The Canadian Government definition is: self-employed people who earn income directly from their own business, trade, or profession rather than as a specified salary or wage earner from an employer.

Statistics Canada defines self-employed persons as: working owners of an unincorporated or incorporated business, persons who work for their own account but do not have a business, and persons working in a family business without pay.

In fact, small business has become the main employer in Ontario with over 97 per cent of the overall business market and, of that, one third are owned by women and three-fifths overall are unincorporated.  A total of 1.9 million or 29 percent of employees are employed in small business.

Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey reports there were 839 000 self-employed women in Canada in 2004, accounting for about one third of all self-employed persons. (While not all of the self-employed would identify themselves as entrepreneurs, the number of self-employed women provides an upper limit for the number of female entrepreneurs. Over the past 10 years, the number of self-employed women has grown by 23%, compared with 20% growth in male self-employment.

In addition, the majority of Research and Development comes from the small business sector on a much larger scale when compared to big business.
Also, when it comes to exports, Ontario small business alone is responsible for $175 billion or almost half of Canada's export market at 47.8 per cent.

For many, 43 per cent in Ontario, entrepreneurship is the leading choice when it comes to employment and, in fact, the sector has grown by 40 percent since 1999 and shows every indication of increasing.

"Small business accounts for approximately 40 per cent of employment in Ontario," says Premier Dalton McGinty, "and we want to further highlight the importance of small business by dedicating a separate ministry to it."  The new Ministry, which was formed in 2006, is headed up by the Honourable Harinder Takhar with the portfolio of Minister of Small Business and Entreneurship.

Another initiative of the Provincial Government is the Regulatory Registry of the Small Business Agency of Ontario (SBAO), an agency of the Ministry of Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

Its purpose is part of the government's  commitment to ease small businesses' regulatory and paper burdens and improve the quality of small businesses' experience and interactions with government. The Registry is regularly monitored by the Agency.

There are many statistics of how many people choose to become entrepreneurs but what, however, really makes a small business person?  For some, it's a result of a company's downsizing and regaining personal control.  For others still, it is following a life-long passion.  The one trait that has been found prevalent throughout however, is the desire for independence.

According to Jack Salen, owner of The Blue Heron, in Tobermory, "What is the advantage of doing business in Bruce County?  It's sitting here, on the porch of the Net Shop overlooking Little Tub Harbour at the boats, the water and the happy people. What's that worth? It's a pleasure to be here." 

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Jim Gardner of Pine River Cheese in Pine River just south of Kincardine adds that,  "The advantages of being located outside of the Greater Toronto Area is the friendly small town quality of life. Here our 20 miles take 10 minutes to drive. People in Bruce County support local business - your business is part of a Community."

According to Industry Canada's Small Business Quarterly of November, 2007, in 2004:  rural-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) represented 28 percent of the estimated 1.4 million SMEs in Canada, somewhat higher than rural Canada's proportion of the overall population (20 percent in rural areas versus 80 percent in urban areas).

This suggests that Canadians residing in rural areas are more likely to be entrepreneurs than those living in urban centres. This is corroborated by the fact that 6 percent of rural-based Canadians owned an SME compared with 4 percent of urban residents.

The Prairie provinces had the highest share of rural-based SMEs (36 percent), followed by Quebec (24 percent), Ontario (21 percent), the Atlantic provinces (11) and B.C. (11 percent) and British Columbia (8 percent).

In September of 2007, the World Bank released its annual assessment of regulations that impact business activity entitled Doing Business 2008.

In Saugeen Shores, one only has to look around to see the evidence. There has been a new small business springing up almost monthly over the past year.  From an upscale footwear location to a boutique style kitchen accessories and gourmet food store in Southampton, to a candy store and urban style coffee house in Port Elgin, there are more and more unique businesses employing people and becoming part of the town's tax base.  The proliferation of new small business can be attributed in part to the area's booming economy when compared to other towns of relative size.  There are however, other reasons.

According to the Bruce County Business website, there are many reasons why people have come, and are coming, to the region to open businesses:  Murray Elston, CEO of the Canadian Nuclear Association, said that, "Bruce County is Ontario's new frontier. While clearly part of the southwestern Ontario economy, Bruce County has room for business to grow and prosper. It offers the history of the Great Lakes, the future of energy, and an idyllic setting for those who appreciate the great outdoors."

In the study, Canada ranked seventh out of 178 countries in terms of the overall ease of doing business. In the following areas, it continues to be ranked among the top ten countries:

•  second place for starting a business,
•  fourth for closing a business,
•  fifth for protecting investors
•  seventh for getting credit.
   

While Saugeen Shores may have a large number of the workforce employed with the nuclear plant at Douglas Point, small business is the central core of employment and  support for the community.  As the community continues to rapidly expand, it is expected that more spin-off businesses will result.  Independent construction companies and handyman operations are flourishing as are the suppliers who meet their needs.

If the past four years are any indication, 2008 is shaping up to become another economically strong upward trend for the area.