More than 20 local small business leaders met with members of the B.C. Small Business Roundtable and Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction Coralee Oakes yesterday to discuss their unique challenges and identify opportunities for growth.

The B.C. Small Business Roundtable is comprised of small business leaders from throughout B.C. and chaired by Oakes. It was established in 2005 to work with small business owners to identify their key issues and opportunities, develop recommendations to enhance small business growth and success, and eliminate unnecessary regulations and red tape. Since its inception, the roundtable has held 53 regional consultations to gain insight from small businesses.

(flickr.com)

These sessions also provide valuable insight to help set upcoming priorities for the Roundtable and inform the Province’s small business agenda for 2016 and beyond. At the meeting in Nanaimo, the minister and Roundtable members heard from local business leaders that there is optimism about what the future holds for small business in the region and about the importance of finding qualified staff, access to information about student training, developing entrepreneurial skills, securing capital, identifying municipal best practices. Positive feedback about the new engagement button (https://engage.gov.bc.ca/helpcutredtape/) launched this spring where British Columbians and businesses can submit their ideas to government about how to reduce red tape 24/7process to submit red tape cutting suggestions to government.

See the meeting here: https://flic.kr/p/FWcZNk

Small business consultations in Nanaimo in 2008 brought forward ideas about businesses working together to reduce their transportation costs and carbon emissions, and providing support for home-based businesses.

Quotes:

Coralee Oakes, Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction and chair, B.C. Small Business Roundtable –

“Small businesses in B.C. keep our communities vibrant and our economy growing. We want to hear from small business owners about issues and pressures and also their ideas for growth and innovation so we can continue to support our province’s entrepreneurs.”

AJ Hustins, president and owner, Nanaimo Precast Ltd. –

“This was a really important meeting for the small business community. I’m a 30-year veteran business owner and I was impressed with the value of the discussion. Representatives from the provincial government, Community Futures and other organizations are working together to provide small business owners with important information about financing and access to capital to help small businesses compete and succeed.”

Nikki MacCallum, Nikki Designs, Nanaimo –

“The meeting made me feel more connected. I had never thought to seek help from a government agency before. I learned about resources in my own hometown that I was not aware of like – Square One, Network Hub and Innovation Island Tech Strategy. I was impressed that government created a new online red tape button to provide suggestions for improvements to administration. I’ll tell a lot of people about it.”

Quick Facts:

• Small businesses account for 98% of all businesses in British Columbia and of those, close to 90% have less than 10 employees.
• B.C.’s small businesses employed over one million people in 2014.
• One-third of B.C.’s gross domestic product is generated by small business.

Learn More:

The B.C. Small Business Roundtable: www.smallbusinessroundtable.ca

Small Business Roundtable Annual Report 2015:  https://www.smallbusinessroundtable.ca/Advise-(1).aspx

Share your ideas now to help cut red tape: www.gov.bc.ca/helpcutredtape