Ontario Narrowly Beaten by British Columbia (BC) in Canada Entrepreneur Rankings

Ontario has been narrowly beaten by British Columbia to the number one slot in a new ranking of online microbusiness density across Canada.

Venture Forward, GoDaddy’s international research initiative that studies the economic impacts of microbusinesses and the attitudes and needs of the owners who start and run them, analyses data from 770,000 Canadian online microbusinesses (which typically employ ten people or fewer). Every province and territory in Canada has been given a “Microbusiness Density” score relative to population density.

Ontario in second place behind BC

The research results show that British Columbia is Canada’s province leader, with 2.8 online microbusinesses per 100 residents. Ontario is in second place, with a Microbusiness Density of 2.5, and Alberta third with 2.1.

Meanwhile, a surprising powerhouse emerged from the rankings, with small but mighty Prince Edward Island (1.59 microbusinesses per 100 residents) placing above neighbour Quebec (1.56), and above Manitoba (1.22) and Saskatchewan (1.32).

GoDaddy’s Venture Forward research also found that online microbusinesses can bring significant return on investment for entrepreneurs. Almost three fifths (58%) of online microbusinesses in Canada surveyed were launched with less than $5,000 CAD in initial capital.

The data further showed that more than half of the online microbusiness owners said they generated over $2,500 in monthly revenue. And one in four Canadian online microbusiness entrepreneurs now manage more than one business.

Young Lee, Canada Market Lead for GoDaddy, commented:

“Small business activity contributes to increased incomes and job creation across local communities. In this context, GoDaddy’s Venture Forward research helps to illustrate the enormous economic contribution of online small and microbusinesses to wider Canadian life and the economy. Right now, Ontario is at the heart of the country's thriving online business scene. 

“There are very few research studies that focus specifically on companies with under 10 employees in Canada. GoDaddy aims to change that by sharing this data with businesses and policymakers, helping them to make more informed decisions about entrepreneurs based on the challenges and opportunities that small and microbusiness owners face.”