挑战传统职业轨迹，儿子踏上加国企业家之路
像许多加拿大华裔父母一样，我早就为我的儿子计划了一条传统的人生轨迹，即希望他能完成高等教育，追求稳定的职业并最终拥有自己的房子。他的早期人生之旅并未辜负我们的期望。从加拿大一所著名商学院毕业后，他谋求到一份令人艳羡的职位，在加国商界一个著名企业任职并不断获得提升，年薪达六位数。然而，正当他的职业生涯充满生机，而我们期待他能实现下一个计划：买房时，他却意外地宣布他将辞去工作而投身创业之路，本来用于计划买房的钱也将用于投资于他的初创公司——专门制造高端游戏电脑和专业计算机工作站的Quoted Technology。这一决定让我感到极度震惊，对他在加拿大独创企业的风险倍感担担忧。
Like many Chinese Canadian parents, I had long envisioned a conventional life trajectory for my son, anticipating a path that included higher education, a stable career providing a comfortable income, and eventual homeownership. His early life journey seemed to align with our aspirations. After graduating from a prestigious business school, he secured a coveted position in corporate Canada, earning a six-figure salary and receiving several promotions. However, just as his corporate career appeared promising and we anticipated him taking the next step towards homeownership, he surprised me with an unexpected announcement: he intended to leave his job to pursue entrepreneurship. Instead of using his savings for a down payment for a house, he invested in his startup -- Quoted Technology, specializing in building gaming PCs and workstations. His announcement left me reeling with shock, heightening my concerns about the risks associated with an entrepreneurial venture in Canada.
在加拿大创办企业对年轻人来说是一场艰难的挑战。他们不仅要面对成熟行业对手的激烈竞争，还需应对政府监管的层层障碍。此外，初创企业家常常由于市场有限的资本流通而面临贷款困境，可用资本严重受阻。加拿大新企业一直面临资金短缺的问题，主要是因为大量投资转向他经济领域，特别是政府机构和房地产业。不断膨胀的政府部门以及持续的政府赤字已占用了大部分可用的净贷款额。与此同时，由于房地产市场的繁荣，家庭的大量借贷进一步减少了私营企业的可用贷款额。自1970年代以来，加拿大在非住房领域的投资始终未见显著增长。自2000年代末以来，美国在机械、设备和知识产权方面的投资达到了GDP的10%，而加拿大在这些领域的投资则还不到美国的一半。
Pursuing entrepreneurship in Canada can be a formidable challenge for young individuals. They not only face fierce competition from well-established businesses but also navigate complex government regulatory hurdles. Additionally, startup entrepreneurs often encounter significant financial constraints due to limited access to capital. The private sector in Canada has struggled with a funding shortage, largely because substantial investments have been redirected towards other sectors, primarily the public sector and real estate. The growing public sector, alongside persistent government deficits, has absorbed much of the available net lending. Concurrently, extensive borrowing by households, spurred by a booming housing market, has further reduced the availability of funds for private enterprises. Notably, Canada’s investment in non-residential sectors has consistently lagged behind since the 1970s. For example, while investment in machinery, equipment, and intellectual property in the U.S. reached 10 percent of GDP since the late 2000s, Canada’s investment in these areas declined to about half of that level.
私企资金的短缺使得企业贷款更加困难，特别是对那些很难争取到贷款的小型初创企业来说更是如此。根据2020年经济合作与发展组织（OECD）的数据，加拿大银行对小型和中型企业的贷款量低于发达国家平均水平，加国对中小企业的贷款只占到全部商业贷款的12%，而OECD平均贷款占比为44%。此外，由于加拿大央行近年来粗暴加息导致借贷成本上升，使现有企业家面临的困境加剧。根据Equifax 2022年的数据，小企业主不得不越来越依赖信用卡来支付日常开销，导致信用卡债务暴增15%，信用额度随之增加11%。加拿大商会的季度调查显示，不断增长的债务负担已使企业主对支付账单的焦虑达到自2009年以来的最高水平。
The shortage of private funds has made capital lending to businesses less feasible, especially impacting small startups struggling to secure loans. According to 2020 OECD data, Canadian banks allocate a below-average amount of their business loans to small- and medium-sized enterprises, with just 12% of these loans compared to the OECD average of 44%. Additionally, existing entrepreneurs have encountered increasing barriers due to rising borrowing costs, a direct result of the Bank of Canada’s historic rate hike campaign. Equifax's 2022 data reveals that these challenges have compelled small businesses to increasingly rely on credit cards to manage expenses, leading to a 15% rise in credit card debt and an 11% increase in lines of credit. According to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s quarterly survey, these growing debt burdens have driven business owners' anxiety about funding payments to the highest levels since 2009.
加国私企发展所面临的重大财务风险和挑战使越来越多的加拿大年轻人望而却步，不敢投身于创业浪潮。根据加拿大统计局的数据，2004年，年龄在50岁以下的中小企业主占总企业主的53%。到2020年，这一比例降至38%，凸显年轻企业家比例显著减少的趋势。最近的预算措施中提出增加企业资本收益税，预计这将进一步降低创业投资的吸引力，加剧年轻人回避创业投资的趋势。这些新措施将使加国的企业投资环境进一步恶化，降低了创业者的投资回报，进一步打击了这一群体的创业积极性。
The substantial financial risks and challenges that private companies face have increasingly deterred young Canadians from pursuing business ownership. According to Statistics Canada, the percentage of small- and medium-sized business owners under the age of 50 has declined sharply from 53% in 2004 to 38% in 2020. This significant drop reflects a broader disinclination among younger individuals to engage in entrepreneurship. Recent budget measures, including an increase in capital gains taxes on businesses, are expected to exacerbate this trend. Such changes not only make the financial landscape more daunting but also directly diminish the potential returns on investment for new entrepreneurs, further discouraging this demographic from starting their own businesses.
Quoted Technology 公司巧妙地运用资源，通过家人和朋友的支持以及放弃了业主薪水而成功地应对了财务挑战。公司已成功克服多重挑战，在开业的第三年生意逐渐有了起色，员工人数持续增加。虽然儿子买房的愿望仍然遥不可及，但我对他在创业道路上知难而上，勇于面对挑战的精神感到无比自豪。他弃房经商，投资企业的决定看似平凡，却对加拿大经济影响深远。在加国因缺乏企业活力，创业投资精神萎靡而引发的产能危机的今天，其创业之举更是令人刮目相看。
Quoted Technology has adeptly navigated financial challenges through inventive strategies, including drawing support from family and friends and forgoing owner salaries. Despite facing numerous obstacles, the company has not only weathered the storm but also thrived, now entering its third year of operation with an increasing payroll headcount. Although the anticipated milestone of homeownership remains elusive, my son’s unconventional journey in entrepreneurship fills me with immense pride. His decision to diverge from the traditional real estate investment path has had a profound impact, contributing meaningfully to the Canadian economy. This is particularly significant given the national crisis of poor productivity, primarily driven by lackluster venture investments.
