Our communities are shaped by the passionate entrepreneurs we interact with every day: the graphic designer we hire, the boutique we discover, and the landscaper who transforms a neighbour’s yard. This Small Business Month, we’re celebrating these local champions who are building a more dynamic and connected future for everyone. This community-building doesn't happen by accident—it’s built on a powerful foundation.

Behind every success story is a powerful support system. It's a combination of the strength they draw from the very communities they serve, and the confidence they build when they have clarity and control over their vision.

Take, for example, Another Story Bookshop in Toronto. For decades, this cherished local institution has perfectly embodied this idea — thriving on the strength of its vibrant community while navigating the complexities of being both a local hub and a major educational wholesaler. 

The community ecosystem

No entrepreneur succeeds alone. Vision and drive are essential, but the journey requires a team — a powerful support network providing the fuel. This network means loyal customers become advocates, fellow owners offer advice, and local supporters champion success. This ecosystem of encouragement and mutual reliance can turn a great idea into a resilient business. It’s the invisible architecture that supports a business through challenges and cheers it toward growth.

And that support has a visible impact: according to our recent Intuit QuickBooks Small Business Insights survey, the number one growth driver for Canadian small businesses is their community. Over half (51%) of respondents say word of mouth and referrals are their most effective form of advertising. That immense wave of local support provides a foundation of strength, allowing entrepreneurs to take risks and invest not just in their business, but in the community itself.

For a business like Another Story Bookshop, this connection is everything. We asked manager Anjula Gogia about what it means to be a pillar in the Roncesvalles neighbourhood, and how that community showed up for them when it mattered most. “We have become a beloved neighbourhood store and have long relationships with local customers and families. We have several children who come in and treat the bookshop as their home. We are deeply honoured to be considered a pillar in the community! The pandemic was a very intense time for us, as it was for all small businesses around the world,” says Anjula. “We were tremendously grateful to our local community who supported us day after day by ordering books and allowing us to pay our staff and keep our doors open.”

Confidence through clarity

While community provides external support, confidence to lead and grow a business must be built from within. For a busy entrepreneur, that confidence comes from clarity — a firm grasp on the entire business operation. Uncertainty remains the biggest obstacle to clarity, felt most acutely when managing company finances. A widespread challenge, one in five (21%) small business owners say a key internal challenge is being unable to accurately predict costs and profit margins. This financial murkiness directly blocks confident business decisions.

Business owners navigate these challenges using multiple digital tools for daily management, yet can still feel they’ve missed something important. We want to help solve this fragmentation. Our vision is to build a single, all-in-one platform that connects everything, supercharging the tools businesses already rely on, like QuickBooks and Mailchimp, to create one central place to run and grow. We imagine a future beyond juggling multiple apps, instead offering a single platform to manage everything from leads to cash with less effort and complete confidence.

That vision is most critical for those managing real-world complexity. Anjula knows this challenge firsthand, managing a business with multiple distinct arms:

“Another Story Bookshop is a multifaceted business with two main arms: the retail storefront on Roncesvalles with a very active events programme, and our wholesale space in Mississauga that serves as our base for selling books to schools and school boards across Ontario.”

This dual focus creates a complex operational puzzle, particularly when it comes to managing cash flow and inventory. Anjula explains:

“Being organized, highly organized, is key; having an understanding of the minutiae of logistics is also key. It can be very tricky to juggle cash flow and inventory; we may sell a large amount of books at a vendor fair, but it can take up to two months to receive payment; in the meantime we may need to order in books for a large book launch. We have developed excellent relationships with our suppliers, and prioritize paying our bills on time to allow flexibility with credit limits in busy times.”