Small and medium-sized businesses account for 99.8% of all Canadian companies and employ more than 60% of private sector workers. They are the engine of the economy and their success is vital to Canada’s prosperity.
That’s why the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) organizes Small Business Week®, an annual celebration of Canadian entrepreneurship. This year, Small Business Week runs from October 16 to 22 with events across Canada designed to bring together entrepreneurs — and prospective entrepreneurs — at conferences, luncheons, trade fairs and other events. The goal is to provide opportunities for them to learn, network and enjoy themselves.
This year’s theme—
Power Up Your Business: Invest. INNOVATE. Grow.—is a call to action. This is a time for entrepreneurs to attack challenges with renewed decisiveness, market awareness and creativity. And it’s time to invest in new technology to get the job done. It’s all about building more successful, innovative businesses across Canada.
During the week, Jean-René Halde, BDC’s President and Chief Executive Officer, will tour Canada to speak about innovation in several cities. He will tell the stories of ambitious Canadian entrepreneurs who have used innovation to make their businesses more competitive—and more profitable.
For more information on Small Business Week, visit our special website. There you can check out BDC’s national calendar of events to find out what’s happening near you. Send us news about your local and national events, and we will include them in the calendar.
Small Business Week’s origins date back to 1979, when BDC business centres in British Columbia’s Lower Fraser Valley pooled their resources to organize a week of activities for entrepreneurs. In 1981, Small Business Week was officially launched nationwide by BDC. In 2010, 325 activities across Canada attracted more than 10,000 business people to Small Business Week.
The 2011 edition of Small Business Week is sponsored by Cisco.
® Small Business Week is a registered trademark of BDC.
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