Small Businesses can provide something many big box stores can't. Personalized service. When I need service, I am willing to pay for it.

You may have seen this sign at a local tire shop.

"Good, Fast, Cheap, Choose any two". When someone asks me to to reduce my fee, I ask them what part of my services they would like to give up?

There are a number of people who know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. I don't want them as customers.

But, there are many people out there who appreciate great service in timely fashion for a reasonable price. The small business person thrives on this type of customer. And the market is growing. Chester

How to start a small business? Buy a big business, and let the government help you run it.

"when the Canadian Federation of Independent Business conducted a survey which shows 65 per cent expect stronger performance in the year ahead and 41 per cent expect to hire more full-time staff."

So tell us, on the assumption that this is an annual survey, what were the responses of the last survey, and what was the response to questions formulated to parallel those predictive outlooks of a year ago and measure what actually happend to those same firms?

In other words, how good of an indicator is this survey?

As a member of CFIB, I can vouch that this is a good indicator and CFIB has a very accurate pulse on the Independent Small Business market.

Their feedback is only from small businesses who are members. If I recall, the survey had similiar results last year. Personally, my business has increased over 40% year to date over last year. And in 2005, my business grew by 30%. Chester

There is no doubt that business has been good for the last couple of years and probably will continue to be so for the next few years, however it is sort of like a feeding frenzy, and I suggest that after a few years all the food will be consumed, and we will be in for a big bust.

Hopefully this will not happen, however there are many signs, such as possible mill closures, reduced enrollment in schools,(schools shutting down) Static population growth. The Citys population has not grown in the last 10 years and BC Stats forcasts between 1.5 and 2.5% growth for the next 10 years or so. The City has done about all the building it can do with taxpayers money with the exception of a new Police Station, maybe a new bridge, and some kind of goofy co-generation plant. The sportsplex will be finished, and all other big box outlets will be built, not only here but in outlying towns and Citys. When this is all done things will settle down and we will have a long period of negative growth.

Without significant increases in Population you cannot have long term growth. There does not appear to be anything in our future (10 years) that indicates that our population will grow.