Census 2025 Results Are In: Learn About the Women Entrepreneurs of Business Sisters

Every number tells a story, and the 2025 Business Sisters Census has a lot to say.

For the second year in a row, we asked our members to answer a comprehensive questionnaire that could help us refine our programming. With a 28.7% response rate (higher than last year - cue the confetti! 🎉), results from 172 respondents reveal that Business Sisters is a hardworking and diverse community of women entrepreneurs who are carving their own paths across Eastern Ontario and beyond.

Here's what we learned:

Where We Are 🌍

• 47.7% of us are rocking it in Prescott-Russell
• 41.3% hail from Cornwall and the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry
• 7.6% are based elsewhere in Ontario such as Greater Ottawa, Kingston and beyond
• 3.5% are just across the border in Quebec.

Who's at the Helm 👩‍💼

• In our prime: 65.7% of us are 40-65 years old
• Highly educated: 77.8% have earned a college diploma or higher 🎓
• 69.2% run their business from home
• 83.7% have a spouse or partner, and 41.3% have kids under 18 at home 👩‍👦.

What We're Building 📚

• Not our first rodeo: 45.3% say this is not their first business 🏋️
• 26.7% currently juggle multiple businesses 🔢
• 26.7% run incorporated businesses and 22.7% have employees on payroll 👥.

Top Industries Represented: 💼

• Professional services (20.3%)
• Healthcare (13.4%) 💉
• Retail (8.7%) 🏫
• Arts & creative sectors (8.1%) 🎨.

Hours? What Hours? ⏱️

• 39.6% work less than 24 hours a week in their business
• 24.4% work 25-40 hours
• 23.8% push 41-60 hours
• 9.9% clock in 61+ hours (!)
• 2.3% have seasonal/variable schedules ❄️🌻.

The Money Talk 💰

• 56.5% reported earning less than $50,000 annually
• 18.4% grossed $50K-$100K
• 14.1% hit $100K-$250K
• A powerhouse 11.1% earned over $250K 📈!

Financing the Dream 💳

• Personal savings remain the #1 funding source 💪
• Credit cards, lines of credit, and bank loans follow
• 76.6% have NOT considered business loans. Those who have considered borrowing say marketing, equipment, and expansion as top reasons for taking on debt.

What Keeps Us Up at Night 🥺One of the most revealing insights came from an open-ended question: “What is the ONE aspect of your business that causes you the most stress?” The responses were diverse, but clear patterns emerged. The top three stressors reported by our members were:

• Time management: staying on top of administration, while juggling client time and personal responsibilities
• Finances: managing cash flow and bookkeeping
• Marketing: choosing the right strategies and actually generating revenue from marketing activities. 

These results reflect the juggling act that many rural women entrepreneurs face—trying to do it all, often with limited resources and support. Whether it’s staying on top of competing priorities, ensuring a steady income, or figuring out how to consistently attract customers, the stress is real—and shared by many in our community.

What This Tells Us 🧐 

These Census results aren’t just numbers—they’re a window into the lived realities of rural women business owners. The challenges around time, money, and marketing are not new, but hearing them echoed so strongly across our community reinforces why Business Sisters | Consoeurs en Affaires exists in the first place; to help women build and sustain businesses on their own terms. 

Why It Matters 🩷 We’ll continue to use this data in our conversations with partners, sponsors, and funders to advocate for more tailored support for rural women entrepreneurs. At the same time, we’re using these insights to shape our live and virtual programming—workshops that address pressing concerns like financial planning and marketing on a shoestring, events that foster authentic connections, and spaces where you can show up exactly as you are. Because when women feel heard, supported, and better equipped, they don’t just survive—they thrive.

Thank you to everyone who shared information and insights. You are the heartbeat of this community. 💜