Now it's reaching out to a special segment of the market – investors with environmental and other social goals.

Private investors now can buy World Bank bonds through two European banks and also support green technology, environmentally friendly development, and anti-poverty programs.

October 24, 2007—World Bank Treasurer Kenneth Lay remembers when his financially conservative grandfather owned World Bank bonds.

In those days, the World Bank soft-pedaled the fact its lending portfolio consisted of exposure to poor countries, and its main mission was to alleviate poverty. Instead, it worked on building confidence in the kind of institution worthy of a coveted triple-A rating.

“It’s not too much of a stretch to say we downplayed what was actually done with the money,” says Lay. “We emphasized the fact we kept very large reserves and were essentially backed by wealthy country governments.”

Today, the World Bank’s approach to investors is very different.

The World Bank is reaching out to a rapidly growing segment of the investor community – the socially responsible investor—to offer opportunities of investing in development as part of the World Bank’s annual funding program.

The World Bank raises between US$10 billion and $15 billion annually through International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) bonds launched in the international capital markets. IBRD bonds have been available through brokers or financial intermediaries active in the capital markets for the last 60 years. The bonds have funded some 600 projects in over 100 countries around the world in the last few years, says Lay.

Socially responsible or sustainable investing integrates social, environmental and other criteria into investment decisions. Such investors want to support companies and organizations aligned with their own personal beliefs or standards, or avoid investing in entities whose practices they disagree with. Many believe that incorporating environmental, social and governance criteria in their investment decisions will help them find better financial investment opportunities.

“People are beginning to pay attention to what use is going to be made of their money, and they’re prepared to assign value to that,” Lay says.

The trend toward sustainable investing holds true not just for equity investors, but also for bond investors, such as those who buy IBRD bonds, says Heike Reichelt, Head of Investor Relations and New Products for the World Bank Treasury.

In response, the World Bank has stepped up efforts especially in the last three years to deliver development messages to investors in Europe and Japan, she says.

The World Bank’s Treasury department has teamed up with other parts of the World Bank, especially the sustainable development network and communication and country units, to highlight environmental and development achievements in the Bank’s member countries, says Reichelt. And the World Bank also played a key role last year in launching bonds to fund immunizations in developing countries on behalf of the International Finance Facility for Immunization (IFFIm), for which it is the Treasury Manager.

“We’re beginning to monetize the World Bank’s good works,” says Lay.

Partnering with Banks and Investors

This fall, the World Bank partnered with two European banks to issue bonds designed to appeal to private investors who want to support green technology, environmentally friendly development, and anti-poverty programs, and earn a good return at the same time.

ABN-AMRO sold about 150 million euro of World Bank Eco 3Plus bonds within a month of their launch September 17. (See related story.)

The World Bank is also issuing 250 million euro in bonds through DekaBank to clients of the German Savings Banks Finance Group (Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe) to finance World Bank sustainable development projects. The one-year notes are available at 16,000 Sparkassen branches across Germany until November 2 and have a guaranteed coupon of 3.85 percent.

The World Bank teamed up with La Banque Postale, the French postal system, in 2005 to offer a new investment product for French retail investors to help fund, and have direct information on, the World Bank’s programs in developing countries.

The World Bank has a long history as a socially responsible investment in Japan, says World Bank Capital Markets Director Doris Herrera-Pol. Most recently, the World Bank launched the “World Supporter” fund, created by Nikko AM, in Tokyo in June this year. The fund offers Japanese investors an opportunity to participate in a diversified emerging market investment portfolio supporting the mission of the World Bank. Part of the management fees from fund transactions will also be donated to a development cause.

“In Japan, we are a staple among fixed income products for retail investors,” says Herrera-Pol. “And those retail investors in Japan have always considered the World Bank as a socially responsible investment.”

In a boost to the World Bank’s standing among socially responsible investors in Europe and North America, where the World Bank has endured criticism from interest groups, the influential Calvert, a leader in socially and environmentally responsible investing, decided in July to allow its socially screened products to buy World Bank bonds. The decision followed an extensive review of the World Bank’s policies and practices on human rights, Indigenous Peoples rights, and gender issues, according to Calvert.

“I was very impressed with the degree of due diligence and their open-mindedness,” says Lay. “Calvert has, I think, very properly taken a sophisticated look at the complexity and context in which we have to work.”

“These are people whose profession calls on them to make judgments about the public purposes for which we and many others who are participants in the financial markets conduct our business. And for that body of people whose profession it is to make those judgments to come to the conclusion we are aligned with them with respect to those public purposes, that’s a very important signaling. We look forward to carry forward the dialogue with Calvert and other SRIs on key issues of common concern.”

According to the survey of 420 Canadian private company leaders, the fastest growing companies are more likely to be under 10 years old and much less likely to be more than 20 years old. Furthermore, once companies have been operating for more than 50 years, they are more likely to show decreasing profits, top-line shrinkage and increasing pressure from competition.

But age isn’t the critical factor, it’s the tactics businesses are using at different stages of their life-cycle.. Companies with increasing profitability and top-line growth of more than 15% report they are participating in an innovative range of activities which are contributing to their success, including selling or sourcing overseas, generating revenues from new sectors, entering new markets or developing new products and having a significant percentage of staff working on innovation related projects. The survey also shows that once businesses have been established for more than 50 years, they are also most likely to report that they “do not innovate.”

“All companies would do well to take a closer look at the behaviours exhibited by the most successful companies and consider what they need to do to reinvigorate their business approach,” says Eric Andrew, PwC’s Private Company Services Canadian leader. “Business leaders concerned about what they may lose with higher risk ventures must also consider what they could lose by carrying on with business as usual.”

The Business Insights Survey also followed up on some key trends seen in previous reports and introduced new topics of discussion. These include:

Outlook

Confidence among private business leaders in Canada remains solid. Seventy-seven percent of respondents report they expect business to get “a lot or a little better” in the next twelve months.

The biggest change from 2006 was the drop in the number of Albertans reporting they expect business in the next 12 months to “get a lot better.” In 2006, 45% of respondents gave this response but in 2007 the figure has fallen to 26%.

Challenges

Labour is the primary challenge respondents expected to face in the next year but again there were wide regional differences. In Alberta 61% of respondents rank it as one of their three biggest challenges, which is down slightly from the 65% who cited it as a problem in the last twelve months. The spread of responses is more even in Ontario with labour, currency and the economy cited by a similar percentage of respondents.

Growth Strategies

For the third consecutive year, growth and expansion is the main strategy for Canadian companies. Overall, 75% of companies are striving for growth in the next 12 months up from 70% last year.

The survey shows that over 40% of respondents are looking to expand into new markets as a short- and medium-term strategy and half of all companies sell and/or source overseas. The number one reason for their overseas activity was to access a larger market for products and services.

Andrew adds, “Canada’s private companies, particularly those in the fastest growing and most successful groups, are leveraging international opportunities with good results.”

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

The survey found that while 76% of respondents agree there’s a business benefit to having sustainable business practices, only one in three think the costs of sustainable operating practices outweigh the benefits. Only 16% are running a CSR program in their community, 62% don’t have a policy for sustainability and 43% don’t even consider it in their long-term planning. Finally 41% of respondents don’t think climate change will ever impact their company.

“Companies who are early adopters in addressing their environmental impacts can build Canada’s next competitive edge. The challenge for businesses is to find innovative ways to turn these forces to their advantage,” concludes Andrew.

Employee and Supplier Information Management Offerings Extend Open Text Business Suite for Use With SAP Solutions

Open Text(TM) Corp., a global leader in enterprise content management (ECM), today announced new business solutions that give companies using SAP(R) applications a 360-degree view of supplier and employee information, including document and email content, in the context of SAP solutions. The company also announced a new data access solution that makes information contained in SAP solutions and other systems easily accessible to customers, partners and employees. Using these solutions, companies can increase process efficiency, more easily meet regulatory requirements, and improve employee, customer and business partner satisfaction.

The new Livelink ECM - Supplier Information Management and Livelink ECM - Employee Information Management solutions are part of the Open Text Business Suite for use with SAP solutions, a growing portfolio of 360-degree solutions that deliver enterprise content integrated with other business applications and data, thereby bridging silos of information. Earlier this year, Open Text released Livelink ECM - Customer Information Management (CIM), which provides a comprehensive view of all customer content and data. A key aspect of Open Text solutions is integration with desktop clients in use at most businesses, including the SAP GUI, SAP NetWeaver(R) Portal, and Microsoft Office. CIM is also a featured Microsoft Office Business Application (OBA).

"Our family of 360-degree solutions assembles content from across various SAP applications as well as other sources and makes it available through the user interface of choice for a particular user community," said Patrick Barnert, Vice President for SAP Applications at Open Text. "These applications dramatically increase productivity by putting accurate and complete information in the hands of workers when they need it, in the context of their normal work environment. These enterprise-ready solutions are a direct outcome of the close relationship we have with both SAP AG and Microsoft, coupled with our deep expertise in helping companies manage enterprise content."

Livelink ECM - Supplier Information Management

Livelink ECM - Supplier Information Management (SIM) provides a 360-degree view of supplier and purchasing data and documents, whether it is managed in the SAP ERP or SAP Supplier Relationship Management (SAP SRM) application. It enhances the information in SAP applications with external documents and other content to optimize the order approval process, enabling workers and managers to make better decisions faster. The solution assembles content from various sources such as email and document repositories, consolidates results and displays them in the choice of interface, including the SAP GUI or SAP NetWeaver Portal.

With SIM, the procurement environment is transformed so that all of the relevant content is a mouse click away. The tedious paper shuffle is eliminated and the correct people are involved using predetermined business logic for a specific scenario. Best practice design is used for an optimized and automated procurement solution based on business processes. It results in faster processing time and cost savings while adhering to financial audit traceability requirements. Livelink ECM - Supplier Information Management is currently available. For more information go to: www.opentext.com/sim

Livelink ECM - Employee Information Management

Livelink ECM - Employee Information Management (EIM) from Open Text provides human resource (HR) departments with a complete solution that eliminates frustrating paper chases and supports the SAP ERP Human Capital Management (SAP ERP HCM) solution. Using the EIM solution, all printed documents from employees and job applicants, master data and internal personnel documents are stored and immediately available from complete electronic personnel files. This ensures that personnel activities and processes are performed quickly and easily. And because EIM functionality can be used with the SAP GUI or the SAP NetWeaver Portal, HR employees can quickly begin using the solution with minimal training. In addition, content can be delivered through SAP Employee Self-Service application-based portals.

The ECM capabilities of EIM can transform an HR department. Instead of spending hours on time-consuming, labor-intensive administrative tasks, EIM optimizes and automates many repetitive tasks, so that HR staff is freed up to focus on strategic activities, such as recruitment, skills development, support, compensation and reporting. An HR organization that can focus on strategy provides more value. Livelink ECM - Employee Information Management is currently available for use with SAP ERP HCM. For more information go to: www.opentext.com/eim

Livelink ECM - Shared Document Access

Livelink ECM - Shared Document Access provides customers, partners and employees with a personalized overview of all documents related to a specific business process in a secure manner. For example, Shared Document Access enables customers external to the company to see order status, invoices and other information through a self-service portal, whether the documents are stored in SAP solutions or in other core applications. This helps increase customer and partner satisfaction due to improved service, as well as cost reductions from improvements in process efficiency.

This solution is also ideal for such industries as high-tech or aerospace which are subject to special compliance requirements and must guarantee sustained access to SAP data and documents. Using Livelink ECM - Shared Document Access, this information can be stored in a tamper-proof repository and made available at any time regardless of the originating system. Livelink ECM - Shared Document Access is available now. For more information, go to: www.opentext.com/sda

In addition to the new solutions, Open Text also announced that Livelink ECM - Customer Information Management has added full support for Microsoft Outlook 2007. For more information, go to: www.opentext.com/cim.

About Open Text

Open Text, an enterprise software company and leader in enterprise content management, helps organizations manage and gain the true value of their business content. Open Text brings two decades of expertise supporting 46,000 customers and millions of users in 114 countries. Working with our customers and partners, we bring together leading Content Experts(TM) to help organizations capture and preserve corporate memory, increase brand equity, automate processes, mitigate risk, manage compliance and improve competitiveness. For more information, visit www.opentext.com.

"With uncertain times ahead for Ontario's economy, it is disappointing that research investment is not robust, even though revenues are generally up", said Ron Freedman, CEO of Research Infosource.

In Fiscal 2006, 12 Ontario companies out of 24 firms qualified for Research Infosource's elite $100 Million Club, reserved for companies that posted $100 million or more in R&D spending:

#1 - Nortel Networks Corporation maintained 1st place with $2.2 billion R&D spending in Fiscal 2006, down -2.2%.

#3 - Magna International Inc. maintains 3rd place again this year, reported $652.1 million in spending, down -20.8% over Fiscal 2005.

#5 - ATI Technologies Inc. (now AMD Canada) stayed in 5th place with $458.2 million and an increase of 1.5% over last year.

#6 - IBM Canada Ltd. increased their R&D spending by 5.0% to $360 million in Fiscal 2006.

#8 - Atomic Energy of Canada Limited kept their 8th place rank again this year, despite a -6.8% drop in R&D spending in Fiscal 2006 down to $246.1 million in spending.

#10 - Alcatel-Lucent (was Alcatel Canada Inc.) moved 1 spot from 11th last year, although their spending dropped -3.5%, falling to $187.2 million in Fiscal 2006.

#11 - Research In Motion Limited jumped 6 spots from #17 last year, with an outstanding gain of 45.8%, bringing their spending to $178.77 million in 2006.

#12 - Apotex Inc. maintained #12 again this year, with R&D spending of $178.76 million, although spending declined by -2.4%.

#13 - GlaxoSmithKline Canada picked up 1 spot from #14 last year, reporting $177 million with a substantial increase of 30.6% over Fiscal 2005.

#18 - Cognos Incorporated down 3 spots from #15, reporting $130.1 million in R&D spending, up 1.4% over Fiscal 2005.

#22 - Biovail Corporation dropped 2 positions from #20 with $108.3 million of R&D expenditures reported in 2006, up 0.5%.

#23 - Sanofi Pasteur Limited jumped 4 places from #27 back onto the $100 Million Club with $105.4 million in spending, from $92.8 million in Fiscal 2005, up 13.5%.

By industry sector, the Communications/telecommunications equipment sector accounted for 26% of total R&D spending in Fiscal 2006, followed by Pharmaceutical/biotechnology sector (17%), Telecommunications services (14%), Aerospace (8%), Energy/oil and gas (8%), Software and computer services (6%), Automotive (6%), Computer equipment (4%), Mining and metals (4%), Forest and paper products (3%) and Electronic parts and components (3%).

Regionally, British Columbia's 12 top 100 companies accounted for $646.5 million in R&D spending or 6% of the total in Fiscal 2006. This represents a decrease of -2.8%. In the Prairies, 15 Alberta companies spent $718.4 million for 6% of the total. Alberta was the only province reporting positive spending growth, with a huge increase of 19.3%. Manitoba's single entry on the list spent $35.7 million in R&D, and declined by -19.5% over last year. The 39 companies headquartered in Ontario accounted for just over half (53%) of all R&D spending with $6.1 billion in Fiscal 2006, falling by -4.3%. Quebec's 32 companies spent $3.9 billion in Fiscal 2006, down -6.3% over 2005 and accounting for 34% of total R&D expenditures.

The complete Canada's Top 100 Corporate R&D Spenders List 2007 is available on the Research Infosource website.

An in-depth Canada's Top Corporate R&D Spenders Report 2007, based on over 650 companies, is slated for publication later this year. Research Infosource Inc., a division of The Impact Group, is Canada's source of R&D intelligence. Drawing from an extensive database, Research Infosource Inc. publishes Canada's Top 100 Corporate R&D Spenders List, Canada's Top 50 Research Universities List, and specialized reports.

Founded in 2002, Girls With Goals (www.girlswithgoals.com) helps women-owned businesses gain more market share by offering the business tools needed to empower women to start and/or expand their business. Members also have access to free workshops, an online community, online store set-up, G-Cards, Business Resource Center, G-Fitness and G-Towns in their local community.

Nationwide, women-owned businesses have grown steadily in each of the last ten years. Women in Small Business Month calls attention to the success-minded individuals who are dedicated to igniting their business and, according to Hurry, fueling their souls. "They're women too independent to oblige by the 9-5 corporate world, women who value and love their independence in creation, women dedicated to fulfilling their roles as both mother and professional, and women who are not afraid to make their own mistakes and fearless in picking up the pieces," she says

Hurry emphasizes on the importance of recognizing the success of women in entrepreneurship. “Becoming a female entrepreneur does not only reinforce the importance of a woman’s position in society,” she says. “But it also makes greater progress towards overall economic and social development. Women are responsible for the achievements of increased economic growth, improved productivity, improved distribution of income, and improved employment rate, that’s why we need to celebrate these Girls With Goals.”

Women-owned firms in the United States provide jobs for 18.5 million people and generate sales of nearly $2.38 trillion annually. Women now make up 41 percent of the individuals with a net worth of $500,000 or more.

Top 10 Tips on How to Successfully Start Your Own Business

TORONTO - Canada's existing entrepreneurs have some well-earned words of wisdom to offer the 3.3 million aspiring entrepreneurs across the country who are planning to start a business within the next five years, according to the annual RBC Small Business Survey.

"The key piece of advice from Canada's veteran entrepreneurs is 'do your homework' before you open up your new business," said Rina Pillitteri, director, Small Business Client Strategy for RBC. "When successful small business owners look back on what helped them get off the ground, it's the fact that they knew what they were facing - they researched who their competition was, they understood what gaps they could fill in the marketplace, and they delved into the likes and dislikes of their potential customers. They also networked to find out as much as they could from other entrepreneurs."

The top ten pieces of advice existing entrepreneurs have for people hoping to start up a business, according to RBC's survey: <<

1. Know your competition (51 per cent)
2. Develop a business plan (50 per cent)
3. Research the market (49 per cent)
4. Network, develop alliances (45 per cent)
5. Take time for marketing (38 per cent)
6. Seek out mentors (35 per cent)
7. Spend time defining the needs your business will meet (35 per cent)
8. Survey potential customers (34 per cent)
9. Do homework about where to locate your business (34 per cent)
10. Join clubs/associations (32 per cent) >>

"Aspiring entrepreneurs can uncover amazing tips and insights by talking to current business owners before getting swept up in the fast pace and excitement of starting up," added Pillitteri. "Also, seeking out a mentor can help you save time as well as money, and the advice they offer could mean the difference between success and failure."

The RBC survey, which compared the responses of aspiring entrepreneurs with those of existing entrepreneurs, suggests Canada's emerging entrepreneurs may not need to be as focussed on obtaining financing as they think they need to be. In fact, while half (51 per cent) of Canada's aspiring entrepreneurs expect that one of their biggest challenges will be getting enough money to start their business, only one in five current entrepreneurs recalls getting initial financing as a challenge. For existing business owners, the biggest start-up challenges were finding clients or developing their market (48 per cent), keeping a steady workload (31 per cent), working long hours (28 per cent), and dealing with government bureaucracy and regulations (21 per cent).

RBC's 2007 Small Business Survey also reports a majority (61 per cent) of Canada's small business owners appear to be satisfied with the way they started their businesses - if they had it all to do over again, they would not change a thing. Of the 39 per cent who said they would do things differently, 61 per cent would start at a younger age and 58 per cent would get more financial advice.

"Whether or not it's a new entrepreneur or a veteran, every small business owner is bound to face a unique set of challenges," noted Pillitteri. "That's why it's extremely important to do your initial research, develop your business plan and seek out the ongoing, customized support you need to meet your business goals and your customers' needs."

These are some of the findings of an RBC poll conducted by Ipsos Reid between July 27 and August 3, 2007. The online survey is based on a randomly selected representative sample of 3,806 adult Canadians of which 2,253 owned small or medium-sized businesses (entrepreneurs) and 1,553 aspire to own small or medium size businesses (aspiring entrepreneurs). With a representative sample of this size, the results among entrepreneurs are considered accurate to within +/- 2.1 percentage points, and among aspiring entrepreneurs +/- 2.5 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian population been polled.

"Whether a small business is just getting started, growing and maturing, or winding down - whatever the owner's goals are - the key to success lies in having solid fundamentals," said Kyle McNamara, Head of Small Business at Scotiabank. "A sound business plan and the right team of advisers such as a banker, accountant and lawyer can help an owner achieve their goals and navigate any challenges they may face. These fundamentals are particularly important in managing through periods of economic and financial market uncertainty, such as the rise of the dollar and recent market volatility."

Small business owners most often cited growth-related issues such as generating double-digit growth and expanding products and services (88 per cent), increasing income or profit margin (89 per cent) and reducing costs (60 per cent) as their top goals. In terms of what keeps them up at night, the challenges they cited most often include financial concerns at 30 per cent (includes expenses, capital and cash flow) staffing issues at 22 per cent and competition at 20 per cent. Yet, only 42 per cent of small business owners have a formal business plan.

"Creating a well thought out business plan helps identify practical strategies to overcome business challenges and take advantage of opportunities. It's really a roadmap to success. We realize numerous demands on a small business owner leave little time to invest in developing a comprehensive business plan, so we've done something to help," said McNamara. "Scotiabank has recently launched a free online writing tool, the Scotia Plan Writer for business(TM), available to all entrepreneurs in an easy-to-use format to help them arrange their business goals into a comprehensive plan." Small business owners note that advice in key areas is important to success. Entrepreneurs cited taxation advice as the most important (85 per cent), followed by advice on growing their business (80 per cent) and cash flow management (78 per cent). Surprisingly, despite the high degree of importance placed on these matters only 51 per cent of small businesses seek taxation advice from a professional advisor, while only 16 per cent seek business growth advice, and 14 per cent seek cash flow management advice.

"Once a small business owner's vision is put into a formal plan, a team of advisers such as a business banker, accountant or lawyer, can add support to give you more time to manage your business," continues McNamara. "We invite Canadian entrepreneurs and small business owners to talk to us. Our expert team of small business bankers can help identify strategies and solutions to address day-to-day financial needs, as well as provide advice, information and banking services that can be tailored to individual business objectives."

The Scotiabank Small Business Study is an online survey of Canadian small business owners. For the purposes of this research, a 'small business' was defined as a company with less than $5 million in annual revenue. A total of 1,190 businesses participated in the survey.

The sample for the survey came from two sources. Small business owners were identified from TNS Canadian Facts' online panel. This was augmented by a sample of small businesses selected from D&B listings. This latter group was recruited by telephone to participate in the online survey hosted on the TNS survey website. Interviews were weighted to be representative of all small businesses in terms of revenue and region. The online survey took place between July 16th and August 6th, 2007.

Waterloo - Boulevard Photography and Fine Things reveals an innovative high-end boutique and studio, capturing the award-winning talents of brilliant professional photographers for you to choose from, finding its niche in the shops at Waterloo Town Square.

With over 10 years of experience, Heather Fritz is the owner and inspiration behind this fresh new store and studio, which opened Wednesday, September 19. The store showcases six exceptional photographers hand-picked by Heather, bringing an array of personalities and styles for clients to choose from. From the storefront clients are lead to the studio, designed with comfort, convenience and privacy in mind. Heather has made the photography experience effortless allocating 45 minutes to each sitting, allowing a rapport and level of comfort to develop before the photo shoot begins.

"It's about making it easy for the client, the more relaxed they are, the easier it is to do their photos,"; says Fritz. "The things that have made me successful are personal contact and level of customer service, which is what Boulevard is all about."

Expanding her creative images with Fine Things Heather has uncovered innovative talents like Gay Isber's custom Sugar Beads; line of stunning hand-made jewellery, not to mention adorable baby products, a luxurious spa line, elegant custom frames and albums, and many other items which can all be made into personalized gift baskets. She has even included an area for children, so that your experience selecting photos is as relaxing as possible.

Heather has thought of everything,; says Francine Bayley, store manager. "It will be nice for parents to know that they can look through their pictures and know that their children are safe in the play area that Heather has created."

Boulevard highlights innovative packages for special events, sending out bulletins to clientele four times a year. Among these are a pin-up girl photo shoot for Valentines Day or real bunnies and chicks in the background for Easter. We enhance your child's beauty with antiques instead of backdrops; says Fritz.

The excitement around Boulevard is credited to the success of Heather Fritz Photography, a company Heather has been running for years. Many clients have her follow their life story, from their engagement pictures to wedding shots, then belly photos, to baby and family portraits.

While the store will be open from 10am-6pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and from 10am-8pm on Thursday and Friday, Heather has also made her products available to you from the convenience of your home with her online store www.boulevardphotography.com.

Besides the talented photographers whose work surrounds the store, the Boulevard location is also home to Ultimate Affairs wedding and event planners. Certified through the Wedding Planners Institute of Canada (WPIC) as Professional Wedding Coordinators and recognized by the International Special Events Society (ISES), they bring a level of professionalism and comfort for Boulevard clients planning anything from weddings to baby showers. Each Boulevard wedding package includes a free 45 minute consultaion with Ultimate Affairs.

We can make anything work!; says Fritz, a motto that has led her to fulfilling what began as an image in her head.

Boulevard Photography and Fine Things has all the makings of a bright future. Heather Fritz's vision has materialized into a fresh and unique new store that offers not only fantastic photo shoots for you and your family, but also all your needs from an intimate bridal shower to your dream wedding.

Almost 900,000 Canadians Hope to Be Their Own Boss by Next Year

TORONTO - Some 3.3 million Canadians, representing all walks of life, plan to start a business within the next five years, and approximately 900,000 are looking to be their own boss by the end of 2008. This is according to RBC's annual small business survey, which compared the responses of aspiring entrepreneurs with those of entrepreneurs already running their own businesses.

The RBC/Ipsos Reid survey also shows some interesting contrasts between the backgrounds of existing entrepreneurs and would-be entrepreneurs. For example, while over one-fifth (21 per cent) of existing entrepreneurs responded that they had previously held executive/managerial positions, only 15 per cent of those planning to set up their own businesses come from an executive/managerial background. Furthermore, while only 9 per cent of existing entrepreneurs cited previous experience in blue collar/labourer work, 13 per cent of would-be entrepreneurs are emerging from blue collar/labourer backgrounds.

"What we're seeing is that anyone who wants to be, feels it is possible with or without management experience. This is likely due to the strong appeal of being your own boss and the wide array of support tools and expertise readily available to help," said Kris Depencier, head of Small Business Client Strategy for RBC. "Even better, these resources can be tailored to meet the needs of Canadian business owners. One size does not fit all, and Canadian entrepreneurs no longer have to contend with an 'off the shelf' approach when they seek out support."

According to the RBC survey, emerging entrepreneurs are also subtly shifting their preferred industry focus. Of the top three industries targeted by would-be entrepreneurs in 2005, personal services/arts/crafts has now dropped from 17 per cent to 15 per cent; retail is down from 13 per cent to 11 per cent; and business services/communications/management consultant has fallen from 11 per cent to 8 per cent. Meanwhile Internet/online services (a new aspiring entrepreneurs category in this year's survey) was cited as industry of choice by 12 per cent of Canadians planning to establish their own enterprise.

"Finding a niche that you are passionate about and believe in is a big part of successfully starting, growing and sustaining your own business," advised Depencier. "If you're thinking about starting up a business, do your homework, learn from existing entrepreneurs, and take full advantage of the resources that are now available."
<< Canada's entrepreneurs: Industry of choice (presently owned or planning to own)

Industry Existing Aspiring

Business services/consulting 14% 8%
Personal services/arts/crafts 9% 15%
Construction/trades/manufacturing 9% 7%
Retail 8% 11%
Finance/insurance/real estate 8% 4%
Professionals 6% 3%
Travel/hospitality including restaurants 3% 9%
Transportation 3% 3%
Wholesale 3% 3%
Childcare/daycare 3% 1%
Telecommunications sales/service 2% 2%
Entertainment 2% 1%
Internet/online services N/A(*) 12%
Other 15% 10%
(*) Industry category not included

Canada's entrepreneurs: By the numbers

Region Existing Entrepreneurs Aspiring Entrepreneurs

2005 2007 2005 2007

BC 19% 18% 18% 17%
Prairies 19% 18% 21% 19%
Ontario 39% 41% 41% 39%
Quebec 17% 19% 12% 19%
Atlantic 6% 4% 7% 7%

Gender

2005 2007 2005 2007

Male 52% 56% 56% 54%
Female 48% 44% 44% 46%

Age

2005 2007 2005 2007

18-34 15% 14% 30% 30%
35-54 47% 51% 51% 55%
55+ 39% 34% 19% 15%

Marital Status

2005 2007 2005 2007

Married 55% 61% 47% 49%
Domestic Partnership 13% 14% 15% 18%
Single 14% 12% 23% 22%
Widowed 3% 1% 2% 1%
Separated/Divorced 14% 11% 13% 10%

Household Income

2005 2007 2005 2007

Under $25K 15% 13% 22% 9%
$25- $ less than 45K 22% 16% 21% 16%
$45- $ less than 70K 24% 25% 22% 23%
$70- $ less than 100K 19% 22% 20% 22%
$100K+ 20% 24% 15% 30% >>

These are some of the findings of an RBC poll conducted by Ipsos Reid between July 27 and August 3, 2007. The online survey is based on a randomly selected representative sample of 3,806 adult Canadians of which 2,253 owned small or medium-sized businesses (entrepreneurs) and 1,553 aspire to own small or medium size businesses (aspiring entrepreneurs). With a representative sample of this size, the results among entrepreneurs are considered accurate to within +/- 2.1 percentage points, and among aspiring entrepreneurs +/- 2.5 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian population been polled.