Number of firms and job creation by growth category (Hyper and Strong Growth Firms vs. Slow Growth and Declining Firms)

Small business contribution to GDP by province

Total number of self-employed persons by sex, yearly and quarterly, Percentage distribution of usual weekly hours for employees and self-employed

Business ownership distribution by sex and industry, Scientific research and experimental development expenditures by number of employees (R&D), Internet access and use by firm size (Percent), Distribution of total value of goods exports by industry, destination and size of business

% indicated that their plans for investing in their own businesses through capital expenditures have not changed, % would slightly or significantly increase their capital expenditures., % would decrease capital expenditures

% foresee their hiring plans to remain unchanged in the coming six months, % plan to increase staff, reduce staff [business confidence]

Barriers to doing business internationally - % report: risk of doing business in foreign currencies, local regulations and complexities, complexity of certain international markets, solvency or reliability of overseas suppliers, sovereign risk

Top three benefits of small business ownership, Top five happiest cities for small business owners in Canada

% of small business owners said they were extremely or a little stressed by the economy, % predict revenue growth in the coming 12 months, Of these % expect that growth to be 20 per cent or more, Average expected increase

Weakness facing their business in the next 12 months - % report cast flow, wage and benefit costs

Biggest threat in coming year - % report competition

Includes: % of Canadian small business owners currently have or are considering implementing a green plan or environmental policies for their business

% of small businesses that already have a plan or policies in place concentrate on reducing energy [energy conservation], say that they have spent less than $500 on green initiatives in the past two years.

When asked about the greatest drivers, % reported: having control over their own destiny, not having to work for someone else, more money.

% of those likely to start a business believe it's easy to come up with a successful business idea, % are confident they can market it, % confident they can hire the right staff, can handle client service, can find investors, can promote their business

% Canadians who are likely to start a small business believe sorting through taxes and financing requirements would be a difficult part of running a business, % would rather have someone else handle important accounting tasks, such as payroll, invoicing, and taxes

Top reasons for not starting a business - % reported lack of money, too difficult to obtain a loan, lack of network support

Time and $ spent on direct compliance and on appeals and planning, Time spent on readying & sorting, Gathering information, Time for self preparers, Time of meeting with preparers, Time of other unpaid preparers

Specific amounts ($) spent (Tax preparers, Cost of software, Small out-of-pocket expenses)

Detailed by gender, age group, education, marital status, language skills, province/region, income, type of income (e.g. self-employed, wages & salaries, private pension, capital gains), Experience with tax system, Tax law provisions used

Includes: Do you understand how HST will apply to your business? How do you think HST will impact your business? Do you earn any interest on your business cash reserves?

Rating of individual banks on financing, fees and service by business size (micro, small, mid-sized)

Median amount of financing approved by business size, % applied for financing in past 12 months, Loan rejection rate [access to credit] by size of business and bank, Interest rate over prime by bank and by size of firm

Includes: Self-employed individuals across demographic groups (Gender, Age group, Education, Family status - Does not have a spouse, Spouse does not work, Spouse working - paid employee, Spouse working - self-employed)

% would choose to become a secretary, stay-at-home mom, actress, movie director, teacher, principal

% of small business owners are planning to hire in the next year to manage their increased workload, % looking for full-time, permanent employees, % of new positions will pay at least as much as they did last year.

% of small business owners are stressed by the economy, % plan to invest in new equipment or other capital expenditures, % plan to upgrade their IT, % plan to expand their business's physical space

Reasons for doing business internationally - % of small businesses report: sales and revenue opportunities, access to foreign markets, presence of suppliers and partners in other markets, owner costs, competitors, greater availability of talent.

Barriers to doing business internationally - % of small business report: bureaucratic red tape, lack of product demand, lack of knowledge or contacts in overseas markets, low profit margins, high shipping and storage costs, and unstable financial conditions.

Portion of regulatory costs passed on to customers, Cost of regulation, by province, How business would use savings if regulation was reduced, Social cost of regulation, Small business view of government regulation

Includes: General characteristics of SMEs seeking financing by type (bank credit, trade credit, leasing) - region, sectors, average of SME, Average age of owner, years experience, R&D expenditure

Materials inventories and Finished goods inventories are: too high, right, too low, Over the next three months, jobs will: increase, same, decrease, Experiencing difficulties in accessing financing

Types of financial instruments in use by SMEs by business size, age of business, age of owner, gender, sector, region, visible minority ownership, exporters, non exporters, urban/rural, Types of financial instruments used by Start-up SMEs

Application method used by SMEs who requested debt, Documents requested by the last credit supplier approached for debt financing, Loss Rates (percent) on commercial debt, by authorization categories, of financial suppliers

% small business owners will be giving their employees bonuses this holiday season, % will be making charitable donations, employee gifts, client gifts, % are planning to give employees extra time off over the holidays

% of small business owners have introduced some form of cost reduction policies in the last year for themselves and/or employees - % have instituted longer working hours, pay freezes, reduced spending allowances, % introduced pay cuts in the past year.

% of small business owners took at least one cost-savings measure that impacted themselves only - % cut their own spending allowances without asking staff to follow suit.

% said they were ready to make sacrifices in the short run to accumulate enough wealth for a more secure tomorrow. (All Canadians vs. Generation Y (Gen Y) and Divorced/Separated Canadians

% say that in light of the global financial crisis, they need to re-invent themselves to enhance earning power [Financial Crisis 2008]

When asked how they would develop their wealth building skills, % said they would be willing to make an investment in their future and pay for training to become an entrepreneur, real estate investor or to launch a home-based business, % believe financial freedom means being self-employed or owning their own business

% believe that financial independence is within their realm of possibilities, % agree that achieving financial independence by building their own wealth is important enough to act on right now.

% of small business owners surveyed said they have been negatively affected by the recent economic downturn [Financial Crisis 2008], % calling the negative impact "dramatic"

% of small businesses outsource accounting, % do payroll in-house, % do invoice and billing in-house, % of owners in companies of six or more employees delegate invoicing and billing, followed by payroll, inventory management, accounting

% of small business owners identified cash flow as one of the two most important aspects of financial management, % identified invoicing and billing, managing costs, financial planning and forecasting, tax payments, inventory management, payroll, EI/CPP compliance.

% of Canadian small businesses expect to sell more products or services in the coming year [business confidence], % expect to create a new product, service or technology, % believing that whatever happens in their business, they will be able to handle it, % believe the current global recession is creating new opportunities for small business.

% say it is very rewarding - Running my own business or being self-employed, Working in small business, Working in several trades/professions, Working in the public sector, Working in large companies

% of small and medium enterprise owners said if they could do it all over again, they would still decide to own their own business.

% of family businesses survive to the second generation, to the third generation [family business]

% have made proactive defence against: Data back-up plan [information security], Emergency cash reserves, Back-up power systems, Catastrophic illness insurance.

Canadian small business confidence for October 2009, % of Canadian small business owners now feel their business is on the upswing, % of Canadian small business owners now feel their business is on the upswing, % not experiencing any stress caused by state of the economy, % agree that "the rewards and opportunities of running my own business outweigh the risks and challenges."

What keeps small business owners up at night? % report recession [Financial Crisis 2008], cash flow

What is your unique selling proposition, or USP? % reported "to provide the highest level of service in our industry", "to provide the best products/results in our industry", "to provide the best expertise in our industry"

% of SME owners who have a relationship with a credit provider say they are unlikely to seek additional credit for their business in the next six months, % have a positive relationship with their main financial institution, Top three bank services used by SME owners, Most important factors in their relationship with their bank, % have been with their main financial institution for more than 10 years.