small businesses : Featured Stories

When it comes drawing customers inside, coffee goes well with movies, flowers, clothes and other uncaffeinated items.

An Oakville-based footwear company creates jobs in Ethiopia, but not because its president, Tal Dehtiar, believes in corporate social responsibility.

Brampton's McVean start-up project teaches newbie keeners, including new Canadians, about running sustainable farms. They learn from the experts... and from each other.

The Junction has always been one of Toronto's most distinctive areas. But the recent influx of entrepreneurs has given its retro main street a much more fashionable vibe.

A wine company whose profits go to charities has come up with an ingenious way to engage consumers in giving. Could the model work elsewhere?

The Depanneur might look like a mere Dundas West hipster hangout. But behind the scenes, its unusual business model defies what it means to be a restaurant.

Diana Pliura met Milos Popovic during the TiEQuest startup competition two years ago. Now the duo has taken the top prize with a technology that offers hope for paralysis patients.

He used to be in the seafood business in Mumbai, but now Akber Batada brightens Toronto's streets with his over-the-top cab offerings.

For the semi-finalists in the TiEQuest business venture competition, the coaching and networking opportunities turn out to be as valuable as the prize money. That doesn't mean they don't give it their all.

A love of West Coast hacker culture prompted Eric Boyd to fashion a line of wearable technology that lets people know what your body is up to. Could it bridge the gap between stylistas and geeks?

With projects aimed at breaking down the barriers between creators and users, artists and designers, Jeremy Vandermeij pinpoints the human connections at the core of great design.

Join Yonge Street on Thursday, March 22, for a panel discussion featuring some of the city's best and brightest new visionaries. Our free public event will focus on what young people bring to the table and how the city can attract, keep and nurture young talent. The Yonge Street Speaker Series is sponsored by the Toronto Community Foundation and Waterfront Toronto.

As part of the revitalization of Regent Park, the Centre for Social Innovation is creating a new hub to help emerging entrepreneurs, community-builders and place-makers realize their dreams. Unlike CSI's first two locations, the new space will not be "community agnostic."

A documentary on peak oil was a wake-up call for two veteran filmmakers, leading them to unexpected careers in the local food movement.

As a classical Indian dancer, Iman Grewal has performed with some of the industry's major talents including Bare Naked Ladies, Apache Indian and Roach Killa. Two years ago, she decided to pass on the torch and her company Kama Entertainment is now ushering in the next wave of South Asian talent.