book as a practical guide for Canadian small business to navigate challenges, avoid common pitfalls, and hopefully achieve lasting success.
“When writing it, I purposely tried to avoid using business acronyms and jargon as I wanted to ensure it was clear and understandable for everyone, regardless of their background,” he said.
Reimer has lived most of his life in the Swan Valley, having moved to the Birch River area with his family when he was a child. His wife, Myrna, was also raised in the Valley, and they moved away for close to 10 years before returning home to raise their family, and have been here since.
As a Chartered Professional Accountant, Reimer has worked with small business owners in different industries, locations and backgrounds during his entire career. He has also owned his own small businesses.
“Although learning never stops, I feel my education and experience has given me an understanding of the type of guidance those involved with Canadian small business will find helpful,” he said.
Reimer describes in his book that Canadian small business – as defined as those with 1-99 employees – have a startling failure rate.
“During my 30 year career in public accounting practice, there were small businesses which struggled, but also inspiring success stories,” he said. “I began to wonder early in my career what were the key commonalities that differentiated those businesses that succeeded from those that failed. My book is based on what I learned and describes 10 key differentiators which I believe are primary drivers of lasting success.
“I started to make notes and create a rough outline of the book approximately 15 years ago. As I had time, I would add to it, and after I retired in late 2023 from my partnership role at MNP, I began to write the manuscript. Writing a book and having it produced is a much bigger project than I initially expected, but I am pleased with how it turned out.”
Among the differentiators are business basics such as understanding cashflow, never stop planning and focusing on sales, but also important management skills like empowering employees and building culture.
“Every business owner would likely identify most closely with one or two of the differentiators described in the book as an area of weakness and one they need to work on,” said Reimer. “I would say mine would be the 10th differentiator I describe called ‘Live Life’.
“As an accountant in a busy public accounting firm, achieving any level of work/life balance during a significant portion of the year can be a challenge. It is easy to let work begin to overtake you and rob you of time with family, friends and just making positive memories in general. Failure to find some level of balance, as I describe in the book, can lead to many issues and one we all need to guard against.”
With this book, Reimer is targeting primarily aspiring and current Canadian small business owners, but it is also applicable to managers, advisors and anyone else who has an interest in small business.
Reimer’s book received a positive response from Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) President and CEO Isabelle Hudon, who said,
“Being an entrepreneur is a challenging journey, and one that is often exacerbated by unexpected market events. For those willing to rise to the challenge and pursue the entrepreneurial dream, Chris Reimer’s highly readable book is an invaluable guide.
“His 10 ‘differentiators’ offer clear and practical guideposts for all entrepreneurs striving to overcome the pressures of the business cycle. Critically, as we’ve made it our responsibility at BDC, Reimer reminds entrepreneurs that they’re not alone and that there’s an ecosystem of support and tools to help small business owners achieve financial security and well-being in business and in life.”
Other endorsements on the back of his book come from real estate investor, entrepreneur and TV host Scott McGillivray, former NHL player Matt Calvert, Chemawawin Cree Nation Chief Clarence Easter, Restonic Mattress Corp CEO and President Laurie Tokarz and Dr. Bert Van Donkersgoed, co-owner of a medical family practice.
Some of the noteworthy celebrities were those who Reimer has connected with during his career, and others were approached to see if they would have interest in reading the manuscript and potentially provide an endorsement.
“I wanted to ensure I had a broad cross section of individuals from different backgrounds reviewing the manuscript and, thankfully, I was able to achieve that,” said Reimer. “I am very grateful for their support.”
How to Win at Small Business: The 10 Keys to Success is available for purchase online on Amazon and Indigo in both hardcover and e-book formats, and will be available on shelves in some bookstores such as Indigo in the coming weeks.