LEADING OFF.

This summer issue of Saskatchewan Business is typically a breath of fresh air putting together, as it historically deals with the young entrepreneurial spirit within our province. This year's young entrepreneurs are no different than those featured in the past, in that they are ambitious young people who have dreams, inspiration and the fearlessness to pursue their goals.

Having lived in Saskatchewan my entire life and spent the majority of my adult life more involved in the provincial business climate than most -- as both an employee and employer -- I can honestly say without hesitation that the qualities Saskatchewan's young entrepreneurs embody are rare commodities in this province indeed. They are imperviously optimistic, yet to be jaded by the cynical realities of operating a business in this anti-business jurisdiction we call home.

It pains me to say so (then again this space is intended to call a spade a spade), but Saskatchewan is not typically considered a leader in many respects amongst its counterparts. Our meek, mild, go-with-the-flow attitude is as much to blame as anything else.

Government initiatives (or lack thereof) aside, indeed we Saskatchewanians appear to be our own worst enemy. Our reluctance to change is mirrored reciprocally by our wont to follow trends only after they have become old habits in other parts of the country.

Ask any executive whose company deals in multiple jurisdictions where they'd most like to do business, and I guarantee you Saskatchewan will not be at, or most likely even near, the top. Ask them about our work ethic, however, and they'll tell you exactly the opposite; that Saskatchewan people love to work, and work hard. That's our calling card.

This tells me one thing: the people of Saskatchewan are content to put in their time, work like dogs for someone else and let others reap the rewards of their hard work. (There's that meek, follow-the-leader disposition again.) In other words, we're idiots.

For the sanctity and security of that regular paycheque, as opposed to forging a corporate entity and securing an entire corporation's share of a piece of pie, Saskatchewanians cannot be enticed from their hypnotic-like, clock-punching state.

But what do you expect from a province where the common perception among the working class is to attain a public sector or other unionized job and become "set for life?" Therein lies the problem; the mentality that Saskatchewanians embody is one that became outdated about a quarter-century ago.

In reality, a persons security is far and away more pronounced amongst the self-employed, where they have the power and wherewithal to guarantee themselves a job. Indeed job security is a perception, not a reality, whether your collective bargaining agreement says so or not.

It all comes down to dollars and cents. In business, the only way to make that dollar is to make a sale. And chances are, it's an entrepreneur who's spearheading that sale.

Keith Moen, Editor