Chamber President Adam Legge has often been heard saying that Peter Diamandis is the most important speaker for businesses on innovation right now. Last week at Onward, Calgary's business leaders were able to hear from that very speaker. The take away? The idea of moonshots and reaching them by starting with identifying adjacent possibilities.

But how can you begin to apply those ideas to your business?

Watch this video to find out from Adam himself.

Ad: Servus Credit Union – The Business Circle

To help grow the next generation of leaders and celebrate our 125th anniversary, your Calgary Chamber is proud to announce the release of Dear Calgary: Letters to the Next Generation of Leaders.

This book is filled with amazing insight on hard work, innovation, treating people well, handling adversity, failure and success, being humble, collaborating and getting stuff done.

Inside its hallowed pages you'll find letters from leaders like:

• Hayley Wickenheiser, four-time Olympic gold medalist
• Lois Mitchell, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta
• Paul Brandt, nine-time Juno Award winning country music artist
• Naheed Nenshi, Mayor of Calgary
• W. Brett Wilson, entrepreneur and philanthropist

Learn more about the book and where you can pick up a copy yourself or for an aspiring leader in your life.

Last Thursday thousands of businesses attended a massive event that opened people's minds in a whole new way: Onward, a world-class conference to help businesses evolve and accelerate in the three key areas of innovation, productivity and new markets.

But Onward is more than just one day; it's a new initiative we have undertaken to help revolutionize the way we think about doing business and inspire the change our businesses need to build a bigger and more prosperous future.

Head to OnwardYYC.com to learn how this initiative can help you start growing your business through transitional times and beyond.

Every year, in the third week of October, we shine a light on the vibrant community of small but mighty business owners in our city with the Small Business Week Calgary Awards and Expo.

So don't wait for someone else to nominate you, make your own luck and apply for the award you think your business deserves today.

Applications are due by 11:59 pm on Sunday, July 24th.

You can apply for:

• BDC Emerging Growth Award
• Breakout Business Award
• Innovation Award
• BDC Indigenous Entrepreneurship Award
• Customer Service Award
• Community Impact Award
• Environmental Stewardship Award
• People's Choice (NEW for 2016!)

Remember, if you were already nominated, you don't have to apply for the same award you were nominated for but without a completed application, your business won't make it front of the judges!

Make sure you apply for an award today!

Canada Post is facing a potential labour disruption that could close postal services across the country as early as this weekend. If your business relies on post for letters or packages, it’s important to prepare.

Here are three important actions every business should consider:

• Get in touch with your bank and discuss options to move more payables and receivables electronic.
• Take advantage of the Chamber’s Business Savings Programs with deep discounts through your fellow members UPS and Purolator.
• Communicate your plans to your customers. It’s important for them to know if you’ll still be delivering items during a postal stoppage.

Details on both of these programs are below. Or contact membership@calgarychamber.com for more information.

Packages that are in the system will be help up until any dispute is resolved, which can be an indefinite length of time. Depending on the service, there are different guidelines for the last safe day to send items – to see those dates you can reference this table provided by Canada Post.

If you're a Calgary Chamber member and haven't already signed up for the UPS Members Benefit Program, now is the time. Here are the five top reasons to join:

• You can save 30% on outgoing small package shipments, 25% on imports, and savings start at 75% on freight.
• Automatic Daily Pickup and UPS On-Call Pickup are free.
• UPS's expertise, resources, and technologies can help support your international trade needs.
• You can streamline your shipping with My UPS or Worldship.
• UPS offers a wide range of air, ground and freight shipping options to fit your needs.

Click here to start saving on your shipments or call 1-800-MEMBERS (1-800-636-2377).

Every day the Purolator network successfully delivers to more points across Canada than any other parcel and freight solutions provider.

As a Chamber member, you can take advantage of volume discounts up to 30% on Purolator Express® and Purolator Ground® services.

Take advantage of these exclusive Purolator savings today.

Thursday, July 7, 2016
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Fiasco Gelato Cafe
110, 221 19th Street SE

Please note that Business After Hours are members-only events. If you are not a Calgary Chamber member, please contact us at membership@calgarychamber.com.

Stampede is when some of the best business relationships are forged. And what better way to kick off ten days of networking than while bonding over a scoop of gelato or two? That's what our upcoming Business After Hours at Fiasco Gelato is all about.

As you network with some of Calgary's top business leaders, you'll sample a ton of their famous gelato and sorbetto, and also experience the magic of how it's made. You will also have a unique chance to see what makes Fiasco tick with a behind-the-scenes tour of their office and production facility.

There's only a few tickets left – don't miss the most delicious Business After Hours of the summer!

• Calgary business leaders give tips to new entrepreneurs in local book
• 19 podcasts to provoke your business mind
• BT Calgary video: Dear Calgary
• Post-Brexit: The latest updates, next moves and how it happened
• Infographic: 9 ways to make your meetings more effective

Tuesday, July 26, 2016
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
charbar rooftop patio
618 Confluence Way SE

Please note the date and location for this event has changed.

For many of us, people aren't part of the business, they are the business. Your employees count on you to lead by example in celebrating the small wins, staying focused on the why of your company, and building an atmosphere they want to show up to every day.

At this upcoming edition of Fast-Growth Champions, learn best practices for recruitment, retention and engagement as well as insights and trends from industry leading HR decision makers.

Join us on charbar's rooftop patio for a fantastic evening of networking, fresh ideas and inspiring stories.

Verifying your business' Facebook page is actually a quick and (generally) painless process that can significantly increase your credibility. 

What it does is add a little gray or blue checkmark next to your page name that indicates that Facebook has confirmed that your page is the official representation of your business. Here's two other benefits to consider:

• If your business name is similar to others, getting your page verified ensures your customers know which page is yours.
• If an unofficial page exists for your company (either a fan page or a deliberate attempt to impersonate your business), verification adds much-needed credibility to your page.

Learn how you can get your business' Facebook page verified today. 

Hyatt Regency Calgary is a property of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation, a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 12 premier brands and 652 properties in 53 countries. 

As one of the most desired Downtown Calgary hotels, Hyatt Regency Calgary was designed to be a premier destination for business and leisure travelers. In addition to providing superb accomodations, the hotel also features 33,000 square feet of sophisticated event space with state-of-the-art A/V equipment and Wi-Fi access for meetings and social events.

Learn more at CalgaryRegencyHyatt.com.

These Prestige members have shown a substantial and unwavering commitment to supporting the work of the Calgary Chamber. We thank our Prestige members: Suncor, TELUS, CNOOC Nexen, AltaLink, BDC, ATB Financial, Brookfield Residential, Shaw and University of Calgary, for helping to make Calgary a better place to live and work for all.