Trevor Dailey's Weblog

I am fed up with politicians, special interest groups, and Internet monkeys attempting to 'renew' and 'revitalize' downtown, and other economically depressed areas in the City with their anti-capitalism ideas that continue to destroy the ecomomy of the city.

Taking heavily from a survey that appeared in the May 15, 1981 issue of the London Downtown Metro Bulletin, I created a survey for business owners.

In all the years I have heard from everyone else on the subject, I have never heard from the business owners themselves. I guess nobody bothered to ask them in the past three decades. 

1) Is your business a:

Proprietorship

Limited company

Partnership

Chain affiliate

Other (specify)

2) Is your business a:

Retail outlet

Service industry

Dining/tavern

Financial institution

Medical institution

Entertainment industry

Educational

Other (specify)

3) How many employees do you maintain?

Full-time

Part-time

Seasonal

Contract (temperary or ongoing)

4) How long has this particular business been in operation?

Months

Years

Downtown?

Yes

No

5) Do you have other locations?

Yes

No

In malls?

Yes

No

If yes, which malls? (Comment)

If not Citi Plaza (downtown) then, why not? (Comment)

6) Why did your business set-up downtown? (Comment)

at a mall? (Comment)

7) Do you consider your rent/mortgage (whichever is applicable) for your business space:

Low

Average

High

Have you experienced an increase in rent/mortgage in the last year?

Yes

No

If yes, then:

Less than 10%

10% to 20%

21% to 39%

40% to 60%

More than 60%

9) What are your largest costs of doing business? (select all that apply)

Payroll

Employee turnover

Taxes (specify if you wish to)

Government laws and regulations (specify if you wish to)

Shoplifting

Vandalism

Other crime (specify if you wish to)

Licencing (specify if you wish to)

Inflation

Overhead

Utilities (specify if you wish to)

Insurance

Maintenance

Inventory

Supplies

City by-laws (specify if you wish to)

City zoning laws (specify if you wish to)

Other (specify)

10) How will you deal with increases in the cost of doing business?

Reduction of staff

Yes

No

Increase prices

Yes

No

Reduce inventory

Yes

No

Move from present location

Yes

No

Other (specify)

11) In the last 2 years, has your business:

Contracted

Stayed the same

Expanded

12) In the next 2 years, do you expect your business to:

Contract

Stay the same

Expand

13) How do you feel about government subsidies to business? (Comment)

14) Have you ever participated in subsidy programs?

Yes

No

15) Can you recollect the specific programs?

Yes (specify)

No

16) Did the subsidies help substantially?

Yes

No

17) Do you approve of subsidies for your competitors?

Yes

No

18) Do you want a government-regulated tax-funded Business Improvement Association (BIA)?

Yes

No

If yes, should the Board of Management be elected by the surtaxed business people?

Yes

No

If no, do you believe there is a need for a collective body to organize business owners in your area?

Yes

No

If Yes, comment on how this could be done.

19) What factors positively impact your business? (Comment)

17) What factors negatively impact your business? (Comment)

18) What should, or should not, government do to help your business? (Comment)

© Trevor Dailey

This page is revised from time to time.