SUSAN KENNEDY-LOEWEN is vice president, Small Business, at Scotiabank. For over twenty years, she has worked closely with thousands of small businesses in Canada. She has seen firsthand how some businesses prosper while others do not, even when faced with similar circumstances and opportunities. From her experience, Kennedy-Loewen has come away with deep insights and an empathetic philosophy about how small business owners should consider their enterprise and what they need to do to nurture it. She lives in Oakville, Ontario.