Small Business Profile 2008

October is Small Business Month in British Columbia. Small business is a driving force in our economy, employing over one million people and making up 98 per cent of all B.C. business.

Small Business Profile 2008 answers common questions about the role of small business in British Columbia by examining trends in growth over the last five years.

Explore this page:

• For highlights from the 2008 Small Business Profile
• For videos of two tools breaking down barriers to doing business
• For publications to help start up or grow your business

Small business is big business in British Columbia

Small Business Profile 2008 Highlights:

• In 2007, 98 per cent of all businesses in B.C. were small businesses, employing over one million people.
• 46 per cent of all employment in B.C. is generated by businesses with fewer than 50 employees or self-employed workers.
• Approximately 379,700 small businesses were operating in the province last year.
• From 2002-07, the number of small businesses in B.C. grew by 8.8 per cent or by approximately 31,150 businesses.
• Over 56 per cent of British Columbia's private sector jobs are with small business - the highest rate in the country.
• British Columbia's small business GDP accounted for a third of total provincial GDP - the highest of all provinces.
• 36 per cent of the self-employed in British Columbia were women - the second highest rate in the country.

Breaking Down Barriers to Doing Business

BizPaL is an online tool that walks users through a question wizard to discover the permits and licences required from all levels of government for business start-up and growth. What used to take a full-day now takes 20 minutes, saving entrepreneurs valuable time and money. For a BizPaL brochure, click here.

Cutting red tape, the Mobile Business Licence lets businesses operate across municipalities with only one licence. Businesses save time and money, customers gain greater choice in who they hire, and municipalities see increased revenue and bylaw compliance. 17 communities are already on board in B.C. with many more signing on.

The Resource Centre for Small Business has numerous publications available online to assist you with your business. To review and download publications, visit: www.sbr.gov.bc.ca/resource-centre/publications.htm.

Here you will find the:

• Action Plan for Small Business
• Small Business Profile 2008
• Small Business Highlights Fact Sheet
• Starting a Small Business Guide, in nine languages
  • English (PDF - 891KB)
  • French (PDF - 986KB)
  • Traditional Chinese (PDF - 1300KB)
  • Simplified Chinese (PDF - 1282KB)
  • Tagalog (PDF - 943KB)
  • Japanese (PDF - 1MB)
  • Korean (PDF - 1MB)
  • Vietnamese (PDF - 1013KB)
  • Punjabi (PDF - 1MB)
• Import/Export Guide, in nine languages
  • English (PDF - 737KB)
  • French (PDF - 604KB)
  • Traditional Chinese (PDF - 884KB)
  • Simplified Chinese (PDF - 853KB)
  • Tagalog (PDF - 608KB)
  • Japanese (PDF - 784KB)
  • Korean (PDF - 960KB)
  • Vietnamese (PDF - 659KB)
  • Punjabi (PDF - 785KB)