Starter Company Plus Offers Help to Entrepreneurs

Cornwall Ontario – There is new help available to local entrepreneurs with via the Starter Company PLUS program.

Starter Company PLUS offers the successful applicants unparalleled assistance to start, grow or purchase an existing small business. Assistance includes training, business skills development, mentoring from local business leaders and all-important access to capital. The program is open to residents 18 years of age and older.

The program is an evolution of the successful Starter Company young adult program and a companion to the popular Summer Company program. The program will be administered and delivered through the network of Small Business Enterprise Centres and is a key part of the Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs (ONE). The program is fully funded by the Government of Ontario.

“The Starter Company PLUS program will partner entrepreneurs with experts who will help them develop the skills needed to launch and sustain a successful business,” said Candy Pollard, Business Consultant with the Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre. “Training and mentorship are the core of the program, but participants are also eligible to receive up to a $5,000 grant.”

Interested prospective entrepreneurs are invited to visit the CBEC website for an outline of the new program and to find application information. CBEC staff will work with approved entrepreneurs to create a learning plan, schedule necessary training, and ultimately create a business plan, start-up budget and a 2 year financial forecast.

Eligible entrepreneurs include those purchasing an existing business, starting their own, or expanding their already existing business. In order for a business expansion to be eligible for a grant, concrete growth goals must be established – ideally including the hiring of staff.

Depending on the readiness of the applicant, they may remain in the training module for weeks or months. They may be matched with a mentor or receive advice/coaching/training from the mentoring group as part of the training process.Once training is complete, the applicant is eligible to apply for funding of up to $5,000. No funding will be provided to the participants during the training module.

“Starter Company PLUS is expected to be very popular,” said Candy Pollard, Business Consultant with the Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre. “Local entrepreneurs looking to take advantage of this program should apply as soon as they have solidified their business vision in order to ensure the best possible chances of being accepted.”

Starter Company Quick Facts

• Entrepreneurs in Cornwall, SD&G and Akwesasne, can apply to the Starter Company PLUS program by submitting a program application to the Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre.
• To apply, participants must be an Ontario resident, 18 years of age or older, and no longer attending school.
• Successful applicants may receive up to a $5,000 grant to help launch/purchase/expand their business.

About the Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre

2017 marks the 20th Anniversary for the Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre. Operated by the City of Cornwall and funded in part by the Government of Ontario, the Centre provides information and support to entrepreneurs during start‐up and growth stages of business operation. Seminars, workshops and special events are held throughout the year on topics of interest to various types of businesses. The Centre also administers the popular Summer Company program for student entrepreneurs, the highly successful Starter Company Program and now the new Starter Company PLUS program.

Categorised in: Business