Sweat Equity: Atlantic Canada's New Entrepreneurs

Robert W. Sexty is a professor of commerce and business administration
at the Memorial University of Newfoundland and the author of Canadian
Business: Issues and Stakeholders.

This compilation of profiles of 21 Atlantic Canada entrepreneurs seeks
to challenge the notion that dynamic and innovative business is a rarity
in eastern Canada. The book is based on “candid interviews” with
entrepreneurs representing a variety of businesses, including
entertainment, technology, retailing, manufacturing, transportation, and
hospitality.

The book has two major flaws. First, the criteria for selection (“the
business had to have operated for three years with some black ink on
[its] books”) are too broad to allow generalizations to be easily
drawn from the sample. Second, the profiles, though accessible and
lucidly written, lack the detail and depth of analysis needed to provide
insights of substance. Prospective entrepreneurs and those interested in
entrepreneurship in Atlantic Canada are advised to look elsewhere.