When Therese Kirrane, lead technical writer, applied to the company, for example, she was a newcomer to Canada from Britain and had just finished a 10-year stint as a stay-at-home mom. Her eldest was 15 at the time.
She didn't even get a response from the other tech companies she approached for work. "I think there's a common misconception that when stay at home with your kids, you stop communicating with the world – you're just worried about what's for dinner," she says.
But Ms. Kirrane had an impressive early work career in technical writing, and had created several social enterprises and designed a website for her home village during her "time off." Shopify was impressed enough to give her a chance at the highly skilled job. Full story.
Yoga-wear maker steps onto the mat in Lululemon-land
Leah Emmott's small Vancouver company, Inner Fire Apparel, is known for its colourful leggings and jokey yoga-themed tops. One of its big sellers has "I'm just here for the savasana" printed on the front. It's been so successful that Ms. Emmott has trademarked the phrase. (Savasana is the resting pose at the end of yoga practice, the joke being that if you're here only for the savasana, you're just here for a lie-down.) Full story.
How my company raised more than $1-million in government grants
A huge part of our growth has been funded through government grants. To date, grants have brought in more than $1-million – capital that hasn't diluted us and doesn't need to be paid back. Most recently, we secured a contribution of just under $500,000 in 2016 from the Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP), a federal program supporting technology innovation in Canada. Full story.
Waterloo region is hopeful new airlinks will boost business
At least two small airlines are hoping to increase service to Waterloo, Ont. – a proposition that many locals believe would boost business in the fast-growing startup hub. One is Greater Toronto Airways, which recently announced it would launch service to the Niagara Region next month from its base at downtown Toronto's Billy Bishop Airport. The private airline's chief executive, Chris Nowrouzi, said he's been involved in serious discussions with officials in the Waterloo region. He expects to begin daily service in early 2017, once the proper permits are in place. Full story.
Lessons from HBO's Silicon Valley
Hooli is constantly scheming to swallow up the competition. They spend huge efforts trying to buy out the tiny-but-promising Pied Piper startup. When that doesn't work, Hooli tries to copy their signature product. Finally, Hooli brings in the lawyers to try to sue the tiny upstart. It's petty – and worse, it's very pricey. Full story.
More small business news from around the web
Why Subway restaurants wants Vancouver to be its e-commerce hub
The sandwich shop announced September 6 it's acquiring staff and software assets from Vancouver-based Avanti Commerce, which will transition about 20 local tech workers under the umbrella of Subway Digital. Full story.
The Threat of a Canada Post Work Stoppage is Over—For Now
After more than nine months of bargaining, Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers reached a tentative deal. The new agreements are for two years rather than the four-year agreements that were negotiated in the past, and 50,000 postal workers will still have to ratify them before they become new contracts. Full story.
Entrepreneur incubator Next 36 hires its first CEO in tech millionaire Razor Suleman
Suleman takes over as the first CEO of the Next 36, a six-year-old initiative that develops high-impact entrepreneurs. At the same time, the organization is expanding. Besides its main six-month program involving three dozen hand-picked students, the not-for-profit also runs The Next Founders, an accelerator for promising tech entrepreneurs without formal business educations. Full story.
Venture communism: How China is building a start-up boom
In Dream Town, a collection of boxy office buildings on the gritty edge of this historic city, one tiny company is developing a portable 3-D printer. Another takes orders for traditional Chinese massages by smartphone. They are just two of the 710 start-ups being nurtured here. Full story.
Elon Musk wants to put solar-powered roofs on five million U.S. homes
Elon Musk's solar energy company wants to equip 5 million homes in the U.S. with its new solar-powered roofs. This comes a month after Musk revealed SolarCity's plans to create entire roofs made up of solar panels. When installed, they would look like traditional roofs--thus potentially removing the aesthetic obstacle inherent to going solar. Full story.
Compiled by Sarah Efron