About the Institute for Independent Business - IIB Associates in Canada

All the independent consultancy businesses on this website are run by individuals who have been accredited by the Institute for Independent Business (IIB)

The Institute for Independent Business (IIB) is a not-for-profit research, training and accreditation organisation established in the UK in 1984.

During the 1980s, research had shown that most owners / managers of small to medium sized businesses are concerned that they lack the skills, experience and time to be effective in various key aspects of management, as well as the contacts and resources required to maintain and grow their businesses.

The Institute therefore created the Consultancy Business Development Programme (CBDP) to provide suitable executives with a framework for developing independent Business Advisory practices directed specifically at the independent business sector.

The first CBDP took place in January 1991, and since then over 5,500 executives have completed the Residential Business School and support programme to become Accredited Associates with their own advisory practices.

The Continuing Professional Development (CPD) of Associates is catered for by the Institute through the provision of monthly training workshops/forums, a monthly internal publication, Global Update, an email facility which provides a platform for the exchange of information, problem solving and sharing expertise and an interactive website.

The Institute's ongoing research into methods of improving the delivery of information, advice and management skills to the independent business sector has led to the development of the Business Support Programme (BSP). Research showed that, to improve business performance, it was necessary to facilitate incremental improvements in all aspects of company activity, rather than concentrating on any one single aspect.

Under a BSP, a Lead Adviser is appointed who, over a period of time and using standard analytical techniques, can become fully familiar with a client's business. The Lead Adviser is then responsible for bringing in appropriate Associates from the Institute's community of Associates to provide specific expertise.

The BSP is paid for by clients on a monthly retainer basis. This allows the client to draw on an Advisor's time as and when required. The result is that, for a fixed and known cost, clients have access to the full range of skills that would normally only be available to the Board and senior management of a large company.

Through the BSP, the Institute has provided a method and structure for overcoming, in an acceptable commercial manner, the expertise gap that exists in the typical management structure. And, as the needs of independent businesses are found to be common in all countries, Associates of the Institute continue to enjoy remarkable success worldwide.

All individuals who are accredited by the Institute have to conform to a strict code of ethics whereby they have to serve their local business community by contributing time and expertise without financial reward. This means that when an SME business asks an IIB Associate for help - the first consultation is usually completely without charge.

Businesses can benefit from the exact support needed that's right for them, based on a well-proven model that has helped many thousands of independent businesses all over the world.

for more information, please go to www.iib.org.ws

There are independent consultancy businesses run by IIB Accredited Associates in most parts of Canada.

On the Canadian section of this site the businesses are listed under the following regions: Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario

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