Even small businesses face big challenges. From rising inflation and changing tariffs to finding the right people for a role, Canada’s small business leaders work each day to build the foundation of our economy. In Markham, small business leaders have relied on the guidance and expertise of Agnes Lan and the team at Change Connect to help deal with today’s challenges and plan for the future. Lan is the Vice President of Sales at Change Connect and a real community influencer.
Founded in 2011, Change Connect is a management consulting firm for small and mid-sized businesses. Its consultants help businesses develop revenue generation models and build out strategic plans based on people, processes, and technology.
Lan moved from Hong Kong to Canada with her family, initially settling in Scarborough. The family moved to Markham shortly after, and Lan says her experiences growing up and going to school here are the reasons there was never a doubt that Change Connect would call Markham home.
“I have always found the support system within Markham and York Region more than generous for supporting small and mid-sized business,” Lan says. “From the talent available around here to the incubators to brew some of our ideas to the spaces to transportation. It is such a good central hub for attracting talent, and I find Markham unbeatable from that standpoint.”
Lan and her team bring decades of experience in small and mid-sized business management to their clients. From navigating the pandemic to dealing with labour uncertainties, Lan says business leaders need to continually think about how to plan and invest in their operations to come out stronger after each challenge.
“How do you pivot so that you can be in better shape—that’s the question,” she says.
Another recent challenge for small businesses is in AI adoption. There is a push across virtually every size business to adopt AI to increase productivity and reduce expenses. But the results have not yielded the successes that AI companies predicted. A research study at MIT’s Media Lab reported that 95% of enterprise AI projects have already failed.
“A big part of this shift is having to be realistic about what AI can do right now. Business leaders need to find projects where humans and AI can work together. There are tasks that you can outsource to AI, but any touch point that adds value to my customer’s journey, that’s where I want the human touch,” Lan says.
The constantly changing tariff situation is another area that Lan and Change Connect are helping their clients manage.
“With ongoing shifts in North American trade policy and supply chain disruptions, I don't feel like a consultant. I feel like I'm an economist. When we speak with leaders, it’s about derisking their portfolios so they're on more solid footing. The goal is that when this craziness is over, they’ll be ready to build an empire,” she says.
Even after 15 years of helping small and mid-sized businesses, Lan says she still loves going into work each day.
“Every moment, I feel like we are helping the entrepreneur community. And every moment I can say I feel like the city of Markham is supporting us,” Lan says.
Lan’s leadership has earned Change Connect recognition not only in Markham, but across Canada. Change Connect was ranked No. 14 in the 2025 Globe and Mail’s list of Canada’s Fastest Growing Women-led Companies.
“The recognition is a testament to our team. We got there by doing what we do best, servicing our clients and helping them grow.”
