•  Introduction - Opening Comments
•  What's New at www.gdsourcing.ca
•  Statistics Canada releases
•  How Much Research is Enough?
•  Finding Local Census Data
•  Small Business Stats Facts

 

RETURN TO ARCHIVES

 

Hello,

Welcome to the November issue of the Business Researcher newsletter.

There are two big announcements this month. 

First of all the 2004 edition of the popular Statistics Canada publication the
Market Research Handbook has just been released (Nov 10, 2004). 

This authoritative compendium of local and national market data is a research staple in business development centres and research departments across Canada.

We are happy to again be able to offer it at a 20% discount off the cover price.  For more information and to order a copy see: http://www.gdsourcing.ca/MarketResearchHandbook.htm

The second big news is that GDSourcing now offers access to the most comprehensive Canadian Business Directory available.  You can request free business counts on your target market or competitors.  Results are segmented by industry, revenue-size,  employee-size and geography (right down to a postal code!). 

You can also order accurate sales leads and business lists by the same detailed segmentation.  Access to lists is immediate. For more information see:
http://www.gdsourcing.ca/SBDC.htm#CBD

One final announcement, the Toronto office of Statistics Canada is delivering a full day hands-on workshop called Statistics on Business Planning to be held on Tuesday November 23rd, 2004.

This workshop will introduce participants to data sets which are key to new business and small business planning.  Learn how to build better and more convincing business plans using Stats Can data covering business performance, consumer spending patterns, neighborhood profiles and more.

This workshop is intended for small business consultants, regional economic development advisors and anyone who has an interest in new business planning.

Mention GDSourcing and you can still register at the early bird rate of $275
(full rate $300)

For more information about the workshop or to register, contact the Central Regional Office: Phone:, Fax: ,
Email: toronto.info@ statcan.ca

I hope you find this issue helpful.

John White
GDSourcing - Research & Retrieval

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Labour Market Information
Site: http://www.labourmarketinformation.ca
Site Summary: http://www.gdsourcing.ca/works/LMI.htm
Data on employment, wages and salaries in Canada.

Canadian Genealogy Centre
Site: http://www.genealogy.gc.ca/index_e.html
Site Summary: http://www.gdsourcing.ca/works/Genes.htm
The Canadian Genealogy Centre is also a single window providing electronic access to genealogical resources in Canada

North American Transportation Statistics
Site: http://nats.inegi.gob.mx/nats/
Site Summary: http://www.gdsourcing.ca/works/NATS.htm
Transportation data for Canada, United States and Mexico.  Covers Air, Marine, Road (Cars, Trucks & Buses) and Rail.

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The following statistics were released by Statistics Canada over the last month. We have listed those releases we feel are of the most interest to Canadian entrepreneurs.

Very few of these statistics are available on-line. The URL listed is a direct link to the press release associated with the data. It provides contact and ordering information.

If you want to purchase any publication related to these releases please see our web site: https://gdsourcing.com/works/StatCan.htm

We offer a 20% discount on most Stats Can publications and a 10% discount on Stats Can electronic products. For more information you can reach us at . Put "StatsCan" in the subject line of your e-mail.

AGRICULTURE

National supply and disposition of major grains
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041105/d041105c.htm

The Pumpkin: A Growing Vegetable (1986 to 2001)
http://www.statcan.ca:8096/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=11-621-MIE2004018

Aquaculture statistics - 2003
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041020/d041020e.htm

September intentions of principal field crops (Sept 2004)
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/040423/d040423a.htm

ARTS & CULTURE

Heritage institutions 2002
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041025/d041025a.htm

Census metropolitan areas as culture clusters
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041022/d041022a.htm

BUSINESS SERVICES

Savers, investors and investment income 2003
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041103/d041103a.htm

Registered Retirement Savings Plan contributions - 2003
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041102/d041102b.htm

Innovation Analysis Bulletin
http://www.statcan.ca/english/indepth/88-003/iahome.htm

Trends in Canadian Biotechnology Activity, 1997 to 2001
http://www.statcan.ca:8096/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=88F0006XIE2004017

DEMOGRAPHICS

Migration 2002/2003
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/040929/d040929e.htm

Demographic statistics As of July 1, 2004 (preliminary)
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/020926/d020926b.htm

Intercensal and postcensal population estimates by age and sex, July 1, 1971 to 2004
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041021/d041021c.htm

Deaths
http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/84F0211XIE/free.htm

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Foreign control in the Canadian economy 2001 and 2002
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041102/d041102a.htm

EDUCATION

Postsecondary field of study and the Canadian labour market outcomes of immigrants and non-immigrants
http://www.statcan.ca:8096/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=11F0019MIE2004233

Connectivity and Learning in Canada's Schools
http://www.statcan.ca:8096/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=56F0004MIE2004011

ENVIRONMENT

Human activity and the environment: Annual Statistics (2004)
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041027/d041027a.htm

Environmental expenditures and practices by businesses 2002
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041019/d041019b.htm

The Waste Management Industry Survey: Business and government sectors, 2002
http://www.statcan.ca:8096/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=16F0023XIE

HEALTH

Pregnancies 1974 to 2001
http://www.statcan.ca:8096/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=82-224-XWE

Social anxiety disorder - beyond shyness - 2002
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041026/d041026b.htm

Aggressive Behaviour Outcomes for Young Children: Change in Parenting Environment Predicts Change in Behaviour  1994 to 2000
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041025/d041025b.htm

Vision problems among seniors
http://www.statcan.ca:8096/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=82-003-XPE

Dental consultations
http://www.statcan.ca:8096/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=82-003-XPE

Shorter hospital stays for breast cancer
http://www.statcan.ca:8096/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=82-003-XPE

Second-hand smoke: One-third of non-smokers regularly exposed
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041019/d041019a.htm

Use of hospital emergency rooms - 2003
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041019/d041019a.htm

Neighbourhood Influences on health in Montréal
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041018/d041018b.htm

Neighbourhood Inequality, Relative Deprivation and Self-perceived Health Status
http://www.statcan.ca:8096/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=11F0019MIE2004228

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Public Sector Technology Transfer in Canada 2003
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041102/d041102c.htm

INTERNET

Broadband Internet: Removing the Speed Limit for Canadian Firms
http://www.statcan.ca/english/research/11-621-MIE/11-621-MIE2004016.htm

JUSTICE

Adult Correctional Services 2002/03
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041027/d041027b.htm

Canadian Crime Statistics
http://www.statcan.ca:8096/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=85-205-XIE

Homicides 2003
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/040929/d040929a.htm

Youth custody and community services 2002/2003
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041013/d041013c.htm

MANUFACTURING

Control and sale of alcoholic beverages 2002/2003
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041029/d041029b.htm

Food Statistics - Food Sector
http://www.statcan.ca:8096/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=21-020-XIE

Food consumption
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/040526/d040526e.htm

Four Decades of Creative Destruction: Renewing Canada's Manufacturing Base from 1961 and 1999
http://www.statcan.ca:8096/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=11F0027MIE2004023

Energy consumption by manufacturing industries
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/040930/d040930c.htm

MARKET

The Sandwich Generation - 2002
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/040928/d040928b.htm

NON-PROFIT - CHARITY

Charitable donors 2003
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041104/d041104b.htm

PRIMARY

Oil and gas extraction industry: Volume and value of marketable production 2003
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041026/d041026f.htm

Electric power generating stations
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041004/d041004e.htm

SOCIAL STATISTICS /POVERTY

Earnings of Couples with High and Low Levels of Education, 1980 to 2000
http://www.statcan.ca:8096/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=11F0019MIE2004230

Study: Low-paid workers: How many live in low-income families?
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041026/d041026e.htm

Welfare dynamics in Canada: the role of individual attributes and economic-policy variables
http://www.statcan.ca:8096/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=11F0019MIE2004231

Wealth Inequality by Province
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/040928/b040928a.htm

TRADE

A profile of Canadian exporters
http://www.statcan.ca:8096/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=65-506-XIE

TRANSPORTATION

Road motor vehicle fuel sales volumes
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/020417/d020417g.htm

Civil aviation operating statistics
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041105/d041105e.htm

Air fare statistics - 2000
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041105/d041105f.htm

Rail in Canada
http://www.statcan.ca/english/IPS/Data/52-216-XIB.htm

WORKPLACE

Retaining older workers
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041026/d041026d.htm

Relative Wage Patterns among the Highly Educated in a Knowledge-based Economy
http://www.statcan.ca:8096/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=11F0019MIE2004232

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“How do you know when you have done enough research?”  It is a question I am asked in nearly every seminar I give.  Research is not a particular popular aspect of starting a business. The optimists view it as a necessary evil while the pessimists consider it not applicable and a waste of time.  Most attends market research seminars from a sense of obligation as opposed to enthusiasm. 

In fact I am convinced that many of those in attendance are there strictly to hear me say “great, you have done enough research, now move on with your venture.” Basically they want to check "market research" off their to-do list.

While asking the "when is enough" question seems reasonable it is really akin to asking “When do you know you have done enough marketing?  As a general question it is ludicrous.  The most accurate answer would be “when you decide to shut down you business.”  Marketing is an on-going task that is required for the life of your business in order to ensure new markets are generated and old markets are expanded.

Research is exactly the same.  You can stop doing research when you retire and sell your company!  If you think of increasing sales as a distant land and marketing as the ship that gets you there, research is the compass that shows you the fastest way possible.

Now before you groan too loudly about either the metaphor or the thought of research as never ending,  you must first consider what business research is all about.  While useful information exists on the Internet and in libraries the vast majority of small business research is conducted by talking to people.  Talking to suppliers, your customers, your colleagues and your competitors.  Research is a feature of your business that should be undertaken on a constant basis.  It is really a frame of mind.  By constantly looking for ways to improve your venture you ensure that research is at the forefront of your business activities.

Of course when most people ask "How much research is enough?" they are actually asking is “how much time do I need to spend in the library and on the Internet searching for information, a task I really do not want to do because it is not my thing, because I’m not very good at it and I am secretly convinced it is a waste of time and not applicable to my particular type of business because  I know – I just have a feeling – there is not really anything out there related to my business, and my business will be a success regardless because I have a solid hunch.

I bet you didn’t realize it was such a loaded question!  When it comes to research most entrepreneurs carry a lot of baggage.  I wish I could tell you a magic number of hours you have to spend but there is no such standard.  The most important thing to keep in mind is that you are not alone in your search.  Do not stew about how horrible and unless research is.  Instead ask for help!

If you can not talk about your business when you are only looking for information how will you every be able to talk about it when you are trying to make a sale.  Get in the habit of describing your venture and explaining its detail.  It will help you to build confidence in yourself and your idea.

Start with the easy resources. Librarians are not in libraries to enforce silence.  They are there to assist people in accessing their collections whether paper-based or electronic.  Many major libraries actually have a “business desk” where you will find librarians specifically skilled in accessing business resources.  They can often offer you a plethora of suggestions on where to look for information related to your specific business.  Also do not forget you local business development centre.  Most have a resource centre full of local business specific resources.

When you are searching online, e-mail or telephone any organizations or companies that are related to your business or market and ask for suggestions.  Take advantage of other peoples experience to make the whole research process easier.  Do not try to reinvent the research wheel.  If research is not "your thing" then ask for help!  Even if research is the very reason you exists (!) still ask for help in order to find hitherto unknown sources more quickly.

This whole process lets you build not only a knowledge network but a marketing network as well.  The more people that know about your business the likelier you will get referrals and/or have a better understanding of how and where to market.

Of course I have still not answered the basic question.   So here it is: The whole purpose behind research is to position your business so that you can start generating revenue as quickly and as effectively as possible.  In other words who is your best customer and what is the best way to reach them.

Once you start your business or launch into a new market, the primary purpose of research is to avoid being caught off guard by unexpected circumstances. 

Situations and various minor crisis are bound to turn up whether you are a new or seasoned business.  That is what running a business is all about.  What we are referring to here are avoiding fundamentally flawed business assumptions.   The resulting costs associated with such “surprises” can be devastating. 

A couple of years ago Looney Spoons, the people behind the phenomenally popular recipe book of the same name, branched into the frozen entrée business and launched "Crazy Plates".  The owners admitted however that their first foray into this new market was conducted without sufficient research. 

Using assumptions based the success of their recipe book and their own intuition, they created frozen entrees that were family sized and priced in the $15.00 range.  The product was an instant failure.  The problem was that the principle market for frozen entrees is two person households who prefer a price point below $10.00 and a meal that can be prepared in less than 15 minutes.  The product failed on all counts. And it was entirely due to a lack of basic market research – who is my best customer?  

The business owners immediately recognized their error and consequently spent nearly $750,000  of their own money buying back their product from grocer stores and giving it away free of charge.  They then spent another $1 million on redesigning the package, reducing the serving size and altering the recipes to allow for faster cooking times.  They made the product appealing to their best customer.  It has been successful ever since.

Most business owners would not have the resources to fix such a problem.  As one of the owners acknowledged "The lesson here isn't about the success of the relaunch. The real lesson is you can't replace solid research with pure instinct."   With sufficient market research such situations can be avoided altogether!

When is enough, enough?  At a very basic level you have done enough research when you can describe in detail who your best customer is, exactly how you are going to reach them and what competing products/services they already have available to choose from.  Your insight must be based on more than “gut feelings” and “business intuition” and must be based on information compiled from a variety of sources both primary and secondary.  Only then have you done enough.

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The 2001 Census has been full released for a year now.  It still remains the most detailed demographic profile of the Canadian population available.  While Statistics Canada has provided more Census data online than ever before the data accessible online is mostly limited to metropolitan area data. 

If you live is a small metropolitan area (or agglomeration as Stats Can calls them) this geographical detail can in part be useful.  However if your market is one of the major urban centres across Canada, metropolitan data is far too big.  For example the Census Metropolitan Area of Toronto is a land area of 5,902 square km and home to nearly 4.7 million.

Happily there are free options to access local neighborhood Census data.  First and foremost are the hardcopy versions of the 2001 Census which are now available in major libraries across Canada.  These Profiles of Census Tract publications provide Census data for urban areas of about 3000 people.  Each publication covers one large metropolitan area or a couple small cities.  They include a Census Tract map of the metropolitan areas covered as well as related tables of detailed Census data. 

When you first consult these publications they may seem daunting but they are actually quite simple to use.  First consult the map portion and identify the Census Tract numbers associated with your local market.  Then match these numbers to the appropriate columns in the data portion of the publication.   

You can download your own electronic versions of Census Tract maps at: http://geodepot.statcan.ca/Diss/Maps/ReferenceMaps/ct_e.cfm   Note however that these maps only provide Census Tract boundaries and numbers.  You will still need to consult the Profile publications for the actual data.

Statistics Canada has a few highlight Census Tracts maps online that include data (see:  http://geodepot.statcan.ca/Diss/Maps/ThematicMaps/index_e.cfm)  However the data is limited in scope. (e.g. median age, daytime population, % of visible minorities, households containing a couple with children)

In addition to the Stats Can Census publications, many municipalities have now purchased the latest Census data and published it online by local city ward or district.  The data is often highlight in nature but it is a convenient and free way to access local information online.  Visit your local municipal government web site to see if Census data has been compiled for your market.  (E.g. City of Toronto Ward Profiles http://app.toronto.ca/wards/jsp/wards.jsp)  Search under demographics or population profiles at the your municipal web site or contact your municipality directly.  Often the business development department can help.

If you have a budget, you can also purchase local level Census Profiles from GDSourcing.  The charge is generally $65.00 plus $3.95 per geographical area.  This pricing can quickly add up especially for a new entrepreneur with a limited research budget.  If you are interested in ordering local level data or custom tabulations, contact us at and we can help you access these electronic resources as economically as possible.

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Each Business Researcher Newsletter ends with a collection of five statistics related to Canadian small businesses.

1. What % Canadian entrepreneurs strongly agree with the statement:
   
   I am making more money than I ever would have working for someone else.

25%

Source: CIBC (Oct 2004)

2. What is the top motivation for starting a business from a non-financial stand point?  From a financial stand point?

Non Financial: To do something I love

Financial: Loss of Job/ Change in employment

Source: CIBC (Oct 2004)

3. What % of Canadian small business owners plan to expand their business over the next 2 years

Source: CIBC (Oct 2004)

4. According to a survey of Canadian business owners what is the most important challenge facing business owners over the next five years? (Top mentions only) 

Source: CIBC (Oct 2004)

5. What % of Canadian small businesses with Internet access had a high-speed connection in 2003?  (cable modem or better)

    

Source: EKOS, Rethinking the Information Highway, December 2003.

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Copyright 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 GDSourcing - Research & Retrieval. All rights reserved. You may circulate this newsletter freely as long as GDSourcing is clearly credited as the source. We encourage people to subscribe directly. There is no charge for this newsletter. A subscription form is available at http://www.gdsourcing.ca/newsletter.htm