The mentoring component of Summer Company is what really what make this Ontario government program such a fantastic way to start a business. Real professionals giving real advice. Successful candidates have this amazing support network to turn to for advice on every aspect of running a business.

So if you are thinking of applying to Summer Company, read our series to learn about who will be there to help you ever step of the way.

Please find the series on our website at www.saugeenshores.c

This seminar will be of interest to all types of business owners who are interested in building an exit plan that will maximize the potential of their business.

If you are approaching retirement from your business you will want to know:
How much will I need, for the retirement I want?
Will I have enough to meet my retirement goals?

Visit www.saugeenshores.ca/business/events for more information

From lawn care services to ice cream sales, from manufacturing hand sewn purses to producing videos, the Summer Company program helps students create the business that they want to own.

Running since 2001, the Summer Company program is based on providing hands on coaching from leading business people around from Bruce County.  Successful applicants are mentored in every aspect of running a business, from implementing a business plan, to marketing, to managing finances and even time management skills.

Summer Company not only teaches students the mechanics of running a business, but it also offers financial support. Successful applicants will receive up to $3000 to help their company succeed, with up to $1,500 to cover start-up costs.

The combination of mentoring and financial support helps mitigate the risks that most entrepreneurs face.

So if you are a student or you know a student, who has a vision, a dream, and dedication, check out the Summer Company program and join over 3,000 high school, college and university students from all areas of Ontario who have already let their entrepreneurial spirit soar through SUMMER COMPANY.

More information is available at www.ontario.ca/summercompany

or by calling the SSBEC at 519-832-2082.

Bridges To Better Business

This Bruce County business event of the year is titled

Creative Solutions: Attracting and Retaining Quality Employees

Bridges to Better Business is a forum where business owners, both new and more experienced, exchange ideas and share advice. This year’s event will encompass a panel of four local business owners sharing their challenges and successes with hiring, training and retaining employees.

The evening begins at 5PM for the Social Hour with a light supper and a cash bar. The formal program begins at 6PM and runs until 8PM.

Attendees will be invited to continue to network and visit the employment related agency representatives.

For more information call our office at 519-832-2082 or visit our website’s Events page

Both business owners and municipal officials from 11 Bruce County communities attended the 2.5 day workshop. All of them walked away inspired to help their towns become destinations that attract both locals and tourists alike.  Both the county and the communities now have solid brand directions and are going to be busy over the next couple of weeks as they explore these new directions.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE

Blood Donor Clinic

Saugeen Shores Community Complex
 THE PLEX
600 Tomlinson Drive, Port Elgin, ON
Thursday, November 29
12:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

CALL  1 888 2 DONATE or  1 888 236 6283
to schedule your life-saving appointment today!
New Donors & Walk-ins Needed!
Give a Holiday Miracle.  Donate Blood.

Each Bruce County community will be guided through the first six steps of the 12-step process, and leave with a solid brand direction (what sets them apart from everyone else), a brand promise, initial product development and marketing recommendations, key marketing messages, and step-by-step instructions on how to complete the last six steps once back home. The program includes the creation of an umbrella brand for the county or region, encompassing the brands of each community, if applicable

Roger Brooks has assisted nearly 1,000 communities with branding, tourism, downtown development and marketing. Founder of award-winning Destination Development International (DDI), Roger is the author of the book “Your Town: A Destination,” which highlights lessons he’s learned over the past 30 years, including (from personal experience) the need for free public restrooms.

Roger is one of the most recognized and frequently quoted experts in the field – a field he’s broadened to include almost everything that makes a city, town, province or state a better place to live, work or play.

For more information about this camp, visit:

http://www.destinationdevelopment.com/community-branding-marketing-programs/premier-community-brandcamp/

Blood Donor Clinic
Davidson Centre
601 Durham Street, Kincardine, ON
Wednesday, November 14
1 p.m. – 8 p.m.
CALL 1 888 2 DONATE or 1 888 236 6283
 to schedule your life-saving appointment today
New Donors & Walk-ins Welcome!

Connect with your Customers via  Website, Emailing, Blogging, Social Media

 The Business Enterprise Centre in Saugeen Shores is pleased to bring back Lynda Chiotti to help business owners effectively use the Internet to promote their business!

After eating, Jill Roote, Program Manager, thanked the mentors and the family and friends who supported the young entrepreneurs.  The mentors all spoke about their own personal enjoyment of helping younger people overcome new challenges.  Jill then went on to ask a series of questions to each of the students, pertaining to their achievements and challenges.

Devan, of Dynamic Dance and Fitness Studio, felt her greatest achievement was taking all the lessons she learn in college and applying them in the real world. She was proud that she focused on ensuring each client made progress towards their fitness goals. In doing things differently, she would ensure that she had her marketing tasks complete before she ran her courses. “I tried to do everything at once and it was too rushed”, she said.

Derrick, of Derrick’s Smoked Fish, said he can now fillet a fish like a top chef. His big achievement was raking it in at the Pow Wow.  His biggest challenge was transportation. He did not have reliable transportation to make it to the various markets in Bruce County. However, he felt he did pretty good selling his product only at Cape Croker.

Laura, of Fabulous Fish, felt that she gained a lot of self-confidence and independence from her mom. “This was my first job other than babysitting.  As I only have a G1 license, I needed my mom to come to the markets with me, and she would help me out. But through the course of the summer, I found it easier to put myself out there and sell my fish by myself.”

Luke, of Forever Deck Company, was very proud of creating a company that can last. “It took some time to get going, but I feel that this is something I could do next summer.”  He felt that his biggest mistake was not paying attention to his marketing soon enough. “I really didn’t get all my marketing material soon enough. I was relying on the trade-show too much. I should have printed my flyers earlier”

Tyce, of Lavalley t’s, was happy that he learned how to get his art on t-shirts. Jill made note that of all the kids, Tyce had to work hard to re-adjust his business plan, because his found a cheaper method of imprinting the shirts himself, compared to his original concept of out-sourcing the imprinting.

Connor, of the Computer Shoppe and Repair, was happy to develop his communications skills. “I really had to work hard to talk to customers in their own language, and at their level of technical skills.” He wished that he met the mentors before he went through his start-up stage.

When asked who is considering entrepreneurship as a career, Connor and Devan have plans to keep their company going at a limited capacity while away at school. Tyce wants to keep his momentum by learning how to do silk screening, instead of iron on patches.  Luke is planning on running his company in summer, even after he lands a teaching job. While Derrick sees entrepreneurship in his future, his summer company definitely must end with summer– he needs fresh leaves to naturally smoke his fish. “Oh, and I don’t think I can bring the smoker to business college.”, he said with a grin.

Only Laura felt that maybe entrepreneurship was not for her. While she enjoyed the experience, there is a lot of things to do and plan. Also, she worked much more than 35 hours a week. Jill admitted that it is common amongst entrepreneurs too put in more hours than employed people. Devan said she did too, but she enjoyed the freedom of making her own decisions and reaping the rewards of her hard work. Laura rebutted “with all those hours, I didn’t even make 5 bucks an hour”. Connor with his long hours in his downtown store quipped “I wish I had made that much per hour”.

And this is what Summer Company is meant to be, a chance to experience of all the highs and lows of building a company out of an idea.  Although program has a lot of educational aspect, it is still giving these students the opportunity to experience the real world of business. There is no magic formula for financial success, but at the end of the program, all young entrepreneurs agreed that they learned a lot and enjoyed the entire experience.