When Resilience Comes at a Cost

When Resilience Comes at a Cost

The Hidden Strain Behind Small Business Success

Nearly 69% of Canadian small business owners have reduced or eliminated their salaries, and more than half have delayed major life events — like retirement — just to maintain cash flow. These findings, reported by The Globe and Mail, highlight a reality many rarely see behind the storefronts, services, and smiles.

The Untold Sacrifices of Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship often gets celebrated for its freedom, innovation, and grit. What doesn’t get as much attention is the quiet sacrifice that sustains it — owners dipping into savings, postponing milestones, and working endless hours to keep employees paid and businesses alive.

More Than a Business Problem

This is not just a business problem. It’s a community issue. When small businesses struggle, neighbourhoods lose more than shops — they lose gathering places, local jobs, and the backbone of local economies.

How Small Actions Make a Big Difference

But here’s the encouraging part: small, collective actions can make a difference. Every time you:

• Share a small business post online,
• Recommend a local service provider to a friend,
• Or simply express gratitude to an owner who’s working harder than you realize —

. . . you help lighten the load for someone carrying enormous pressure.

Standing Together Matters

We often say entrepreneurship is a lonely journey, but it doesn’t have to be. Owners need more than grit; they need community. They need us to notice, support, and stand alongside them.

Because in the end, it’s better we fight together than alone.

(Source: The Globe and Mail)