Business Development

What is Business Development?

We usually think of an entrepreneur as someone who is highly responsive to change, who sees opportunities that others may not see, and who mobilizes resources to make new things happen. Although some people feel that entrepreneurs are born, not made, experience has shown us that entrepreneurship can be taught, and that a positive environment encourages entrepreneurial thinking, promotes innovation, and leads to a higher degree of social and economic sustainability. Businesses, organizations and communities can become more entrepreneurial.

What's the WD Connection?

Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) collaborates with organizations and other levels of government to:

• Enhance business productivity and competitiveness,
• Improved small businesses’ access to information, training, business advisory services and capital,
• Increase the participation of western small business in export markets
• Increase investment and branding,
• Improve trade corridors between the United States, Asia-Pacific and Western Canada
• Support the development of networks, clusters, and alliances to share knowledge, new ideas and technologies.

What's been accomplished?  

Learn more about how WD is fostering western entrepreneurship by reading our magazine, Access West.

WD's accomplishments include the following:

• The Western Canada Business Service Network provides services and resources to help western Canadians start, grow and expand their businesses.
• Collaborative partnerships support trade and investment opportunities to help western companies expand into global marketplaces and attract foreign direct investment.
• Research that helps western Canadians to understand the role and impact of entrepreneurship.
• Loan funds with community-based organizations and financial institutions increase the availability of financing to businesses, communities, and groups that face difficulty getting financing, such as people with disabilities.
• The Economic Development Initiative will invest $3.2 million in the West over five years to support business and economic development that encourages sustainable growth in Western Canada’s Francophone communities.

For examples of WD projects and initiatives within this program activity area consult our success stories: Other business development-related projects.

What's on the horizon?

WD will continue to work with western Canadians to enhance the competitiveness or western small businesses, both domestically and in key international markets such as the United States and Asia.