Report on Small Business Newsletter: Soaring rents force food entrepreneurs to think small – really small

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Soaring rents force food entrepreneurs to think small – really small

Go big or go home may be a catchy idiom, but for many budding food entrepreneurs, the reality is clear: Go small or go bankrupt. In response to soaring commercial lease rates in major Canadian cities, some food businesses are getting creative – inhabiting little nooks and crannies that make your cozy corner café seem palatial by comparison. Today, entrance vestibules, unused storage closets inside other businesses, and even tiny display windows are real options for tiny restaurants with outsized ambitions. Story

Brush with death inspires entrepreneur to launch online will startup Willful

It was the sudden loss of a close relative and his involvement in two near-death experiences that convinced former construction worker Kevin Oulds to become an estate planning entrepreneur and launch his online will-generation startup, Willful. Story

How two young entrepreneurs got it wrong, and then made it right

When Adam McIsaac started his company, Robin Media Inc., in 2016, he thought it was a sure bet. He planned to help music fans beat scalpers and ticket bots by working directly with musicians and concert promoters, reserving tickets before concerts went on sale and then selling them to fans for a modest additional fee. Story

Toronto’s SnapTravel closes $21-million financing, with assist from Stephen Curry

Toronto-based SnapTravel, which uses artificial intelligence to customize online hotel-booking, announced US$13.2-million in new financing Tuesday – including from two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry. Story

‘Not reinventing the wheel:’ Toronto’s Vena finds a niche souping up Excel

Don Mal was set to return to his first love – playing in a rock 'n’ roll band – when he retired from his thriving software firm Vena Solutions Inc. That was in May. Now he’s back for an unexpected encore as CEO of the Toronto company he co-founded in 2011. Story

WHAT WE’RE READING ELSEWHERE

Small businesses can’t find workers, says group calling for new immigrant plan

Businesses owners across the province are experiencing a labour shortage, forcing them to take on more work themselves and drop plans to expand, according to a survey by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. Story

From at-home orthodontics to coconut-flavoured floss: Meet the startups disrupting the dental industry

For decades the experience of caring for your teeth looked something like this: Visit the dentist every six or nine months. Take home a new toothbrush from the hygienist. Use it to brush at least twice daily. Repeat. Story

B.C. launches clean growth plan

British Columbia can develop a liquefied natural gas industry while meeting ambitious greenhouse gas emission targets, Premier John Horgan suggested Wednesday, December 5, with the release of his government’s new clean growth plan. Story