Entrepreneurs build businesses on passion but express anxiety over work-life balance

Staples offers one-stop-shop for technology, recycling and business support services for Small Businesses

TORONTO, Oct. 9, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - Most entrepreneurs have serious trouble with work-life balance and almost all believe technology helps them save time and boosts productivity, reveals a Staples Canada survey conducted by Vision Critical among  small business owners on the Ideas on Work Panel.

Considerable challenges
Fifty-three per cent (53%) of small business owners who participated in the survey believe that balancing work and life commitments is one of the greatest challenges they face on a daily basis. Forty-six per cent (46%) believe cash flow is a big challenge, while forty-three per cent (43%) say attracting and retaining customers is one of their hardest tasks.

The survey also found that most Canadian entrepreneurs start their own small business at an average age of 42 and over sixty-one per cent (61%) of participants started their own business based on passion.

Technology tops
Ninety-two per cent (92%) of survey respondents believe technology helps them save time on various tasks while the same percentage believes technology improves communication. A high percentage of respondents also believe technology can boost their productivity (87%), mobility (86%) and creativity (80%).

Untapped areas of service
The survey reveals small business owners are underserved when it comes to recycling solutions and general information on how to kick-start the registration process of a business.

Only forty-three per cent (43%) or respondents indicated having a full-service recycling system/service in place, while sixty-three per cent (63%) agreed it would be helpful to have a service to help them start or register their business.

"We're in the business of helping business," says Steve Matyas, President of Staples Canada. "It starts with listening to our customers. Entrepreneurs have turned to us for their business needs for almost 25 years. We're keen on showing small business owners how committed we are to helping them to make more happen, and our Annual Small Business Event helps us to show this commitment in yet another way."

Staples has designated October as "Small Business Month" to build on BDC Small Business Week™, a trademark event of the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC).  BDC Small Business Week™ 2014 takes place October 19 to 25. Throughout the month, business owners can find discounts on featured products, a series of business-related articles on the Staples blog and an office makeover contest valued at $5,000.

On October 24th, participating Staples stores across the country will offer workshops, presentations and networking events organized in partnership with local companies, industry experts and other community-based organizations. The company expects to hold some 300 events, which will be listed at blog.staples.ca.

In addition, the company celebrates these Small Business Events through the launch of three programs: A complete, zero-waste, recycling solution in partnership with TerraCycle that recycles everything from broken pen holders, old filing accessories, rusty garden equipment, light bulbs, used coffee capsules and more; a Business Registration webpage, that brings together information on how to start a company in Canada; and The Staples Learning Centre, a unique pilot project that offers hands-on, in-store workshops on topics of interest to small business and professional development. The pilot began in Guelph, Ontario in July with the expectation that it will be rolled out in the future.

According to Industry Canada, small to medium enterprises make up over 99 per cent of employer businesses in the country.

Additional information is available at Staples.ca. Follow Staples Canada on Facebook or join the conversation on Twitter using #StaplesSBM.

About Staples
Staples makes it easy to make more happen with more products and more ways to shop. Through its world-class retail, online and delivery capabilities, Staples lets customers shop however and whenever they want, whether it's in-store, online or on mobile devices. Staples offers more products than ever, such as technology, facilities and break room supplies, furniture, safety supplies, medical supplies, Copy and Print services and, of course, school supplies. Headquartered outside Boston with Canadian regional offices in Toronto, Laval and Vancouver, Staples operates throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. More information about Staples (SPLS) is available at staples.ca.

Survey Methodology
Between September 22 – 25 2014, Staples conducted an online survey on its Ideas on Work panel among 392 small business owners who are members of the panel and Staples customers.

Image with caption: "Entrepreneurs build businesses on passion but express anxiety over work-life balance. (CNW Group/Staples Canada Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20141009_C3417_PHOTO_EN_6544.jpg

SOURCE: Staples Canada Inc.