The Town of Renfrew is host to over 100 local businesses in its downtown core alone.
Enterprise Renfrew County has been supporting local businesses throughout the Ottawa Valley through their Starter Company Plus program since 2015.
The program is open to individuals looking to start a business, or for those with a business less than five years old, and to educate these entrepreneurs on how to best manage their business operations.
The training includes courses on business plans, cash flow projections, insurance and risk management, taxes and marketing strategies.
Jay Renaud, half of the husband-wife duo operating the graphic design firm Valley Friends, says the Starter Company Plus program really opened their eyes on business management.
Renaud also says the training was extremely beneficial in developing a marketing strategy for Valley Friends which takes their outreach to the next level.
The Starter Company Plus program also offers a non-repayable grant up to $5,000 for small businesses to spend on their operations.
Valley Friends is utilizing the grant to sell textiles with their branding; a new venture akin to the efforts of Emily Prospero who purchased Snark Coffee last year.
Prospero says her grant will be invested into bags to stock her coffee beans at a larger market scale.
Starter Company Plus exists to educate business owners on how to put their ideas to practice in The Valley, creating a diverse market to provide locals with the goods and services they need.
Hillary Panke, program coordinator for Enterprise Renfrew County, said seeing the growth and development of these business owners’ hard work is very rewarding.
The Starter Company Plus program is rolled out twice a year and applications for the fall have already opened.
Enterprise Renfrew County advises applicants to submit their information before September 9, which is the day the first information session takes place.
Check out the application form on their website www.enterpriserenfrewcounty.com/starter-company-plus
(Written by Mik Horvath)
