Resource Guides: Recreation and Leisure Services: Entrepreneurship

Key Research Resources

SimplyAnalytics This link opens in a new window
Maps demographic, psychographic (Environics Prizm) and company information over geographic areas. Define a target market, pick a business location and/or learn about nearby competitors.
InfoCanada This link opens in a new window
for competition in your business area (neighbourhood, city etc). Search by industry / NAICS code
IBISWorld This link opens in a new window
For industry and company data, market share and more - consumer industries and more.
Passport This link opens in a new window
For trends, market size, company & industry data - mainly consumer industries.
Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
Contains peer-reviewed and other academic journal articles on business and economics, as well as company, industry, and country reports.
GlobalData Explorer This link opens in a new window
Formerly known as Marketline, this database contains Canadian and international company reports, industry reports, country reports, and influencer reports.

Census - Statistics Canada
Search for your city + demographic to find your target market size.
Data - Statistics Canada
Search for HOUSEHOLD SPENDING tables to calculate your market potential (annual spending on a product or service x target market size)

Other recommended resources include:

City Websites (for city specific stats, research and trends based on your location of interest)
Associations and Organizations (usually have a research area)
Company Websites (but counter these with some company research in Library databases)