As this is Global Entrepreneurship Week, we thought we would highlight a valuable resource that helps innovative, driven people launch and grow new businesses. With an average of 130,000 new business startups each year in Canada, entrepreneurs are clearly a critical engine of our economy.

We connected with Wendy Mayhew, creator of the Idea2Delivery website and video series, to get her perspective on entrepreneurship and her advice for those launching new businesses.

November 14 – 20 is Global Entrepreneurship Week, with 115 countries participating this year. Steven Harper declared 2011 the Year of the Entrepreneur in Canada. Why do you think there is there so much focus on entrepreneurship right now?

One of the main reasons is that the cost of starting a business is very low, giving anyone with a good idea the opportunity to give it a try. The next generation of business owners, most of whom are young with brilliant ideas, is not afraid of risk.

There isn’t much to hold anyone back, with all the technology available to reach potential customers. Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are all free social media tools – you just have to know how to use them. Finding resources that offer free or low-cost tools to manage your business is as easy as searching the web.

How does Idea2Delivery support Canadian entrepreneurship?

Idea2Delivery supports Canadian entrepreneurship through encouragement, speaking engagements, mentoring and advising on what it takes to launch a business.

Canadians lack concrete information that should be easily accessible to entrepreneurs. I observed that there was a need for a website that would support Canadian entrepreneurs by providing them with the information they need to launch any type of business. Content on the Idea2Delivery website focuses on Canadian laws and policies, business books by Canadian authors and links to resources. It also features entrepreneurs from across Canada, which provides an opportunity for others to learn about their businesses.

The website also hosts a reality video series that follows companies through the start-up process and covers the fundamentals needed to launch a business. The series puts entrepreneurs in front of experts who help them with their start-up.

What three key pieces of advice would you give to people considering starting their own business?

Research, research, research – talk about your idea to whomever you can, get their feedback, understand your competition and do it better.

Don’t do it alone and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Every business needs an advisory team. You need to have a mentor whom you can talk to on a regular basis.

Marketing is critical to any business. Understand that you have to know how to market your business – if you don’t, then you need to hire someone to do it for you.

The latest episode in the Idea2Delivery series—about Accounting—is now available at idea2delivery.ca. Rogers is proud to sponsor this program.

What tools or resources would you recommend for entrepreneurs?

Geoffrey is a regular contributor to Redboard Biz.