Applications open on Thursday (September 15) for the fall cohort of the Starter Company Plus program in the City of Kawartha Lakes.
Offered by the Kawartha Lakes Small Business & Entrepreneurship Centre with funding from the Ontario government, the program provides entrepreneurs with free access to training and business skills development as well as mentorship from local business leaders.
Participants also become eligible for a $5,000 grant to help launch or grow their early-stage business. The program is geared to start-ups that are either pre-revenue or have operated for less than three years.
The deadline to submit an application is Thursday, October 13th. The following Thursday, approved applicants will begin the program, which includes four training days, three roundtable workshops with community experts, and one-on-one mentoring for six months.
Over the past 18 months, 33 Kawartha Lakes entrepreneurs have taken part in the program and continue to receive support from the Kawartha Lakes Small Business & Entrepreneurship Centre as they work to grow their businesses.
Most recently this past spring, the following seven entrepreneurs and their businesses successfully completed the program and each received a $5,000 grant:
- Arron Maltais of Maltais Landscaping and Lawn Care in Norland
- Lee Anna Thornbury of Organizing with Lee Anna in Lindsay
- Breanna White of White Willow Loft in Lindsay
- Erin Dunsford of Metio Creations in Lindsay
- Lorrie Neskovski of The Lokal Hub and Eatery/The Lokal Market in Woodville
- Charlie O’Neill of Charlie O Photography in Kawartha Lakes
- Suseth Allan of The Lindsay Lounge in Lindsay
For more information about the Starter Company Plus program, along with other available entrepreneurship programs in Kawartha Lakes, visit kawarthalakes.ca/en/business-growth/starting-a-business.aspx.
