To every small business owner throughout our community, we thank you! This week, we celebrate national Small Business Week (Oct. 17-23) with a tip of the hat to everything that you do.
This blog rounds up some interesting facts about doing business in Penticton, plus reminders about useful resources and a list of free events taking place this week.
Just the Facts
- 3,458 licenced businesses as of Sept. 30, 2021
- That’s a 5% increase from the same time last year (3,293)
- 484 new businesses opened in Penticton in 2019-2020
- 287,600 – total labour force in the Thompson-Okanagan economic region (2020)
- 98 percent of businesses in B.C. are self-employed or small businesses with fewer than 50 employees.
- There are more than 532,500 small businesses in B.C. (2020). Of these, 442,700 have fewer than four employees.
Sources: B.C. Small Business Profile 2020, City of Penticton
Resources for Local Businesses
- Apply for a business licence (with a new online registration service)
- Your Guide to Business
- Access market research about Penticton using our Business Toolkit
- Penticton’s economic profile
- Learn more about business licences and permits
Small Business Week Events
Small business owners from across the Okanagan-Shuswap region have the chance to participate in three days of development workshops and connect with peers from across the valley as Community Futures hosts a virtual version of Small Business Week events.
Oct. 20: Preparing for tax season.
Oct. 21: Digital marketing, crisis communication, marketing planning, digital tools and cyber-security for small business.
Oct 22: Supporting your team during a pandemic, creating a workplace that people want to work in, managing bullying/harassment complaints and mental injury claims, managing a remote workforce, stress management.
Experience the Penticton Advantage
Penticton is the business hub of the Okanagan-Similkameen region. While we’re known for our world-class wineries and deep roots in agriculture, our sectors are diverse and imaginative. Our resilient business economy includes a solid foundation of mature, multi-generational businesses as well as start-ups and newly relocated companies.
- Our vibrant waterfront city is connected, entrepreneurial and innovative. Here are some of the benefits to doing business in Penticton.
- It's the business hub of the South Okanagan, with more than 3,000 businesses serving 100,000 people throughout the region.
- Air travel is easy through Penticton Airport, offering direct flights through four commercial carriers (Air Canada, WestJet, Pacific Coastal and Cascadia Air).
- Penticton is ideally suited to Internet-based businesses, thanks to fast and dependable fibre optic speeds.
- Penticton has a robust retail and hospitality trade plus an infrastructure of office supply and business support services.
- The city offers a low tax rates for business and attractive economic incentives.
- Penticton has a robust community of virtual/remote workers (and entrepreneurs). You can work from home, a local café or at a coworking office space.
