Why isn't Canada the land of opportunity? (sale, home)
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Eh? You've never been to the lower mainland of BC, that's for sure. You go to Surrey, east Abbotsford, or Delta and tell me an Indian guy can't do business. Some of the richest companies in Abbotsford are owned by Indian immigrants.
Correct, here on C-D a lot of people think they're going be the next Gates or Zuckerberg,
reality is for the vast majority people, it's a good job/career and a nice place to hang their hat.
Canada is just as good as anywhere, if not better than most.
Agreed, many of the members on here are young. When I was their age I thought I was going to be more successful than I an now at 38, but im not doing that bad. Having said that, yes the U.S is just a bigger market with bigger players so if you want to make a splash in business id say though not impossible in Canada - easier to do in the U.S though still very diffult for the 90 percent to do. Realism is a humbling experience lol.
First of all I am an East Indian who has studied in Canada for a year and lived close to three. I bloody love most of the things canada stands for. I love the people here. Friendly, crazy, nice. Someday I want to start my own small business. I have even worked on to business plan.
I went to invest ottawa- a firm and one of the lecturers kept hammering the fact that if you want to be happy you are in the right place. But if you want to be rich and successful and change the world, take the greyhound to down south.
I was reading on Elon Musk and how he had taken the route many many people take. Canada becomes a
transition to America. I met an asian family here in Ottawa and they told me their ultimate goal is American citizenship. They are literally waiting for the Canadian papers to get to the green card- long term plan.
Why is this the case?
One reason could be weather. It makes a huge impact. But even if you discount that factor....why does it seem that successful people are made in America? Silicon Valley, Hollywood, IT, finance...you name it and the hub is in the US. Is it better to be a business owner in the US? Are they taxed less?
Why do actors flock to LA or finance graduates to NYC(after interning in Toronto). Why can't a Silicon Valley like hub start in British Columbia?
Canada is a stifling place with no chance of advancement whatsoever, high crime, poor water quality and racism out the whazoooo, now be sure to write back to India and tell all your compatriots how terrible it is, please.
Why is this the case?
One reason could be weather. It makes a huge impact. But even if you discount that factor....why does it seem that successful people are made in America? Silicon Valley, Hollywood, IT, finance...you name it and the hub is in the US. Is it better to be a business owner in the US? Are they taxed less?
This. Completely different tax structure. One that currently favors the rich. Also, there's probably less red tape to get a business started. I think Canada's under-rated internationally, though. For example, so many people in Russia and Eastern Europe want to come to the US, or send their kids to school there, or at least visit. When I suggest Canada, and point out aspects where it compares favorably against the US, nobody cares. I think this is partly because the US was the old cold war enemy, so everyone's curious. There's a mystique about the US. But also, the US embassies do a tremendous propaganda job. Canada isn't anywhere near as aggressive, or hasn't been in the past, in promoting itself and its products.
Canada is a stifling place with no chance of advancement whatsoever, high crime, poor water quality and racism out the whazoooo, now be sure to write back to India and tell all your compatriots how terrible it is, please.
Success is obviously a relative term, but in the realm of nation states it looks as though Canadians aren't doing badly at all as per the OCED - ranking 3rd in the world overall QOL
Western Canada is a small, insular minded, homogenous, world where people only support who and what they know. Businesses live or die on that premise. An Indian guy, who's new there, with an unfamiliar name, would compromise his success by moving to western Canada. Most of the businesses that do succeed there are abominable. I've never had worse service anywhere in my entire life than in Manitoba. Absolutely appalling. The quality, the professionalism, the integrity, absolutely brutal. Economics and competitive consumerism really are not a factor in that environment, petty politics and familial legacies predominate the focus of the consumers. Mr.Kowalchuk's butcher shop that has been serving rancid meat that is overpriced for 20 years gets attention from everyone and their dog. Mr.Patel's new butcher shop which serves delicious quality meat, that is a third of the price gets neglected and closes in 4 months. That kind of ****.
You also have this immature mindset where the balance of authority is skewed. In Manitoba, mind you, it's a socialist dump and has been for some time, the employees put on airs and make it seem as if they are going out of their way to service you, regardless of the fact that you are compensating them. If an authority figure asserts their authority, or they the employee makes up some absurd story of mistreatment, they go to the labor boards and whine and eventually get their own way, which often results in the jeopardy of the proprietor. So, to add insult to injury, you have a work force with entitlement issues that are indignant about special treatment simply because they have a job, but on top of that you have the labor boards that are all too happy to give them leverage over the owners and managers. There is a very aggressive bias against business owners naturally, but if you have nothing petty and inconsequential like a common surname or a lot of popular family member to back you up, you're screwed.
The USA has a pretty high turnover / failure rate for small businesses. Something like 95% of all businesses fail in their first two years. I've seen many examples just in the three years I've lived in my current location. Cupcake bakery, Korean restaurant, skateboard shop, personal fitness gym/trainer, knick-knack store, etc. have all gone up and shut down in the three years here. Could be the location. But more likely a bad plan.
I think the same could be said for Canada.
But at the end of the day, there's going to be more examples of success in the USA simply because it is such a huge economy. I mean there's 10x the population and even bigger size of the economy with the world's third biggest population and one of the highest median incomes in the world. There's bound to be people form all over the world chomping at the bit to make it here and because of that many do.
Contrast that with Canada, and besides being seen by some as an attractive alternative or perhaps a segway into the UK Commonwealth, the country is more like the "quiet country." It really doesn't advertise much, not nearly the same as the neighbor to the south anyway.
TL;DR version: Difference in advertising, don't believe everything you hear. Enjoy Canada. You're just as likely to make it there as you are in the USA.
Western Canada is a small, insular minded, homogenous, world where people only support who and what they know. Businesses live or die on that premise. An Indian guy, who's new there, with an unfamiliar name, would compromise his success by moving to western Canada. Most of the businesses that do succeed there are abominable. I've never had worse service anywhere in my entire life than in Manitoba. Absolutely appalling. The quality, the professionalism, the integrity, absolutely brutal. Economics and competitive consumerism really are not a factor in that environment, petty politics and familial legacies predominate the focus of the consumers. Mr.Kowalchuk's butcher shop that has been serving rancid meat that is overpriced for 20 years gets attention from everyone and their dog. Mr.Patel's new butcher shop which serves delicious quality meat, that is a third of the price gets neglected and closes in 4 months. That kind of ****.
You also have this immature mindset where the balance of authority is skewed. In Manitoba, mind you, it's a socialist dump and has been for some time, the employees put on airs and make it seem as if they are going out of their way to service you, regardless of the fact that you are compensating them. If an authority figure asserts their authority, or they the employee makes up some absurd story of mistreatment, they go to the labor boards and whine and eventually get their own way, which often results in the jeopardy of the proprietor. So, to add insult to injury, you have a work force with entitlement issues that are indignant about special treatment simply because they have a job, but on top of that you have the labor boards that are all too happy to give them leverage over the owners and managers. There is a very aggressive bias against business owners naturally, but if you have nothing petty and inconsequential like a common surname or a lot of popular family member to back you up, you're screwed.
And all of Western Canada is as you describe, hey? You couldn't be more incorrect if you tried, but please do go on.
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