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New Intake for Starter Company PLUS Program

September 10, 2020
By Bob Peters

Cornwall Ontario – The Starter Company PLUS program will once again open for applications on September 14th, 2020.

Starter Company PLUS Cornwall

The Starter Company PLUS program is open to residents of Cornwall, Akwesasne, and SD&G who are 18 years of age and older. The program offers successful applicants unparalleled assistance to start, grow or purchase an existing small business. This assistance comes in the form of training webinars, business skills development, mentoring from local business leaders and ultimately potential access to capital.

The application period will close on September 30th, at 4:00 pm.

“The Starter Company PLUS program has seen a great deal of success over the past several years,” said Candy Pollard, Business Consultant with the Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre. “We are proud to say that many of our program and grant recipients have built very successful businesses, with several growing to the point of hiring additional staff.”

Training and mentorship are the core of the Starter Company PLUS program which is funded by the Province of Ontario and administered by the Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre (CBEC).  Centre staff along with local experts in different fields of business work closely with participants to assist in developing the skills needed to launch and sustain a successful business. Once the training is completed and documents such as a Business Plan, Marketing Plan and Financial Forecast are complete, participants are then eligible to apply for a grant of up to $4,500.

Prospective entrepreneurs are invited to visit the CBEC website for an outline of the Starter Company PLUS program and to access the on-line application. CBEC staff will work with approved entrepreneurs to create a learning plan and schedule the necessary training.

Eligible entrepreneurs include those starting their own business, purchasing an existing business, or expanding their already existing business. In order for a business expansion to be eligible for a grant, concrete changes and growth goals must be established – ideally including the hiring of staff.  No funding will be provided to the participants during the training module.

The Starter Company program was launched in 2014 to support younger entrepreneurs and was then re-launched in 2017 as Starter Company PLUS. Since inception, the Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre has worked with 180 participants and has helped to distribute $487,600 via 103 micro-financing grants to local entrepreneurs.

Starter Company PLUS 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 18 years of age or older, no longer attending school, and intending to open the business full time, or expand the business from part time to full time.
  • Successful applicants may receive up to a $4,500 grant to help launch/purchase/expand their business.
  • Applications open September 14th, 2020 and close September 30th, 2020 at 4:00 pm ET.

Click here for more details on the Starter Company Plus program.

About the Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre

The Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre helps small business owners and entrepreneurs succeed in Cornwall, Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry & Akwesasne by offering information, tools and support during the start-up and growth stages of business operation. Established in 1997, the Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre is operated by Cornwall Economic Development and funded in part by the Government of Ontario.

The Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre is located at 100 Water Street East (Cornwall Civic Complex) and can be contacted by phone at 613-930-2787 x2276 or online at:

 

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