New Shopify research reveals that almost 70% of
Canadians want to be their own boss
To honour Canada’s 150th birthday, Shopify is celebrating all
the creators, innovators and game-changing entrepreneurs who have
helped build this country. As one of Canada’s leading technology
companies, Shopify wants to inspire, educate and connect the
growing community of self-starters to innovate and shape Canada’s
future economy for the next 150 years.
Over the course of the last century and a half, Canadians with
diverse backgrounds have built a nation based on heart, hustle and
resilience. Today, more and more Canadians are considering taking
the path to entrepreneurship. According to Statistics Canada, 97.9
per cent of Canada’s economy is made up of small businesses.1 A
recent Shopify survey revealed that this trend is expected to
continue. The entrepreneurial spirit is booming and according to
the survey more than two-thirds (68%) of Canadians would love to be
their own boss. Currently, three in ten Canadians have already
started their own business, and more than half (53%) believe that
entrepreneurship is a possibility for them in the future but lack
the resources to pursue it.
Shopify also found that some of the key perceived barriers to
starting a business include: not enough money (62%), too scared of
the risk (41%), unsure how to get the product to market (26%) or
not enough time (20%).
The timing has never been better for Canadian
Entrepreneurs
Earlier this year, the Canadian government outlined its broad
commitment to innovation in an effort to drive productivity, job
creation and economic growth.
The Shopify survey found that Canadians perceive entrepreneurs
as key contributors to the country’s economy, citing the strongest
impact in creating new jobs (73%), innovating through new products
or services (67%), adding to the national income (45%), and
creating social change (35%).
Entrepreneurs across Canada
While survey results concluded that Toronto is perceived as the
most entrepreneurial city in Canada - the jury is still out on this
one. The survey data revealed there are actually more self-employed
individuals in B.C. (39%) and Alberta (38%) than in Ontario (33%).
The good news is, overall entrepreneurship is growing. In 2016,
Shopify saw a 53% increase in Canadian store owners from the year
before. This growth is happening all across Canada with a 52%
increase on the West Coast, a 68% increase in the Prairies, a 51%
increase in Central Canada, a 44% increase in Atlantic Canada, and
a 52% increase in Northern Canada.
“Shopify has helped over 30,000 Canadian entrepreneurs turn
their dreams into reality, which in turn has created tens of
thousands of jobs and brought millions of dollars back into local
economies across Canada,” says Tobi Lütke Founder and CEO, Shopify.
“Our merchants include everyone from Justin Bieber and the Canadian
Football League (CFL), to a craftsman who moved to Lunenburg, Nova
Scotia for a slower pace of life and now creates and sells
beautiful woodcraft goods.”
Shop Class Canada
As a Canadian startup and entrepreneurial success story, Shopify
wants to help others – not only by providing affordable software
that enables merchants to sell their products and services
anywhere, but also by providing resources that will empower the
next generation of entrepreneurs. It is this desire that has
sparked the launch of Shop Class in Canada.
Shop Class is a dynamic and inspiring hands-on workshop for
future and existing entrepreneurs to provide resources and expert
advice to take the leap and bring their ideas to life. Shop Class
is a solution to address the barriers that Canadians feel are
holding them back from starting a business.
Starting May 30th and running until mid-September, Shop Class
will be making eight stops across Canada - starting in Toronto, and
then visiting Montreal, Halifax, Whitehorse, Vancouver, Calgary,
Winnipeg and Ottawa. The multi-day workshop will feature industry
experts to help with everything an entrepreneur needs to know to
set up and grow their business. Seminars will cover how to get
started, marketing your business, taking better product
photography, and more. Attendees can sign up for a half or full day
of workshops, participate in free interactive panel discussions and
networking opportunities, as well as set up 1-on-1 appointments
with entrepreneurial experts to get personalized guidance and
support.
To learn more about how Shopify is supporting entrepreneurship
in Canada, or to sign up for Shop Class, visit
canada.shopify.com.
About Shopify
Shopify is the leading cloud-based, multi-channel commerce
platform designed for small and medium-sized businesses. Merchants
can use the software to design, set up, and manage their stores
across multiple sales channels, including web, mobile, social
media, marketplaces and physical retail locations. The platform
also provides merchants with a powerful back-office and a single
view of their business. The Shopify platform was engineered for
reliability and scale, making enterprise-level technology available
to businesses of all sizes. Shopify currently powers 400,000
businesses in approximately 175 countries and is trusted by brands
such as Tesla, Nestle, GE, Red Bull, Kylie Cosmetics, and many
more.
Survey methodology
A survey of 1735 Canadians was completed online between April 24
to 29, 2017 using Leger’s online panel, LegerWeb. A probability
sample of the same size would yield a margin of error of +/-2.4%,
19 times out of 20. Note: The sample includes a booster of n=200
self-employed Canadians.
1
https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/061.nsf/vwapj/KSBS-PSRPE_June-Juin_2016_eng.pdf/$FILE/KSBS-PSRPE_June-Juin_2016_eng.pdf
For more information or to arrange an interview with a Shopify
spokesperson:
View source
version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170524005389/en/
Environics CommunicationsJill Colucci,
416-969-2785jcolucci@environicspr.comorShopifySheryl So,
647-609-4986sheryl@shopify.com
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