Small business support and the need for independent agents

by Gloria Welton

For the last 30 years, Paul Trainor has been offering services and support to help new start-ups and established businesses. He ventured out on his own in 2008 and opened Atlantic Business Federation.

He has an office on North River Road in Charlottetown that houses support for many business needs. His team offers mortgages, real estate service, insurance, website management & development, marketing, logo designs, health & dental benefits, drone services, a podcast studio, photography, bookkeeping, financing, branding, social media administration, and more.

“We are a mid-sized business federation serving PEI, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick,” says Paul. “We offer services to business owners and their staff that help owners keep costs down and concentrate on what they do best.”

“When owning a small business, it is challenging to provide benefits to staff that are cost efficient. We encourage members to buy their services through the federation, which has a much better price point.”

Paul says getting business and personal services through a small business federation saves time and money, and benefits everyone. “Business owners register with Atlantic Business Federation and become a member at no cost. At that point their staff can access services as well.

“We can keep our prices low because we are drawing from a larger range. For instance, we negotiate with 27 insurance companies so we can offer a very competitive rate for auto insurance, health insurance, life, and disability insurance.

“We can also offer lower mortgage rates because we can negotiate a rate from about 47 different banks. Fuel prices and shipping costs are other services we can offer, to name a few.

“Business owners and those starting a business can call me and we discuss their business needs based on what we can offer, and I take it from there.”

Independent agents needed

Paul has a team of seven independent agents who he refers businesses to, and he does much of the work himself in-house.

“I find it is getting harder to find independent agents. We do a lot of financing, so we need more mortgage brokers and licensed insurance representatives. With website development and marketing and branding, I need more independent photographers, videographers, people who can direct and edit podcasts, and graphic designers.”

Future business plans: virtual healthcare App support

Paul is working with a company in Ontario to develop online medical assistance through a virtual healthcare App which will be set up at his office for members and their staff.

“Through a video call, a Canadian doctor will be able to discuss health concerns with the user and can diagnose, recommend treatment, and prescribe medication for minor illnesses such as cold and flu, rashes, sore throat, headaches, allergies, UTIs, and more.

“Small business owners and their staff will be able to come in to our office and get a video appointment with a doctor to have a consultation and walk away with a prescription, referral, diagnostic information, and more. This is the future of healthcare.”