Small-business owners are highly respected by the general public, according to a poll for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business and HP Canada.
The Ipsos Reid survey of 1,842 adult Canadians showed that fully 96% say entrepreneurs perform quality work. Overwhelming majorities also said that owners of small businesses are highly motivated (97%), innovative (93%) and reliable (92%). And 91% of those surveyed said they believe it would be a rewarding experience to run their own business or be self-employed, while 89% believe it would be rewarding to work in a small business.
A companion poll of 900 owners of small businesses — defined as those with one to 100 employees — showed how tough a slog it can be to run your own company. This survey found that 42% of the entrepreneurs surveyed work more than 53 hours per week in their business, and 44% say they work harder than they expected to when they started out.
However, most see the benefits as worth the toil. A substantial majority of these owners (63%) say they’re motivated to continue because they enjoy the work, and 59% say they stick with it because of the independence it offers.
