Every year across Canada Small Business Week, this year October 14 through 20, brings to the forefront the importance of small business to our economy.
There is no doubt that small business contributes to the economy in so many ways, job creation, innovation, exports and the list goes on – but just as importantly, especially in our rural communities, small business is an important component of what our communities are.
There is a pretty good chance that you, someone in your family, one of your neighbors or your extended network own or work in a small business. Just imagine for a brief moment if the entrepreneur behind that enterprise had not initially decided to become a business owner, had not taken the risk to start the business and who in most cases devotes much of their daylight hours and beyond to making the business work, how different life in your community would be.
If the jobs they created by that small business were not there, what other employer would have created jobs? If they had not invested in their business by giving it the capacity to supply the broad range of goods and services so typically needed in our daily lives, would a big business have stepped in and invested in your rural community?
If the entrepreneurs that own and operate the community’s small businesses were not there and involved, how different would your many community based organizations, sports teams and other critical elements of your community look or would they even exist?
Yes, as residents of rural Alberta, we all have to contribute to make our communities what they are and ensure their long-term viability – with Small Business Week upon us, it is a good time to recognize the contribution our entrepreneurs and the businesses they operate as major contributors to the very fabric of what our communities are.