The application portal is now open for the Starter Company Plus program through Stratford Perth Centre for Business. 

The program is aimed at entrepreneurs within Stratford, St Marys, and Perth County.

With two cohorts each year, the fall session offers six successful applicants four weeks of training beginning Oct. 16 and running until Nov. 14, focusing on areas of business planning, cash flow, operations, and marketing.

After four weeks of training, graduates are eligible to receive a $5,000 grant. 

“There is the creation of this unique community of new entrepreneurs, where they can navigate the four–week course material together and rely, not only on the program instructors but also on each other,” said Holly Mortimer, business advisor, Stratford Perth Centre for Business.

“Becoming an entrepreneur can be a lonely experience and the sense of support and community created within the four weeks last as a peer networking group for many long after the program concludes.”

Stratford Perth Centre for Business, a department of investStratford, provides mentorship via a four-week hybrid training and mentorship program with individual coaching to support entrepreneurial business dreams.

Added Joani Gerber, CEO, investStratford: “Starter Company Plus has been a flagship grant program of the Stratford Perth Centre for Business for many years. I am thrilled to see this excited and inspired group of business owners get started and grow in our community.”

The program includes weekly online lessons to teach entrepreneurs how to build a business plan with an emphasis on cash flow planning and digital marketing and a mentorship component for participants to learn from a matched-mentor specializing in accounting, financial planning, digital marketing, and policy creation.

Participants can meet and learn together in person, creating conversations around partnerships, networking and idea sharing.

Interested applicants can register online.