It’s that time of year again when communities are encouraged to consider the many benefits that small businesses contribute to their daily lives.
Small Business Week runs Oct. 14-20, and this year’s theme, put forward by the Business Development Bank of Canada, is ‘Aim High: Invest in Your Future’.
The BDC officially launched BDC Small Business Week™ across Canada in 1981. The initiative was quickly adopted by Canada’s business community.
According to the BDC, small and medium-sized businesses are the cornerstone of the Canadian economy. They account for 99.8% of all Canadian companies and employ more than 60% of private sector workers.
Another vital part of small businesses is the freedom and opportunity they give people to flex their creative muscles and explore a variety of ventures. Entrepreneurial spirit thrives in the setting of a small business, where folks can invest in business plans to bring their own dreams to fruition.
In a recent article for the Financial Post, W. Brett Wilson said that bolstering that entrepreneurial spirit is absolutely critical. He wrote that entrepreneurship allows people to explore their passions, think creatively, take risks, partner with others, and — in the process — leave the world better than they found it.
In an increasingly competitive business environment, innovation is often the key to staying afloat and relevant. Clearly, a healthy and strong encouragement of entrepreneurship fuels the drive to stimulate those ‘innovative senses.’
“For those who want to question whether entrepreneurs are born or made, I would simply answer: ‘Yes!’ But a better question is this: how can you use your knowledge, your network, and your personal passion to creatively solve a problem and meet the world’s greatest needs? No matter what your skill set, or your employment history, I promise that your willingness to innovate as an entrepreneur will do more than expand the economy — it can literally change the world,” noted Wilson.
Meanwhile, on a local level, Small Business Week encourages entrepreneurs to connect and network at conferences, luncheons and trade fairs across the nation.
Ultimately entrepreneurship, as the BDC points out, is built on the foundations of finding the right people to work with, the latest technology to utilize and the most cutting edge business skills to “beat the competition both here and abroad.”
Small Business Week is all about those very things – and also for taking the time to congratulate those dedicated men and women who pour so much time and energy into making their small ventures work. Their efforts enrich the community more than they will perhaps ever know.
