Why more Canadians are getting into 'boring businesses'

April 4, 2026·28 min·2 clips

Stephen Botten fields dozens of calls daily from young buyers eager to purchase plumbing companies and vending machines.

A CBC promo gives way to oil worries. The host starts with Iran, the Persian Gulf, and the odd calm in markets so far. Then snacks barge in. A young vending machine buyer makes the case for boring businesses without dressing it up: buy in, add machines, hire staff, and do it while life is still light. His age matters. At 18, living with his parents and with few obligations, risk looks different than it does at 30 or 35. The plain lesson is almost annoyingly practical. Waiting may feel responsible, but it can also make the jump bigger. The follow-up moves from machines to Easter baskets, where chocolate is still king and candy is getting louder. Chocolate gets its food-of-the-gods cameo, with the cocoa tree's technical name and a quick nod to Mars, Nestle, and Hershey. Then Amber Spence's family Easter hunt makes the aisle math concrete. Six decades, about 100 kids, and six weeks of buying turns Easter candy into logistics. This year, her family is easing up on chocolate and buying more candy. The revenue split explains why that matters. Canadian chocolate revenues are up 40 percent over the last decade, while candy revenues have doubled in the same stretch. Paola Gevedoni, who owns the Candy Bar, still sells the classic eggs and bunnies, but candy has moved past filler. Late in the episode, the macro story comes back. Avery Schoenfeld of CIBC says economists are less alarmed because many expect the conflict to end before too long. That is the fragile version. If the bombing stops and Iran backs off threats to Gulf oil shipments, Canada may muddle through. If not, resilience gets a harder test.

As heard by us

A grounded Cost of Living episode on boring businesses, candy spending, and the oil risks behind calm markets.

Cost of Living uses the vending-machine example to make "boring businesses" feel less like a punchline and more like a practical small-business bet.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want a practical take on why a 'boring' business can be worth buying.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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