Holiday shopping season is nearly here. One number worth keeping in mind before the cart fills up: $48 of every $100 spent at a locally owned business recirculates in the community. October is Small Business Month, and the Free Press’s Small Business supplement looks at the businesses on the other side of that $48, and at the year they have had. Warlock Lid Co. started in a spare bedroom in Killarney in 2022. Its Toba, Sask and Berta hats are now in more than 100 stores across Western Canada. When tariffs hit, owner Brett Warbeck moved every supplier to a Canadian one and stopped shipping to the U.S. MicroPilot has been building autopilot systems for drones for 32 years. President Howard Loewen says reaching niche customers used to come down to search engine placement. Now, he says, it is what AI thinks of you that matters. 54 per cent of Manitoba small business owners were affected by crime or safety issues last year, according to the CFIB. The province’s Business Security Rebate Program covers up to $2,500 in security upgrades, and 494 Security Services starts clients with the basics: after-hours lighting and cameras with no blind spots. “Believe in your business, but listen to the naysayers.” – Howard Loewen, president, MicroPilot Thank you to Efficiency Manitoba, First Peoples Development Inc., Manitoba Blue Cross and the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba for supporting Small Business Month with us.
Entrepreneurship in Fast-Changing Times | 2 |
Break-Ins Can Have Big Consequences For Small Businesses | 4 |
Reasons to Shop Local This Holiday Season | 6 |
Facts And Figures About Small Business in Canada and the U.S. | 7 |
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