Entrepreneurs in Canada
Do you have an entrepreneurial spirit? Do you wonder what it takes to start your own business? Are you ready to join the legions of famous Canadian entrepreneurs who have made major contributions to the business world? Throughout history Canadian entrepreneurs from all backgrounds have shaped the face of Canadian business and our way of life. Many are today's role models and are celebrated as innovators who have helped drive our economy forward.
Canada has a rich history of entrepreneurship. There is John Molson (1763-1836), who at the age of 23 began running his own brewery. Then there is John Redpath (1796-1869) who, in 1854, built the first sugar refinery in what was then the Province of Canada. And Samuel Cunard (1787-1865) from Halifax who founded the firm of A.Cunard and Son in 1812 and entered the timber and West Indian trade–importing molasses, brown sugar, coffee–while selling timber abroad. John Rodolphus Booth (1827-1925) is another Canadian success story. With only a modest elementary education, he left home as a young man to work in various sawmills in Quebec before becoming manager of operations at a mill owned by Andrew Leamy. He eventually purchased his own in the Ottawa area and in 1868 founded the Upper Canada Improvement Company which built dams and piers. Over the next few years he established related businesses in New York State, Vermont and Massachusetts and expanded his fortune in the lumber industry until his death in 1925.
Do you need inspiration in starting your own business? Are you interested in finding out more about Canadian entrepreneurs? Various branches of the Toronto Public Library are hosting a series called Small Business Network. These programs are meant for those who already have established small businesses or for people who are just thinking about starting their own business. As well, take a look at the following books that you can find at your local library:
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