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Putting together an effective communications strategy

Promotion and communication are closely related. Promotion encompasses everything you do and all the tools you use to communicate your offer and positioning in order to build a relationship that will turn potential customers into clients.

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Choosing a legal structure for your business

Whether you bought a franchise, have one or more partners or are self-employed, if you’re going into business with little money and few personal assets, you’ll need to decide upon a legal structure for your business: a sole proprietorship, a partnership, a corporation or a cooperative.

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What is a cooperative and how do I create one?

A cooperative is a group of people who come together to meet a mutual need. Creating a cooperative is a long-term project that must be well planned. Here are 10 steps for creating a cooperative.

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Planning for success

In farming, technical management is no longer enough. Farmers must now perform overall management and risk assessment much like for any other business. Aiming for profitability, assessing risks effectively, taking steps to strengthen the business’s financial situation, facing potential crises—strategic planning encompasses all these tasks and more.

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What type of farmer are you?

Since farms have become bona fide SMEs—some with roughly $500,000 in sales, more than $1 million in assets and often considerable debt—farmers must now have the traits of business leaders.

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Preparing to transition from production to processing in 6 steps

Agricultural producers shifting into processing must follow a painstaking process that includes analyzing the industry, the target market and their personal abilities. Production and processing are 2 complementary but very different industries, so thorough preparation is the key to success.

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Do you have an export marketing plan?

Your export marketing plan covers your export objectives and strategy. It is both a master plan and a tool for tracking your progress. It should be concise and well organized so you can focus on the work at hand.

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Determining the best way to break into a foreign market

When you have your sights set on a foreign market, you have a variety of intermediaries and methods to choose from. Making the right choices is key to meeting your business objectives.

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