Seven Bruce Cunty entrepreneurs receive $5,000 seed grants

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A Southampton landscaper and Paisley marketing/media developer both credit Bruce County’s Starter Company Plus program for enabling their successes with their small business start-ups. 

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As much as Nick Veenstra needed the $5,000 to buy additional equipment for his Saugeen Valley Media, he said the advice and mentorship offered by Bruce County staff was of equal, or more value, as he attended eight weeks of classes with business development experts. 

“That part in itself was invaluable – just slowing down and thinking through the process of developing a business plan was a really important step and, in many ways, it’s just as important as the money,” Veenstra said in an April 22 telephone interview. 

Veenstra, in business for 11 months, said the $5,000 allowed him to invest in his company. “I bought professional lighting equipment and additional drone equipment to give a more professional look for clients,” he said. 

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After returning to Bruce County with a marketing/media degree, Veenstra said he wanted to fill a void in media production/marketing services in Saugeen Shores. 

“Being local, I can provide faster, more flexible service for less cost,” Veenstra said, adding five years ago he took advantage of a Bruce County summer business program that whetted his interest in entrepreneurship. 

Robert Blank, owner of Artefact Landscaping in Southampton, said his $5,000 grant allowed him to buy equipment that saves him time, and his clients’ money. 

“The grant is a huge help – it makes it a lot easier to be self-sufficient now that I don’t have to rent equipment,” Blank said in an April 22 telephone interview.

He said that the grant process “helped him take the plunge” into entrepreneurship. 

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“I joke that I break rocks for a living and it was difficult to get back into the school mode after 20 years (out of class) but the program helped me put more thought into branding and other business aspects that I needed for success,” Blank said, adding writing a paper and preparing a business plan was a stretch.

Veenstra and Blank were among seven Bruce County entrepreneurs to receive business training and $5,000 grants through the Bruce County Economic Development program.
Funded by the province and run by Bruce County Economic Development, Starter Company Plus provides aspiring or experienced entrepreneurs in Bruce County with eight weeks of business training to help them launch a new business or expand an existing one.

To participate in the Starter Company Plus program, each entrepreneur needs to successfully:
– Complete an eight- week training program, including mentorship and workshops
– Complete a business plan
– Perform a cash flow analysis, and
– Present a business pitch to the Grant Review Committee. 

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Jeffrey Loney, Bruce County’s manager of economic development said the Starter Company Plus Program presents a remarkable opportunity for both new and established business owners, enhancing economic growth.
“This program nurtures collaboration among budding entrepreneurs and provides invaluable access to funding, local business experts, resources and services,” Loney said in an April 22 news release, announcing the latest round of recipients.

Along the Veenstra and Blank, the 2024 Starter Company Plus program recipients include:
– Laura Hackett – Revive and Heel – Lucknow
– Tori Hamilton – Attuned Therapy + Wellness – Kincardine
– Will Haney – Northern Sustainable Farms – Tiverton
– Cassidy Radic – The WOMB – Walkerton, and
– Tyler Knechtel – Junction 4 & 19 – Walkerton. 

Since its launch in 2017, the Starter Company Plus program, delivered through Bruce County’s Business to Bruce program, has provided grant funding to 62 entrepreneurs.

Visit www.businesstobruce.comfor details. 

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