Less than 16% of Canadian small and medium-sized businesses are women-owned, yet the full and equal involvement of women in the economy is essential to Canada’s competitiveness. The Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH) is an initiative funded through Budget 2018 that aims to reduce financial and knowledge barriers among women entrepreneurs. To grow women’s entrepreneurship…
Canadian women often face financial barriers as they start and expand businesses. While there are many factors that have led to women owning fewer than 16% of businesses in Canada, access to financial resources is undoubtedly one of the greatest hurdles to overcome. Although there is greater gender equality in the workforce now than ever…
Please Note: This article refers to the application intake process for WEKH. This intake has closed and successful applicants were invited to participate in late 2018. Entrepreneurship is a vital element of Canada’s economic well-being. To drive employment and innovation, Canada must find ways to help more entrepreneurs across the country, especially women entrepreneurs whose…
In 2014, the Government of Ontario introduced Starter Company, a funding program that supported youth entrepreneurs. To date, the program has assisted 2,700 businesses and supported the creation of more than 3,100 jobs across the province. That iteration of the program is now closed, however, to continue supporting startup ventures in Ontario, the government has…
Every year, an average of 130,000 new Canadian small businesses are established. But despite this entrepreneurial drive, only 35% survive their first five years. While startups are critical to Canada’s innovation and overall business competitiveness, they face extreme pressure to maintain tight cash flow and survive streamlined operations. It can be tough, but entrepreneurs aren’t…
Female entrepreneurs are becoming an increasingly powerful and vocal group of influencers within Canada’s business community. A growing number of women are becoming entrepreneurs – 950,000 women were self-employed as of 2012, accounting for nearly 36% of all entrepreneurs in Canada. Still, two main challenges face women who are starting and growing their own business….
Canada’s youth (those aged 15-24) face significant employment challenges despite their skills and education. During December 2015, Ontario’s youth unemployment rate held at approximately 13%,more than double the unemployment rate of adults (those aged 25 to 54) and seniors (those aged 55 and older). To earn money and build skills, youth in Ontario are now…
Millennials, those of us born between 1982 and 2004, have received a lot of bad press; we are often associated with the personality traits of being “bratty”, narcissistic, lazy, and entitled. However, Millennials now make up a third of the Canadian and American population and are the largest customer demographic in the North America. With…
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the following article are those of the guest author and do not represent or reflect Mentor Works Ltd. It’s no secret that there are a set of specific challenges related to being a small business owner, but even more so for women in business. Women have come a long…
The state of entrepreneurship is changing globally as more youth are taking self-employment options over working for established organizations. The statistics, provided in July’s Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) report, are clear that this trend is significant and shows a shift in the way that youth across the world are approaching the labour market. Youth are…