Shop Class Helps Entrepreneurs Pave Way for Future of Canada’s Economy
To honor Canada’s 150th birthday, Shopify is celebrating creators and innovators who have helped build this country.
The Ottawa-based company says it wants to inspire, educate and connect the growing community of self-starters to shape Canada’s future economy for the next 150 years.
According to Statistics Canada, 98% of Canada’s economy is made up of small businesses. A recent Shopify survey revealed that this trend is expected to continue.
68% of Canadians would love to be their own boss, according to Shopify, and 53% believe that entrepreneurship is a possibility for them in the future—but lack the resources to pursue it.
The Shopify survey found that Canadians perceive entrepreneurs as key contributors to the country’s economy, citing the strongest impact in creating new jobs (73%), innovating through new products or services (67%), adding to the national income (45%), and creating social change (35%).
“Shopify has helped over 30,000 Canadian entrepreneurs turn their dreams into reality, which in turn has created tens of thousands of jobs and brought millions of dollars back into local economies across Canada,” says Tobi Lütke, CEO of Shopify. “Our merchants include everyone from Justin Bieber and the Canadian Football League, to a craftsman who moved to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia for a slower pace of life and now creates and sells beautiful woodcraft goods.”
Shop Class, newly launched by Shopify, is a hands-on workshop for future and existing entrepreneurs to provide resources and expert advice to take the leap and bring their ideas to life. Starting May 30 and running until mid-September, Shop Class will be making eight stops across Canada—starting in Toronto, and then visiting Montreal, Halifax, Whitehorse, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg and Ottawa.
