Six entrepreneurs in Kawartha Lakes are growing their businesses thanks to the Starter Company Plus program.
Offered twice a year in the spring and fall 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.
Over the past year, 14 local businesses have benefited from the program, with the spring cohort including the following six entrepreneurs and their businesses:
- Amanda Runge of Haus Simply, providing home organization and design services
- Danielle Malcolm of Muster Point, offering grazing boxes, a food service trailer, catering, and bartending services
- Sharon Johnson of Natural Doula, a doula and family photographer
- Deanne Taenzer of Harcourt Park Marina, a marina and marketplace
- Kirsten Scott of Springboard Grants and Consulting, providing consulting services and grant writing for government and non-government funding
- Aimee White of Reveal Upholstery, offering re-upholstery services
“My experience as a participant in the Starter Company Plus Program has been the catalyst to turn my passion into a career,” says Haus Simply owner Amanda Runge in a media release. “I am incredibly grateful for the knowledge and guidance provided by the program and will forever be appreciative of the invaluable mentorship.”
Applications for the fall cohort of Starter Company Plus in Kawartha Lakes will open in mid-September. For more information, visit www.kawarthalakes.ca/en/business-growth/starter-company-plus.aspx.
