It’s official. Today is the last day of August. And although we have another 21 days to go before we can call the glorious season of summer over, everyone knows that with September starting tomorrow, the school year is about to begin. It’s pretty hard to still call it “summer” when you are in the classroom, isn’t it?

It’s even harder, however, to budget for school when there are so many expenditures to consider when starting to study all over again. The Toronto Star‘s Business Reporter Madhavi Acharya-Tom Yew reported on the various ways in which students can save money this school year in an article published last week. We’d like to share some of those tips with back-to-schoolers today.

College and university students, especially, have plenty to budget for. From tuition to textbooks to transportation, a student’s expenses can add up in a hurry. One of Acharya-Tom Yew’s first tips for the post-secondary student is to “buy new to you.” In other words, as long as it serves your purpose, pick up used books, clothing or even furniture for your dorm room at a much cheaper prices than those for brand new items.

“Brown bag it,” she continues. Too often, students forget how much money they spend on buying lunches each and every day. As always, the cost of food adds up. Packing your own lunches and bringing them to school with you is both a cheaper and healthier option. You also won’t have to wait in line to be served, so it’s a time-saving practice as well.

Keeping in touch is always important to students. With the advent of such free online features as Facebook and Twitter, this has become easier in recent years. However, a cell phone plan that meets your basic needs is also often a necessity. Acharya-Tom Yew also advises that you buy a long distance card to reduce your phone bills.

Smart shopping is obviously the key here. Shopping online to browse items and compare prices is also advisable. Searching for the best deals to take advantage of savings, especially those targeting students, will help you to stretch your dollars. Student discounts are rampant during this time of year.

Acharya-Tom Yew reminds students to “be sure to flash your student ID at entertainment venues, on public transportation and anywhere else that will take them. Check out special deals through your student union (as well as) free entertainment in the city, and free events hosted on campus.”

The same can be said about the classic coffee-splurge. Students need to be alert. And as such, many often partake in a daily coffee. For some, this is done several times a day. Of course, this can also put a dent into one’s budget. Acharya-Tom Yew recommends that you “avoid the latte effect and buy a coffeemaker or a kettle to make your own.”

One way to tell whether or not the economy is rebounding is to take a look at the purchasing trends of consumers. In Canada, it appears as if customers are gaining confidence. According to a QMI Agency report that came out today, the confidence seems to be growing in a big way.

Car sales have significantly boosted this summer, according to a new report from Scotia Economics which was released earlier today. There have been a number of incentives from car dealers looking to increase business by offering such advantages as “employee pricing for everyone”.

The report reveals that new vehicle sales are at its highest level in three years. Over this time span, car sales in Canada have been increasing by 6 per cent each year. A rate of 1.65 million units is providing automakers with a well-needed spike in profits. Evidently, Canadians are finding ways to save money in order to make their big purchases in the wake of the recent recession.

According to Scotia analyst Carlos Gomes: “This represents the second consecutive monthly rebound from a weak performance in May and indicates that Canadians are once again in a vehicle-buying mood.” Interestingly, however, auto sales across the world have slowed down quite a bit.

The QMI report also provides some numbers that show great promise for the state of the national economy: “Canadian vehicle sales grew to 1.62 million units in June and July up from 1.48 million in May. The Canadian economy has added 43,000 jobs per month on average in recent months.”

It goes on to note that auto dealers dropping their sticker prices by more than 5 per cent since February has helped for more Canadians to shop for vehicles this year. In fact, consumers in this country have been spending big money. The larger models with a bunch of extras were all on the menu for those shopping for cars this year.

QMI reveals that “transaction prices actually went up 5% so far this year, the largest jump since 1996. Light truck sales for instance shot up 25% year-over-year to reach a record of 930,000 units. Sales of pickup trucks — the most heavily incentivized segment with cash discounts exceeding $9,000 on some models — have climbed nearly 40% so far this year.”

The only vehicles shown to have experienced a drop in sales were the small ones. However, it is clear that Canadian confidence is flying high. This is evidenced by all the new cars on the roads. Car sales for next year are already being forecast for 1.59 million units. Meanwhile, sales in the United States remain 20 per cent lower than average.

In yesterday’s blog, we mentioned that incomes for Canadian workers seem to be steadily increasing. In fact, over the past seven months there has been a notable spike in earnings when compared to statistics from the same time a year ago. Thankfully, Canada seems to be continuing its trend of leading the world in recession recovery.

However, not all is rosy in the Canadian workforce. In an article from yesterday’s edition of The Toronto Star, business reporter Tony Wong reminds us that there are still some struggles being fought by certain sectors. The residential construction industry, Wong writes, is expecting lower profits this year.

The demand for new housing remains slow. Healthy revenue growth in this industry is not expected until the middle of 2011, he notes. According to a report by the Conference Board of Canada, “a drop in housing starts in the second half of the year is expected to translate into a decline in overall profitability for the industry.”

According to Michael Burt, the board’s associate director responsible for the industrial and economic trends group: “While building activity may have picked up earlier this year, material and labour costs have risen, meaning that profits are down. Competition among producers will also help to keep pricing down.”

Burt believes that it will take quite some time before profitability become present once again in the residential construction industry. It peaked at $5 billion in 2008. These were record numbers. He goes on to mention that price appreciation will play a big role in the industry’s revenue growth over the next few years.

However, “this will largely be the result of the industry attempting to pass increases in material and labour costs through to customers,” says Burt, “Although revenue has surged over the last several years, so have costs…High costs for wood products had a negative effect on profitability in the first quarter of the year.”

Writes Wong: “Labour and material costs will continue to be the major sources of cost growth in the coming years, says the board. Employment, for example has risen by nearly 100,000 jobs since bottoming out in the spring of 2009. Material costs have also gone up significantly, with prices for lumber in particular surging at the beginning of 2010.”

Adds Burt, renovations will be a key driver over the next few years. This will come as a result of a high number of resale homes being sold in addition to aging housing stock. Expenditures for renovating, then, will be in high demand. Renovations are usually primary expenses when a home is first purchased.

It wasn’t too long ago that Canadians were complaining about the lack of job opportunities being presented in the workforce. Of course, due to the recession, the economy was hit so hard that people from all over the country were losing their jobs in droves. Times were, indeed, tough.

Since then, Canada has been making a notable recovery from the recession and reports continue to be released detailing the rate of job growth that the nation is experiencing. And while things are not exactly back to normal, they seem to be getting there much quicker than what was once expected.

Today, some more good news has come from a QMI Agency report that reveals that Canadians are now beginning to earn more money than they were at this time last year. In fact, “average weekly earnings for Canadians jumped 4% in June over 12 months ago, marking the fastest year-over-year increase in more than two years.”

Based on government data released by Statistics Canada earlier today, this information comes as welcome news to workers all over the nation. Still reeling from the effects of the global financial crisis, citizens are need of growing income more than ever before. Naturally, it is hopeful that increasing rates of income is a trend that will continue.

Actually, this trend has already lasted for most of this year, according to Statistics Canada. There has been a year-over-year increase of earnings of 2.3 per cent or more for seven consecutive months. As a result, non-farm payroll earnings increased to $853.50 a week.

QMI also reports that “the education, accommodation and food services sectors have seen pay spike 11.5% since June 2009. Even wages in Canada’s hard-hit manufacturing sector have rebounded 5.2% year-over-year, nearly recovering all lost ground from the recession. Average weekly earnings in manufacturing stood at $946.93 in June.”

The only downside to the report’s findings was that “four of the 10 biggest industries shed workers in June with the construction sector leading the declines.” There was a loss of 3,200 jobs in the month of June. Job losses also took place in the public administration, retail trade and educational services sectors.

Nevertheless, Canada continues to be a world leader in recession recovery. We continue to remain optimistic that both job growth and income increases will take place in the coming months.

Getting a merchant cash advance is a process. Just ask the many clients that we have developed strong working relationships with over the past few years, they’ll tell you. What they will also tell you is that it’s one of the quickest and easiest processes that they have ever experienced.

On the home page of our website, it lists a number of benefits to getting a merchant cash advance from Synergy Merchant Services. Among them is the fact that merchants can get an “unsecured advance approval in 24 hours”. Compare that to the process of getting a bank loan which often takes between 2-4 weeks. Sometimes longer.

But we’ll take it one step further to provide even more clarity as to just how quick the process can be. Once a Canadian business owner speaks to one of our licensed funding specialists, he or she is informed about how a free quote can be received. This requires a review of monthly merchant statements that reveal the merchant’s past year of Visa, MasterCard and debit sales.

Once those statements are received, the specialist makes the appropriate calculations to devise a unique quote for that merchant. The length of time this takes is literally dependent on the business owner. Some send in their merchant statements within days of first speaking to a funding specialists. Some others require more time.

And while we are happy to allow the merchant sufficient time to retrieve his or her statements in order to fax them in, many of our clients send in their copies right away. In many cases, we have provided a free quote for a merchant cash advance with no obligation within minutes of first speaking to the client.

How is that for quick? Sure, 24 hours is a short period of time to receive information about what one qualifies for. But half an hour is even shorter. And this is feasible, of course, if the merchant statements are received immediately. Our licensed funding specialists work diligently to be as effective and efficient as possible.

We find that our merchant cash advance program is quite simply the quickest and easiest way for Canadian business owners to get extra working capital. Even when our clients decide to take their time to think over the information they have received, we know that they are aware that the process is a much more quick and convenient one than what is offered by the bank.

We encourage you to give us a call to see for yourself just how quick and painless the process of getting a quote can be. Don’t forget, if you are interested in getting a merchant cash advance, you may receive the money within five business days. So, you can be quoted within a day, and funded within a week. It doesn’t get much quicker than that.

With the end of August drawing near, the beginning of a new school season will soon be upon us. For many students who are heading back to the classroom, it is an exciting time of the year. For many other students, the first day of school is the most dreaded date on the calendar. For all students, however, going back to school means increased debt.

At least this is the case, according to a QMI Agency report released earlier today on the website of The Toronto Sun. The report details a new poll conducted by TD Canada Trust which found that most Canadian students believe that they will be in debt when they graduate. Most are unsure of how they will make enough money to pay it off.

As QMI reveals, the “Education and Finances Survey found 69% of students expect to graduate with debt, with 17% saying they will likely owe in excess of $25,000. Twenty-one per cent of students say they are continually worried about how to pay for expenses and 36% are anxious, but say they should be able to manage.”

In addition, the poll also concluded that just 27% of students can count on getting money from a registered education savings plan. 44% of those polled say that they will require student loans or lines of credit to make payments towards tuition. Needless to say, paying for school is neither an easy nor stress-free task.

Said Carrie Russell, the senior vice-president of TD Canada Trust: “Amassing enough money for post-secondary education can be a challenge, but it is much more economical to save ahead than to borrow at the last minute.” Of course, not everyone is an expert at saving money, especially students who have a variety of expenses to consider.

The TD poll also found that about 60% of students believe that their parents will cover at least 25% of their post-graduate expenses. Meanwhile, just 10% of those who were polled said that they will get 75% or more covered by their folks. TD advises that parents assist their children with saving money as early as possible.

As QMI explains: “The TD Canada Trust Education and Finances Survey is a national survey of 1,001 adults aged 18-24 who are currently enrolled, plan to be enrolled or were previously enrolled in the past two years in post-secondary education. Data was collected by Environics Research between July 13-23.”

The QMI article also notes that the cost of an undergraduate degree is estimated at about $80,000. Evidently, saving for school tuition is something that should not be taken lightly. It’s too bad there is no such thing as a student cash advance…not that we know of, anyway!

Well, the end of August is drawing near. And although this doesn’t yet spell the end of summer, it does mean that a new season is somewhat around the corner. In the business world, that practically means that the fall – and even the winter – is already here. To be specific, the time for planning for these seasons has already come.

Clothing stores, for example, are already stocking up for the back-to-school rush. In fact, school clothing and accessories have been available in such shops for most of the summer. Many of our clients in this industry tell us that they have put their cash advances towards the purchase of this type of inventory.

It makes sense, obviously, to buy inventory when it is at its cheapest. This is regularly the case when the items are not in high demand. Naturally, winter jackets do not sell in the summer time. Therefore, a clothing store and winter gear supplier that purchases winter jackets in the summer is making a smart move.

So when winter rolls around, that store is ready to be fully stocked with season-ready clothing that was purchased at a reasonable price. The mark-up means that the profits will be greater making the investment to buy the inventory early was a wise one. This type of forward-thinking is not exclusive to clothing stores, of course.

With the fall season soon upon us, it is time for you start thinking – if you haven’t already – on what you will be doing to make sure that your store remains competitive in the coming months. If you have all the inventory you need, perhaps considering a new advertising campaign to bring more business into your store is in order.

What sales can you offer your customers so that they are more likely to want to come into your establishment? What is going to set you apart from your competitors this fall? Why will consumers want to spend their money at your store instead of the others? These are the questions that business owners everywhere should be asking themselves.

With a merchant cash advance, the answers to these questions come so much easier. Many entrepreneurs find it hard to determine just what their next moves are because they don’t have the extra working capital to put their plans into action. With more money available, taking their companies to the next level becomes more achievable.

Put your plans into action. Check into getting a cash advance to give yourself a better opportunity to seeing those plans through. It’s as simple as getting a free quote from one of our funding specialists. We invite you to join the many other business owners who are preparing for this upcoming season by fulfilling their plans to make more money.

In today’s edition of The Toronto Sun, Stefania Moretti discusses one of those life necessities that most of us wish we could avoid: taxes. We know it’s not tax time yet, but we always advise that you keep your financial records in check so that it’s easy to file your taxes when the time comes. Moretti, however, does provide some insight on to how Canadians can keep more of their money longer.

Interestingly, depending on where you live in Canada, your tax situation can change. She writes that high earners in British Columbia have it the best as “the combined federal and provincial tax is below $15,000 for someone making $70,000” this year. Citing the PricewaterhouseCoopers’ annual Tax Fact and Figures guide, she notes that “Ontarians enjoy the second-best rate at $15,492.”

However, if you earn more than “$150,000 a year, Alberta is the place to be with taxes of $45,304.” She reveals that this western province is tops when it comes to claiming an inheritance. Alberta’s probate fees are apparently pretty low. $400, to be exact, regardless of the value of the estate. Moretti notes that “the average probate fee in Canada is more than $3,500.”

When it comes to tax incentives for research, development, entertainment and media, Ontario leads the nation. Like B.C., Ontario is known for its entertainment industry as film makers often visit to make their movies in the province. As Moretti reports, movie producers get a “25% tax credit on all qualifying production costs as well as a 40% interactive digital media tax credit and a 35% film and television tax credit.”

What about those who are in the market for a new house? Says Moretti, New Brunswick is the best province for buying homes when it comes to taxes. The land transfer taxes in this east coast province are the lowest in the country. Buyers pay only $1,065 for a $400,000 home, she writes.

No matter where you are in Canada, however, the personal and corporate tax rates are fairly modest, especially when compared to those in the United States. According to Dale Meister, a tax services partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Calgary, the corporate rates in Canada are between 28 and 30 per cent.

Down south, these rates are generally in the 45% area. So naturally, it is common for people to complain about taxes. Some refer to the taking of taxes as “legal theft”. But, to be fair, our many taxes do help pay for important social requirements like the health care system that we, as Canadians, are so proud of.

But, let’s face it. Paying taxes isn’t much fun. It is important to know, however, that there are ways to soften the blow of your tax payments. Unfortunately, B.C. and Ontario residents will have the blow of HST to compound their tax obligations this year. As Moretti reveals, “”the HST will cost British Columbians an extra $320 a year while residents in Ontario will pay an extra $290 after transition payments run dry.”

Calling all Canadian owners of small and medium-sized businesses…we can turn your merchant statements into money! If you accept Visa, MasterCard and Interac cards as methods of payment in your stores, you are eligible to receive a merchant cash advance from Synergy Merchant Services. No collateral, liens or credit checks are required.

Now, for the most part, when our clients first hear these sentences, they find them hard to believe. Having been conditioned to think that banks are the only places that they can go to get money, it’s not easy for them to begin a new way of thinking. Instead of having to go through the long and intrusive process that they are used to, a simple fax can do the trick here at Synergy.

That fax, of course, includes the monthly summaries that are sent to the merchant reflecting his or her credit and debit sales. This is how we are able to turn your merchant statements into money. A free review of these statements help our licensed funding specialists to determine how much money a business owner is eligible for and what it would cost to receive this money as a cash advance.

Often, when our clients first hear all of this, they are still skeptical. It is not uncommon for business owners to request a quote from a funding specialist before their merchant statements are faxed in. Quoting someone without reviewing his or her statements first would be misleading and quite frankly, unethical.

The truth is the cost of each cash advance is different. It varies depending on a number of factors, not the least of which is a merchant’s average monthly volume of credit and debit card sales. This is the case with most businesses as the cost for services and products often depend on a variety of factors.

Let’s say, for example, you are a restaurant owner and a customer wishes to make a reservation for a birthday party. What would be the most natural question to ask that customer? Chances are you will want to know the size of the party. That way, you’ll be able to set up the right number of chairs and tables. But what if he refused to tell you how many people were coming? What would you tell him then?

If you are a florist and a customer wants to decorate her entire banquet hall with flowers for a wedding, are you able to determine a cost for the flowers without knowing the size of the hall and how many bouquets will be needed to fill it? What if you own a clothing store and a customer wants specific outfits for a photo shoot of his entire family? You can’t quote him a price without knowing how many members of his family will need outfits for the photo, right?

Well, it’s the same thing here at Synergy. We can only know what a merchant cash advance will cost you once we know how much you make on a monthly basis through Visa, MasterCard and Interac sales. We would be more than happy to offer you a quote at no charge. All we need to see, of course, are your merchant statements. Turn them into money today!

Have you ever heard of “convenience tax”? Well, if not, it’s because we kind of made it up. But people do pay convenience tax all of the time. And even though the idea of paying tax is usually met with derision, this concept is not necessarily a bad thing. We are simply talking about the act of paying something a little extra for the convenience that a certain product or service brings to a customer.

Let’s take the simple example of transportation. Taking public transit isn’t all that expensive (although some regular commuters would disagree). It’s approximately three dollars to take a ride on a bus, streetcar or subway all throughout the city of Toronto on the TTC. Taking a taxi, however, will most certainly cost several dollars more depending on where you are traveling.

Clearly, there are benefits to taking a taxi over a bus. Your trip is pretty much guaranteed to be quicker so you will save time. The ride comes with the promise of your own seat, so you know you won’t be uncomfortable at any point. A taxi also provides you with privacy while traveling so the nuisance of fellow passengers is absent.

Since a taxi ride is more expensive than a trip on the bus, it is fair to say that those who take taxis over public transit feel that paying for the convenience of this type of travel is worth it. In such a situation, “convenience tax” isn’t all that bad. There are, of course, many other examples of situations where customers happily pay convenience tax.

The most pertinent example, naturally, would be the discount fee that clients of Synergy Merchant Services pay for their cash advances. Commonly, our customers comment that the cost of the cash advance is noticeably greater than what a bank charges for a loan. Of course, a bank charges an interest rate and not a one time fee. So how expensive a bank loan is versus a cash advance depends on how long it takes to pay the loan back.

The convenience tax – if you will – that comes with taking a merchant cash advance pays for the incredible convenience of having no fixed schedule within which a client must pay the money back. Our program is void of interest charges, late fees and penalties of any kind. The peace of mind that comes with knowing that there is no date that a payment has to be made by, is worth the cost of the one time fee.

At least, this is what our clients tell us. A merchant cash advance may not necessarily be the least expensive way to get money for your business. But we are confident that is the quickest, easiest and most convenient method for Canadian owners of small and mid-sized businesses to get extra working capital.

Put away the worry of having to deal with the banks. You no longer have to be concerned with getting your payments in on time. Let your Visa, MasterCard and Interac sales do all of the work for you. Paying back a merchant cash advance is done through a very convenient method. Finding out how much money you are eligible for is even easier. Give Synergy a call and see for yourself.

Now, we here at Synergy, are not the type to perpetuate stereotypes. We believe firmly in not judging books by their covers. However, when a light-hearted conversation in our offices earlier today turned into a major disagreement, it was important for us to take a more serious look into the question that was being debated.

Are women worse at saving money than men? Of course, most of the men taking part in the discussion insisted that they are. “As soon as a woman sees a percent sign in a store, they think ‘sale’,” said one male staff member, “She thinks she’s actually saving money because she is getting a discount. A guy ignores it knowing that spending no money at all means that he’s really saving his money.”

The women, naturally, took issue with this insisting that they are members of the more “responsible” gender. Being natural caregivers, they argued, women are more keen on taking care of financial matters than men were. In case you were wondering what sparked what is probably an age-old debate, a QMI Agency report was released yesterday attempting to determine a winner of this financial battle of the sexes.

A recent Scotiabank poll determined that “Canadian women say they would feel better if they saved more but can’t afford to do so.” In other words, Canadian men have a better ability to save cash than their female counterparts. Hey, don’t shoot the messenger! We only just discovered the following statistics ourselves.

According to the study, “About 69% of women said they don’t have enough funds to put aside more cash, compared with 57% of men.” The QMI report also notes that men are more likely to have a savings plan to help them in achieving specific goals. Women, on the other hand, generally do not have plans to save.

Other findings of the survey include that “about 70% of men save money at least once a month, compared with 64% of women.” As well, men were found to be more likely to have enough money saved to cover more than three months of household expenses. While this statistic did not sit well with most women in our offices, the following may be of some solace.

The survey did find that women are more likely than men to change their saving habits if necessary. So hope is not all lost, ladies. Gerry Pettipas, a Scotiabank branch manager in Halifax believes that everyone has the ability to save money regardless of their gender. It very simply requires planning and dedication.

Said Pettipas: “We realize that there are a lot of demands on Canadians’ wallets and we believe that everyone has money that can be saved – sometimes they just need help to find it. The key to saving success is saving automatically.”

Back in mid-February, the Synergy Merchant Services Blog commented on an issue that has had the province of Ontario buzzing ever since. The sport of mixed martial arts, better known by its initials MMA or sometimes “ultimate fighting”, finally became legal in Ontario. When we first reported about the chances of this multi-million dollar industry getting a pass to be exhibited in Ontario, Premier Dalton McGuinty insisted that the issue was not a priority.

Today, Chris Doucette reports in The Toronto Sun that mixed martial arts will finally be featured in an event in Ontario as early as next year. To many MMA fans, this comes as no surprise as making the sport legal in Ontario was pretty much just a matter of time. Back in late-May, this blog also wrote about how the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) opened an office in Toronto.

Evidently, the writing was on the wall. The world’s largest mixed martial arts organization, the UFC anticipates having one of its largest events in the company’s history in Toronto in 2011. With the success of a number of events taking place in Montreal and Vancouver over the past few years, Ontario was the last major piece of the Canadian puzzle that needed to be put into place for the UFC.

Needless to day, the economic impact that these events have had for the cities in which they have been held was tremendous. Many expect that Ontario will now enjoy the same financial boost that comes with hosting a UFC event in the near future. Apparently, McGuinty has come to acknowledge the benefits that legalizing MMA can have for the provincial economy.

Not to mention, the decision to legalize MMA in Ontario has been met with vast approval from fans of all ages. A near-immediate sellout is predicted upon the announcement of the now-inevitable Toronto-held UFC event scheduled for next year. Doucette reports that Tom Wright, the UFC’s director of Canadian operations, intends to have this event set up very shortly.

Said Wright: “Canada has long been a mecca for MMA and the UFC, and Ontario is the epicentre of that mecca. It’s been a real team effort…We’re absolutely thrilled! The UFC is here to stay, for the benefit of the Canadian economy, aspiring athletes and the fight fans.”

Added UFC president Dana White: “This is a huge moment for the UFC in Canada. Premier Dalton McGuinty, Minister (of Consumer Services) Sophia Aggelonitis and Canadian fight fans, thank you for your support. You helped to make this happen and I can’t wait to bring big fights and the biggest names in the UFC to Ontario.”

Doucette notes that “the UFC is expected to generate upwards of $6 million annually for the local economy.” Generating the type of fan support that some consider “the second most popular in Canada next to hockey”, mixed martial arts is bound to be great for many businesses operating in Ontario.

Restaurants and bars that showcase live UFC events on the big screen have already been cashing in for years. It is widely believed that bringing the sport to the province will only make business bigger.

Earlier this week, we blogged about how many job seekers are losing out on potential career opportunities by not properly updating their references. Apparently, some references forgot they were even references at all. Others provided less than stellar reviews of the job applicant in question.

Clearly, it is important to make contact with anyone you list as a reference prior to having them named on your resume. Be sure that they not only agree to be one of your references but that they are willing to vouch for your reliability and skill level during your previous position. It could be the difference in whether or not you are employed again.

Today, we would like to add to that by making a few suggestions to those seeking employment as it relates to the job interview. As we mentioned, earlier this week, being on time is key. Showing up late for an interview is a surefire sign that you cannot be depended on to get to work on time.

As well, be sure to dress appropriately. Not all jobs require a dress code, but you don’t always know that before your interview. Regardless, you will want to present yourself as someone who takes pride in his or her appearance and is willing to put an effort into making a good first impression. Remember that what you wear is the first thing your interviewer sees, even before your resume.

One suggestion for men is to wear a nice dress shirt with slacks. A tie isn’t always necessary, but it can’t hurt either. Ladies should dress professionally as well, without being overly revealing or suggestive. Common sense is of the essence in this situation.

Now, when you get to the interview, be sure to make eye contact with the person who is interviewing you. Show confidence and courtesy. Be sure to smile and engage in banter if it is offered before any serious line of questioning. Don’t forget to use business appropriate language. Keep in mind that you are not speaking to one of your friends at a party.

This may sound obvious, but bring a resume! Surprisingly, many employers have commented about how put off they have been to interview people who don’t even put in the effort to come readily prepared with a resume. Show that you are serious about attaining employment. Bringing a well written and presentable resume is the least you can do to prove you are legitimately seeking work.

Utilizing these simple tips will help you to make a good impression. You may not necessarily be qualified for every job out there. But the last thing you want to do when seeking employment is to present yourself in a poor way. Many job opportunities have been lost, not just by offering up bad references, but by having bad job interviews. Don’t let that happen to you.

Humour us, if you will. Imagine a world where tens of thousands of dollars miraculously appear in your bank account almost out of nowhere. Provided that you are well aware that it has appeared through legitimate and legal means, what ideas would you have about how to spend it?

As a business owner, it goes without saying that you are always thinking of ways to improve your business. These plans don’t always have the opportunity of being put into action because the money needed to do so is not usually readily available. But, now remember you are living in this imaginary world where the money is available. What would you do with it?

Renovations are popular choices for business owners who know that a fresh look and feel of their stores are what is needed to grow business. Advertising, to many others, is a key component to bringing in more customers. Expansion is often on the minds of entrepreneurs as opening a new location would literally double their profits.

If only fulfilling these dreams were possible, it would be a better world for business owners everywhere. Now we would like for you to exit that imaginary world and come back into the real one. Believe it or not, there is a legitimate and legal way to put up to $125, 000 in your bank account within five days in this world.

We don’t blame you if you are skeptical. Most clients of Synergy Merchant Services are skeptical upon first hearing of our merchant cash advance program. “How can it be possible that I can get that much money that quick?”, many of our new clients wonder aloud. The truth is, your Visa, MasterCard and Interac receivables have great worth.

And in fact, your future credit and debit sales – yes, the ones you haven’t even made yet – can have great worth to you right now. Receiving a cash advance literally means that you can receive the money that you will eventually make through your point of sale terminal before you even make those sales. In other words, you can get your cash…in advance.

This concept, which is still pretty new to many Canadian business owners, has helped so many of them turn their imaginary worlds into realities. Of course, in the real world, money doesn’t just appear out of nowhere into your bank account. In order to receive a cash advance, a business owner must first receive a free review of their monthly merchant statements to determine how much of a cash advance can be made available to his or her business.

Now, imagine a world where those merchant statements determine that you are eligible for a sum of money that will allow you to renovate, advertise or expand just as you had dreamed. This world really does exist. It’s time to give Synergy a call to discover just how close you are to realizing your business dreams.

As often as we have discussed Canada’s job growth in the Synergy Merchant Services Blog, we have mentioned that we are continuing to do our part in offering career opportunities. Those seeking employment in the merchant cash advance field are invited to contact us about available positions, as we are always looking to add to our fantastic team.

That being said, when looking for work in any type of field, there are some important steps to follow if you are truly interested in securing employment for yourself. First things first, be on time! There’s nothing worse than making a bad first impression. If you are scheduled to show up for an interview, make sure to give yourself enough time to be there early!

In addition, if you have secured yourself a position and you show up to work late on your very first day, don’t be surprised if your tenure doesn’t last very long. Tardiness is not a trait you want to possess when starting a new job. Getting that job was hard enough already. You don’t want to mess it up by not even showing up for it on time.

For many would-be employees, even getting the opportunity for a first day of work is difficult. Tiny changes to your resume may just help for the process to become much easier. Sadly, many people looking for jobs overlook simple but glaring mistakes on their resumes.

Today, the QMI Agency reports on one of these errors that seems to be keeping a lot of job seekers out of the workplace. Bad references make for bad candidates, says the report. It reveals that “a new survey shows managers remove 26% of job applicants from consideration after talking to their references.”

That’s a fourth of all job applicants losing out on a job position simply because they listed a reference who did not provide a glowing report about their work. Evidently, it is imperative for all of you job seekers out there to make sure that your references are people that not only know you, but like you as well.

The survey, which was conducted by Office Team, a temporary placement agency, polled 300 Canadian senior managers at companies that have at least 20 employees. The survey found that “19% of interviewers call a reference to get a sense of an applicant’s strengths and weaknesses, 27% seek information about past job duties, 14% ask about past workplace accomplishments, 9% want confirmation about job titles and dates, and 7% want to know about an applicant’s preferred job culture.”

Said Robert Hosking, executive director of Office Team: “When hiring managers narrow the field to a few potential candidates, the reference check often becomes the deciding factor. To distinguish themselves from the competition, job seekers should assemble a solid list of contacts who can persuasively communicate their qualifications and professional attributes.”