By Brianne Conlon
When you think of some of the most beautiful things the world has to offer, what comes to mind? When I’ve asked this question in the past, common responses I’ve heard are tropical vacations and worldly experiences cultivated through travelling. I completely agree.
Travelling does all sorts of wonderful things that make you an equally wonderful person. I would, however, like to point out that I have not had to travel far to see some of these great things. In fact, I believe I’ve seen some of the world’s greatest wonders sitting in my office.
Following my graduation, I had the opportunity to work for an organization that was the voice of business for Greater Sudbury. I then moved on to work for a local small business, and now, in my current role, I get to work with small business owners and/or aspiring entrepreneurs on a daily basis.
All of these experiences have been both rewarding and remarkable. I feel incredibly lucky to work alongside so many passionate, brilliant and creative people every single day.
Small businesses constitute more than 98 per cent of total businesses and employ nearly three million people in Ontario. Impressive? But what’s even more impressive are the people, the faces behind these businesses.
It’s hard for me to put into words how truly incredible these people are — small business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs and all of the advocates who surround them and uplift them. What I can say is they all have this passionate, larger-than-life aura that surrounds them. Although you can’t see it, it’s almost impossible not to feel that luminous human energy radiating resilience and enthusiasm, two very admirable and inspiring traits.
As an individual who has always admired the entrepreneurial spirit, I truly salute your efforts in growing your business and growing our community. You’ve made the courageous choice to take your career into your own hands, to be the architect of your own life, to provide for yourself and your family, yet in doing so you’ve also provided for our families.
You’ve created local employment opportunities, you’ve re-invested in our city and you’ve supported our community in countless ways. Not only has your business delivered economic advantages to our city, it has also delivered community character by building a more vibrant place for us to live, work and play.
It hasn't always been easy, I know because you have told me. As I sit in my office and listen to your trials and tribulations and about your plans to break through the barriers to thrive and survive as a small business owner, you may have been discouraged, but I have been moved.
Your efforts have been purposeful even when you may have felt they were at a loss. Those moments of frustration and uncertainty, those moments where you may have felt helpless, you have in fact been helping us.
You have been helping us learn how to face adversity with grace and humility, how to create our own successes and how to practice bravery, strength and resilience in the greatest capacity possible. The moments in which you may feel that you have struggled the most, are also the moments in which you’ve inspired us the most.
Through your decision not to take the conventional path often promoted in school, of joining a large-scale corporation, through your decision to take a leap of faith and commit time and hard work not only to bring your business to life, but also to keep it alive in challenging economic times, you have strengthened partnerships among neighbours, residents, other small business owners, community leaders and local causes.
Your small business has a big impact on our community and our economic landscape.
I would be remiss not to say thank you for being in business. Thank you for being the economic engines behind our community. Thank you for taking the risks that many of us are too afraid to take. Thank you for being mentors and roles models to so many in our community. Thank you for demonstrating immense amounts of courage when there are no guarantees. Thank you for weathering the storm even on the coldest days of our northern Canadian winters. Thank you for being a local hero.
From the energy that these people bring into a room, to the products or services they have created for us, and the storefronts they own that beautify and diversify our city, I believe many of the world’s greatest wonders have been brought to life by entrepreneurs.
Brianne Conlon was born and raised in Sudbury and works as a small business specialist at the Regional Business Centre.
