TORONTO, Oct. 20, 2011 /CNW/ - The vast majority of Canadians (95 per cent) value their local small businesses for improving their community's access to products and services, according to a recent Scotiabank poll conducted by Harris/Decima about Canadians' views on small businesses. For tips on how to create the best services and products, Scotiabank turned to the experts - the owners of Creek Shore Farms and winners of The Small Business Big Impact Challenge in the Products or Services Category.

"The key to having your own successful business is finding something you are passionate about that connects with what really matters to your community," says Amanda Thiessen. She shares her advice on how to create services and products that will lead to small business success.

Tips on Creating and Delivering the Best Services and Products:

1. Become involved: Know the people in your community and what matters to them; it's crucial to creating services and products that will have an impact.
   
   
2. Reach out to your customers: Connect with the people who need and genuinely will be interested in your product; you will build relationships, learning what matters to them and how to best serve them.
   
   
3. Network: Connect with companies related to your business to work together to deliver to customers. Developing working relationships greatly improves your business's chance at survival.
   
   
4. Quality control: Stand behind your product/services. If you create genuinely great products and services, you can get your clients to care about your company.
   
   
5. Know what you can commit to: Work within your means when you are starting out. If you overextend what you can do, you might fail to live up to your commitment to customers and your reputation for delivering services suffers.

To hear more from Amanda Thiessen and other small business experts, visit www.getgrowingforbusiness.com today at 2 p.m. ET for an online panel discussion featuring CBC's Dragons' Den's Jim Treliving. The online event also features CFIB's Catherine Swift; business specialists from Google Canada and Scotiabank; and the winners of The Small Business Big Impact Challenge.

For more ideas on how to succeed in your small business, please meet with a Small Business advisor at any Scotiabank branch or visit www.getgrowingforbusiness.com.

About Creek Shore Farms
Creek Shore Farms is a 10-acre sustainable farm in Niagara wine country founded by Amanda and Ryan Thiessen. The company uses a share purchase system, where customers pre-purchase vegetables for the entire season, providing healthy organic produce through sustainable farming practices.

About Scotiabank's Small Business, Big Impact Challenge:
The Small Business Big Impact Challenge invited nominations of local small businesses across Canada that could demonstrate that their business made a difference in the community where they live and work in one of the following three categories: Employment, Products or Services, and Leadership. Over 1200 small business entered the contest and three truly unique businesses were selected to win the challenge.

About Scotiabank:
Scotiabank is one of North America's premier financial institutions and Canada's most international bank. With more than 70,000 employees, Scotiabank Group and its affiliates serve some 18.6 million customers in more than 50 countries around the world. Scotiabank offers a broad range of products and services including personal, commercial, corporate and investment banking. With assets above $567 billion (as at July 31, 2011), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (BNS) and New York Exchanges (BNS). For more information please visit www.scotiabank.com.