What Québec Wants™

Start a business. Just don't read this.

If you live in Québec.

In 2006, Jacques Bouchard published an updated version of his 36 responsive keys of Quebeckers originally published in 1978. A few keys disappeared over the past 30 years and a few were added. One of the new ones is entrepreneurship (l’entrepreneuriat). Bouchard argued that Quebeckers have come a  long way since the quiet revolution. He used convincing data to support this assertion.

However, Bouchard did not write about how Quebeckers’ entrepreneurship compares with that of Canadians in the rest of the country.

“The situation is alarming” according to Mario Girard, President of the fondation de l'entrepreneurship , quoted in a recent issue of Les Affaires.

His assessment is based on the findings from a survey of 17,192 Canadians the foundation commissioned from Leger Marketing in January. The full report in French is available online .

The highlights:

Quebeckers are less experienced entrepreneurs.
Alone or with others, have you ever launched a business or taken over an existing one?
16% in Québec compared to 27% in the ROC (this includes autonomous workers).

Quebeckers in general are less likely to view entrepreneurs as job and wealth creators.
Québec 63%
ROC 69%
 
Less confident
% who believe they have the skills and abilities to start a business.
Québec 45%
ROC 55%

It’s a one-year snapshot. The survey will be repeated annually to provide trended data according to Les Affaires.

Until then, I’ll just hop on the Bombardier-built Toronto subway while listening to a Cirque du Soleil soundtrack, looking at posters for Astral media and reading Quebecor’s Toronto Sun.

Quebec small business entrepreneurs: branding is important but they're not satisfied.

An Ipsos Reid poll conducted for Hewlett Packard finds that 59% of owners of small or medium-sized businesses in Canada say that branding their business is a ‘priority’. Those operating in Quebec (66%) are more likely than those in the ROC to say so. While it’s more of a priority for Quebeckers, the same survey suggests Quebec entrepreneurs – from solopreneurs to those managing 100 employees – are the least satisfied with their current brand (39% are ‘very satisfied’ in Quebec compared to 45% nationally).

It’s a priority and they’re least satisfied.
Note to branding experts in Quebec: there’s a hole in the market and a market in the hole.

Link to the press release about the survey findings Majority of Canadian entrepreneurs lack total confidence in their brand identity