Small businesses are types of corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships which have fewer employees and/or less annual revenue than a regular-sized business or corporation. Businesses are defined as "small" in terms of being able to apply for government support and qualify for preferential tax policy varies depending on the country and industry. Small businesses range from fifteen employees under the Australian Fair Work Act 2009, fifty employees according to the definition used by the European Union, and fewer than five hundred employees to qualify for many U.S. Small Business Administration programs. While small businesses can also be classified according to other methods, such as annual revenues, shipments, sales, assets, or by annual gross or net revenue or net profits, the number of employees is one of the most widely used measures.
Fairtrade is a system of certification that aims to ensure a set of standards are met in the production and supply of a product or ingredient. For farmers and workers, Fairtrade means workers’ rights, safer working conditions and fairer pay. For shoppers it means high quality, ethically produced products.
Choosing Fairtrade means standing with farmers for fairness and equality, against some of the biggest challenges the world faces. It means farmers creating change, from investing in climate friendly farming techniques to developing women in leadership.
With Fairtrade you change the world a little bit every day. Through simple shopping choices you are showing businesses and governments that you believe in fair and just trade.
Here is how I see it as a Canadian, and a well traveled one at that. Canada SHOULD be a world leader in trade based on our tremendous resources, right? Here is how we RANK in world trade ,GDP and quality of life. We didn't even make the top 20. How about debt, because of course this matters as well. The current global debt is 57,773,000,000,000...and growing. Who exactly do we owe this money to...lol. Canada made the top 10 list on this one with almost 2 trillion in debt, and our friends to the south took the top spot with 24 trillion, nice!
So, lets get back to the point, why I support small business and fair trade. The current system doesn't work, small business has been eradicated on almost every level of industry in the free world. Uber corporations are soulless, faceless monsters with no accountability, and have destroyed free enterprise. Time for a change. Keep in mind it only took about 60 years for us to change from a country of small enterprise to a country dominated by foreign interests, we need a fast turn around before we lose our identity. I believe in foreign trade, it's a normal part of human history...do a little research and find out for yourself. We need trading partners that can be mutually benefited in trading with us, resource for resource. Additionally, we need to start making more stuff ourselves, rather than buying everything from China. Fair trade is fair trade, plain and simple. On a micro level we can learn a lot from poorer countries about business enterprise. In places like Portugal, Ecuador, Colombia and even Cuba, they embrace an internal type of economy I coined a recycled economy. Nothing gets wasted, and everything is for sale at a mutually accepted price. This in it's simplest form is a trade of goods and services, small business if you will. We need more of this.
Let's wrap things up, because I could go on and write a book...lol. Support small local businesses, start your own business, do what you love and you will never work a day in your life! Travel more, get to know your world, you will find out that we are all really looking for the same things. Basic creature comforts such as food, shelter and well being should be the norm, but they are becoming out of reach for the average working Canadian. Time for a paradigm shift. Let's focus on what matters, forget the Lexus, take a bus. Buy quality, get out of the disposable, replaceable mindset. Give something back, help your neighbor, be a friend. Be a human doing, as apposed to just a human being! Dinner Thyme has a new website dedicated to our Private Chef Experience, there you will find some new blog posts dedicated to all things culinary. Cheers, and have a great weekend!
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