Events

An Honest Conversation About What Is Really Happening Inside Our Businesses

Running a business can feel isolating, especially when you are the person making the decisions, paying the bills and carrying the responsibility when things do not go according to plan. Small Business Unfiltered brings business owners together for an open conversation about the challenges, decisions and opportunities we are facing.

This is not a webinar, presentation or sales event. It is a moderated roundtable where business owners can speak honestly, compare experiences and learn from people who understand what it takes to run a business.

The conversation will be shaped by the people attending and may include cash flow, rising costs, marketing, sales, staffing, technology, AI, systems, changing customer behaviour, work-life balance and the decisions being carried into 2027.

You do not need to arrive with answers. Bring a question, a current challenge, an experience worth sharing or simply a willingness to listen and contribute when you feel comfortable.

Who Should Attend?

Small Business Unfiltered is open to business owners from all industries and stages. It is particularly valuable for those who are re-evaluating their direction, dealing with change, making difficult decisions or looking for practical insight from other owners.

There will be opportunities to make meaningful connections, but this is not traditional networking and direct sales pitches are not permitted.

Event Information

Date: Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Time: 11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. ET
Cost: Free to attend
Registration: Advance registration is required

The conversation will be moderated by Debi Katsmar, CEO and Marketing Strategist at Prowl Communications. With more than 40 years in marketing and business, Debi is known for helping business owners see what is really getting in their way and where they need to focus next.

Pull up a chair. Let’s talk—unfiltered.

Register for Small Business Unfiltered

How Appraisal Firms Can Attract More of the Work They Want

Your firm has experience and expertise, but does your marketing help you attract the assignments you actually want?

Designed for machinery, equipment, and business valuation firms, this webinar explores how to choose the clients and industries you want to reach, communicate your expertise and connect your website, content, referral relationships and follow-up.

Join Debi Katsmar, Marketing Strategist at Prowl Communications, to learn how to:

• Identify the assignments that best fit your expertise, capacity and business goals.
• Reach the people who commission or refer that work.
• Help prospective clients recognize your firm’s suitability.
• Strengthen follow-up so opportunities receive the attention they need.
• Set a manageable 90-day marketing priority and measure progress.

Drawing on Prowl’s experience working with appraisal firms and our Foundational Six Architecture method of working, Debi will explain how marketing strategy guides decisions and how implementation puts those decisions into practice.

You’ll receive a workbook to apply the discussion to your firm and identify where consulting or implementation support could help, yet receive enough information from this session to continue on your own if preferred.

Duration: 45 minutes, including Q&A

An honest look at why customers choose you, overlook you or go somewhere else.

Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2026
Time: 12:00–12:45 p.m. Eastern
Speaker: Debi Katsmar, Marketing Strategist & Owner, Prowl Communications
Location: Online · Free live webinar

You know how much experience, effort and care goes into your business. Your next customer sees your website, reads your email, leaves a message or asks for a quote. Based on that experience alone, would you hire you?

Would your marketing catch your attention? Could you understand your own offer? Would you wait that long for a reply? Would your quotation and follow-up give you enough confidence to buy?

Join Debi Katsmar for a practical look at your business from the customer’s side. You will examine five moments when prospective customers decide whether to keep moving towards a purchase, put you aside or contact someone else.

What we’ll explore
Is your message clear? Can people quickly understand what you do, who you help and whether you can solve their problem?
Have you earned their confidence? Does your marketing provide useful evidence of your experience and the quality of your work?
How easy are you to buy from? Is the next step obvious, manageable and clearly explained?
What happens when someone reaches out? Does your response make a prospective customer feel their business matters?
Does your follow-up help them decide? Do your quotations, proposals and conversations give people the information and confidence to move forward?
What you’ll receive
You’ll receive the “Would You Hire Your Own Business?” Customer Experience Checklist, a practical handout to complete during the session and use afterwards to review your marketing, enquiry process and follow-up.

You’ll leave with:

A clearer understanding of what prospective customers experience before they buy.
A way to recognise gaps that could be costing you enquiries and sales.
Practical improvements you can make to your messaging, buying process and customer communication.
One priority action to take, with space in your checklist to identify who will own it and when it will happen.
There will also be time for questions.

Who should attend?
This session is for business owners and anyone responsible for marketing, sales or responding to customer enquiries—especially in businesses where customers book a consultation, request a quote or speak with someone before buying.

It is particularly relevant to consultants, professional service firms, contractors, B2B suppliers, manufacturers, distributors and other service businesses.

If you know your business does good work but wonder whether prospective customers are getting that message, this session is for you.

About Debi Katsmar
Debi Katsmar is the owner and marketing strategist behind Prowl Communications, a Niagara-based marketing agency and consultancy. With more than 40 years in marketing and over 30 years running her own business, Debi brings a practical understanding of how marketing, sales, technology and day-to-day operations affect business results.

She helps owners identify what needs attention, decide where to focus and put the right strategies and systems to work. Her experience spans traditional and online marketing, website development, email marketing, CRM systems and automation.

Her approach reflects Prowl’s philosophy: Be Bold. Do Different. See Results.

Register for this free webinar and take an honest look at the experience your business gives its next customer.