As a follow up to the last post about Janice Cheam’s Energy Aware, I coincidentally found a video on the website of The Globe and Mail where Gregor Robertson discusses the challenges faced by small businesses and newcomer entrepreneurs in the city in current times.

Walking around the streets of Vancouver, it’s hard to tell right away what small businesses have done to get where they are. Just how much does an entrepreneur have to consider when entering a market? Based on Porter’s 5 forces, I would think the degree of measurement with regards to the five forces are all listed as high. In Vancouver’s expansive and diverse market, buyers and suppliers are all capable of persuasive and tricky bargaining techniques. Their barriers to entry from other competitors don’t stand to high and the number of substitutes blow through the ceiling. As an entrepreneur, I would be have a tough time analyzing the market let alone to see when the appropriate time to enter the market would be. It would be interesting to see what new methods the different entrepreneurs entering the market would employ to differentiate themselves in the market.

Gregor Robertson on entrepreneurs and the challenges faced by small businesses

One company has managed to employ its strategies wisely and demonstrate itself through something unique and interesting:
Referencing classmate Tighearnan Marsh’s post on Save on Meats is an example of a new (but revamped) business coming into the Downtown Eastside (DTES) development project. What makes them different? They have done an excellent job intertwining themselves within the DTES and promoting social good within the community.

Photo retrieved from BCBusiness Online