Ottawa's small business community is nothing less than a league of heroes

During a crisis that has now stretched into a third calendar year, everyone has discovered new heroes. High on my list are many of Ottawa's small business owners.

Too frequently, entrepreneurs ranging from small retailers to technology gurus are simplistically lumped together in an amorphous collective of perceived wealth and greed. But in my experience, the overwhelming majority of business owners are nothing like the super rich, nor are they even in it for the money. They have a lot more in common with artists, novelists, and musicians than with the CEOs of big banks or social media companies.

Entrepreneurship, like performing music, is a vocation. A few are supremely talented, get lucky, or have great timing, and earn a lot of cash. But the majority don't and they keep going anyway, because they simply wouldn't be happy doing anything else. Most small business owners are striving to satisfy a creative itch to make something out of nothing, to test themselves in a challenging environment, to put a little something out in the world and see who notices, all the while trying to earn a living and create security for their families, just like almost everyone else.

In normal circumstances, owning a small business is fraught with uncertainty and anxiety. There are wonderful trade-offs, like the independence of working for yourself and the joy of building a cohesive team. But even in the best of times, you worry that failure is lurking around the next corner. You often earn less than you would in another job, working longer hours and assuming greater risk and responsibility.

The pandemic, however, has been a uniquely relentless and formidable enemy, added to the routine challenges of business ownership. And nothing has been as painful as the latest shutdown. At a time when many thought they were finally turning the calendar to a new period of recovery, Omicron and the latest round of government decisions have struck like a tsunami, wiping out the last remaining ounces of energy, hope, and courage.

Already in this nascent year, in the conversations I've had with dozens of Ottawa entrepreneurs, I've witnessed all seven stages of grief. I've observed anger, frustration, desperation, and many tears. But in almost every case, it's been followed by extraordinary resolve, a determination to pick up the pieces again, one more time, and fight harder.

The greatest and most underestimated challenge of owning a business is the isolation. Everyone has felt lonely and secluded during the pandemic; for entrepreneurs, it's even more pronounced. When times are tough, you must put on a brave face for your employees, your clients, your suppliers, your funders, and sometimes even your family, suppressing dire forecasts and troubling emotions. Everyone is counting on you for leadership and hope, to find responses to even the most unanswerable questions. No matter what's going through your mind and your heart, you can't show any hint of fear or distress. You just keep soldiering on, solving problems and hoping for a better day.

That's why, to me, Ottawa's business community is nothing less than a league of super heroes, setting aside their inner turmoil in a quest to protect and serve their missions and their employees. To each of those small business owners: your extraordinary efforts are not going unnoticed. I see you. It might not help you make payroll or imagine a world without lockdowns, but I salute you. You may feel at your lowest right now, but I believe you will not only survive the latest lockdown, but emerge stronger. Most people will never fully understand the burden you've carried. But trust me: you inspire me and many others, every day.

I wish I could give you something more than my admiration and support, some simple solution to get to the finish line without further damage. But I know you'll do what you've always done: Get creative and push harder. Because you're an entrepreneur.