Compliance woes? Business Counsellors are the solution.

Being a business owner can be frustrating and stressful when it comes to sorting out regulatory compliance. I know this firsthand from growing up watching my father sit at the kitchen table long into the evenings doing paperwork. When I was younger I never really understood why he brought work home after working a ten-hour day, but now that I am older and working with small business owners every day, I get it: he didn’t have a choice.

Being in compliance is essential to a business because violating regulations or legislation can result in severe penalties and fines. On top of those potential monetary costs, there is the time drain – business owners being taken away from running their business to spend hours on government paperwork – sometimes, it is too much to handle.

There is a misconception that being a business owner is easy – you get to be your own boss, set your own hours, take as much vacation as you want…. too often you don’t get credit for your hustle. Face it, just because you are not on site doesn’t mean you aren’t doing work for your business in some capacity.

What if you could have someone to rely on to help you ensure you were in compliance?

Out of the approximate 27,000 member calls CFIB Business Counsellors receive a year, the majority are on regulatory compliance.

Imagine facing a health and safety audit and being able to call or email someone to verify your businesses administrative requirements on the spot? Or being able to check employment standards requirements before making changes to an employee’s contract? Or finding out how to get an Employment Insurance premium refund for your spouse that works with you?

What if I told you all of that support is included with a CFIB membership?

Business counsellors are trained to help our members understand their compliance obligations. We are located in each province and serve members by phone or email in French and English. Business counsellors have a wide scope of career and educational backgrounds. Some of us have human resource experience; some of us have run our own businesses; some of us have studied policy, economics, marketing, payroll; and all of us are experts in finding answers. We are an entire team dedicated to helping our members find solutions. There is a special kind of person who becomes a business counsellor, and at their core is an individual who loves to help.

In addition to our advice, we offer health and safety packages, human resource templates and letters, we prepare web content, we write blogs, we present webinars. Business counsellors are here for our members.

Businesses are often surprised to find out just how much we can do. Usually one or two calls to business resources in a year can cover the cost of your membership! CFIB is well known for our small business lobbying efforts and we also want to be known for our support and advice we provide for our members.

Don’t get tied up in red tape! Get to know us, give us a call. Save your time and your money by letting us find the answers for you while you do what you do best: grow your business.

Who is Jocelyn?

Jocelyn Rhindress is the Regional Team Leader of Business Resources for Atlantic Canada. In her more than her five years with CFIB Jocelyn has assisted thousands of members with their business inquiries. Her compassion for entrepreneurs started at a young age. Jocelyn grew up watching both her grandfather and father run their own small independent businesses where she witnessed both the joys and struggles that entrepreneurs face on a regular basis.

Jocelyn holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing and Economics from Mount Allison University and also has a Certificate of Human Resource Management from Dalhousie University Continuing Education.  Jocelyn thoroughly enjoys finding answers, solving problems, giving advice, and supporting CFIB members. She is proud to be a part of CFIB where she promotes the vision to be the most courageous, connected and influential voice committed to the growth of Canadian Entrepreneurs. Feel free to contact Jocelyn or her Business Resource colleagues with any business question, concern or issue you may be facing. Help and support is just a phone call or email away.