50% of Canadians Thinking of Starting a Business, But Most Business Owners Say Don’t
Although over half of Canadians are considering starting a business, most current business owners question whether now is a good time to become an entrepreneur, according to recent statistics.
An RBC poll shows 51 percent of Canadians are thinking of launching a business, up five percentage points from 2023, according to a Sept. 18 news release.
“Historically, we’ve observed strong interest across Canada in starting and owning businesses, and it’s promising to see that a significant number of Canadians in 2024 are aspiring entrepreneurs,” said Don Ludlow, the bank’s vice president of small business, partnerships, and strategy.
The results show that Canadians are looking for ways to “gradually transition to entrepreneurship,” Ludlow said.
The results show that 72 percent of those wanting to start a business are already looking at how to make it happen. Some of their ideas include
- Making money from a passion project or hobby (31 percent)
- Making money outside of a regular job (28 percent)
- Taking on side jobs (19 percent)
- Finding ways to transition from full-time work to freelance (13 percent)
- Developing a business idea independent from a current job (8 percent)
The poll was conducted by Ipsos Canada from June 21 to 25 with more than 2,000 surveys completed online by Canadians aged 18 and older.
Government Help Needed for Small Business
In another poll on small business from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, only 18 percent of current business owners would advise someone to start a business right now.
The top reasons for advising against entrepreneurship at this time were: difficulty in keeping up with the cost of doing business (90 percent), the current economic situation (76 percent), and the high tax burden (73 percent).
A Fifth of Canada’s Small Businesses Face Closure: Business Federation
“Small businesses are still facing hardships that are impacting their ability to operate and invest, which in turn impact Canada’s economy and productivity,” CFIB executive vice-president of advocacy Corinne Pohlman said in a Sept. 16 news release.
Pohlman said parliament needs to consider the needs of small businesses if it wants to improve the economy.
The survey found that 59 percent of business owners struggle with taxes and 51 percent said they grapple with operational costs.
About three-quarters of small businesses want to see government reduce the tax burden and 77 percent said the government needs to bring down the cost of doing business and rising prices.
The Comfortable Collapse: How America Learned to Pretend Obesity Is Normal
The America of 1960 was healthier than the America of 2025 because they lived in an environment that did not conspire against physiology.
Independent Medical Alliance Sep 17
By IMA Co-Founder Dr. Joseph Varon
Originally published by The Brownstone Institute on 09/16/2025
Walk into any American airport today and pause. Look around at the travelers waiting at the gate, the families queuing for fast food, the crowds rushing past. You are looking at a country that our grandparents would not recognize. In less than three generations, the very shape of the American body has shifted so dramatically that what would once have been regarded as rare or concerning is now routine. Airplane seats have been widened, retail clothing racks have been extended, mannequins have been reshaped, and soda cups have been enlarged. Entire industries have recalibrated to accommodate a physiology that is neither healthy nor sustainable.
Yet our cultural ...
University of Alberta law prof placed on leave over Charlie Kirk comments
https://www.junonews.com/p/university-of-alberta-law-prof-placed
I watched this last night and glad I found today to share. Greg was fired up and rightly so.
https://www.smalldeadanimals.com/2025/09/16/we-dont-care-that-shit-is-dead/
