Whether from a bumpy economy or just a desire to make their own hours, more and more Canadian women are going into business for themselves.
Statistics Canada counted 877,000 self-employed women in 2006, an 18 per cent increase from 1996.
Many potential women entrepreneurs checked out the National Franchise and Business Opportunities Show at Lansdowne Park this weekend, where more than 60 exhibitors offered a path to business ownership.
Show manager Karen Heffer said that in eight years she’s seen the number of women attendees climb steadily.
Many women, she said, want a better balance of work and family life, and sometimes franchises are the answer.
Angela Bush and her husband, Dave, attended the show yesterday. He works in the tech industry, she works in the non-profit sector, and whatever their new enterprise is, they said, they’re going into it together.
“Yeah, absolutely, we have to,” Angela said.
Dave said they were attracted to the assistance offered by franchisors, “the safety aspect where someone can guide you along the process.”
