Western Economic Diversification Canada
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Differences Across Provinces
To develop a deeper understanding of the survey results, we cross-tabulated client responses by the four provinces in terms of characteristics of clients, characteristics of the services received, and characteristics of the businesses. It is to note that the figures are calculated based on our survey results; conclusions drawn based on the smaller sample sizes of each province have limitations and may not represent the general population. The results are presented in the following pages.
Characteristics of the clients
Some of the key trends in the characteristics of clients observed from the cross-tabulation include:
- The age and level of experience of clients in business management did not vary significantly across province.
- Clients in British Columbia are more likely to report a college diploma as their highest level of education whereas university degree or post-graduate degrees were more commonly reported in other provinces. BC clients are those most likely to report a business related diploma or degree.
- While clients in BC and Alberta commonly found out about WEI through Internet, clients in Saskatchewan and Manitoba were more likely to become aware of the organization through word-of- mouth and advertisements or stories.
| Characteristics | BC | AB | SK | MB | OVERALL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | |||||
| Number of Clients Surveyed | 88 | 109 | 129 | 118 | 444 |
| Age | |||||
| Younger than 24 years | 2% | 1% | - | 4% | 2% |
| 25 to 34 years | 26% | 20% | 20% | 18% | 21% |
| 35 to 44 years | 36% | 5% | 26% | 30% | 31% |
| 45 to 54 years | 28% | 29% | 40% | 34% | 33% |
| 55 to 64 years | 9% | 14% | 13% | 14% | 12% |
| 65 years or older | - | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
| Total | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Highest Level of Education | |||||
| Less than Grade 12 | 2% | 1% | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Grade 12 | 12% | 7% | 17% | 8% | 11% |
| College or diploma program (2 years or less) | 47% | 39% | 33% | 32% | 37% |
| University degree | 39% | 53% | 47% | 59% | 50% |
| Don't know or no response | - | - | 1% | - | 0% |
| Total | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Diploma or Degree Related to Business Management | |||||
| Yes | 36% | 32% | 24% | 28% | 30% |
| Years of Experience in Business Management | |||||
| None | 14% | 9% | 10% | 19% | 13% |
| Less than 2 years | 10% | 13% | 14% | 15% | 13% |
| 2 to 5 years | 24% | 24% | 23% | 25% | 24% |
| 6 to 10 years | 20% | 21% | 24% | 19% | 21% |
| 11 to 15 years | 12% | 13% | 9% | 9% | 10% |
| Over 15 years | 15% | 20% | 18% | 15% | 17% |
| Other | 2% | 1% | - | - | 1% |
| Don't know or no response | 4% | - | 2% | - | 1% |
| Total | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| How Client Found out about WEI | |||||
| Word-of-mouth | 16% | 19% | 32% | 28% | 25% |
| Referred by another organization | 26% | 20% | 12% | 20% | 19% |
| Internet | 25% | 23% | 5% | 12% | 15% |
| Advertisement or story | 6% | 7% | 18% | 14% | 12% |
| Pamphlet/brochure | 6% | 6% | 9% | 9% | 7% |
| Referred by government | 11% | 8% | 4% | 9% | 8% |
| Other | 3% | 9% | 5% | 7% | 6% |
| Tradeshow | 2% | 2% | 3% | 2% | 2% |
Characteristics of the services received
Some of the key trends observed in the characteristics of services received include:
- Clients in Saskatchewan and Manitoba are more likely to have participated in a training program or seminar. None of the clients in Manitoba reported participating in a mentoring program. Clients who responded from Manitoba are the least likely to have received a loan.
- On average, loan clients made more contacts with the WEI organization than non-loan clients did except in Saskatchewan, where non-loan clients on average made more contacts with the organization (which is likely due to its membership structure).
- Non-loan clients in Alberta tended to be somewhat less satisfied with WEI services and less likely to believe that assistance played an important role in the development of their business.
- Clients from all regions saw a strong need for the program.
- Loans tend to account for a higher percentage of the total investment made by businesses in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (i.e., be less leveraged).
- Clients in Manitoba were more likely to report that the services increased their access to other programs, services, and training sessions, and encouraged them to start up operations.
top of page| Characteristics | BC | AB | SK | MB | OVERALL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | |||||
| Number of Clients Surveyed | 88 | 109 | 129 | 118 | 444 |
| Type of Clients | |||||
| Non-loan | 56% | 52% | 54% | 79% | 61% |
| Loan | 44% | 48% | 46% | 21% | 39% |
| Percentage Receiving Services | |||||
| Business Counselling | 47% | 38% | 47% | 52% | 46% |
| Business Plan Development | 24% | 31% | 41% | 33% | 33% |
| Training Programs | 44% | 48% | 60% | 66% | 55% |
| Mentoring Program | 13% | 9% | 23% | 0% | 12% |
| Pathfinding to identify other resources | 14% | 11% | 11% | 19% | 14% |
| Average Number of Contacts over the Past 5 Years | |||||
| Non-loan | 7.1 | 4.1 | 18.5 | 4.2 | 8.4 |
| Loan | 14.9 | 12.4 | 13.7 | 17.0 | 14.1 |
| Average Ratings on Importance of the Various Types of Assistance Provided by WEI | |||||
| Non-Loan | 3.7 | 2.4 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 3.4 |
| Loan | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 4.6 |
| Average Ratings on Satisfaction with WEI Assistance | |||||
| Non-loan | 4.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 3.9 |
| Loan | 4.8 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Average Ratings on the Perceived Need for the Program | |||||
| Non-loan | 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.7 |
| Loan | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 4.8 |
| Likelihood of Developing Business to this Extent Without WEI Assistance | |||||
| Non-loan | 78% | 84% | 79% | 77% | 80% |
| Loan | 32% | 39% | 34% | 28% | 34% |
| LOAN CLIENTS | |||||
| Loan Profile | |||||
| Average Loan Amount | $45,504 | $36,176 | $45,455 | $41,294 | $42,318 |
| Average Loan as Percentage of Capital Investment | 28% | 21% | 45% | 39% | 31% |
| Role of the Loan | |||||
| Start up Operation | 45% | 49% | 63% | 74% | 57% |
| Expand Production | 41% | 27% | 31% | 53% | 35% |
| Cover Working Capital | 28% | 22% | 14% | 21% | 20% |
| Fund Market Development | 17% | 15% | 0% | 5% | 9% |
| Fund New Product Development | 14% | 0% | 0% | 16% | 5% |
| Other | 28% | 29% | 12% | 11% | 20% |
| Likelihood of Getting Loan from other Sources | |||||
| Percentage of Likelihood | 32% | 41% | 32% | 27% | 34% |
| IMPACT RATINGS REGARDING THE SERVICES | |||||
| Average Rating (Where 1 is no impact at all and 5 is a major impact) for Non-Loan / Loan Clients | |||||
| Business Skills Development | 3.3 / 2.9 | 2.7 / 2.5 | 3.5 / 2.8 | 3.4 / 3.2 | 3.2 / 2.8 |
| Access to other Programs/ Services | 3.1 / 2.9 | 2.5 / 2.5 | 3.3 / 2.9 | 3.3 / 3.8 | 3.1 / 2.9 |
| Network with Other Entrepreneurs | 2.9 / 2.9 | 2.5 / 2.5 | 3.7 / 3.2 | 3.1 / 3.4 | 3.1 / 3.0 |
| Access to Information | 3.3 / 2.9 | 2.4 / 2.4 | 3.0 / 2.8 | 3.4 / 2.8 | 3.1 / 2.7 |
| Encouragement to Start up | 2.5 / 2.2 | 2.2 / 2.1 | 2.8 / 3.3 | 3.0 / 3.5 | 2.7 / 2.7 |
| Access to other Funding Sources | 1.8 / 2.0 | 1.8 / 1.8 | 1.6 / 2.1 | 2.0 / 3.0 | 1.8 / 2.1 |
Characteristics of the businesses
Some of the key trends with respect to the characteristics of the businesses include:
- Retail businesses are more common in British Columbia and Saskatchewan. The professional services sector was commonly identified in Manitoba.
- The number of years in operation did not vary significantly by province.
- On average, businesses in Manitoba had more employees than businesses in other provinces because of the presence of a few larger companies in our survey.
- Average revenues for the current fiscal year were higher for businesses in British Columbia as were the average wages paid per employee. Companies in British Columbia were also those most likely to report export sales.
- The projected revenues for the current year, the revenues for the previous year, and the average revenue per dollar invested appear to be higher in Saskatchewan (this is somewhat skewed due to two large Saskatchewan organizations generated significant revenues).
| Characteristics | BC | AB | SK | MB | OVERALL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Businesses Surveyed | |||||
| Number of Active Businesses | 67 | 74 | 98 | 70 | 309 |
| Current Status of the Business | |||||
| Planning stage | 16% | 17% | 12% | 28% | 18% |
| Planned but will not proceed | 3% | 3% | 4% | 7% | 4% |
| Currently operating | 76% | 68% | 75% | 59% | 70% |
| Temporarily stopped operations | 0% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 1% |
| Permanently stopped operations | 0% | 5% | 2% | 1% | 2% |
| Other | 3% | 8% | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| Total | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Sector | |||||
| Manufacturing | 12% | 5% | 2% | 7% | 6% |
| Retail | 31% | 13% | 26% | 17% | 22% |
| Wholesale | 8% | 3% | 1% | 1% | 3% |
| Primary production | 1% | - | 1% | - | 1% |
| Construction | 1% | 2% | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Real estate or insurance | 3% | - | - | 1% | 1% |
| Accommodation, food and beverage | 5% | 4% | 7% | 7% | 6% |
| Professional services | 21% | 39% | 40% | 57% | 40% |
| Other | 17% | 33% | 23% | 6% | 21% |
| Total | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Years in Operation | |||||
| Less than 1 year | 16% | 12% | 9% | 24% | 15% |
| 1 to 4 years | 48% | 36% | 44% | 34% | 41% |
| 5 to 9 years | 16% | 38% | 35% | 23% | 29% |
| 10 to 19 years | 13% | 11% | 8% | 11% | 11% |
| 20 years or more | 6% | 3% | 4% | 7% | 5% |
| Total | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Average | 6.3 years | 5.5 years | 5.8 years | 5.7 years | 5.8 years |
| People Currently Employed in Organization | |||||
| 1 to 4 | 72% | 71% | 70% | 71% | 71% |
| 5 to 9 | 19% | 16% | 18% | 8% | 16% |
| 10 to 19 | 6% | 11% | 11% | 18% | 11% |
| 20 or greater | 2% | 2% | 1% | 3% | 2% |
| Total | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Average | 4.3 staff | 4.1 staff | 4.1 staff | 6.4 staff | 4.5 staff |
| Average Estimated Revenues for the Current Fiscal Year | |||||
| $0 to $25,000 | 18% | 10% | 18% | 22% | 17% |
| $25,001 to $50,000 | 7% | 15% | 15% | 14% | 13% |
| $50,001 to $100,000 | 16% | 18% | 21% | 26% | 20% |
| $100,001 to $250,000 | 15% | 24% | 13% | 8% | 15% |
| $250,001 to $500,000 | 22% | 21% | 12% | 12% | 16% |
| Greater than $500,00 | 22% | 13% | 20% | 18% | 18% |
| Total | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Average | $464,096 | $318,965 | $343,551 | $316,843 | $389,076 |
| Comparison to Previous Years | |||||
| Projected Revenues for the Current Year (excluding new business with no previous comparables) | $379,051 | $343,610 | $498,468 | $409,592 | $416,460 |
| Previous Year Revenues | $323,801 | $291,103 | $441,607 | $378,596 | $365,475 |
| Average Increase in Revenues | 17% | 18% | 13% | 8% | 14% |
| Revenues and Wages Per Employee | |||||
| Number of Employees | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 6.4 | 4.5 |
| Average Revenues Per Employee | $107,929 | $77,796 | $83,793 | $49,507 | $86,461 |
| Average Wages Per Employee | $23,311 | $21,880 | $20,887 | $18,589 | $21,360 |
| Export Sales | |||||
| Percentage of Companies Reporting Export Sales | 27% | 18% | 14% | 24% | 20% |
| Export Revenues as a Per Cent of Total Revenues | 9% | 5% | 5% | 2% | 5% |
| Investment | |||||
| Average Investment Per Business | $182,726 | $155,680 | $105,368 | $87,949 | $139,822 |
| Average Revenue Per Dollar Invested | $1.59 | $1.96 | $3.95 | $2.59 | 2.49 |
