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Local Business and Economic Independence

Chapter 22Starting and Growing a Business in Owen Sound

7,934 words · Mike Seiler · Owen Sound, Ontario

In this chapter

• 22.1 The City's Job Is Not to Run the Business
• 22.2 The Start-Up Desk
• 22.3 Build on Existing Services
• 22.4 Before You Sign the Lease
• 22.5 Tell People No Early
• 22.6 The Ten Business Day Standard
• 22.7 The Fee Guarantee
• 22.8 Stop the Clock Honestly
• 22.9 One Business File
• 22.10 One List of Requirements
• 22.11 Municipal Business Licensing
• 22.12 Business Licence Review
• 22.13 The Business Permission Index
• 22.14 City Hall Should Not Require a Consultant to Understand City Hall
• 22.15 Human Help Remains Available
• 22.16 Outside Government Approvals
• 22.17 Grey County Business Enterprise Centre
• 22.18 Warm Referrals
• 22.19 Sydenham Campus
• 22.20 Community Improvement Plan
• 22.21 Grants Should Not Be a Treasure Hunt
• 22.22 A Grant Is Not a Business Model
• 22.23 Home-Based Businesses
• 22.24 The Home-to-Storefront Path
• 22.25 Student Businesses
• 22.26 Student Market
• 22.27 No Degree Required to Start
• 22.28 Trades Businesses
• 22.29 Apprenticeship and Entrepreneurship
• 22.30 Downtown Start-Ups
• 22.31 Pop-Up to Permanent
• 22.32 Vacant Spaces
• 22.33 Business Expansion Desk
• 22.34 Business Retention
• 22.35 The Business Exit Interview
• 22.36 Business Succession
• 22.37 Small Business Is Not Small to the Owner
• 22.38 Manufacturing
• 22.39 Protect Employment Areas
• 22.40 Industrial Readiness
• 22.41 Clean Energy
• 22.42 Healthcare and Life Sciences
• 22.43 Marine Innovation
• 22.44 Priority Sectors Do Not Mean Preferred Entrepreneurs
• 22.45 Innovation
• 22.46 Tourism Businesses
• 22.47 Regional Agriculture
• 22.48 Food Entrepreneurship
• 22.49 Makers
• 22.50 Creative Businesses
• 22.51 Professional Services
• 22.52 The Remote Worker as an Economic Participant
• 22.53 Entrepreneurship From Home to Export
• 22.54 Doing Business With the City
• 22.55 Vendor Readiness
• 22.56 Business-to-Business Local Supply
• 22.57 Start Local, Buy Canadian
• 22.58 Business Permitting Map
• 22.59 Business Start-Up Checklist
• 22.60 Accessibility
• 22.61 Signs
• 22.62 Waste and Deliveries
• 22.63 Parking
• 22.64 Construction and Renovation
• 22.65 Change of Use
• 22.66 Fire and Life Safety
• 22.67 Inspection Coordination
• 22.68 Opening Day Should Not Be the First Inspection Day
• 22.69 Business Ombudsman Function
• 22.70 Red Tape Log
• 22.71 The One-In, One-Look Rule
• 22.72 Form Review
• 22.73 Plain-Language Deficiency Letters
• 22.74 Business Fees
• 22.75 Fee Changes
• 22.76 Small Business Impact Test
• 22.77 No Favourites
• 22.78 Commercial Confidentiality
• 22.79 Business Data
• 22.80 No Mandatory Marketing Consent
• 22.81 Business Directory
• 22.82 Measure New Businesses Carefully
• 22.83 Business Survival
• 22.84 Jobs
• 22.85 Investment
• 22.86 Business Scorecard
• 22.87 The Business Pulse
• 22.88 Mayor and Council Business Visits
• 22.89 Large Investment
• 22.90 Incentive Transparency
• 22.91 Economic Development Is Regional
• 22.92 Team Grey
• 22.93 The Ten-Business-Day Report
• 22.94 First 100 Days
• 22.95 Year One
• 22.96 Year Two
• 22.97 Year Three
• 22.98 Year Four
• 22.99 The Business Test
• 22.100 What This Is Not

Every business begins with a person taking a risk.

Someone signs a lease.

Buys equipment.

Uses savings.

Borrows money.

Hires an employee.

Turns part of a home into a workspace.

Opens a storefront.

Starts manufacturing something.

Offers a service.

Tries an idea that may or may not work.

Municipal government should understand what that means.

The entrepreneur carries the financial risk.

City Hall should not add unnecessary administrative risk.

My original proposal calls for a Start-Up Desk, one window at City Hall for anyone starting a business, backed by a clear promise: a meaningful answer within ten business days or the eligible City fee is waived.

That idea should become the foundation of Owen Sound's small-business service system.

The City is not starting from nothing.

Owen Sound already has business licensing, planning, building, development and economic-development functions. The City's current planning service describes a one-window contact for people considering property development or a change of use. Building permits are currently managed through Cloudpermit.

Grey County's Business Enterprise Centre already provides entrepreneurs with support to start, expand and grow businesses, and the County operates the Sydenham Campus as a regional skills, training and innovation centre.

So the answer is not to create another economic-development bureaucracy.

The answer is to connect what already exists.

One place to start. One person or team responsible for the handoff. One clear list of what is required. One public standard for how long the City takes to respond.

The entrepreneur should focus as much energy as possible on building the business.

Not figuring out City Hall.

22.1The City's Job Is Not to Run the Business

A municipal government should not decide:

• whether someone's business idea is clever;
• whether the product will sell;
• whether the owner should take the financial risk;
• whether one entrepreneur deserves success more than another.

Those are market decisions.

The City's legitimate responsibilities may include:

• zoning;
• building safety;
• fire safety;
• municipal licensing;
• signs;
• servicing;
• parking;
• public health coordination where applicable;
• land-use planning;
• local infrastructure.

The role should be:

Clear the lawful municipal path.

Not:

Approve the entrepreneur's business plan.

Government regulates what it is responsible for.

The entrepreneur decides whether to proceed.

22.2The Start-Up Desk

Create one recognizable entry point:

Owen Sound Start-Up Desk

A person should be able to walk in, telephone or go online and say:

I want to start this business at this location. What do I need?

The resident should not need to know whether the first call belongs to:

• planning;
• building;
• fire;
• licensing;
• engineering;
• economic development.

That is our organizational problem.

Not theirs.

The Start-Up Desk Coordinates

Where applicable:

• zoning check;
• municipal business licence;
• building permits;
• renovation requirements;
• sign permits;
• fire-related municipal requirements;
• accessibility information;
• development considerations;
• municipal grants;
• outside-agency referrals;
• business-support referrals.

The Start-Up Desk does not override the professional authority of any department.

It coordinates the journey.

22.3Build on Existing Services

The City already requires zoning review as part of its business-licensing process for applicable businesses, and its current business-licence information directs applicants to the Planning Division to confirm the proposed use at the municipal address.

That creates an obvious opportunity.

Instead of asking an entrepreneur to navigate each step separately, build the steps into one start-up pathway.

The Start-Up Desk should become the front door connecting:

Business idea

to

Location

to

Zoning

to

Licence

to

Building

to

Opening.

If additional approvals are required, they are added to the pathway.

22.4Before You Sign the Lease

This may become one of the most valuable services the City can provide.

A person finds a storefront.

They love it.

The landlord wants an answer.

The entrepreneur signs a lease.

Only afterwards do they discover that the proposed business may require:

• zoning changes;
• renovations;
• fire upgrades;
• parking changes;
• accessibility work;
• a different occupancy classification.

By then the financial clock is running.

Create a simple service called:

Before You Sign

The entrepreneur provides:

• proposed address;
• type of business;
• basic description of activities;
• expected number of employees;
• obvious renovations being considered.

The City provides a preliminary municipal navigation response.

The Response Might Say

Likely Straightforward

The proposed use appears generally consistent with current municipal requirements, subject to formal applications where required.

Further Review Required

One or more issues need professional review before the City can advise further.

Significant Approval Issue Identified

The proposal may require a planning approval, building change, other substantial work or may not be permitted in the proposed form.

Important Boundary

This is preliminary information.

It is not a building permit.

It is not a zoning certificate.

It is not a legal guarantee.

Its purpose is to identify major municipal issues before someone commits substantial money.

22.5Tell People No Early

Sometimes the answer will be no.

Or:

Not at this location.

Or:

Not without a significant approval process.

That answer should come as early as possible.

A fast, clear no can be more valuable than a vague maybe that consumes three months of rent and professional fees.

The Standard

If there is an obvious municipal barrier:

Say it. Explain it. Identify any lawful alternative.

Do not keep an applicant optimistic because staff are uncomfortable delivering bad news.

Clarity is a form of service.

22.6The Ten Business Day Standard

The original Start-Up Desk proposal deliberately includes a standard with consequences:

Answers in ten business days or the fee is waived.

That commitment should remain.

It needs a precise operating definition.

Within Ten Business Days of a Complete Start-Up Request

The applicant should receive one of the following:

Decision

Where the City-controlled matter can properly be decided within that period.

Consolidated Requirements

A clear written list of municipal steps and information required.

Formal Status

For a matter legitimately requiring longer technical, statutory or third-party review:

• what remains outstanding;
• who is responsible;
• why additional time is required;
• what happens next;
• the expected next response date.

The ten-day promise should never encourage staff to issue an unsafe or unlawful approval simply to beat a clock.

It is a response and accountability standard.

Not a requirement to ignore professional review.

22.7The Fee Guarantee

The service standard needs teeth.

Council should establish which City-controlled start-up fees are eligible for the guarantee.

If:

• the application is complete;
• the matter is within the defined guarantee;
• the City misses its own published deadline;
• the delay is under City control;

then the eligible City fee should be:

• waived;
• refunded;
• or credited,

according to the implementing policy.

The Guarantee Should Not Automatically Apply to

• provincial fees;
• federal fees;
• third-party professional costs;
• outside-agency charges;
• work delayed by missing applicant information;
• statutory processes requiring additional time;
• complex applications outside the published service category.

Publish the rules before the first application.

A guarantee is only meaningful when everybody knows what it guarantees.

22.8Stop the Clock Honestly

Where the applicant needs to provide additional information, the City's processing clock may reasonably pause.

If so, show it.

Example

Application received: April 2

City review: April 3 to April 7

Applicant information requested: April 7

Applicant response received: April 18

City clock resumed: April 18

This allows everyone to see where time was spent.

Do not blame the entrepreneur for City delay.

Do not blame the City for time spent waiting for information it genuinely needs.

Measure both.

22.9One Business File

A business start should have one public-facing reference.

Internally there may be:

• planning files;
• licensing records;
• permit applications;
• inspections.

The entrepreneur should receive one understandable summary.

One business. One start-up file. One place to see what is next.

The file might show:

Zoning: Complete

Business licence: In progress

Building permit: Applicant documents required

Sign: Not yet submitted

Fire review: Scheduled

Municipal grant: Potentially eligible

This is much easier to understand than separate conversations with several departments.

22.10One List of Requirements

Do not ask an entrepreneur for one document today, then reveal another requirement next week that could reasonably have been identified at the beginning.

The Start-Up Desk should provide a consolidated municipal checklist as early as possible.

Checklist Could Include

• address;
• proposed use;
• zoning;
• business licence;
• building work;
• occupancy;
• signs;
• parking;
• servicing;
• accessibility;
• fire requirements;
• outside approvals known to the City.

New issues may emerge during professional review.

When they do, explain:

• what changed;
• why the requirement was not identified earlier;
• what is now needed.

The objective is to stop unnecessary moving targets.

22.11Municipal Business Licensing

Owen Sound currently maintains a business-licensing system for business types covered by its by-law, with zoning pre-approval built into the application process.

The Start-Up Desk should make the reason for licensing understandable.

For every licensed category, residents should be able to find:

Why Is a Licence Required?

What municipal objective is being protected?

What Does It Cost?

What Information Is Required?

Does It Require Inspection?

How Long Should It Take?

Is Renewal Required?

What Happens if the Business Changes Location or Ownership?

A licence should not exist merely because a licence existed before.

22.12Business Licence Review

Once during the term, review the municipal business-licensing system.

For each category ask:

1. What problem does this licence address?
2. Does the City have authority?
3. Does licensing materially reduce the problem?
4. Is the fee connected to administration or enforcement?
5. Is the information requirement proportionate?
6. Could the process be simplified?
7. Could two approvals be combined?

Keep What Protects the Public

Remove What Adds No Public Value

Regulation should have a reason.

22.13The Business Permission Index

Create a public Business Permission Index listing ordinary municipal permissions a business may encounter.

Possible categories:

• business licence;
• building permit;
• sign permit;
• planning approval;
• patio permission;
• road occupancy;
• event permit;
• food-truck requirements where applicable.

For each show:

• purpose;
• authority;
• department;
• fee;
• typical municipal service standard;
• required documents.

This does not mean every business requires every permission.

It means entrepreneurs can finally see the whole municipal system in one place.

22.14City Hall Should Not Require a Consultant to Understand City Hall

Some businesses legitimately need:

• planners;
• architects;
• engineers;
• lawyers;
• designers.

They should hire those professionals because the project requires professional expertise.

Not because ordinary municipal instructions are impossible to understand.

Forms and guidance should use plain language.

Technical terms can remain where technical precision matters.

Explain them.

22.15Human Help Remains Available

Digital systems can make applications easier.

They can also frustrate someone who:

• does not use them often;
• has limited connectivity;
• has an accessibility barrier;
• simply needs to ask a question.

Owen Sound currently manages building permits through an online Cloudpermit system.

That digital convenience should remain connected to human support.

The principle is:

Online when convenient. A person when needed.

The Start-Up Desk should be available through:

• web;
• telephone;
• in person.

22.16Outside Government Approvals

Some businesses require permissions outside municipal government.

Depending upon the activity, this may involve:

• Ontario;
• Canada;
• public health;
• regulated professions;
• other agencies.

The Start-Up Desk does not issue those approvals.

It should help identify them where reasonably known.

No Wrong Government

Instead of:

That's provincial.

say:

That approval is provincial. Here is the authority responsible and the information we can provide about your next step.

The City should not guarantee another government's response.

It can prevent the resident from being abandoned at the jurisdictional boundary.

22.17Grey County Business Enterprise Centre

The Start-Up Desk should not duplicate business coaching already available through Grey County.

The County's Business Enterprise Centre currently provides tools and guidance for people starting, buying, expanding and growing small businesses, including business consultations and entrepreneur programming.

That creates a clean division.

City Start-Up Desk

Answers:

What do I need from Owen Sound to operate here?

Business Enterprise Centre

Can help answer:

How do I build and grow the business?

Connect the two.

Do not make entrepreneurs choose which government building understands their problem.

22.18Warm Referrals

A referral should be more useful than sending someone a web address.

Where appropriate and with the entrepreneur's consent:

• identify the correct person or service;
• explain why the referral is being made;
• provide the receiving organization with enough context to avoid making the entrepreneur begin again.

That is a warm referral.

The applicant should not have to explain the same situation six times.

22.19Sydenham Campus

Grey County's Sydenham Campus in Owen Sound already functions as a regional centre for skills training, business activity and innovation.

The Start-Up Desk should treat it as a major partner.

Potential connections include:

• business education;
• skills training;
• entrepreneurship;
• innovation;
• workforce development;
• meeting space.

City Hall does not need to recreate a business incubator when regional infrastructure already exists.

Strengthen the connection.

22.20Community Improvement Plan

Owen Sound already has a Community Improvement Plan that offers several incentive programs, subject to annual City budget allocations.

Current programs include support for façade and structural improvements, accessibility improvements, start-up leasehold improvements, landscaping and property improvements, and vacant-building conversions.

Every eligible entrepreneur passing through the Start-Up Desk should be told when a municipal program may apply.

No Grant by Accident

A business should not discover six months after construction:

You could have applied for this before starting the work.

If eligibility requires application before work begins, say that early.

22.21Grants Should Not Be a Treasure Hunt

Create one business funding page listing current relevant:

• City programs;
• County programs;
• provincial programs;
• federal programs;

where the City can reliably direct residents to authoritative sources.

For each:

• program;
• administering organization;
• general purpose;
• deadline where current;
• official link.

Date Everything

Funding programs change.

Each listing should say:

Information checked on: [date]

The City should never leave an expired grant advertised for years and allow entrepreneurs to plan around it.

22.22A Grant Is Not a Business Model

Municipal staff should never encourage an entrepreneur to build a business that survives only as long as a temporary grant exists unless that dependency is clearly understood.

The Financial Standard applies to private-public partnerships too.

Ask:

What happens when the grant ends?

A grant can help a business begin or expand.

It should not disguise a business that cannot operate afterwards.

22.23Home-Based Businesses

Many businesses begin:

• at a kitchen table;
• in a spare room;
• in a garage;
• in a small workshop.

Home-based enterprise can lower the cost of experimentation dramatically.

The City should make home-business rules easy to understand.

Current Owen Sound business-licence materials specifically include home-based businesses and require zoning pre-approval for applicable licence applications.

Focus on Neighbourhood Impact

Relevant concerns may include:

• traffic;
• parking;
• noise;
• employees;
• storage;
• deliveries;
• signs;
• safety.

A person quietly operating a professional or online service from home presents a different municipal issue from a business producing significant truck traffic or industrial noise.

Regulation should recognize the difference.

22.24The Home-to-Storefront Path

A successful home business may eventually outgrow the house.

That should be considered a success.

Create a clear pathway:

Home

to

Shared space

to

Small commercial space

to

Larger business.

The Start-Up Desk and Business Enterprise Centre should help entrepreneurs understand when growth creates new municipal requirements.

A business should not accidentally become non-compliant simply because it became successful.

22.25Student Businesses

Entrepreneurship should begin early.

Students may have ideas for:

• lawn care;
• technology;
• design;
• media;
• repair;
• products;
• food;
• art;
• recreation;
• tutoring;
• services.

The City should help young people understand:

• what can be done informally;
• when a licence or permit becomes relevant;
• how to find business support;
• where youth entrepreneurship opportunities exist.

Youth Business Day

An annual practical session could connect students with:

• local entrepreneurs;
• tradespeople;
• the Business Enterprise Centre;
• financial institutions;
• accountants;
• business organizations;
• City staff.

The message should be:

You do not need to leave Owen Sound to have an idea.

22.26Student Market

The Civic Square could periodically host a youth or student market.

Students could test:

• products;
• art;
• crafts;
• small services;

under appropriate market, safety and public-health rules.

The objective is not to create permanent municipal subsidy.

It is to give a young entrepreneur a first customer.

That can be an important moment.

22.27No Degree Required to Start

Entrepreneurship should remain open to people from different backgrounds.

A person may become an excellent business owner through:

• trade experience;
• work experience;
• self-teaching;
• mentorship;
• formal education;
• practical ability.

Municipal business service should not assume an entrepreneur has:

• a lawyer;
• accountant;
• consultant;
• university education.

Explain the process so an ordinary person can begin.

22.28Trades Businesses

Owen Sound should make it attractive for skilled tradespeople to build companies here.

That includes:

• carpentry;
• electrical;
• plumbing;
• welding;
• mechanical;
• roofing;
• excavation;
• concrete;
• repair;
• construction.

The Local Trades procurement system developed in Section 11 can create one source of opportunity.

The Start-Up Desk can help a new trades company understand the municipal side of operating.

Keep Procurement Separate

Receiving start-up help does not entitle the business to a City contract.

The business still competes under the procurement rules.

Support access.

Do not guarantee outcome.

22.29Apprenticeship and Entrepreneurship

A tradesperson may eventually move from:

apprentice

to

journeyperson

to

employee

to

business owner

to

employer.

Economic development should recognize that ladder.

Partnerships with:

• training institutions;
• industry;
• local employers;

can help residents understand both the technical and business sides of the trades.

A skilled trade creates two opportunities:

• employment;
• entrepreneurship.

22.30Downtown Start-Ups

Downtown should be one of the easiest places to test a new small business where the proposed use fits.

The Community Improvement Plan currently includes a Start-up Space Leasehold Improvement Grant for eligible commercial or mixed-use spaces in the downtown.

The Start-Up Desk should connect that program with:

• available-space information where owners voluntarily participate;
• zoning navigation;
• building requirements;
• sign information;
• business licensing;
• downtown programming.

Do Not Promise Cheap Rent

The City does not control private rent.

It can reduce other unnecessary barriers around the lease.

22.31Pop-Up to Permanent

Temporary commercial activity can allow an entrepreneur to test demand before signing a long lease.

Potential pathways include:

• market stall;
• Civic Square event;
• short-term pop-up;
• shared retail;
• permanent storefront.

Any temporary use must comply with applicable safety and licensing requirements.

The point is to allow experimentation at different levels of financial risk.

22.32Vacant Spaces

The downtown vacancy inventory developed earlier should connect property owners with entrepreneurs where both voluntarily participate.

A simple listing could identify:

• commercial space;
• approximate size;
• contact;
• permitted-use information or planning contact;
• accessibility information where provided.

The City should not act as the real estate broker.

It can make publicly offered opportunities easier to discover.

22.33Business Expansion Desk

The Start-Up Desk should also serve businesses that already exist.

A company may say:

We need another 5,000 square feet.

or:

We want to add a production line.

or:

We need more employees.

or:

We are considering a second location.

The response should be coordinated.

Expansion Review Could Connect

• planning;
• building;
• infrastructure;
• economic development;
• workforce partners;
• property information;
• appropriate funding programs.

Keeping an existing business and helping it expand may be as valuable as attracting a new one.

22.34Business Retention

Economic development should not become obsessed with ribbon cuttings.

Existing businesses already have:

• customers;
• employees;
• buildings;
• suppliers;
• community relationships.

Create a structured business-retention program.

Ask Existing Employers

• Are you growing?
• Are you shrinking?
• What is your biggest local barrier?
• Are you planning capital investment?
• Are you struggling to hire?
• Are municipal processes creating difficulty?
• Are you considering leaving?
• What would cause you to invest more here?

Some information will be commercially sensitive.

Protect it appropriately.

The purpose is early problem identification.

22.35The Business Exit Interview

When a significant local business closes or leaves, ask why.

Not to argue.

To learn.

Possible reasons may include:

• retirement;
• rent;
• labour;
• market conditions;
• financing;
• regulation;
• succession;
• owner health;
• another location;
• municipal issue.

Publish Trends, Not Private Stories

If several businesses independently identify the same local problem, that matters.

Use aggregated information where confidentiality is required.

A closure can teach the City something even when the closure could not have been prevented.

22.36Business Succession

Some local businesses may disappear not because they failed but because the owner is ready to retire and nobody takes over.

The City should connect owners seeking succession support with appropriate regional business resources.

Grey County's Business Enterprise Centre currently supports entrepreneurs considering buying or selling businesses as part of its broader advisory role.

Business succession can preserve:

• jobs;
• storefronts;
• customer relationships;
• local ownership.

Economic development should care about businesses passing from one generation to another.

22.37Small Business Is Not Small to the Owner

A company employing one person may appear minor in a municipal economic report.

To that person it may represent:

• household income;
• retirement;
• identity;
• years of work.

City service should not become dismissive because the business is small.

Same Respect, Different Complexity

A one-person company and a major industrial development will not receive identical technical review.

They should receive the same basic respect:

• clear information;
• fair rules;
• timely communication.

22.38Manufacturing

Manufacturing should remain a serious part of Owen Sound's economic strategy.

The City's current 2025-2027 External Relations and Investment Attraction Action Plan identifies advanced manufacturing as one of four priority sectors, alongside clean energy, healthcare and life sciences, and marine innovation.

This plan should build on that work rather than replace it.

Manufacturing Requires

• suitable land;
• power;
• transportation;
• water and wastewater where needed;
• skilled labour;
• suppliers;
• predictable approvals;
• telecommunications.

Economic-development staff should know where industrial capacity exists and where infrastructure becomes a constraint.

22.39Protect Employment Areas

Housing is important.

So is land where people work.

Owen Sound's adopted 2026 Official Plan recognizes the importance of employment areas and the industrial sector to employment and regional economic development.

The City should avoid casually converting viable employment lands until it understands the long-term consequence.

Industrial land can be difficult to recreate once surrounding uses make industrial activity incompatible.

The Question

Before converting employment land, ask:

Where would this business go instead?

A complete community needs jobs as well as homes.

22.40Industrial Readiness

For significant employment lands, maintain basic investment-readiness information.

Where publicly available and reliable:

• zoning;
• parcel size;
• municipal servicing;
• transportation;
• power information from the appropriate provider;
• nearby land uses.

A company considering Owen Sound should not wait weeks for basic site information.

Do Not Overpromise Capacity

If:

• water capacity;
• electrical capacity;
• transportation access;

requires confirmation from another organization, say so.

Investment attraction should be accurate.

22.41Clean Energy

Clean energy is another current City priority sector under the 2025-2027 investment-attraction strategy.

Owen Sound's role should be practical.

Potential opportunities may involve:

• local suppliers;
• skilled trades;
• manufacturing;
• engineering;
• services;
• regional energy-sector partnerships.

The City does not need to predict which technology will dominate twenty years from now.

It should create a business environment where companies serving legitimate emerging sectors can establish themselves.

22.42Healthcare and Life Sciences

Healthcare and life sciences are also identified within the City's current investment-attraction priorities.

Owen Sound's regional role may create opportunities involving:

• medical services;
• technology;
• supplies;
• research;
• health-related businesses.

Economic development should coordinate appropriately with:

• healthcare institutions;
• education;
• Grey County;
• other regional partners.

The City should support the surrounding economic ecosystem without trying to become the healthcare operator.

22.43Marine Innovation

Marine innovation is another current priority sector.

That fits directly with the harbour and River Spine vision.

Potential business areas may include:

• marine repair;
• fabrication;
• transportation;
• technology;
• recreation equipment;
• environmental services.

The working harbour is therefore not only part of Owen Sound's history.

It can be part of its future economy.

22.44Priority Sectors Do Not Mean Preferred Entrepreneurs

Investment-attraction priorities help government decide where to focus some proactive recruitment and relationship-building.

They should not create two classes of entrepreneur.

The person opening:

• a bakery;
• repair shop;
• landscaping business;
• restaurant;
• retail store;

should still receive excellent municipal service.

Priority Sectors Guide Attraction

Service Standards Apply to Everyone

That distinction should remain clear.

22.45Innovation

The City's current economic-development work is already emphasizing innovation, regional partnerships and capacity building, including collaboration with Grey County and Georgian College around Sydenham Campus.

The municipal role should be to create conditions where experimentation is possible.

That may involve:

• connecting people;
• suitable space;
• clear regulation;
• skills development;
• public challenges;
• appropriate procurement opportunities.

Innovation should not become a synonym for expensive technology.

A tradesperson inventing a better tool is innovation.

A restaurant improving delivery is innovation.

A manufacturer changing a production process is innovation.

22.46Tourism Businesses

Tourism-related entrepreneurship can connect directly with:

• River Spine;
• Owen Sound Outside;
• heritage;
• arts;
• food;
• events;
• accommodation;
• recreation.

Potential businesses include:

• guides;
• equipment rentals;
• food;
• outdoor instruction;
• accommodation;
• tours;
• transportation;
• retail.

The City should make the basic visitor economy easier to navigate without becoming the operator of every tourism service.

Build Something Residents Use First

The strongest visitor economy often grows around places local people already value.

Good parks.

Good downtown.

Good trails.

Good food.

Good events.

Good businesses.

Tourism follows a good place.

22.47Regional Agriculture

Owen Sound is an urban municipality serving a much larger agricultural region.

The City should not pretend to control agriculture outside its borders.

It can become a stronger market and service hub for the surrounding agricultural economy.

Potential connections include:

• farmers' market;
• food businesses;
• processors;
• restaurants;
• equipment and repair;
• transportation;
• regional suppliers;
• Canadian food purchasing.

Regional Partnership

Work with:

• Grey County;
• neighbouring municipalities;
• producers;
• farm organizations;
• market operators.

Agriculture does not stop being economically relevant when a tractor crosses the municipal boundary.

22.48Food Entrepreneurship

Food businesses may include:

• restaurants;
• bakeries;
• catering;
• prepared food;
• specialty products;
• market vendors.

These businesses can involve multiple approval systems.

The Start-Up Desk should help identify which municipal and external requirements may apply without pretending the City issues approvals that belong elsewhere.

Food Business Pathway

Create a plain-language checklist.

The entrepreneur should understand early:

• municipal location issues;
• renovation implications;
• appropriate external referrals.

This can prevent expensive surprises.

22.49Makers

The local economy should have room for people who:

• build;
• repair;
• fabricate;
• design;
• create.

Maker businesses may begin very small.

They may eventually become manufacturers.

The Sydenham Campus and broader regional skills ecosystem may offer natural partnerships for this kind of entrepreneurship.

The City should focus on:

• appropriate space;
• clear land-use rules;
• connections;
• local business opportunities.

22.50Creative Businesses

Arts and creative work are also businesses.

That can include:

• artists;
• musicians;
• photographers;
• designers;
• writers;
• video production;
• crafts;
• cultural organizations.

Municipal business service should recognize that some creative enterprises operate through:

• home studios;
• shared spaces;
• markets;
• temporary events;
• storefronts.

The rules should fit the actual impact of the business.

22.51Professional Services

Owen Sound also depends upon businesses such as:

• accounting;
• law;
• consulting;
• engineering;
• design;
• financial services;
• real estate;
• technology;
• health-related professional services.

These businesses may have relatively modest municipal infrastructure needs but substantial employment and economic value.

Economic development should not be measured only by factory floor area.

22.52The Remote Worker as an Economic Participant

A person may live in Owen Sound while working for:

• Toronto;
• Vancouver;
• New York;
• another country.

Their income may be earned elsewhere but spent locally.

That makes connectivity, quality of life and community amenities part of economic development.

The City does not need to create a special bureaucracy for remote workers.

It should understand that modern employment does not always appear as a local company sign.

22.53Entrepreneurship From Home to Export

A company can begin in a basement and eventually sell outside Canada.

The local system should not assume every business serves only local customers.

As companies grow, connect them with appropriate provincial, federal and regional export resources where relevant.

Owen Sound's role is to make the local base strong.

Other governments and organizations may have better tools for international growth.

22.54Doing Business With the City

Some entrepreneurs will eventually want to sell goods or services to Owen Sound itself.

The Start-Up Desk can explain where procurement information is found.

It should not influence the procurement decision.

Section 11 already established the rule:

Open the opportunity. Do not award the favour.

A business receiving help from economic-development staff must compete under the same procurement rules as everyone else.

22.55Vendor Readiness

The City can provide general information sessions explaining:

• municipal procurement;
• insurance;
• quotations;
• tenders;
• invoicing;
• prompt payment.

This can help a small business become capable of competing for:

• City;
• County;
• other public-sector opportunities.

Public purchasing becomes one form of business education without guaranteeing anyone a contract.

22.56Business-to-Business Local Supply

The Shop Local strategy in the next section should not focus only on households.

Local businesses also buy from:

• accountants;
• cleaners;
• printers;
• contractors;
• food suppliers;
• repair businesses;
• technology providers;
• manufacturers.

A voluntary local business directory can help companies discover suppliers nearby.

Basic listing should be open under consistent rules.

No paid ranking on public infrastructure.

22.57Start Local, Buy Canadian

Business development should connect with the Canadian purchasing principles established earlier.

Where practical, help entrepreneurs identify:

• local suppliers;
• Ontario suppliers;
• Canadian suppliers.

This should be information.

Not a requirement that makes a business uncompetitive.

The business owner ultimately chooses the supplier unless a specific program lawfully requires otherwise.

22.58Business Permitting Map

Create a simple visual start-up map.

Example

Idea

↓

Location Check

↓

Zoning

↓

Licence if required

↓

Building or renovation if required

↓

Outside approvals if applicable

↓

Inspection

↓

Open

For more complex businesses, additional steps can branch from the pathway.

This is easier for a first-time entrepreneur to understand than a page containing thirty unrelated permit links.

22.59Business Start-Up Checklist

Every entrepreneur using the Start-Up Desk should receive a personalized checklist.

Municipal

• zoning;
• licence;
• building;
• sign;
• other local permissions.

Outside Municipal Government

Known external referrals where relevant.

Business Support

• Business Enterprise Centre;
• available training;
• current grant information.

Location

• parking;
• accessibility;
• waste;
• deliveries.

The checklist should distinguish:

Required

from

Recommended.

Government advice becomes frustrating when residents cannot tell which is which.

22.60Accessibility

Starting a business should include accessibility from the beginning.

This may involve:

• customer entrances;
• interior routes;
• washrooms;
• signs;
• digital information;
• customer service.

Owen Sound's current Community Improvement Plan includes an Accessibility Improvement Grant Program for eligible commercial, industrial, mixed-use and multi-unit residential properties.

Where that program may apply, the Start-Up Desk should identify it early.

Accessibility work is usually easier to plan before the renovation is finished.

22.61Signs

A business often needs signage before opening.

The current City process manages sign permits through the same online permitting environment used for building applications.

The Start-Up Desk should include sign requirements in the opening checklist.

An entrepreneur should not finish a storefront and then discover the proposed sign cannot be installed as designed.

22.62Waste and Deliveries

The municipal conversation should include practical operations.

Ask:

• Where does waste go?
• Where will deliveries occur?
• Is loading available?
• Will a delivery truck block traffic?
• Are there unusual waste requirements?

These issues may be minor for some businesses and significant for others.

Solve them before opening day where possible.

22.63Parking

A business owner should be able to understand:

• nearby municipal parking;
• loading;
• accessible parking;
• parking rules affecting the use.

The City should not promise that every business will have a space directly outside its door.

It should provide accurate information so the owner can evaluate the location.

22.64Construction and Renovation

Many businesses require renovations before opening.

Current City building-permit information directs applicants to its Development Coordinator for detailed development advice and manages applications online through Cloudpermit.

The Start-Up Desk should make that connection early.

Renovation Timeline

Before a leasehold project begins, identify:

• permits required;
• inspections;
• outside professionals;
• expected City steps.

A business paying rent during construction needs realistic information.

22.65Change of Use

A building that successfully housed one business may require additional review when a different type of activity moves in.

The entrepreneur may reasonably ask:

There was already a business here. Why can't I just open?

The City should explain the reason clearly when the proposed use changes regulatory requirements.

The answer should identify:

• what changed;
• what approval is required;
• what the applicant must do.

Technical rules are easier to accept when their purpose is understood.

22.66Fire and Life Safety

No start-up target justifies compromising fire or life safety.

Where significant requirements apply:

• explain them early;
• coordinate inspections;
• provide written deficiencies;
• explain reinspection.

The entrepreneur should know what must be corrected.

The responsible professional remains responsible for determining compliance.

22.67Inspection Coordination

Where several municipal inspections are required, examine whether they can reasonably be coordinated.

The objective is not to merge professional roles.

It is to avoid making a business owner wait on several separate visits that could practically occur together.

Ask

Could:

• scheduling;
• communication;
• information sharing;

reduce unnecessary delay?

Small operational changes can matter greatly to a business waiting to open.

22.68Opening Day Should Not Be the First Inspection Day

The entrepreneur should understand well in advance which approvals must be complete before opening.

Do not allow a predictable final requirement to become an opening-day emergency.

The personalized checklist should identify:

Must be complete before opening.

That protects both the business and the public.

22.69Business Ombudsman Function

The Start-Up Desk should include an escalation path when an entrepreneur believes the municipal process is stuck.

This does not mean the applicant gets the answer they want.

The escalation asks:

• Has the file been routed correctly?
• Is a response overdue?
• Are requirements conflicting?
• Has a decision been explained?
• Is another department waiting on something nobody communicated?

The purpose is to fix process failure.

Not overturn legitimate professional decisions.

22.70Red Tape Log

Create a public Business Red Tape Log.

Businesses can identify:

• unnecessary duplication;
• unclear forms;
• conflicting instructions;
• recurring delays.

City staff review the suggestions.

Publish:

Issue

Reviewed

Change Made

or

No Change, with reason

This keeps regulatory improvement continuous.

Not Every Complaint Is Red Tape

A business may dislike a legitimate safety requirement.

That does not make the requirement unnecessary.

The City should examine criticism seriously without assuming every regulation should disappear.

22.71The One-In, One-Look Rule

When Council proposes a new business-related municipal requirement, identify:

• the problem;
• the cost of compliance;
• who is affected;
• existing rules addressing the same issue.

Then look for something that can be:

• simplified;
• combined;
• eliminated.

This should not be a rigid mathematical rule that forces removal of a useful safety provision whenever another is introduced.

It is a discipline against endless accumulation.

22.72Form Review

Once each year, ask several people who have never used City Hall to test common business forms.

Can they understand:

• what information is needed;
• why;
• where to submit;
• what happens next?

If not, rewrite the instructions.

A form should not require institutional memory.

22.73Plain-Language Deficiency Letters

When the City cannot approve something, the response should explain:

What is wrong?

Which requirement applies?

What needs to change?

What happens next?

Where technical citation is necessary, include it.

But do not send a first-time entrepreneur only a paragraph of regulatory references with no explanation.

The objective is compliance.

22.74Business Fees

Publish the complete municipal fee picture for common start-up scenarios.

Examples might include:

Home-based business

Small storefront

Restaurant renovation

Sign

Change of use

Do not promise a universal cost because individual projects vary.

Show typical municipal components so entrepreneurs understand what questions to ask.

22.75Fee Changes

When Council considers increasing a business-related fee, show:

• existing fee;
• proposed fee;
• reason;
• cost of delivering the service;
• comparison where useful;
• expected revenue impact.

Fees should not quietly grow because they are easier politically than property taxes.

Every charge deserves a purpose.

22.76Small Business Impact Test

Before adopting a significant new municipal rule affecting business, ask:

• What does compliance cost a one-person company?
• What does it cost a fifty-person company?
• Is the burden proportional to risk?
• Could a simpler process achieve the same objective?

A rule that is trivial for a corporation with a compliance department may be substantial for a sole proprietor.

Proportional regulation matters.

22.77No Favourites

Economic-development staff will naturally develop relationships with businesses.

That is part of the job.

Relationships must not become special regulatory treatment.

The same municipal rule should apply whether the business owner is:

• a long-time local resident;
• a newcomer;
• a major employer;
• a one-person company;
• a friend of Council;
• someone who criticized Council.

Service Can Be Personal

Rules Cannot Be Personal

That distinction protects everyone.

22.78Commercial Confidentiality

Businesses sometimes need to discuss:

• potential investment;
• property negotiations;
• employment changes;
• financing;
• expansion plans.

Some information may legitimately require confidentiality.

The City's open-government principles should distinguish between:

public decisions involving public money

and

private commercial information appropriately protected during development discussions.

Where the City eventually commits public money or public assets, the appropriate public record must follow.

22.79Business Data

The City should collect only information it needs.

Do not use the Start-Up Desk to create detailed commercial profiles for unrelated purposes.

Basic aggregate information can help economic planning:

• businesses started;
• sectors;
• application times;
• common barriers.

Individual commercial information should be protected according to applicable law and policy.

22.80No Mandatory Marketing Consent

A person should not have to agree to:

• advertising;
• unrelated newsletters;
• commercial data sharing;

in order to apply for a municipal business licence or permit.

Government service should not be conditional on marketing consent.

If an entrepreneur wants economic-development updates, they may opt in.

22.81Business Directory

Businesses should have the option to be included in a public local directory under consistent rules.

Basic listing could include:

• name;
• category;
• website;
• address where publicly operated;
• contact details supplied by the business.

No Paid Ranking

Public infrastructure should not place one business above another because it purchased municipal advertising.

The directory helps residents find businesses.

Advertising can remain a separate private market.

22.82Measure New Businesses Carefully

A business licence does not necessarily equal a newly created company.

A new corporation does not necessarily mean a new storefront.

An approved permit does not necessarily mean the business opened.

The economic dashboard should distinguish where possible:

Business inquiry

Licence issued

Permit completed

Business opened

Business expanded

Do not inflate economic-development claims by counting the same activity several times.

22.83Business Survival

Long-term business survival can be useful information but is influenced by many factors outside municipal control.

Where reliable aggregate information exists, track broad trends.

Do not claim:

City Hall created this business.

The entrepreneur created the business.

Government's job is to create a fair environment around them.

22.84Jobs

Economic-development announcements often focus on job numbers.

Those numbers should be reported carefully.

Distinguish:

• existing jobs retained;
• new jobs announced;
• new jobs actually created;
• seasonal;
• permanent;
• full-time;
• part-time where reliable information is available.

If the number comes from the employer, say so.

Do not turn forecasts into facts.

22.85Investment

Likewise distinguish:

• proposed investment;
• committed investment;
• completed investment.

A press release is not a factory.

A planning application is not construction.

An announced dollar amount is not money already spent locally.

Public economic reporting should use the same honesty standards as housing reporting.

22.86Business Scorecard

The public scorecard should eventually include:

Start-Up Service

• inquiries;
• ten-day standard performance;
• eligible fee waivers;
• average City response time.

Businesses

• licences issued where relevant;
• new business openings where reliably known;
• expansions.

Approvals

• common permit processing times;
• recurring barriers.

Downtown

• new storefronts;
• vacancies;
• conversions.

Investment

• proposed;
• committed;
• completed where reliable.

Employment

• reported jobs created or retained where reliable.

Support

• referrals to Grey County Business Enterprise Centre;
• CIP applications;
• business education participation.

Red Tape

• issues identified;
• issues corrected.

Retention

• business-retention visits;
• common concerns.

The purpose is not to claim credit.

It is to understand whether the environment is improving.

22.87The Business Pulse

Once or twice each year, ask local businesses a short consistent set of questions.

Are you:

• growing;
• stable;
• shrinking?

Are you planning to:

• hire;
• invest;
• move;
• expand?

What is your largest current barrier?

Is there one municipal process we could improve?

How confident are you about doing business in Owen Sound?

Publish aggregate results.

Repeat the same questions over time.

Direction matters more than one year's score.

22.88Mayor and Council Business Visits

Elected officials should periodically visit:

• shops;
• manufacturers;
• trades;
• restaurants;
• professional offices;
• start-ups.

The purpose should be listening.

Not staged photographs.

Ask:

What does City Hall not understand about operating your business?

Then bring recurring municipal issues into the public work plan.

Private commercial matters remain private where appropriate.

22.89Large Investment

A significant employer considering Owen Sound may require a more substantial investment-attraction process.

The City's current External Relations and Investment Attraction plan already calls for proactive relationship-building, capacity development and opportunity generation in targeted sectors.

That work should continue.

Large Investor Service

Provide coordinated information concerning:

• sites;
• planning;
• infrastructure;
• workforce;
• regional partners;
• relevant public programs.

But the same safeguards remain.

A large investment does not entitle a company to:

• secret regulatory exemptions;
• inappropriate procurement preference;
• undisclosed public subsidy.

Economic development must remain defensible in public.

22.90Incentive Transparency

When the City offers a significant business incentive, publish as legally appropriate:

• recipient;
• program;
• amount;
• public objective;
• conditions;
• expected result.

Where the incentive comes through a program available equally to eligible applicants, say so.

Measure the Outcome

If a grant was intended to:

• activate a vacant storefront;
• improve accessibility;
• preserve a building;

report whether that happened.

Public money should purchase a defined public outcome.

22.91Economic Development Is Regional

Owen Sound is not an economic island.

People commute across municipal boundaries.

Businesses serve:

• Grey County;
• Bruce County;
• the wider region.

Supply chains cross boundaries.

The City's current economic strategy already emphasizes collaboration with Grey County and neighbouring municipalities, and its Official Plan calls for economic-development strategy in conjunction with Grey County.

That approach should continue.

Compete Where Appropriate

Municipalities naturally compete for some investment.

Cooperate Where Smarter

A major regional employer benefits workers and businesses beyond one boundary.

Economic development should recognize both realities.

22.92Team Grey

Where Grey County and its municipalities are working together on investment attraction or business support, Owen Sound should participate actively.

The City should seek to become:

the easiest municipality in the region to understand

rather than trying to hide regional resources behind municipal branding.

If Grey County runs the better business program:

Use it.

If Owen Sound controls the municipal approval:

Own it.

Government should care more about the resident getting the answer than which logo appears on the answer.

22.93The Ten-Business-Day Report

Each quarter, publish performance against the Start-Up Desk promise.

Show

Complete eligible requests received

Answered within ten business days

Missed

Fees waived or credited

Average City-controlled response time

Primary cause of missed standards

No excuses hidden in footnotes.

If the City routinely misses the standard, then one of three things is wrong:

• the process;
• the staffing;
• the standard.

Fix it.

22.94First 100 Days

The first 100 days should focus on making the existing system work as one system.

1. Map the Business Journey

Take several realistic examples:

• home-based business;
• downtown store;
• restaurant;
• trades company;
• small manufacturer.

Follow each from idea to opening.

Document every City step.

2. Establish the Start-Up Desk

Use existing municipal staff and expertise before proposing new permanent positions.

3. Connect Grey County

Create the referral process with the Business Enterprise Centre and Sydenham Campus.

4. Build Before You Sign

Launch the preliminary location-review service.

5. Establish the Ten-Day Standard

Define:

• eligible services;
• clock;
• pauses;
• fee guarantee;
• reporting.

6. Create the Business Permission Index

Publish the municipal requirements in one place.

7. Review Forms

Simplify common instructions.

8. Integrate CIP Information

Make sure eligible entrepreneurs learn about current City incentive programs before beginning work.

9. Establish the Red Tape Log

Invite recurring process problems.

10. Publish the Baseline

Show current:

• processing times;
• business inquiries;
• approvals;
• known barriers.

Then improve from a real starting point.

22.95Year One

During Year One:

• operate the Start-Up Desk;
• implement the ten-business-day service guarantee;
• create the Before You Sign service;
• integrate City and County referrals;
• create business-start pathways;
• simplify common forms;
• expand home-business guidance;
• begin student entrepreneurship programming;
• strengthen downtown start-up navigation;
• begin business-retention visits;
• publish quarterly service results.

The first year's goal is not to announce dozens of new economic programs.

It is to make existing government easier to use.

22.96Year Two

During Year Two:

• improve processes based on the Red Tape Log;
• strengthen business-expansion support;
• develop better industrial site information;
• deepen trades and apprenticeship connections;
• expand entrepreneurship pathways for youth;
• strengthen tourism and outdoor-business opportunities;
• evaluate whether municipal incentive programs are producing measurable results.

22.97Year Three

During Year Three:

• expand successful regional partnerships;
• strengthen manufacturing and priority-sector investment readiness;
• improve business succession connections;
• connect local businesses more deeply to Canadian supply opportunities;
• review the business-licensing framework;
• simplify or remove municipal requirements that no longer demonstrate public value.

22.98Year Four

By Year Four, publish the complete business-service record.

Ask:

Did the ten-day guarantee work?

How often did the City miss it?

How much was refunded or waived?

Did entrepreneurs know where to start?

Did fewer people discover zoning problems after signing leases?

Did applications become easier to complete?

Did existing businesses expand?

Did municipal delays decrease?

Did the City retain important employers?

Did students start businesses?

Did local trades companies grow?

Did downtown vacancies improve?

Did manufacturing investment increase?

Did public incentives produce the outcomes they were designed to produce?

Which regulations were simplified?

Which were kept because they still protected a legitimate public purpose?

Publish the answers.

22.99The Business Test

There is a simple way to judge the Start-Up Desk.

Ask someone who has never opened a business before to begin.

Can they find the right place?

Can they explain their idea in ordinary language?

Can the City identify the municipal issues?

Can they understand what is required?

Can they understand what is optional?

Can they understand what will cost money?

Can they understand how long the City should take?

Can they reach a human being?

Can they be told early if the location does not work?

Can they find business coaching without being passed around?

If yes, the system is working.

If the only people who can navigate it comfortably are professional developers and people who already know City staff, it is not.

22.100What This Is Not

The Start-Up Desk is not:

• a promise that every business will succeed;
• a promise that every application will be approved;
• a municipal venture-capital fund;
• a replacement for Grey County's Business Enterprise Centre;
• a replacement for accountants, lawyers, engineers or planners;
• a way to bypass safety;
• special treatment for preferred businesses;
• a guarantee that another level of government will act within ten days;
• another municipal department created before testing whether existing staff can deliver the service.

It is a service reform.

The Starting and Growing a Business Commitment

Someone willing to risk their own money to build something in Owen Sound should not be rewarded with confusion.

They deserve clear rules.

Not special rules.

Clear rules.

The commitment is:

Create one Start-Up Desk.

Give every entrepreneur one place to begin.

Tell people what they need before they sign a lease whenever possible.

Answer complete City-controlled start-up requests within ten business days under a published standard.

Put an eligible fee guarantee behind that promise.

Measure City time separately from applicant and outside-agency time.

Create one business file and one consolidated checklist.

Tell people no early when the answer really is no.

Keep human help available.

Connect entrepreneurs directly to Grey County's existing business expertise instead of duplicating it.

Make municipal grants understandable before people begin construction.

Make home-based business easier to navigate.

Give students a practical path into entrepreneurship.

Help local tradespeople become employers.

Support downtown start-ups.

Help existing businesses expand.

Ask businesses why they leave.

Help retiring owners find succession pathways.

Protect employment land for future jobs.

Build on Owen Sound's existing manufacturing, clean-energy, healthcare and marine opportunities.

Support tourism and the surrounding agricultural economy through regional partnership.

Review municipal red tape continuously.

Keep regulation connected to an actual public purpose.

Never make political relationships part of the approval process.

Publish service performance and admit when the City misses its own standard.

The City does not create entrepreneurs.

People do that themselves.

Our job is to make sure that when someone says:

I have an idea and I want to build it in Owen Sound,

City Hall knows how to answer:

Good. Here is exactly where you start.