IN THIS ISSUE
BY THE NUMBERS
Less than
$100,000:
What a 23-year-old
university dropout paid
for an aging laundromat
in Vancouver. Our look
at young entrepreneurs
jumping into "boring
businesses" on page 36.
20:
The number of craft
breweries shut down
in B.C. this year as the
industry faces heavy
headwinds. A peek
into the trouble
brewing on page 42.
33:
Percentage drop in
all wood and concrete
real estate presales
in Metro Vancouver
this year from last.
Rob Shaw's in-depth
feature on the pending
crisis on page 28.
8 | BC B U S I N E SS OCTOB ER 2025 Portrait: Evaan Kheraj; outfit provided by Mine & Yours luxury consignment
F R O M T H E E D I T O R
H
ave you ever asked someone
point-blank about their salary?
Or about what their last raise
amounted to? Me neither. Talking
about money can make people downright
uncomfortable.
Most of us have been conditioned to
treat our earnings as closely guarded state
secrets—raises discussed only behind closed
doors, and questions met with nervous
laughter or uncomfortable silence. But stay-
ing silent is costing us.
When we avoid talking openly about
compensation, whether as individuals
or industries, we lose the ability to make
informed decisions. If you don't know what
other people in your industry are making,
how can you negotiate a fair salary, or set
wages that will keep your company compet-
itive and attractive to job seekers? How can
the business community address pay equity
if we're running blind?
That's why we created our new Money
Makers feature (page 64). BCBusiness is con-
ducting ongoing surveys across the province
about what British Columbians earn, what
they spend and, yes—what they splurge on.
The results reveal fascinating patterns about
how different generations, industries and
earners approach money.
When the 40-something VP for a real
estate marketer (featured in our inaugu-
ral column) says she loves her $200,000+
salary but she's also worried about job
stability, it provides insight into the larger
issues facing the development sector (much
more on that in our feature about the eco-
nomic meltdown within the real estate
industry, starting on page 28). And when a
young freelance graphic designer making
$61,000 explains how she's building her
savings while trading off square footage for
lifestyle splurges, it gives others permis-
sion to examine their own circumstances
without judgment.
These folks aren't included because
they've struck it rich, but rather because
they 're willing to break down the
barriers that can keep us financially isolated
by speaking openly about their situation.
So, I hope that Money Makers helps us all
become a little more comfortable with being
uncomfortable. Our bank accounts—and
community—will be better off for it.
MONEY TALKS
DARCY MATH ESO N Editor-in-Chief
bcb@canadawide.com | @darcat | Follow BCBusiness on
