Susan Ward

Susan Ward is a business writer and experienced business person. Besides running her own business as a freelance writer, she and her partner run Cypress Technologies, an IT consulting business that provides services including software and database development. 

Susan has been a Small Business Expert for The Balance (and prior to that, About.com) for over 18 years. She won a Small Business Influencer Award in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.  

Susan has been in business, and writing about business, since the late-1990s. Her work has been published on a variety of websites such as Shopify.com, Intuit.ca (where she contributed articles on Canadian taxes), and FamilyClick; and in magazines such as Costco Connection, National Credit News and Home Business Report. Susan also served as the Editor for Home Business Report for several years.

Susan has won Community Choice awards and been a Top 100 Champion in the Small Business Influencer Awards in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. These awards, produced by Small Business Trends and Small Biz Technology, honored the companies, organizations, vendors, apps and people who have made a significant impact on the North American small business market.

Susan has also run her own business as a computer/software instructor, teaching groups and individuals how to use Windows, Simply Accounting, and various levels of Word and Excel. She has developed curricula used as teaching guides by various school districts and curricula for companies such as UMI (Bell & Howell). A trained workshop and course presenter, Susan has designed and presented courses including How to Promote Your Small Business, How to Write a Business Plan, How to Create Your Own Website, and How to Write Business Letters and Memos. Many of these students have gone on to work in or run their own successful businesses.

Susan holds a B.Ed. (Secondary) and a M.Ed. from the University of British Columbia and taught Business Education and English for years. She is a member of various business-related organizations.