It turns out that COVID and small business go hand-in-hand.
And, this comes at more than one level. From a customer’s perspective, the view of small business has improved through the COVID lockdown as a large percentage of Canadians say they tried to support small businesses through the period.
But it goes beyond patronizing businesses. One of the legacies of the pandemic is the sense or feeling held by a growing percentage of the population that would actually like to become small business owners. This is especially true in Saskatchewan, Quebec and the Atlantic region.
RBC Royal Bank asked Canadians if they ever thought about owning a business and then whether or not COVID changed that perception. In Saskatchewan the number of people who had previously thought about owning a business – 53% – grew to 57% when asked if they thought the lockdown created opportunities for small business owners.
The motivation for owning a business or becoming an entrepreneur was quite clear – about 70% believed it give them more control over their career than traditional employment.
