Local entrepreneurs convened on Monday for the 2026 Ottawa Small Business Summit. Hosted by Invest Ottawa and the Ottawa Board of Trade, business owners, entrepreneurs and industry leaders came together to share challenges and successes of being business owners in the nation’s capital. “No one builds alone,” said Sonya Shorey, president and CEO of Invest Ottawa. “It’s all about equipping our business owners for success. How can we lean in and help them?” For more than 170 years, the Ottawa Board of Trade has been advocating for businesses. “I think that there’s an opportunity for everyone to see themselves in the success of small business by buying local,” said Sueling Ching, president and CEO of the Ottawa Board of Trade. The summit included panels, discussions and workshops filled with actionable insight that small business owners can put to work to drive and fuel their business. Entrepreneurs shared their experiences about navigating and working through the challenges of tariffs, rising costs and an ever-changing economy. “Now with the tariffs being a challenge, it’s more critical than ever to support local. Buy from your neighbour’s business, go in and make those personal connections. Even if it’s a few dollars more, it’s going to be much more impactful,” said Mark Saunders with Saunders Farm. Saunders has been operating his business for about 35 years and says there’s always going to be challenges. “It’s not for the faint of heart being an entrepreneur,” said Saunders. “You can’t just go waiting for the right conditions. You have whatever the conditions are now. You figure it out and then you also plan for a Plan A or Plan B or Plan C.” Tracey Clark, an entrepreneur and business owner, is the founder and former CEO of Bridgehead Coffee. She is currently the owner of Linden Pizza in Beechwood. “It’s always challenging to get into business and to operate a business. There’s no substitute for it being heavy work,” said Clark. But Clark says the rewards that come from independence are well worth it. “I always want to say, yes, it’s hard, but there’s also benefits,” said Clark. “It’s a marathon that you’re running and you have to be careful not to use hope as a strategy. You’ve got to try to be optimistic all the time, but to also check yourself and be realistic.” Clark says it’s important to share your challenges. She says the more collaborative business leader are, the stronger everyone’s businesses will be. “Open the door to someone who is seeking advice. Open the door to being able to help someone. It’s really, really important.”
